1 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What does Jacob ask Amy to do?

A．Enjoy the flowers.

B．Provide help.

C．Grow flowers.

2. How often does Jacob water flowers?

A．Every day.

B．Every two days.

C．Every three days.

3. What do we know about Jacob’s flowers?

A．They lack water.

B．They lack sunshine.

C．Their leaves turn yellow.

4. What will Jacob do?

A．Water flowers in time.

B．Learn about growing flowers.

C．Grow flowers with Amy.

2 . Have you ever tried a cactus (仙人掌) pear? Yes, its prickly surface makes it an unusual-looking fruit but it is widely used in Mexican dishes. This fruit from the cactus is really good for you because it is helpful in fighting against many diseases, and has many health benefits (利益). There are actually over 200 types of cactus fruit and they grow in hot dry places.

Since the world is getting hotter and drier, it is even more difficult for hot dry places to grow major crops (庄稼) that need more water. Therefore, providing food and fuel will go a long way in a world that is heating up. Researchers from the University of Nevada, Reno, set out to see if the cactus pear could become a superfood that could feed people and animals, remove carbon (碳) from the atmosphere and be used as a biofuel.

While the study looked at many types of cactuses, they settled on the nopal cactus or Opuntia. The fruit can be gathered as food and the rest of the cactus can be used for taking in carbon and can be used as biofuels according to biology professor Cushman. The plant keeps water by closing its pores (气孔) during the hottest part of the day to limit water loss and opens them at night. Cushman hopes to use the genes from this plant to add them to other plants.

They are also studying the Opuntia stunting disease, which causes cactuses to grow smaller plants and less fruits, in order to find out how it spreads. They hope to learn how to create tools to recognize and treat it so that they can help Opuntia become a prolific crop.

In a world that is also gaining population, finding a new superfood will go a long way in feeding a planet that will need 50-90 percent more food in 2050. Eating more plant-based foods will also reduce the amount of land needed for more food protection.

1. What can we know about the cactus pear?

A．It is of great benefit to people.

B．It is the main food for Mexicans.

C．It can’t be seen outside Mexico.

D．It grows in hot wet places.

2. What is the feature of the nopal cactus?

A．It is easy to be gathered.

B．It has fewer pores 10 save water.

C．It is suitable for various conditions.

D．It is eatable and good for the environment.

3. What does the underlined word “prolific” in Paragraph 4 most probably mean?

A．Helpful.

B．Unusual.

C．Attractive.

D．Fruitful.

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．Getting away from increasingly higher temperatures

B．Cactus pears may become the new superfood crop

C．A cactus is the plant living well in dry areas

D．Providing plant-based food for the world

3 . How to create an indoor garden

If you’re looking for a way to brighten up your home, consider creating an indoor garden.     1     We will share some basic tips on how to make yours look its best.

Know the type of plants you want

Deciding is probably the hardest part when it comes to creating an indoor garden because there are just so many plants to choose from. Start by thinking about what type of plants you want.

    2     Or maybe something that doesn’t need much attention or effort? Once you have an idea of the type of plant you want, you can start narrowing down your options.

Get the right potting soil and containers

Now that you know what type of plants you want, it’s time to get the right potting soil and containers. Make sure to get a potting mix that is specifically designed for indoor plants.     3     As for containers, you can really use anything as long as it has drainage holes.

Choose a bright location Once you have your plants and pots, it’s time to choose a location for your indoor garden.     4     This will help your plants grow and stay healthy. If you don’t have a spot that gets a lot of light, you can always use artificial lighting like grow lights.

    5    

In addition to watering, you’ll also need to add substance to your plants about once a month. This will help them grow and stay healthy. Just be sure to follow the instructions on the package. Don’t overdo it.

A．Give fertiliser monthly.

B．How exactly can we make one?

C．Follow the instruction correctly.

D．But don’t worry, we’re here to help.

E．This will help your plants grow strong.

F．Do you want something that will blossom?

G．Look for a spot in your home that gets a lot of natural light.

4 . Sunflowers are huge plants with bright yellow flowers. They have a long history in North America. There is evidence that they were used for food and for medicine by Native Americans beginning around 1000 B. C. The seeds from sunflowers were likely brought to Europe by Spanish explorers around the late 16th century. Over time, they found their way to Eastern Europe. Today, Ukraine is the world’s leading producer of the plants. Sunflowers are grown for their seeds and to make oil.

If you start growing sunflowers from seeds, put them in room-temperature water for 2-8 hours before planting to start the growing process. Plant each seed into dirt 2.5 centimetres deep and 15 to 30 centimetres apart. Plant them after the danger of frost has passed or start indoors three weeks before your last frost date. Keep the soil wet, but not too wet, until the seeds begin to grow.

Sunflower plants can be moved outdoors when the danger of frost has passed in your area. Choose a place outside that will provide the plants with at least 6- 8 hours of direct sunlight each day.

As the plants grow, they will develop long roots that work their way deep into the ground. So, before planting, it is important to loosen the soil. Dig at least one third of a metre down and remove any rocks.

Mixa large amount of compost (堆肥) into the soil where the plant will grow. Compost provides important, lasting nutrients that will help the plants all season long. The sunflowers may not need additional nutrients if they are planted with compost. If compost is not added during the planting process, provide nutrients through a slow release, all-purpose fertilizer (肥料) one or two times during the growing season.

1. What can be known about the sunflower in Paragraph 1?

A．It originated in South America.	B．It was initially used to make oil.
C．It has a history of 3,000 years or so.	D．It was taken to Europe by British explorers.

2. What are sunflower growers advised to do?

A．Keep the seeds in water for 10 hours.

B．Plant seeds 2.5 centimetres apart.

C．Never put new plants in direct sunlight each day.

D．Plant seeds indoors 21 days before your last frost date.

3. Why is it important to loosen the soil before planting?

A．It is friendly to roots’ growth.	B．It helps to hold water in the soil.
C．It guarantees adequate supplies of air.	D．It is more efficient in keeping temperature.

4. What are Paragraphs 2-5 mainly about?

A．How to select sunflowers.	B．How to grow sunflowers.
C．When to fertilize sunflowers.	D．When to move sunflowers.

5 . Seagrass meadows(海草床) are wonder plants growing beneath the sea. They feed and shelter sea life and are masterful at storing carbon. Thanks to the assistance of tiger sharks, a huge seagrass meadow in the Bahamas Banks was recently discovered, offering the world a tool to fight climate change.

Seagrass has usually been detected by Earth-orbiting satellites that identify darker patches in the blue water. In this study, tiger sharks were selected as research tools due to their highly consistent associations with seagrass ecosystems. They spend 70% of their time in seagrass meadows. The team equipped eight tiger sharks with satellite tags (电子跟踪器), seven sharks with camera tags, and used a 360-degree camera on a shark for the first time ever.

The data researchers collected was astonishing. The world’s largest seagrass ecosystem, measuring at least 66,900 square kilometers, has been discovered. This reflects a 41% increase from previous estimates of global seagrass. Seagrass can capture (捕获) huge quantities of carbon by photosynthesis (光合作用) and stores it on the seafloor. In terms of climate change, this is excellent news; seagrass is 35 times faster a removing carbon than tropical rainforests. When referred to global seagrass carbon stock estimates, the study indicates that seagrass in the Bahamas may contain 19.2% to 26.3% of all the carbon stored in seagrass meadows on Earth.

Yet seagrass meadows are rapidly disappearing, with over 92% of meadows in the UK gone, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Scientists are collecting seeds and trying to grow new seagrass meadows through restoration projects. This new discovery offers optimism and proves the importance of the ocean for healing.

The sharks led us to the seagrass ecosystem in the Bahamas, which we now know is likely the most significant blue carbon sink(蓝色碳汇) on the planet. What this discovery shows us is that ocean exploration and research are essential for a healthy future. The untapped potential of the ocean is limitless. These meadows can be protected and can be replicated (复制,仿制), offering hope for climate change around the globe.

1. Why were tiger sharks chosen as research tools?

A．They are more flexible than other sea animals.

B．They can quickly adjust themselves to the deep sea.

C．They have a strong connection with seagrass ecosystems.

D．They can be easily equipped with experimental devices.

2. What are the numbers in paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The decline of global seagrass meadows.

B．The impact of climate change on sea life.

C．The rapid increase in the amount of carbon on Earth.

D．The potential value of the world’s largest seagrass ecosystem.

3. What are scientists doing to protect seagrass?

A．Planting more seagrass meadows.

B．Developing new technology to collect seeds.

C．Mapping the distribution of seagrass meadows.

D．Encouraging people to join in restoration projects.

4. Which could be the best title for the text?

A．The New Way of Removing Carbon

B．The Significance of Ocean Exploration

C．A New Discovery: World’s Largest Seagrass Meadow

D．Tiger Sharks: Scientists’ Essential Helper to Study Climate

6 . Growing at high speed and absorbing huge amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide, could seaweeds be the key to fighting climate change? Scientists in Australia think so. In Australia, scientists are taking advantage of the power of seaweeds to absorb CO₂ at a rate that equals to the Amazon rainforest!

Kelp (巨藻) is one of the most common seaweeds. It has many types and grows at great speed. Giant kelp, for example, can grow up to 50 cm per day. Seaweeds use photosynthesis (光合作用) to absorb CO₂, and grow biomass. Seaweeds are thought to absorb nearly 200 million tonnes of our globe’s CO₂ per year.

Pia Winberg, founder of Australia’s first land-based commercial seaweed farm, suggests that growing more seaweeds could be an essential tool in the fight against climate change. “If we used the infrastructure we have in the ocean and created seaweed islands, we would actually remove many climate change issues we have today,” she said.

The Great Southern Reef is an 8,000-km network of reefs in Australia. Golden kelp forms the backbone of the network. With many other species, including giant kelp and bull kelp, growing there, it is a good place for series of relevant projects. The Great Southern Reef project managed by an independent team of seience professionals is working to promote the recognition and management of Australia’s kelp forests. The project estimates that if these kelp forests were cultivated in just 0.001% of the ocean’s surface, the amounts of the CO₂: they absorb could offset (抵消) the carbon emissions of the global aquaculture (水产养殖) industry.

Of seaweeds’ potential, there’s a long chain of wins with this.

1. What is the scientists’ attitude towards growing seaweeds to absorb CO₂?

A．Doubtful.

B．Unclear.

C．Positive.

D．Negative.

2. What can we learn about Giant kelp?

A．It can grow 50 cm per day at most.

B．It is unique to the Great Southern Reef.

C．It is cultivated in commercial seaweed farm.

D．It absorbs nearly 200 million tonnes of CO: every year.

3. Why is the Great Southern Reef suitable for ocean forest project?

A．It is managed by an independent team of science professionals.

B．It has the largest network of reefs in Australia.

C．It is home to many species of seaweeds.

D．It works to protect Australia’s kelp forests.

4. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Different species of seaweed absorb CO2 in different ways.

B．Bull kelp forms the backbone of the reefs network in Australia.

C．The Great Southern Reef absorbs as much CO2 as the Amazon rainforest.

D．Seaweed forests could be the key to fighting climate change.

7 . A century ago, you needn’t travel far to find unique fruits or vegetables. Today, because of the widespread adoption of industrial farming practices, about 90 per cent of North America’s fruit and vegetable varieties have disappeared. With that goes resilience (适应力) against pests and future weather patterns, not to mention delicious flavors. But a group of Canadians have taken crop diversity into their own gardening gloves.

The rescue mission started in the early 1980s with about 100 backyard gardeners from B. C, Ontario and Quebec. To keep their favorite varieties spreading, the gardeners decided to save and share their own seeds. Soon 1, 000 of these growers were mailing seeds across the country.

In 1995, these gardeners formed Seeds of Diversity, a nonprofit focused on preserving Canada’s botanical (植物的) heritage. A little over a decade later, the group founded the Canadian Seed Library to house each crop variety. The Seed Library now stocks (贮存) more than 2, 900 seed varieties, stored in a closet at the nonprofit’s office in downtown Waterloo.

To keep the library well stocked, Seeds of Diversity operates an adopt-a-seed program; members pay between S50 and S250 - the cost of full sponsorship - to introduce a specifc variety into the seed library forever. Under the program, volunteers sign up for spring growing, and tiny envelopes are mailed to each taker; the rarest seeds are sent to the most experienced gardeners. At the end of the growing season, packages of fresh seeds are shipped back to Waterloo for drying, weighing and testing, before going into storage.

Bob Wildfong, the executive director of the organization, considers the purple striped pole bean, an old Mennonite variety from the Waterloo area, his current favorite seed. He says the humble bean signifies something he’s found most beautiful about seed saving: the links between people and families. “I’m growing this Mennonite bean, and it’s not from my family, ” Wildfong says. “But now it’s part of my life, and I would like someone else to adopt it so it becomes part of their life, too. ”

1. What can we infer based on the first paragraph?

A．Fewer Canadians are doing gardening now.

B．Varied crops can better fight pests and bad weather.

C．Today’s fruits and vegetables are less healthy than before.

D．Industrial farming practices have increased crop diversity.

2. What do we know about Seeds of Diversity and the Canadian Seed Library?

A．The Canadian Seed Library was established in 1995.

B．Seeds of Diversity has members at home and abroad.

C．Seeds of Diversity makes money by charging its members.

D．The Canadian Seed Library is based in downtown Waterloo.

3. Which of the following statements is correct?

A．It costs the same to introduce different seeds into the library.

B．The volunteers of Seeds of Diversity can adopt any seed they want.

C．The growers dry, weigh and test the fresh seeds before storing them.

D．Seed sharing can strengthen personal connections between growers.

4. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Growing More Crops	B．The Art of Gardening
C．Saving the Seeds	D．The Beauty of Nature

8 . In order to get rid of goldenrod from the city, the government of Wuhan is encouraging residents to report any findings of the plant, which is classified as a harmful alien species.

Goldenrod is one of the most successful and widespread alien plant species. It is often referred to as “the flower of the devil”, as it spreads extremely fast and causes other plants to die.

Besides Hubei province, the plant has also been found expanding in other provinces such as Jiangxi and Zhejiang. Although local authorities have tried to get rid of the plant, it is proving to be a difficult task. Goldenrod represents just one of the alien species that are aggressive towards the country’s native species. Statistics show that by 2020, nearly 800 kinds of alien species had invaded the country, among which 638 species have invaded the country’s agricultural and forestry ecosystems, causing direct economic losses of about 200 billion yuan ($31.36 billion).

At the United Nations Biodiversity Conference held in Kunming, Yunnan province, the invasion of alien species was the subject of discussions, as it was regarded as one of the two most important factors leading to the loss of biodiversity, the other being human-caused ecological damage.

China passed its Biosecurity Law on April 15, 2021, which provides the legal basis for preventing the invasion of alien species and protecting biodiversity in the country. The relevant departments also strictly carry out port inspections and quarantines so as to keep harmful organisms out of the country, and they strengthen early warning and monitoring systems so as to address the invasion as early as possible.

However, while government departments are making every effort to prevent and control the situation, the participation of the people should not be ignored. It is also necessary, as Wuhan is doing, to encourage people to pay attention to invasive species and actively play a role in keeping them at bay. Preventing any invasion by an alien species and protecting biodiversity should not just be the government departments fighting alone, but also a people’s war.

1. What can we learn about goldenrod from the text?

A．It originates in Wuhan.

B．It does harm to people’s health.

C．It is a great threat to the surrounding plants.

D．It causes an economic loss of about $31.36 billion.

2. What is Paragraph 5 mainly about?

A．China’s efforts to stop the invasion of alien species.

B．Relevant departments’ warning of goldenrod.

C．The legal basis to protect biodiversity.

D．The importance of port inspections and quarantines.

3. What do the underlined words “keeping them at bay” mean?

A．Keeping the invasive species out of the country.

B．Building some barriers for the species.

C．Preventing the flowers from growing fast.

D．Keeping the alien species safe at the port.

4. In which section of a newspaper can this text be found？

A．Business.

B．Culture.

C．Environment.

D．Opinion.

9 . Do you look forward to spring each year? What is spring like in your mind?     1     If you’re one of the fans of nature, you can’t wait until tulips and other spring flowers burst forth in all their glory.

Many of us already know that there’s a difference between annual and perennials(多年生植物). Some plants, called annuals, grow from seeds, produces flowers, and die all in one year.     2    . These are the plants that come back to bloom at about the same time year after year.

    3     In fact, they’re some of the oldest plants in the world. Some of the earliest species of non-flowering plants first, appeared nearly 400 million years ago. Botanists believe that the wide variety of flowering plants we see today developed from these older forms of non-flowering plants.

Are these ancient species of non-flowering plants still in existence today? You bet they are! And you’re probably familiar with many of them. They are various species of conifers(松柏类植物).     4    

That a plant doesn’t flower doesn’t mean that it can’t be beautiful, though.     5     They might not produce flowers, but they certainly provide an attractive backdrop of natural beauty that can help highlight those flowering plants that often exist around them.

A．Most plants flower at a fixed season each year.

B．There are some plants, though, that don’t flower at all.

C．They include woody trees you know by name such as pines, firs and cedars.

D．Actually, plants producing flowers are more beautiful than those which don't.

E．Perennials, on the other hand, can live for many years and flower many times.

F．Besides warmer weather, it usually comes with color and beauty in the form of flowers.

G．If you see pine trees on a snow-covered hillside, you can appreciate their evergreen beauty.

10 . As we sip our coffee and read the daily headlines, climate changes can seem like a distant threat. But travel a few thousands miles to the source of your caffeine fix, and the threat is all too real.

The coffee farmers are now seeing violent downpours that drown their plants in Mexico, where the climate used to be stable and mild, but the temperature now see-saws between extreme cold and heat, which greatly affects their harvest. Unfortunately, farmers across South America, Asia and Africa are also watching coffee plants decrease as droughts and downpours attack their crops as a result of global warming. The consequences of all this could soon work their way through the pipeline to your local coffee shop.

The problem arises, in part, from refinement (改进) of our taste. Two main breeds of commercial coffee Arabica and Robusta gain special reputation. The former is by far the world’s favourite, accounting for about 70% of the coffee we drink. However, the Arabica plants have been bred from a very small stock taken from the mountains of Ethiopia-giving it very little genetic diversity and making it particularly difficult to adapt to climate change. Besides, the plant grows best between a very narrow range of relatively mild temperatures (18 to 22℃ ) and needs gentle, regular rainfall. The delicate Arabica plants just can’t cope with the new and unpredictable conditions that come with global warming.

All of these paint a depressing picture for the future. Researchers predict that the land suited to farming Arabica could drop by as much as 50% by 2050. Classic coffee-producing region, such as Vietnam, India and most of Central America, will be hit particularly hard. Some of the farmers feel that the subject has almost become taboo, “We talk very little about climate. We already know how it is—and that there is nothing we can do.”

1. What does the author imply at the beginning?

A．The origin of coffee is at risk.

B．Coffee consumers like reading newspaper.

C．The origin of coffee is visited by consumers.

D．Coffee consumers do care about the weather very much.

2. What do we know about coffee planters?

A．They become victims of extreme weather.

B．Those in Mexico suffer the greatest loss.

C．Some of them take measures to cut the losses.

D．They try to meet the market demand for coffee.

3. What is the disadvantage of Arabica?

A．Its market share is low.

B．It can only be planted in Etiopia.

C．It has disease-causing genes.

D．It has high demands for environment.

4. The underlined word “taboo” in the last paragraph refers to something that is ________.

A．easily understood.	B．rarely mentioned.
C．hardly avoided.	D．heatedly discussed.