1 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the most important thing when planning a garden?

A．Growing what one loves.

B．Picking the right soil.

C．Choosing the location of the garden.

2. How many things do people need to plan before starting a garden?

A．5.

B．4.

C．3.

3. What is the advantage of growing from young plants?

A．They’re less expensive.

B．They grow more easily.

C．Their fruits will grow big enough.

4. What does the speaker suggest people do in the end?

A．Plant right before the growing season.

B．Ask an expert for the right soil.

C．Enjoy the process of planting.

2 . As the weather turns colder in some parts of the world, signs of autumn begin to appear. At this time of the year depending on your location, you may also see a familiar flower: chrysanthemums ( 菊花). We often call them “mums,” for short.

In parts of the United States, many people use chrysanthemums as decorations. The flowers sit next to pumpkins for Halloween, October’s famous holiday. But then the mums are thrown away along with rotting jack o’lanterns.

This yearly tradition bothered plant expert Jessica Damiano. In a recent article, she wanted to know why people simply threw away their mums. So, she asked some of her neighbors in Long Island, New York.

Everyone had the same answer: They thought the flowers were annuals — flowers that only last for one season.

Damiano explained that there are annual and perennial (多年生的) mums. Perennials come back for several growing seasons. Garden chrysanthemums, she adds, are actually perennials. Annual chrysanthemums are often sold in stores as potted gift plants. Special plant stores usually sell perennial mums.

If the plants are not labeled at a store, Damiano said to look at the leaves. The large, flat leaves of perennial mums have deep cuts around the edges. The narrow leaves of annuals do not.

Perennial mums are hardy flowers. But they cannot survive freezing temperatures. They also cannot survive extreme summer heat. So, that means about half of the United States is good for growing mums.

Perennial chrysanthemums come from China. Kaifeng, a city in China’s Henan province, is famous for its mums. Each year, the city holds a popular festival to celebrate the flowers. Chrysanthemum festivals are also held in other countries — like Pakistan, Germany, South Korea, Japan, and the United States, to name a few.

Chrysanthemums come in shades of orange, red, rust, pink, purple, yellow, cream, and white. Some can grow to nearly one meter in height. They reach their mature size in about three years. In warmer climates, they bloom again in spring.

1. Why did people throw away their chrysanthemums?

A．They don’t like the mums.

B．They don’t think the mums can flower again.

C．They mistake the mums as lanterns.

D．They throw away the mums by accident.

2. How can we tell the differences between annual mums and perennial ones according to Damiano?

A．By observing the leaves.	B．By looking at the pot.
C．By asking others.	D．By referring to books.

3. What kind of climate is suitable for mums’ growth?

A．Freezing.

B．Extremely hot.

C．Warm.

D．Wet.

4. Where are the perennial mums originally from?

A．Pakistan.

B．Germany.

C．Japan.

D．China.

3 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why do the two speakers hope for sunny days?

A．Because they feel bored with the changeable weather.

B．Because they can’t do anything in the rain.

C．Because they are worrying about their vegetables.

2. What will the weather probably be like this afternoon?

A．Cloudy.

B．Warm.

C．Foggy.

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Every year, at the end of October, tens of thousands of people flock to a Buddhist temple in China to see a huge gingko biloba tree (银杏树) drop its foliage (枝叶) and turn     1     temple from green to gold. The Gu Guanyin Buddhist temple,     2     (locate) in the Zhongnan Mountains of China’s Shaanxi Province is home     3     a 1,400-year-old gingko biloba tree. It was planted for the Tang dynasty (618-907) emperor Li Shimin,     4     is one of the     5     (great) rulers in Chinese history. It towers superbly over the temple,     6     for a few days every autumn, it rains down a gold carpet of     7     (leaf) that stands out against the muted tones of the season. Because of its     8     (amaze) appearance, it has been called the world’s most beautiful gingko biloba tree, and     9     (become) a tourist attraction in its own right.

Due to the increasing     10     (popular) of its ancient gingko biloba tree, the Gu Guanyin Buddhist temple has reportedly increased daily visitor capacity to around 7,200, between 8 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon.