1 . “Consumers complain that the modern tomato has little flavor. It’s like a water bomb,” said Sanwen Huang, who works at the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. “Tomato farmers care about yield, and the genetic variants related to yield are not related to tasty tomato favors.”

How can farmers ditch this unpleasant thing and recover the rich, sweet flavor of the tomato? To find out, Huang and colleagues investigated which genes are related to tomatoes’ taste. The scientists created a 100-person group that sampled 160 tomatoes based on sensory qualities. Based on the group’s feedback, the researchers identified dozens of chemical compounds (化合物) that could be related to the tomato’s taste. Using a statistical model that determined the concentration of various chemicals in the tomatoes, the scientists identified 33 most important flavor compounds. The researchers then measured the content of them in each of the tomatoes, and identified about 250 genetic loci (基因座) that controlled tomato flavor. This finding revealed the genetic basis of tomato flavor.

But the researchers also wanted to determine why store-bought tomatoes don’t taste good. It turns out that modern tomato varieties are selected according to qualities such as big size because buyers prefer large fruit, and firmness because it makes tomatoes easier to ship. Meanwhile, the quality of flavor has been ignored, said the researchers.

Volatiles (挥发性物质), in particular, are essential for good flavor. The removal of specific volatiles from tomatoes results in significant reduction in people’s liking. Moreover, refrigeration can change a tomato’s volatile compounds.

“But there is hope for a future filled with tasty, new varieties of store-bought tomatoes, as our results provide a road map for improvement of flavor. By working together, geneticists, biochemists, farmers and customers can provide better-flavored tomatoes for our society.” Huang said.

1. How does the author present the study in paragraph 2?

A．By giving a definition.	B．By listing figures.
C．By analyzing the cause.	D．By making a comparison.

2. What is the main idea of paragraphs 3-4?

A．The reasons why stores favor such tomatoes.

B．Some qualities consumers prefer in buying tomatoes.

C．The importance of volatiles in deciding tomato flavor.

D．The reasons why store-bought tomatoes have little flavor.

3. Which of the following statements will Huang probably agree with?

A．The store-bought tomatoes have a promising future.

B．Yield-related genetic variants provide tasty tomatoes.

C．Their research has changed a tomato’s volatile compounds.

D．Farmers and customers can certainly provide better-flavored tomatoes.

4. What’s the purpose of the text?

A．To persuade readers to buy tomatoes.

B．To introduce the high yielding tomatoes.

C．To prove store-bought tomatoes are tasteless.

D．To inform readers of the research about tomato flavors.

2 . Underground farming, as the name may suggest, is the practice of growing food underground.     1     Food can then be grown in stable, predictable and sustainable ways there.

Until recently, underground farming is a recent and important trend, but why? Because of its potential (潜力) and the benefits that it brings.

·    2    

It has been estimated that even if cities were to build rooftop greenhouses on every possible building and fill the parking spots with growing containers — it would only be able to reach around 5% of the crop requirements of the city.     3     Rooftop greenhouses, on the other hand, require buildings that have very large flat roofs and are strong enough structurally, yet most buildings simply don’t have that. That’s where underground farms stand out. They require less surface space and can be applied to almost any new building.

·Lowers Heating Costs for Building Above

Even the most efficient LED lights generate waste heat, which means that they heat up the farm, and for most modern indoor farms that's a major issue because not only energy is lost through lighting, but it's also required to cool down the farm.     4     Besides, people are working on ways to recycle the waste heat in order to help heat the building above and reduce its energy.

·Enables Farming in Unfriendly Environments

Obviously when going under a certain depth, the weather and environmental conditions of the surface have no effect on the growing environment.     5    

A．Replaces rooftop greenhouses.

B．Increases the urban farming capacity (容量).

C．Underground farms have a big advantage here.

D．It aims at creating stable underground environments.

E．Growing in cities is highly limited due to less empty space.

F．Underground farms can reduce that waste of energy as much as possible.

G．So it's possible to build productive farms in deserts and even mountainous areas.

3 . Saihanba is a green miracle passed on from generation to generation.

The Saihanba Forest Farm is the world’s largest manmade forest, a 750-square-kilometer barrier (屏障), 300 kilometers north of Beijing, planted to save the Chinese capital from desertification (the gradual change of habitable land into desert, which is usually caused by climate change or by destructive use of the land).

Today, overlooking the sea of green, it would be hard to imagine that a half century ago, the area was wasteland.

The big change began 59 years ago with the effort of a group of foresters and engineers who were determined to turn the area into a forest. In 1962, the Ministry of Forestry Saihanba Mechanical Forest Farm was formally established. Some 369 young people from different parts of the country went all the way north to Saihanba.

Food and shelter was in short supply, so the group grew their own potatoes and corn and set up simple shelters and tents, sometimes using only brunches and straw that gave little shelter from the freezing wind.

In the beginning, planting trees on the very cold highland was an impossible task due to the high winds. Over 90 percent of the young seedlings planted in the first two years died and the forest farm was nearly shut down. After trying different ways of planting trees, the survival rate of the newly planted young trees topped 90 percent in 1964.

Planting trees is not enough. Carefully protecting the woods and managing well the whole forest farm is even harder. That is what later generations will do.

During fire prevention periods in spring and autumn, they check the vast expanse of forest every 15 minutes during the day, and once an hour at night.

Now as third-generation tree planters in Saihanba, they need to solve even more difficult problems in the never-ending effort of planting more trees. Since there is much less flat land left for planting trees, they have to work on the rocky mountain slopes (斜坡) where the topsoil is only 10 centimeters thick. But before giving the young trees a home, they need to dig holes about 40 centimeters deep.

Three generations of hard work have turned Saihanba from a nascent (新生的) stand of trees into a million acres of forest, from a desert into an oasis.

1. The author showed the difficulty of planting trees in Saihanba by ________.

A．telling stories

B．showing causes

C．listing numbers

D．giving examples

2. From the passage we know that Saihanba Forest Farm ________.

A．was changed by 369 engineers

B．used to be a 750-square-kilometer farm

C．provided good living conditions for people there

D．was turned into the world’s largest manmade forest

3. The passage is mainly about ________.

A．how people created a green miracle

B．why it was hard to manage the forest well

C．what people did to deal with climate change

D．what measures were taken to protect the capital

4 . A research group, led by a scientist Professor Lilach Hadany at Tel Aviv University, have conducted a six-year experiment, proving that plants talk, particularly in certain stressful situations.

Plants were put in a sound-proof chamber (隔音室) and were recorded by two microphones. Some plants were in need of water, others were cut, and a control group were left undamaged. The researchers used an AI algorithm to separate the sounds successfully identifying the differences between the sounds made depending on whether they were dry or cut.

On average, the human ear can hear sounds up to around 20kHz, but the sounds produced by plants are in the 40-80kHz region, far beyond our hearing capabilities. That doesn’t mean they can’t be heard. “White unnoticed to the human ear, the sounds sent out by plants can probably be heard by various animals, such as bats, mice, and insects,” Hadany tells us. Though this has yet to be proven, it’s possible that these animals use this information for their benefit, choosing which plants to eat, for example.

While farming has become a science itself, there’s still a lot of estimation (估计) involved. If farmers were able to receive exact information directly from their crop, they could start a much more efficient method of care. The study thinks that more proper irrigation (灌溉) could save up to 50% of water cost and greatly improve the product. “In times when more and more areas are exposed to drought due to climate change, efficient water use becomes even more necessary, for both food safety and natural environment.” They would also be able to better identify and control disease in a crop.

The sounds sent out by plants are not cries for help, but rather a by-product of material stress rather than communication. Just as Hadany notes, “Obviously, a wonderful field of flowers can be a rather noisy place. It’s just that we can’t hear the sounds.”

1. The author tries to tell the readers in Para. 2 ______.

A．the differences between the sounds

B．the process of the experiments

C．the inventions from the farmers

D．the function of the plants

2. The researchers’ findings may contribute to the farmers of ______.

A．earning a lot of money

B．taking good care of their crop

C．recognizing the origin of the plant

D．making full preparations for a discovery

3. What can be learned about the experiment in Para. 3?

A．Some insects can notice the smell of the plants.

B．Not all the people can improve their work efficiency.

C．Neither animals nor plants can hear the sounds by people.

D．Some animals may use the sounds by plants to choose food.

4. What could be the best title for the passage?

A．Why people conduct experiments with plants.

B．Science matters, and we are making it.

C．Plants talk, and now we are listening.

D．How plants reduce their stress.

5. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A．To promote a new technology.

B．To recommend a research team.

C．To introduce a scientific discovery.

D．To explain a historical event.

5 . Too often, houseplant decisions are made suddenly. We find a fine plant at the supermarket and say, “That’s so pretty. I want it.” So we bring home a healthy, tropical (热带的) plant only to find it, weeks later, on death’s doorstep.

Before buying a tropical plant or indoor flowering plant, look around your house and decide where you would like to see it. It is not necessary to choose the brightest place, as there are great houseplants for nearly all light conditions. After determining where new plants are needed, decide what shape the plants should be. Perhaps you need something tall to fill an empty corner or soften an empty wall.

Once you have a list of the spaces you need to fill and the plant forms you would like to try, visit the garden center or greenhouse and look at the offerings. Mid-winter is the best time for tropical plant shopping since most stores fill the gap between gardening seasons with tropical orders. Ordered a lot, they are cheaper in the winter as well.

Ask the salesman which plants are the easiest to grow; this list should include cast iron plant, parlor palms, snake plants, peace lilies and so on. Flowering plants are the most difficult to grow and should be avoided if you are new to indoor plants. If you must have one, look for Jasmine Sambac, an easy plant.

Don’t lose heart if you buy something and it doesn’t survive. Tropical plants are suited to warm, moist (潮湿的) and protected air. They are not suited to some places in hot northern homes. Remember that a lovely plant that looks good in your living room for only a year is still a better action than last night’s pizza.

1. What should we consider before buying a houseplant?

A．Its color and shape.	B．Its flowering period.
C．The area which it belongs to.	D．The place where we will put it.

2. Why does the author suggest buying plants in mid-winter?

A．There are more plants to choose from then.

B．The gardening business then is increasing.

C．The plants look more beautiful then.

D．The plants grow better then.

3. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．We’d better not buy the pizza made last night.

B．The living conditions are important to plants.

C．Few people can keep tropical plants alive.

D．It is wrong to keep tropical plants indoor.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Where to buy houseplants.

B．When to grow houseplants.

C．How to choose a proper houseplant.

D．Whether houseplants are easy to grow.

6 . Earth Day is April 22. Every year, people around the world observe the day by helping to care for the environment. They carry out all kinds of activities in an effort to better the planet’s heath.

One way to support this goal is to grow plants native to your area. This helps wildlife like birds and insects that evolved alongside native plants. For many of these animals, plant pollen (花粉) is their food. Native pollinators often cannot recognize non-native plants as food. This means they do not collect the pollen or spread plants’ seeds. Planting non-native species creates so-called “food deserts” for pollinators including bees, birds, bats, butterflies and more.

Doug Taamy is a professor of entomology at the University of Delaware. Entomology is the study of insects. He found that non-native plant species can harm the natural food chain, which can lead to a collapse of the environment. “Plant choice matters,” he said. “The plants we choose to landscape our properties should be determined by how much life can live there.”

Humans depend strongly on insects. Without them, we would have no flowering plants, which would harm the food web that supports important animals. Birds, for example, depend on plants for food and spread their seeds while keeping the populations of harmful insects down.

Insects support plants that provide oxygen, clean our water, capture carbon and add nutrients to the soil. That builds topsoil and prevents flooding. Without insects, the biosphere — the living parts of the Earth — would rot because of the loss of insect decomposers. Humans simply could not survive that, Tallamy said.

In addition to providing food and habitat for insects and other wildlife, native plants are able to grow easily and do not require much care. That means less watering and less fertilizing. The situation is a win-win for gardeners and pollinators.

1. Which section of a website is the text probably taken from?

A．Around the globe.	B．Technology report.
C．The secret of nature.	D．Healthy Lifestyle.

2. Why should we avoid planting non-native species?

A．They attract more insects.	B．They do harm to native plants.
C．They turn soil into desert.	D．They break the balance of nature.

3. In what aspect are native plants superior to non-native plants?

A．They produce more oxygen.	B．They prevent flooding more effectively.
C．They need less care.	D．They add more nutrients to the soil.

4. What does the author advise us to do?

A．Take effective measures to protect insects.

B．Raise environmental awareness on Earth Day.

C．Make great effort to better the planet's health.

D．Plant native plants to support local environment.

7 . How to Care for Indoor Plants

If you’ve ever had an indoor plant that’s quickly withered (枯萎), you might believe that you don’t have a green thumb or you’re not cut out for growing plants.     1     The truth is that anyone can be a good plant owner, and it really isn't complicated, we promise. In this article, we'll walk you through everything you need to know to care for your indoor plants, from watering to sunlight requirements to fertilizer.

    2     If your soil is either too dry or overwatered, it can damage the plant’s roots and prevent the plant from growing. In some cases under or over watering your plant can also kill it. Plants with thick leaves require more water than plants with leathery leaves. There is no specific frequency that works for all indoor plants. Instead, what you must do is determine what kind of plant you have, and follow guidelines on how often to water it by doing research on its specific type.

Stick your finger in the soil to determine how wet it is below the surface. If you put your finger into the soil up to your joint, you can feel if your plant needs more water. If the soil feels damp, then you don’t need to water it.     3     If it feels dry then it’s likely you need to water it.

Use water that is at room temperature. 68F or 20C is the best temperature to keep the water that you’re using to water your plants.     4     After that, you are supposed to take some actions to make the plants grow comfortably.

Use a hand-held moisture (水分) meter to ensure water levels in your soil.     5     The mechanism explores the underlying soil to give you a reading on how hydrated (含水的) your soil is.

A．Keep potting soil moist, but not wet.

B．Indoor plants are not necessarily good for us.

C．Well, we’re here to tell you that’s not the case.

D．Test whether your finger is long enough to put into the soil.

E．You can use a thermometer to determine the temperature of the water.

F．Over-watering can lead to rotting of the root which you need to fix.

G．Moisture meters are the most accurate way to determine how hydrated your plants are.

8 . Yellow flower carpeted fields are a sure sign of summer. In Denmark alone, more than 200,000 hectares of rapeseed (油菜籽) are planted every year. But until now, the plant has only been used for oil and animal food, as it is both bitter and unsafe for human consumption.

To protect themselves, the rapeseed plants produce a group of substances (物质) called glucosinolates (硫苷), which give the plants a strong and bitter taste that scares off insects and disease. As a result rapeseed is unhealthy to eat and the rapeseed cake, which is the remains of the seeds after the oil has been squeezed out, has only been used as feed for pigs and chickens, despite its 30 — 40 percent protein content.

Now, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have discovered the three proteins that help to store the bitter substances in seeds of thale cress (阿拉伯芥), a plant closely related to the rapeseed. The new knowledge makes it possible to prevent the accumulation (积聚) of these substances in the seed by removing the proteins through “transport engineering” technology. In doing so, the defensive substances remain in all other parts of the plant, allowing it to continue to defend itself.

So far, the researchers have shown that their method works in thale cress. “The next task is to apply our method to the closely related rapeseed plant, which we are now working on,” says Professor Halkier, leader of the research.

“Half of plant proteins in the EU come from rapeseed. The climate crisis demands that we reduce meat consumption and eat more plants, which is where rapeseed has great potential as a new source of plant protein. Our latest research results bring us a step closer to making full use of rapeseed,” says Professor Halkier.

1. What is the function of paragraph 2?

A．To state the reason.	B．To offer the solution.
C．To give an example.	D．To introduce the topic.

2. According to the research, how did scientists rid thale cress of its bitter taste?

A．By selecting better seeds.	B．By removing the three proteins.
C．By increasing sweet tastes.	D．By storing defensive substances.

3. What do Halkier’s words focus on?

A．Researchers’ efforts to better the taste.

B．Researchers’ progress in their experiment.

C．Rapeseed’s role in relieving climate crisis.

D．Rapeseed’s potential as a new protein source.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for this text?

A．Harmful proteins discovered in rapeseed

B．Rapeseed widely used as oil and animal food

C．Researchers closer to making rapeseed safe food

D．New plant protein in rapeseed finally uncovered

9 . 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。

It’s been nearly seven years since a group of volunteers grew flowers at What Cheer Flower Farm in Rhode Island, with a simple goal: get flowers into the hands of anyone in need. Best of all, each one of the tens of thousands of flowers that What Cheer grows and     1    (delivery) are completely free of charge.

What Cheer was founded by two gardeners     2    often gave away flowers from their own gardens and wanted the idea to grow. What Cheer     3     (regular)brings joy to people at local hospitals, wishing them a quick     4    (recover). “Seeing the     5    (satisfy)smiles on people’s faces who weren’t expecting it is great,” says Stephen Hogan Jr. from the farm.

What Cheer’s flower beds lie in an industrial neighborhood that once     6    (house)a knife factory. In May, the nonprofit was awarded     7    $500, 000 prize from the Environmental Protection Agency for its continued efforts     8    (bring)life to the once polluted land.

“Not only do we give this space back to the neighborhood,” says Achen, “but we are also an eco-friendly spot with the ability to help local insect and bird     9    (population), and that’ll only make people’s lives better.” What cheer indeed can cheer people     10    !What’s good about a flower is that it doesn’t need anything else. Your only job when someone gives you flowers is to enjoy them.

10 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

Indoor plants add color and warmth to the home. Many houseplants     1    (be)easy to grow, but they must be given appropriate care.

The very first thing to consider when     2    (select)a houseplant is where you want to put it. Then match the space and lighting with the plant’s requirements. Do you have a big spot by a     3    (sun)window or a small space with little light? Next ask     4    (you)whether you are looking for a plant with beautiful green leaves     5     a flowering plant. Some flowering houseplants are seasonal while others will bloom year after year.

Watering properly is one of     6     most important parts of indoor plant care. Room temperature and tap water should be fine for most indoor plants, but remember not     7    (water)too much at a time, otherwise they will     8    (certain)get drowned.

Some plants grow well in warm, humid environments, while others prefer hot, dry climates. Of course, your home can’t be everything to every plant, but if you can take plant’s needs into     9    (consider), you can make sure that your plants are living     10     their ideal environment.