1 . Keeping plants at home is a healthy and comfortable way of life. The following houseplants can create a most beautiful piece of green for your home.

Bird’s Nest Fern (蕨)

The bird’s nest fern is a good choice for anyone with a house that wouldn’t support sun-loving species. It’s a hardy fern variety adapting to living on forest floors, where the air tends to be cool and damp. It likes to be misted as well, but this doesn’t always mean you need a misting bottle—spraying (喷洒) it in the sink or hanging it near a shower often works as well.

Chinese Money Plant

This is a flowering species that might be most appropriate for experienced plant gardeners looking for a new challenge. It prefers a moderate amount of indirect light, and tends to dry out slightly between watering sessions. It produces new plants easily without any input, directly from its root system. These can coexist in the same pot for a time.

Resurrection Plant

This native of the Mexican desert has adapted to surviving in extreme drought by curling (蜷缩) into a ball and remaining in seemingly lifeless state for years, if necessary. In this form, it can be transported by the wind across the dry landscape to areas with water. It will revive within hours in a shallow bowl of water, unfolding and transforming into a fresh and green moss (苔藓).

Snake Plant

This is a striking houseplant that can be an especially good option for new plant owners who you might not trust to keep a plant alive. It grows happily in almost any condition. While it prefers bright light, it doesn’t mind shade or even artificial light. Plus, thanks to its thick, fleshy leaves, it stores water with remarkable efficiency, which makes it survive without water in the earth.

1. What is special about the bird’s nest fern?

A．It prefers shade.	B．It is sun-loving.
C．It tends to grow in the sink.	D．It can return to life after death.

2. Which plant will test its owner’s gardening skill most?

A．Bird’s nest fern.	B．Chinese money plant.
C．Resurrection plant.	D．Snake plant.

3. What do resurrection plant and snake plant have in common?

A．They demand attentive owners.	B．They are very drought-tolerant.
C．They will curl for self-protection.	D．They can store water for drought.

2 . A forest in Staffordshire (in the UK) transformed into a hi-tech laboratory. Researchers here are investigating how the trees use carbon, and it’s difficult to find out. In an unusual experiment, extra carbon dioxide is piped to the trees, to create the kind of atmospheric conditions expected in the middle of the century. And instruments measure how the forest reacts.       

The scientist in charge says there’s still a lot to learn. And he worries that governments and companies are rushing to plant trees as an easy answer to climate change. “If you try and use trees to tidy up the mess that we’re making through emissions, you are putting those trees into a very rapidly changing climate and they will struggle to adapt,” said Professor Rob MacKenzie, University of Birmingham.

This device tracks the movement of carbon dioxide. In a healthy forest, the gas is not only absorbed by the trees but some is released as well. What scientists here are finding out is the way carbon flows into a forest and out of it is a lot more complicated than you might think. So, if mass tree planting is meant to be a solution to tackling climate change, the trees are going to have to be monitored and cared for, over not just decades, but may be centuries as well.

Of all the challenges, the task of planting is the simplest. Shelby Barber from Canada can do an amazing 4,000 trees in a day. “People talking about planting millions billions of trees around the world. Is it possible do you think, physically?” asked BBC.

“It’s definitely possible with the right amount of people, the right group of people. I’ve personally, in three years, planted just over half a million trees.” said Professor Rob MacKenzie.

Once planted, the trees need to survive, and experts are mixing different types to minimize the risk of disease. “It’s a bit like making sure you don’t put all your eggs in one basket, you’re spreading out your risk. And then if one part of that woodland fails, for whatever reason, it gets a disease or it can’t tolerate future climatic conditions, there are other parts of the forest that are healthy and able to fill in those gaps.” said Eleanor Tew of Forestry England.

Suddenly there’s momentum to plant trees on a scale never seen before. So what matters is doing it in a way that ensures the forests thrive — so they really do help with climate change.

1. Why is extra carbon dioxide piped to the trees in the experiment?

A．To predict the future atmospheric conditions.

B．To imitate the possible air condition in the future.

C．To create an instrument to measure atmospheric conditions.

D．To investigate the quality of air condition in the future.

2. The underlined word “some” in the second paragraph refers to __________.

A．oxygen

B．carbon dioxide

C．mess

D．purified gas

3. What will Eleanor Tew suggest concerning the survival of the forest?

A．Minimizing the area of the woodland.

B．Studying future climatic conditions.

C．Planting different types of trees.

D．Avoiding mixing different species.

4. Which statement concerning mass tree planting will Professor Rob Mackenzie mostly likely agree with?

A．It should be advocated in terms of efficiency and convenience.

B．It is the most effective solution to fighting climate changes.

C．It will do more harm than good to the health of the environment.

D．It needs to be studied further as a measure against climate change.

3 . Common water plant could provide a green energy source. Scientists have figured out how to get large amounts of oil from duckweed, one of nature’s fastest-growing water plants. Transferring such plant oil into biodiesel (生物柴油) for transportation and heating could be a big part of a more sustainable future.

For a new study, researchers genetically engineered duckweed plants to produce seven times more oil per acre than soybeans. John Shanklin, a biochemist says further research could double the engineered duckweed’s oil output in the next few years.

Unlike fossil fuels, which form underground, biofuels can be refreshed faster than they are used. Fuels made from new and used vegetable oils, animal fat and seaweed can have a lower carbon footprint than fossil fuels do, but there has been a recent negative view against them. This is partly because so many crops now go into energy production rather than food; biofuels take up more than 100 million acres of the world’s agricultural land.

Duckweed, common on every continent but Antarctica, is among the world’s most productive plants, and the researchers suggest it could be a game-changing renewable energy source for three key reasons. First, it grows readily in water, so it wouldn’t compete with food crops for agricultural land. Second, duckweed can grow fast in agricultural pollution released into the water. Third, Shanklin and his team found a way to avoid a major biotechnological barrier: For the new study, Shanklin says, the researchers added an oil-producing gene, “turning it on like a light switch”by introducing a particular molecule (分子) only when the plant had finished growing. Shanklin says, “If it replicates (复制) in other species-and there’s no reason to think that it would not — this can solve one of our biggest issues, which is how we can make more oil in more plants without negatively affecting growth.”

To expand production to industrial levels, scientists will need to design and produce large-scale bases for growing engineered plants and obtaining oil — a challenge, Shanklin says, because duckweed is a non-mainstream crop without much existing infrastructure (基础设施).

1. What can people get from duckweed firsthand?

A．Plant oil.	B．Stable biodiesel.
C．Sustainable water.	D．Natural heat.

2. What does paragraph 4 mainly convey?

A．Options for renewable energy.

B．Reasons for engineering genes.

C．The potential of revolutionary energy source.

D．The approach to avoiding agricultural pollution.

3. What is the decisive factor to mass-produce the plant?

A．Industrial levels.	B．Unique design.
C．Academic research.	D．Basic facilities.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．Duckweed Power	B．Duckweed Production
C．Genetic Engineering	D．Genetic Testing

4 . When lightning caused fires around California’s Big Basin Redwoods State Park north of Santa Cruz in August 2020, the fire spread quickly. Mild fires strike coastal redwood (红杉) forests about every decade. The giant trees resist burning thanks to the bark (树皮), up to about 30 centimetres thick at the base, which contains acids. Their branches and needles are normally beyond the reach of flames. But this time flames shot through the top of 100-metre-tall trees, burning the needles. “It was shocking,” says Drew Peltier, a tree expert at Northern Arizona University. “It really seemed like most of the trees were going to die.”

Yet many of them lived. In a paper published yesterday in Nature Plants, Peltier and his colleagues help explain why: The survivors use long-held energy reserves—sugars that had been made from sunlight decades earlier—and poured them into buds (芽) that had been lying dormant (休眠的) under the bar k for centuries.

“This is one of those papers that challenges our previous knowledge on tree growth,” says Adrian Rocha, an ecosystem ecologist at the University of Notre Dame. “It is amazing to learn that carbon taken up decades ago can be used to sustain its growth into the future.” The findings suggest redwoods have the tools to cope with big fires driven by climate change, Rocha says. Still, it’s unclear whether the trees could cope with the regular infernos that might occur under a warmer climate environment.

The fire in 2020 was so intense that even the top branches of many trees burned and their ability to photosynthesize (光合作用) went up in smoke along with their pine needles. Trees photosynthesize to create sugars and other carbohydrates (碳水化合物), which provide the energy they need to grow and repair tissue. Trees do store some of this energy, which they can call on during a drought or after a fire. Although the redwoods have sprouted (长出) new growth, Peltier and other forest experts wonder how the trees will cope with far less energy from photosynthesis, given that it will be years before they grow as many needles as they had before the fire. “They’re alive, but I would be a little concerned for them in the future.”

1. What’s special about this big fire for coastal redwood forests in 2020?

A．It burnt the top of the trees.	B．It was very close to the last fire.
C．It resisted burning effectively.	D．It caused relatively minor damage.

2. Why did redwoods survive in the big fire?

A．Sugars protected their barks.	B．Energy reserves promoted the growth of buds.
C．They got used to hot climate.	D．They took in much carbon to resist fire.

3. What does the underlined word “infernos” in the third paragraph mean?

A．Unpredictable disasters.	B．Changeable climate.
C．Terrible environment.	D．Uncontrollable fires.

4. Why does Peltier worry about the survival of redwoods?

A．Their tissues can’t be repaired.	B．They can’t save energy anymore.
C．Their energy saved is not sufficient.	D．They grow too slowly.

5 . Cork is a light brown material harvested from the cork oak tree. Cork is lightweight, strong and resistant to water.     1     For thousands of years, people have used pieces of cork as closures for bottles because cork is made of small cells filled with air. It is said that no technology has been able to copy this unusual material exactly.

The cork oak tree is native to the western Mediterranean coast of Europe.     2     In fact, Portugal produces more than half of the world’s cork supply. Cork oak trees have to be at least twenty-five years old before they are ready for harvest.     3     Cork is gathered by skillfully cutting off the outer layer of the tree with special knives. The harvest weakens the tree temporarily, but it soon starts to grow a new layer of bark. Next, the cork harvest is set out in the open for six months. Then, the cork is boiled in order to clean it and make it softer.     4    

Because cork oak trees are not killed during harvest, they can live for as long as 200 years. Also, used cork products can be recycled and used again. This makes cork a valuable renewable resource.     5    Wine makers say cork stoppers in their bottles let the wine be aged and improve over time. But now some wine producers are changing to plastic or metal closures. Some environmentalists worry that if cork starts to lose its value, the cork oak forests in Europe will no longer be protected.

A．After drying, the cork is ready to be cut.

B．Harvests only happen once every nine years.

C．Cork has even found a use in making rockets.

D．It is best known for keeping liquids from spilling.

E．Cork can be shined and used to cover floors and walls.

F．The largest cork oak forests in the world are in Portugal.

G．The wine industry has been a major supporter of cork production.

6 . Imagine walking by a maple (枫树) tree that is no taller than a ruler. You may think that this is a special type of miniature tree, but it actually isn’t! Creating a tree like this is a form of art called bonsai. Bonsai are tiny trees grown in small pots. Bonsai can be any kind of tree. They just need to be planted in a small container and cultivated in a way that stunts their growth.

Cultivating, or taking care of, a bonsai tree requires patience and care. Pruning — removing branches, leaves, and roots — is an important part of raising bonsai. It keeps the trees small, and it also controls their shape. Pinching off new buds (嫩芽) and tying wire around branches help create a beautiful design. These processes allow the grower to control what shape the bonsai tree will take as it develops.

People who raise bonsai want their trees to look like they belong in nature. Even though it is contained in a pot, a bonsai tree should look similar to its larger counterpart (相对物，参照物). For example, the bonsai maple should have the same forked branches and vibrant leaves as the full-sized maple. This makes the bonsai a tiny copy of the full-sized maple that towers overhead.

Like other plants, bonsai need water and food from the soil. In order to keep bonsai the proper size, you need to carefully control the amount of water and fertilizer you provide. If you want to grow a bonsai, it is best to start with a species that grows in your area. Most bonsai do best when kept outdoors, so they need to be able to survive the weather. If kept indoors, the bonsai must be placed near a window. Interestingly, with proper care, bonsai can live for a hundred years or more.

1. Why does a bonsai tree need pruning frequently?

A．To control its size.

B．To help it grow well.

C．To save fertilizer and water.

D．To create a shape as designed.

2. What example does the bonsai maple in Para. 3 serve as?

A．One of a larger counterpart.

B．A tiny copy of the full-sized maple.

C．One looking like its counterpart in nature.

D．One with forked branches and vibrant leaver.

3. What advice is given to a bonsai beginner?

A．To keep the bonsai indoors.

B．To start with a native species.

C．To keep bonsai the proper size.

D．To control the amount of water.

4. Which would be a best title for this passage?

A．Bonsai — a special hobby

B．How to be bonsai grower

C．What does bonsai refer to?

D．Why is bonsai so popular?

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What’s the size of the redwood forest in Muir Woods National Monument?

A．240 acres.

B．319 acres.

C．559 acres.

2. How old are the redwood trees in Muir Woods?

A．Less than 400 years old.

B．400 to 800 years old.

C．More than 1 ,000 years old.

3. What kind of climate do the redwood trees like?

A．Dry and sunny.

B．Wet and rainy.

C．Wet and foggy.

4. Which city is the redwood forest near?

A．New York.

B．San Francisco.

C．Los Angeles.

8 . 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。

China produces and uses so much bamboo that the country is sometimes referred to     1     the Bamboo Kingdom. 40% of all known bamboo species in the world are grown in China, so it’s not     2    (astonish) that China grows more bamboo than any other country in the world. Today, roughly one fifth of the global supply of bamboo is grown in China, with Sichuan and Fujian     3    (be) the provinces with the largest total area of bamboo cultivation.

Bamboo is one of     4     fastest-growing plants on earth. Although some types of bamboo can grow to be almost 35 meters in height, you may be surprised to learn that bamboo is     5    (actual) a type of grass rather than a tree.

In traditional Chinese culture, bamboo, plum blossoms, orchids (兰), and chrysanthemums (菊) form a group     6     is called the Four Gentlemen. Each member of the group is used     7     (represent) some aspect of the character of an ideal person. In the case of the bamboo, it serves as an emblem (象征) of modesty and mental     8    (strong).

Along with the pine and plum blossom, bamboo also sometimes     9    (appear) as part of the Three Friends of Winter. Each of these three plants     10    (admire) for its ability to remain firm and fresh when the weather turns cold.

9 . Vertical (垂直的) farming involves using vertically piled layers and other innovative resources to help your crops grow.     1     You get to grow your plants while using the small space at home. Below are some benefits of vertical farming for small house owners.

Reduce water usage. Watering a vertical garden is easy, simple, and uses less water. If your plants are grown in a traditional way, you’ll need lots of water to keep up with your plants’ growth.     2    

Save space. As a small, house owner, space is a big concern. However, vertical farming ensures that you can create a garden in your home and fully enjoy the experience.     3     So, if you aim to save space in your home and still have a garden, vertical farming is perfect.

    4     Vertical farming is mainly done indoors and entirely depends on you to provide the best conditions. With commitment, you can continuously ensure consistent food production despite the seasons.

Cut down on chemicals and pesticides. Vertical gardens will not require you to invest in pesticides and chemical fertilizers to keep your plants alive. In addition, insects will not have easy access to your plants since you’ll be gardening in a controlled environment.     5    

A．Increase food production.

B．Produce food consistently.

C．Having a garden means you need to work with the space available.

D．It comes in handy without causing any inconvenience to your living arrangements.

E．However, if you invest in vertical farming, your water usage will dramatically drop.

F．So the food grown is organic and safe for consumption making it an excellent choice.

G．It enables you to take full advantage of walls and spaces that would otherwise stay useless.

10 . Last year, brilliant’ botanists from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, discovered, identified and named 114 spectacular new species of plants and fungi (真菌) from around the world. Let’s find out more about some of Kew’s most wonderful new finds.

ROYAL MUSHROOM

NAME: Queen’s hedgehog fungus

FROM: Surrey, England

Named after the late Queen Elizabeth II, this rare fungus was found in an ancient forest in White Down, Surrey. According to the scientists who discovered it, the soft, white needles under the fungus’15cm-wide cap look like hedgehogs’ needles — giving it the second part of its name. Cool!

WORLD’S STRANGEST DAFFODIL

NAME: Sternbergia mishustinii

FROM: Turkey

The flowers of this rare species are bright yellow, but they’re only 2cm long and don't open up into a visible flower. Just 300 of these plants have been discovered, secret to hide them from illegal plant collectors.

RECORD-BREAKING WATERLILY

NAME: Giant Bolivian waterlily

FROM: Bolivia. South America

Check out this huge waterlily — its 3m wide leaves are big enough for a kid to float on! The big species has just won three Guinness World Records for largest waterlily, largest waterlily leaf and largest undivided leaf. And get this — although the giant plant was only named last year, a dried sample has been kept in Kew’s own Herbarium since 1845! Botanists had thought it was a similar, related species. Thankfully, the case of mistaken identity is all cleared up now. Unbe-leaf-able!

1. What’s Queen’s hedgehog fungus like?

A．It has yellow flowers.	B．It’s native to England.
C．It looks like hedgehogs.	D．It’s critically endangered.

2. What Guinness record does Giant Bolivian waterlily hold?

A．The oldest fungi.	B．The biggest leaves.
C．The fastest growing plant.	D．The largest waterlily species

3. Where is the passage most likely to have been taken from?

A．A botanical magazine.	B．A geographic textbook.
C．A historical document.	D．Guinness World Records.