1 . When micro-plastics end up in farm fields, the pollution can damage plant growth. But two young researchers now report that combining fungi (真菌) with certain farm wastes can partly overcome that problem.

May Shin, 20, and Jiwon Choi, 18, met in a research design class at the Fryeburg Academy, a high school in Maine. May had desired to explore how micro-plastics might affect the ecosystem. Jiwon was crazy about plants and fungi. The young scientists cooperated to test how long-lived plastics might affect farm crops.

Scientists have shown certain fungi can aid root growth and a plant’s nutrient uptake. Those organisms are named arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Certain farm wastes, like straw, can provide nutrients to plants and help stabilize their roots. Such wastes are also known as mushroom substrate (基质) and people often grow mushrooms in them.

May and Jiwon planted over 2,000 scallion (大葱) seeds in pots of soil. Half the seeds got soil polluted with micro-plastics. The rest grew in plastic-free soil. The plants then were further divided into four groups. The young scientists added AMF to the soil in one group. Another group had a top layer of mushroom substrate. A third group got both treatments. The last group got none. For three weeks, the pair tracked how many scallions sprouted (发芽) in each group and measured the plants’ height once each week.

About twice as many scallions sprouted in clean soil compared to that containing plastic bits. But among plants surviving in the polluted soil, a combination of AMF and mushroom substrate helped them out. Those getting both treatments grew 5.4 centimeters per week. That was faster than either of the treatments alone or those getting none.

Jiwon and May then looked at the plant roots with a microscope. Where AMF had been added, it grew into those roots. That increased the scallion roots’ surface area, May said, which should promote their uptake of nutrients. So “I see this project as coming up with a sustainable solution for plant growth in polluted soils,” said May.

1. Why did May and Jiwon work together?

A．To see the effects of long-lived plastics on farm crops.

B．To find the relationship between plants and fungi.

C．To design a research on the growth of plants.

D．To explore the way that the ecosystem works.

2. What is the author’s purpose in writing paragraph 3?

A．To prove the existence of micro-plastics.	B．To compare fungi with farm wastes.
C．To tell the advantages of farm wastes.	D．To provide some related information.

3. What aspect of the study is the fourth paragraph mainly about?

A．Its purpose.

B．Its design.

C．Its findings.

D．Its reasons.

4. How can AMF and mushroom substrate make plants grow faster?

A．By keeping the plants more resistant to pollution.	B．By allowing the plants’ deep area more freedom.
C．By making nutrients more available to the plants.	D．By exposing the roots to a larger surface area.

2 . There’s a great example of the power of persistence(坚持) in the way Chinese bamboo grows. When farmers plant the seeds and _______ the soil day after day and year after year, they see no _______ results. Four years can go by before they see any _______. But in the fifth year, a bud(芽) _______ through the soil and it’s said this particular type of bamboo can grow ninety feet in five weeks. This begs the question: Is the bamboo _______ to an overnight success doing all that growing in just five weeks, or does it take five years for the bamboo to reach this _______?

Of course, the bamboo is growing the whole time even though it’s not _______ to anyone other than the _______ farmer. Over the first four years, the bamboo is busy developing a solid root system necessary to _______ its height and weight over a life time. But in the fifth year, all the earlier __________ becomes obvious as the bamboo actually grows before your eyes. __________, this story shows the power of persistence. The farmer’s __________ attention is vital for the bamboo to grow ninety feet and achieve this great result.

As Angela Duckworth shares in Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, our natural talent gives us a(n)__________ when it comes to achieving success. __________, talent on its own is not enough and we all know people who don’t __________ their own potential. Rather, our effort __________ so much more than talent when it comes to achieving a goal. And like the bamboo farmer above, sometimes our effort needs to persist for a long time before we see any __________.

__________ sustained effort is easier when we are passionate(充满激情的)about what we do. When we __________ our work on a sense of purpose and meaning, we are better prepared to use the passion and the persistence to __________ the great results we are capable of achieving. How can you find meaning in your work?

1.

A．tend

B．expand

C．restore

D．occupy

2.

A．influential

B．permanent

C．visible

D．complex

3.

A．growth

B．trend

C．view

D．chance

4.

A．hatches

B．mounts

C．explodes

D．arises

5.

A．contrary

B．comparable

C．beneficial

D．responsible

6.

A．shape

B．weight

C．height

D．standard

7.

A．intense

B．urgent

C．constant

D．apparent

8.

A．wise

B．sensitive

C．fortunate

D．humble

9.

A．measure

B．support

C．recover

D．preserve

10.

A．work

B．bother

C．consumption

D．discipline

11.

A．Obviously

B．Incredibly

C．Occasionally

D．Surprisingly

12.

A．memorable

B．respective

C．efficient

D．consistent

13.

A．excuse

B．option

C．advantage

D．motivation

14.

A．Hence

B．Nevertheless

C．Therefore

D．Furthermore

15.

A．look up to

B．make up for

C．stand up for

D．live up to

16.

A．seeks

B．counts

C．varies

D．differs

17.

A．faith

B．source

C．reward

D．warning

18.

A．Evaluating

B．Devoting

C．Mentioning

D．Recognizing

19.

A．lessen

B．blame

C．ground

D．submit

20.

A．bring back

B．bring down

C．bring in

D．bring about

3 . In organic（有机的) farming, crops, meat and other food are produced without chemicals. Fertilizers, and antibiotics (化肥与抗生素) are not allowed. During thousands of years of civilization the raising of animals and growing of plants have always been organic.

Chemicals for farming first came up at the turn of the 20th century. Widespread use of chemicals began after World War II. In the 1950s and 60s farmers started using chemical fertilizers and antibiotics. Recently, however, more and more farmers have been returning to more natural ways of producing farm products.

Instead of chemicals, organic farming uses a lot of organic matter to give crops the nutrients that they need to grow. Clover, for example, has a lot of nitrogen (氮) in it and farmers use it to make the soil better. Manure from animals and compost (混合肥料) are also used to enrich the soil. These fertilizers also help protect the soil, not destroy it after a few years.

Organic farmers also use crop rotation (轮作) to protect the good qualities of soils. Chemical antibiotics destroy or weaken many of the natural enemies of pests, like birds or frogs. They also can kill those insects that control a great number of pests. Organic farming creates new living areas for little animals, such as wasps, bugs, beetles and flies by giving them water and food. Weeds are controlled by using special machines. Hay, straw and wood chips are put between the rows of plants to stop weeding.

Many agricultural products can be produced in an organic way. Meat, dairy products and eggs come from animals that are fed organically and can graze outdoors. They live in conditions that are natural to them. Cows, for example, are kept in pastures and fields. Vegetables and fruit are also produced with organic methods.

1. What of the following best describes the organic farming?

A．Time-saving.

B．Environmental.

C．Productive.

D．Developmental.

2. What does the underlined word “Manure” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Crop roots.	B．Chemical fertilizers.
C．Animals’ waste.	D．Agricultural products.

3. What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?

A．The new study of soils.	B．Benefits from organic farming.
C．A breakthrough in antibiotics.	D．Natural enemies of animals.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Organic farming and food	B．Importance of organic methods
C．Benefits of organic fertilizers	D．Strengths of manure and compost