1 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why does the woman want to plant vegetables?

A．To save money.

B．To sell fresh food.

C．To try something new.

2. What is the man concerned about?

A．The lack of gardening skills.

B．The limited room for gardening.

C．The time to clean the backyard.

3. What will they do next?

A．Purchase some seeds.

B．Check out a website.

C．Ask neighbors for help.

2 . With no special equipment, no fences and no watering, two abandoned agricultural fields in the UK have been rewilded (重新野化), in large part due to the efforts of jays, which actually “engineered” these new woodlands. Researchers now hope that rewilding projects can take a more natural and hands-off approach and that jays can shed some of their bad reputations.

The two fields, which researchers have called the New Wilderness and the Old Wilderness, had been abandoned in 1996 and 1961 respectively. The former was a bare field, while the latter was grassland—both lay next to ancient woodlands. Researchers had suspected that the fields would gradually return to wilderness, but it was impressive to see just how quickly this happened, and how much of it was owed to birds.

Using aerial data, the researchers monitored the two sites. After just 24 years, the New Wilderness had grown into a young, healthy wood with 132 live trees per hectare, over half of which (57%) were oaks. Meanwhile, the Old Wilderness resembled a mature woodland after 39 years, with 390 trees per hectare.

“This native woodland restoration was approaching the structure (but not the species composition) of long-established woodlands within six decades,” the researchers explained in the study.

Part of this reforestation was done by the wind, and researchers suspect that previous ground disturbance may have aided the woodland establishment—which is good news, as it would suggest that agricultural areas may be reforested faster than anticipated. However, animals—Eurasian jays, thrushes, wood mice, and squirrels—also played an important role in helping the forests take shape. This handful of species provided much of the natural regeneration needed for the forest to develop. Jays, in particular, seem to have done a lot of heavy lifting.

1. What does the underlined word “shed” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A．Be opposed to.

B．Be ashamed of.

C．Get used to.

D．Get rid of.

2. Which aspect of the changes in the two fields impressed the researchers?

A．The scale of the woodlands.

B．The diversity of the fields.

C．The rate of the changes.

D．The frequency of the wilderness.

3. What does the author want to tell us by providing some data in Paragragh 3?

A．The woodland restoration was approaching the structure of long-established ones.

B．Much of the wilderness of the fields was owed to birds.

C．Previous ground disturbance aided the woodland establishment.

D．How quickly the fields returned to wilderness over time.

4. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A．The essential role of humans in the reforestation.

B．The factors that contribute to the reforestation.

C．The importance of woodland establishment.

D．The threats faced by a handful of wild animals.

3 . Imagine you are on a cold mountain with steep rocks around. As you climb higher, the air gets thinner and the sun’s rays stronger. Just before you reach the snowline, you find what you came for—a small white flower, the edelweiss, which only grows in alpine areas.

Plants face many challenges living in alpine areas, and only 200 kinds of plants can grow there. Plants rely on oxygen, water, and sunlight to make their own food through the process of photosynthesis. The alpine means less CO2, which makes the process more difficult. It also brings plants closer to the sun. The sunlight is so strong that it can burn a plant’s leaves. There is little water here, so the soil is dry and rocky. You also won’t find high trees because the cold wind would blow them over！

Alpine plants have advantages that help them survive the bad conditions. Like all alpine plants, the edelweiss stays close to the ground to avoid the wind. The cold water is deep underground, so the edelweiss grows very deep roots. Its leaves have a thick covering, which protects the plant from the wind and the sun’s bright rays. All these special characteristics help it grow, but very slowly.

The edelweiss can live in the conditions, but humans can’t. Climbing in the high and cold mountains is dangerous and difficult. This is why the edelweiss became such a special flower. Long ago, a young man would pick an edelweiss flower to prove his love to a girl, although it was risky. Many men died while trying. Getting the flower proved that the man was physically strong, brave, and devoted.

Alpine plants can’t spread seeds, so it’s difficult for new plants to grow. Once all the edelweiss flowers are gone in an area, they will not regroup. Governments help protect the edelweiss because it is considered an endangered plant.

1. The first two paragraphs mainly describe ________ .

A．the process of photosynthesis	B．the appearance of the edelweiss
C．the growing environment of the edelweiss	D．the challenge of mountain climbing

2. The edelweiss can survive in the alpine conditions partly because ________.

A．it grows high and strong	B．it can get more sunlight
C．its leaves’ covering is thin	D．its deep roots can get water

3. What can we learn about the edelweiss from the text？

A．It is planted in large quantities.	B．It is a symbol of bravery.
C．It is a shade loving plant.	D．It spreads its seeds by wind.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text？

A．To introduce a special flower.	B．To compare different alpine plants.
C．To warn people not to pick flowers.	D．To encourage people to protect plants.

4 . In 2010, Barack Obama was to pay a visit to Mumbai’s Gandhi Museum, where palm trees full of me dotted the grounds. Before his visit, Indian authorities removed every last sign of me from the premises for fear that the president of the United States would be taken out by one of me landing on his head.

Let’s get this out of the way: My reputation as the killer fruit of countless innocents was then and still is a myth. A repeatedly misinterpreted 1984 study greatly exaggerated the number of deaths I caused by hitting and the vicious rumor spread. Today, the only things about me to die for are the sometimes too-delicious foods you humans make with me, which include macaroons, pi a coladas, rich curries, and custard pies. A decade ago, health experts briefly gave me a halo because some of my saturated fat (饱和脂肪) called medium-chain triglycerides, can raise beneficial HDL cholesterol. And no wonder: I’m a long-lasting source of food and water, and my fibrous flesh is used to make rope, mats, mattress stuffing, and fishing nets. My shell can be turned into charcoal for fire or used as a bowl or musical instrument. My leaves are used for thatching roofs and making brooms and baskets, while my trunks are used for building houses, boats, and drums. My tree’s roots have many folk medicinal uses and produce pigments that become dyes — and their frayed ends have even been repurposed as toothbrushes.

In World War II John F. Kennedy was trapped on an island. He scratched a message for help into a coconut shell, and two coast-watchers delivered it to Allied forces, who managed to rescue him. The coconut shell sat on JFK’s desk in the Oval Office throughout his presidency and now is a center-piece of the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston — as proof that we coconuts don’t take lives, we save them.

1. What did Indian authorities do to welcome Barack Obama?

A．They took down all the coconuts.

B．They tried to protect him from being attacked.

C．They prepared a lot of coconut juice to treat him.

D．They got rid of the potential natural threat to safety.

2. How did coconuts get the bad reputation as the killer fruit‖ ?

A．It has always remained unknown.

B．A research in 1984 was overestimated.

C．Fake statistics were believed by many people.

D．News on coconut accidents in 1984 travelled on wings.

3. What can be inferred from the second paragraph?

A．The flesh outside the shell is eatable.

B．Coconut roots can be turned into furniture.

C．Coconut appeals to people a lot as a delicacy.

D．Coconut is yet to be proved beneficial to health.

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

A．Coconut — A Welcome Fruit

B．Coconut — A Mistaken Fruit

C．Coconut — A Life-saving Fruit

D．Coconut — A Multi-function Fruit

5 . 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。

Rick Howells is the arborist (树木栽培家) for the Shade Tree Commission in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He manages the care of all of the trees in the city,     1    (include) the trees that line the streets.

Trees can make a city prettier, sure. But that’s not    2    (they) only advantage, Howells explained. Trees can save lives by absorbing (吸收)    3    (pollute) from cars and   factories. Trees can also help slow climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide, one of the main    4    (cause) of climate change. In cities, trees provide a home    5    birds and bees. They also offer a calming effect on the community. That is one reason why there    6    (be) less crime in tree-lined areas.

“Trees must be trimmed (修剪) and, if they are diseased, cut down so that they don’t become a risk to the community. It isn’t     7    easy task,” Howells said. “You have to know types of knots (结) for the ropes and    8    (difference) kinds of rigging (索具).” Rigging equipment is tied to trees so that they can be trimmed and cut    9    (safe).

To Howells, taking care of trees isn’t just a job. It’s also a hobby. He loves trees and    10     they bring to a community. “If you take good care of a tree,” he said, “everything around it becomes beautiful, too.”