1 . Every tree tells a story. They hold our memories, represent belief, and witness countless moments of joy and sorrow. In our imagination, there is always a place for a tree.
For the locals in Naunde, Mozambique, a mango tree provides more than just shade from the Saharan sun. It is also a traditional setting for storytelling, ceremonies, and regulating village life. “It is a place to meet and talk, to seek agreement and settle arguments, to bridge differences and develop unity,” wrote Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the UN. “If you have a problem and can’t find a solution, you meet again tomorrow under the tree and you keep talking.”
The mango tree always stands there, witnessing and remembering everything, and at the same time becomes an inseparable part of the collective memory of the locals. “Each growth layer that trees add every year contains a bit of the air from that year. The trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air through tiny pores (气孔) , which helps build their tissues, so they physically hold the record of the years of their surroundings,” said Benjamin Swett, author of New York City of Trees. In this way, trees also serve as nature’s memory stick, keeping a record of a history as long as themselves.
The English language borrows a lot from trees: We turn over a new leaf and branch out, meaning we move on from the past and start something new. And there are times when we can’t see the wood for the trees. We tend to enjoy the flourishing leaves, branches, and roots of the trees. However, we pay little attention to the forests that embrace trees. The same things often happen to us in our own lives. We often dip ourselves into some bad experiences in life. As a result, we may give up at a terrible moment instead of imagining satisfying success after defeating the failure.
Trees inspire mankind, not just through language, but through ideas. Perhaps the most famous is a tree in a garden in Lincolnshire, England, where an apple fell and inspired young Isaac Newton to wonder: Why would that apple always fall directly to the ground? According to an 18th-century account, Newton was home from Cambridge when he stepped into the garden and into a reverie (沉思) . There, the idea of gravitation came into his mind, inspired by an apple.
1. What is the role of a mango tree in Naunde?A.A spot to bind the locals together. | B.A witness to the changing weather. |
C.A generous food supplier on Earth. | D.A shelter to protect villagers in disasters. |
A.By changing the width of their growth layer. |
B.By sticking out branches in different directions. |
C.By absorbing carbon dioxide to build their tissues. |
D.By reflecting changing climate conditions with their tiny pores. |
A.Suggestions on facing failure. | B.Famous English stories about trees. |
C.The relationship between trees and forests. | D.Lessons from English expressions related to trees. |
A.To explain the necessity of observation. | B.To show how gravitation was discovered. |
C.To stress the importance of trees in inspiring ideas. | D.To introduce how trees serve as a mirror of history. |
1. What does Jacob ask Amy to do?
A.Enjoy the flowers. | B.Provide help. | C.Grow flowers. |
A.Every day. | B.Every two days. | C.Every three days. |
A.They lack water. | B.They lack sunshine. | C.Their leaves turn yellow. |
A.Water flowers in time. | B.Learn about growing flowers. | C.Grow flowers with Amy. |
3 . There are a number of animals that give off light in some way-including several kinds of insects and fish. Some kinds of mushrooms give off light, too. But most plants don’t give out light. Now, scientists are working to change that.
When a living thing gives off light, it’s called bioluminescence (生物发光). Fireflies are a well-known example of bioluminescence. Though less well-known, many mushrooms are also bioluminescent. These bioluminescent creatures light up thanks to the chemicals called luciferins (荧光素)inside their bodies. Luciferins cause a chemical reaction that can give off light.
Plants don’t naturally have luciferins, so there are no naturally bioluminescent plants. But that hasn’t stopped scientists from trying to create them. In the past, scientists have created plants that made less bright by adding DNA from shining objects. Scientists have also created plants that can give off light by adding luciferins to plants. But it only works as long as the chemicals last. In 2017, a team was able to cause a plant to give off light for about four hours.
Now, researchers at a Russian company have come up with a new method of creating shining plants. By adding certain parts of the DNA from shining mushrooms to ordinary tobacco plants, the researchers were able to create plants that could make their own luciferins. The scientists reported that the light was about 10 times brighter than in earlier shining plants.
The researchers believe that shining plants could help scientists learn more about the way plants work. For example, the moving patterns or waves of light in the plants may show activities in plants that normally can’t be seen. The shining also helps reveal how plants may be affected by things around them. For example, the plants gave off much more light strongly when a ripe banana skin was nearby. But the researchers don’t think the plants will just be used for science. They think many people may want shining plants for their beauty. So they are working with a company to develop shining plants for sale.
1. What phenomenon does the author describe in paragraph 1?A.Most animals hate giving off light. |
B.Many plants give off light through scientists’ efforts. |
C.Animals give off light to protect themselves. |
D.It’s hard to find plants that give out light. |
A.It gives off lots of heat to warm itself. |
B.It has chemical reactions inside its body. |
C.It lacks energy due to chemical reactions. |
D.It informs other fireflies of the danger. |
A.By showing numbers. | B.By making a comparison. |
C.By providing examples. | D.By making a summary. |
A.Human development results in less shining plants |
B.Scientists manage to create shining plants |
C.People’s lifestyles are reflected in shining plants |
D.Geography determines the types of shining plants |
4 . You’ll only find cherry blossoms in a handful of countries.
Called sakura in Japan, the cherry blossoms of Yoshino and Kyoto are world-famous. Tourists flock to the country each spring to try their hand at a centuries-old activity “flower viewing”. You don’t have to fly to Japan to see them, though. In the US, the cherry blossoms of Washington, D.C., New York City, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Seattle, San Francisco, and Boston are all beautiful in their own way. The flowers can also be viewed in many European and Asian countries, as well as Brazil and Australia in the southern hemisphere.
There are hundreds of cherry tree varieties.
Japan in particular is home to hundreds of types of cherry trees -possibly more than 600.Some types bear fruit, while others don’t. The flowers of many trees change from dark pink to light pink to white throughout the different stages of blossoming, while others progress from greenish yellow to white to pink. One variety, called Kanzan, was bred to have “double blossoms” — or up to28 petals (花瓣) on each flower, compared to the Yoshino tree’s five petals.
You can get arrested for picking a cherry blossom in Washington, D. C.
Resist the urge to take a cherry blossom home with you as a souvenir. In D.C. at least, breaking off a blossom or branch is viewed as destruction of federal property. Those who break this rule could receive a citation (传票), or worse, be arrested. It goes without saying that it’s also illegal to climb the trees. If they sustain damage to their branches, they will never be able to grow new blossom on that particular branch again.
Both the blossoms and leaves are edible.
In Japan, no part of the cherry blossom tree pes to waste. The preserved leaves are used as edible mochi wrappers (a rice cake filled with sweet bean paste), and a number of seasonal snacks feature sakura as a key ingredient Sakura-flavored versions of Pepsi, Coke, tea, and even Starbucks lattes are all popular drinks. You can also find Kit Kats and Pocky snack sticks that taste like sakura.
They were the inspiration behind a record-setting LEGO sculpture.
Legoland Japan, a theme park in Nagoya, set a Guinness World Record in 2018 for the largest LEGO brick cherry blossom tree ever made. The trees stood 14 feet tall, weighed over 7000 pounds, and consisted of more than 800,000 LEGO bricks.
1. In which country can’t you see cherry blossoms according to the passage?A.America. | B.China. | C.Germany. | D.Egypt |
A.Climbing cherry trees is tolerable in Washington. | B.Sakura-flavored snacks and drinks are welcomed. |
C.Kanzan sakura is better than Yoshino sakura. | D.The largest cherry blossom tree grows in Japan. |
A.A passionate environmentalist. | B.An ecological researcher. |
C.A student interested in plants. | D.A tourist in Japan |
5 . On the streets of Manhattan and Washington, D. C., in neighborhoods in Seoul and parks in Paris, ginkgo (银杏) trees are losing their leaves in reaction to the first gust of cold winter air. This leaf drop, gradual at first, and then sudden, carpets streets with golden, fan-shaped leaves. Scientists are documenting evidence of the event happening later and later, a possible indication of climate change. But the story of ginkgos is not the familiar one of human carelessness with nature.
Thanks to fossils found in North Dakota, scientists found a ginkgo has genetically similar ancestors dating back 170 million years to the Jurassic Period. “It almost went extinct. Then humans rescued it and spread it around the world. It’s such a great evolutionary (进化) and cultural story,” says Peter Crane, a ginkgo expert.
One theory for the decline of the ginkgo species began 130 million years ago, when flowering plants began spreading. They grew faster and attracted more pollinators (传粉者) than ginkgos. “It’s possible that ginkgos were elbowed out of the way,” says Crane. Already competing to survive, ginkgos began to disappear during a time of global cooling that began around 66 million years ago. By the time the last ice age ended 11,000 years ago, the remaining survivors were found in China.
Ginkgo trees are smelly. “My guess is that they were eaten by animals that liked smelly things. They then passed through their body and grew.” Crane says. Those same seeds may have helped ginkgo find favor with humans 1,000 years ago. Once cleaned of their outer layer, ginkgo seeds are safe to eat. It’s then, when the trees had long since disappeared elsewhere, that people in China may have begun planting them and eating their seeds. Then gradually ginkgos spread across the world. Now it’s seemingly naturally resistant to insects and high levels of air pollution.
Crane isn’t worried about its future, though: The popularity of the species will help it survive. “Though its status in the wild may be difficult to access, it’s a plant that’s unlikely to ever go extinct,” he says.
1. What may have caused the further delay of ginkgo’s leaf drop?A.The colder weather in winter. |
B.The protection from city councils. |
C.The global warming phenomenon. |
D.The careless interaction with humans. |
A.The reasons why ginkgos almost died out. |
B.The advantages of ginkgos over other plants. |
C.The theories of experts for multiplying ginkgos. |
D.The competition between various flowering plants. |
A.Their eatable seeds. | B.Their unpleasant smell. |
C.The natural evolution. | D.The careful planting. |
A.Worried. | B.Optimistic. | C.Uncertain. | D.Hopeless. |
6 . Readers can explore the wonders of nature with Big Tree. The book was written by famous author and illustrator (插画家) Brian Selznick. It is filled with detailed black-and-white illustrations, which took years to complete.
The story introduces Merwin and Louise, two tiny Sycamore seeds (梧桐树种子) who began life during the time when dinosaurs (恐龙) travelled around the Earth. After they fell from their mother tree, they started a dangerous 147-million-year adventure to the modern day.
After reading it, I met with the famous author and illustrator at his home in La Jolla, California. Selznick explained the lessons that nature offers about helping our planet and each other. “All of us can do something to help the real seed,” Selznick said. “No matter how small you feel, there’s always something you can do.”
As for his main goal when writing Big Tree, Selznick said, “Readers feel like they are learning about interesting stories when they read Big Tree, but actually and secretly, they are learning about real science. That’s why I wrote Big Tree.”
In order to write Big Tree, Selznick went to the New York Botanical Garden, where he talked to a wonderful park manager. She walked him through the forest and talked about the way leaves work, the way trees grow and the way trees experience time.
Selznick said he learned a lot while creating Big Tree. “The manager thinks that forests are really communities. It really surprised me,” he said. “We live in communities, and when we run into trouble or danger, we communicate with each other to find solutions. Trees are doing the same thing. We’re all part of a community. And that, to me, was a really important part of Big Tree.”
1. What does paragraph 2 mainly focus on?A.The main idea of Big Tree. | B.The discussion about Big Tree. |
C.The review of Big Tree. | D.The story behind Big Tree. |
A.To show the illustration art. | B.To share an interesting story. |
C.To encourage readers to learn. | D.To make real science interesting. |
A.He did some research. | B.He planted some trees. |
C.He asked others’ advice. | D.He stayed in the forest alone. |
A.Trees are important for communities. | B.Trees can communicate with each other. |
C.Trees can protect people against danger. | D.Trees run into trouble more often. |
7 . Have you ever tried a cactus (仙人掌) pear? Yes, its prickly surface makes it an unusual-looking fruit but it is widely used in Mexican dishes. This fruit from the cactus is really good for you because it is helpful in fighting against many diseases, and has many health benefits (利益). There are actually over 200 types of cactus fruit and they grow in hot dry places.
Since the world is getting hotter and drier, it is even more difficult for hot dry places to grow major crops (庄稼) that need more water. Therefore, providing food and fuel will go a long way in a world that is heating up. Researchers from the University of Nevada, Reno, set out to see if the cactus pear could become a superfood that could feed people and animals, remove carbon (碳) from the atmosphere and be used as a biofuel.
While the study looked at many types of cactuses, they settled on the nopal cactus or Opuntia. The fruit can be gathered as food and the rest of the cactus can be used for taking in carbon and can be used as biofuels according to biology professor Cushman. The plant keeps water by closing its pores (气孔) during the hottest part of the day to limit water loss and opens them at night. Cushman hopes to use the genes from this plant to add them to other plants.
They are also studying the Opuntia stunting disease, which causes cactuses to grow smaller plants and less fruits, in order to find out how it spreads. They hope to learn how to create tools to recognize and treat it so that they can help Opuntia become a prolific crop.
In a world that is also gaining population, finding a new superfood will go a long way in feeding a planet that will need 50-90 percent more food in 2050. Eating more plant-based foods will also reduce the amount of land needed for more food protection.
1. What can we know about the cactus pear?A.It is of great benefit to people. |
B.It is the main food for Mexicans. |
C.It can’t be seen outside Mexico. |
D.It grows in hot wet places. |
A.It is easy to be gathered. |
B.It has fewer pores 10 save water. |
C.It is suitable for various conditions. |
D.It is eatable and good for the environment. |
A.Helpful. | B.Unusual. | C.Attractive. | D.Fruitful. |
A.Getting away from increasingly higher temperatures |
B.Cactus pears may become the new superfood crop |
C.A cactus is the plant living well in dry areas |
D.Providing plant-based food for the world |
8 . How to Care for Your Tree
1. Water the newly planted tree. Once the tree is planted, water it and keep up a
Water the tree every day for several weeks to let the
Water as necessary for the conditions in your area.
If you are planting fruit or nut trees for a small home orchard, continue to water weekly for the
2. Use mulch (覆盖物). Considering adding a layer of mulch
Cover the planting hole with 1-3 inches of shredded hardwood or leaf mulch. Keep the mulch at least 12 inches away from the trunk
Mulching around the tree will
3. Prune the tree if necessary. If there are any broken, dead, or diseased limbs on your tree,
4. Enjoy the tree as it grows over the years. Appreciate its
You’ll need to make sure that you water your plant to keep it thriving. You want to achieve
Watering your tree with a steady stream from a garden hose for about 30 seconds should be sufficient. The soil should feel moist at all times and mulch will help retain the moisture.
Check soil moisture by digging about 2 inches below the surface and then use your
A.native | B.particular | C.regular | D.positive |
A.twigs | B.barks | C.trunk | D.roots |
A.Give | B.Take | C.Think | D.Look |
A.when | B.why | C.how | D.what |
A.life | B.color | C.shape | D.beauty |
A.related to | B.due to | C.owing to | D.according to |
A.around | B.across | C.beside | D.along |
A.so | B.and | C.or | D.if |
A.protect | B.provide | C.plant | D.grow |
A.for which | B.which | C.that | D.on that |
A.water | B.remove | C.treat | D.handle |
A.color | B.landscape | C.shade | D.scene |
A.as long as | B.even if | C.in spite of | D.in terms of |
A.unity | B.fact | C.chance | D.balance |
A.ruler | B.finger | C.hand | D.stick |
9 . This is the time of year when many gardeners are harvesting tomatoes. Gardening expert Jessica Damiano recently reported about the many pictures of strangely shaped tomatoes sent to her from fans of her gardening advice.
Not every tomato on an affected plant will be deformed (改变形状), however. What are the possibilities? Under the right conditions (temperatures that are too hot or even too cold), this could affect one or two tomatoes per plant, depending on where they are in the development process and what the (weather) conditions are, said Timothy McDermott, a professor at Ohio State University. The possibility of one of your tomatoes developing a locule oddity (怪异) is about one in a thousand, McDermott said.
And, when harvesting your crop, remember:
A.select the good-looking ones. |
B.Any tomato can grow an extra locule. |
C.the funny-looking tomatoes taste just as good! |
D.What causes the unusual appearance of tomatoes? |
E.Unless otherwise diseased, they are perfectly good for eating. |
F.She said people sometimes question if the tomatoes are okay to eat. |
G.Provide shade for your plants when temperatures are predicted to remain above 32℃. |
10 . At first, the grains of rice that Ingo Potrykus held in his fingers did not seem at all
For more than a decade Potrykus had
At that point, he tackled an even greater challenge. The golden grains
The debate began the moment genetically engineered crops (GM crops) were first sold in the 1990s, and it has
The hostility is
The benefits did seem small
Many people
A.typical | B.special | C.local | D.white |
A.dreamed of | B.come in handy | C.been reminded of | D.broken up |
A.attempt at | B.effort to | C.resistance to | D.majority of |
A.But | B.And | C.While | D.Since |
A.surprise | B.obstacle | C.norm | D.opposition |
A.achieved | B.stressed | C.overlooked | D.contained |
A.was caught in | B.was alive with | C.be conscious of | D.was honored by |
A.announced | B.maintained | C.escalated | D.applied |
A.brilliant | B.understandable | C.discharged | D.rewarding |
A.introduced | B.reminded | C.respected | D.overlooked |
A.toss and turn | B.give and take | C.produce and sell | D.demand and supply |
A.until | B.after | C.although | D.when |
A.feature | B.mark | C.build | D.benefit |
A.worried about | B.ashamed of | C.filled with | D.admired for |
A.terror | B.misery | C.starvation | D.crisis |