1 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What has happened in the park?

A．Some flowers are dying because of the dry weather.

B．Lots of flowers are opening up.

C．Some flowers have been planted in the park.

2. For what reason does Death Valley National Park have a world record?

A．It is the hottest place in the world.

B．It is the driest place in the world.

C．It is the smallest park in the world.

3. When did the “super bloom” happen before?

A．In 2005 and 1998.

B．In 2004 and 1998.

C．In 2000 and 2005.

2 . A handful of healthy soil could contain great numbers of living organisms. However, poisonous pesticides (杀虫剂) are causing harm and destruction to them, according to a recent analysis.

For the analysis, researchers looked through nearly 400 published studies including over 2,800 experiments on how pesticides affect soil organisms. They found that pesticides harmed organisms critical to maintaining healthy soils, but these harms have never been considered in the safety reviews of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).Poisonous pesticides are driving factors in the sharp decline of many soil organisms, such as ground beetles. They have been identified as the most significant driver of soil biodiversity loss in the last ten years.

However, that research has always been ignored. The EPA, which is responsible for pesticide supervision(监管)in the country, openly acknowledges that somewhere between 50 and 100 percent of all agriculturally applied pesticides end up on the soil. Yet, to assess pesticides’ harms to soil species, the agency just uses a single test species, the European honeybee, to estimate risk to all soil organisms. It spends its entire life above ground in artificial boxes.

Worse still, as soil health gain popularity globally, pesticide companies have jumped up to green wash and promote their products. Every major company is now advertising its role in improving soil health, such as advocating planting cover crops. As general beliefs, these practices are indeed good for soil health and, if adopted responsibly, are a great step to take. But companies know that these practices are often accompanied by increased pesticide use. Chemicals and pesticides have to be applied more frequently to kill weeds before crops are planted.

The long-term environmental cost can no longer be overlooked. Soils are some of the most complex ecosystems on Earth, containing nearly a quarter of the planet’s biodiversity. Protecting them should be a priority, not an afterthought.

1. What does the underlined word “They” refer to in Paragraph 2?

A．Soil organisms.	B．Ground beetles.
C．Artificial boxes.	D．Poisonous pesticides.

2. What can we learn from Paragraph 3?

A．The honeybee is a typical species living in nature.

B．The assessment of pesticides’ harms is one-sided.

C．Less than half of applied pesticide go to the soil eventually.

D．The EPA attaches great importance to pesticide inspection.

3. Why do pesticide companies advocate planting cover crops?

A．To obey the EPA’s rules.

B．To increase their product sales.

C．To protect the environment.

D．To shoulder their social responsibility.

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

A．Soil: essential to agriculture.

B．Pesticides: harmful to soil health.

C．Organisms: significant to harvest.

D．Pollution: destructive to biodiversity.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个词(冠词，介词，代词或连词)，或在空白处填入单词的正确形式。

Plants cannot move from place to place, but seeds can. They can travel great distances. They may be carried by the wind or upon the water. They may also be carried by animals or people. Seeds     1     (carry) by the wind often have special shapes. Maple seeds have wings that spin and keep them in the air for longer, allowing them to land in all kinds of places.     2     (depend) on the strength of the wind, they can sometimes travel for hundreds of kilometres.

Coconuts are carried along by ocean     3     (current). When a coconut falls from a tree onto the beach, the sea picks     4     up at high tide and carries it away to grow somewhere else. Its hard shell allows it to float on the water for    5     long time. Another way for seeds to travel is through the digestive systems of animals. Many plants produce     6     (attract) fruits that animals like to eat. The animal receives the nutrients of the fruit,     7     it does not digest the seed, which is passed out some time     8     (late). Of course, animals move, so the seed can easily end     9     a long way away from the parent plant, especially if the fruit     10     (eat) by a bird.

4 . 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.

5 . Lichens (地衣)

Lichens look like splashes of paint left behind by a careless painter. Unlike many plants, they do not require soil to grow. They grow on trunk of trees in steaming tropical rain forests, on farmers’ fenceposts, on the bricks of big-city buildings, and on old gravestones. Lichens can tolerate extremes of climate. They grow on rocks in hot springs, on wind-swept mountaintops, and on stones in the driest deserts. In the Arctic, lichens are the principal source of food for reindeer. Whole mountainsides in Antarctica appear green and orange because of the presence of lichens; they are one of the few plants that can survive there. They are among the oldest of known plants. Recently, scientists discovered lichen fossils on a rock in a mine in southwest China that date back 600 million years.

When conditions become harsh, lichens become dormant (休眠). If there is not enough moisture, they simply dry up, but a short rain or even a heavy dew gives them new life. When growing on rock surfaces, lichens produce acids that dissolve (溶解) the minerals, contributing to the process of weathering by which rocks are slowly turned to soil. This property enables lichens to be pioneers. They appear on barren rock rubbed clean by glaciers, fires, lava flows, or floods, beginning the process of soil formation that allows mosses (苔藓) and other plants to later take root. But, despite their hardiness, lichens are extremely sensitive to airborne particles(颗粒). That’s why they serve as an early warning system for air pollution.

It is the acids lichens produce that give them their distinctive colors. Lichens are often spoken of in the same breath as mosses, and some lichens are even called mosses, but true mosses are all distinctively green, whereas lichens appear in many vivid colors. At one time, acids from lichens were used to make dyes, such as the purple dye, the blue dye, and the red dye, and they are sometimes still used that way today. Some lichens, such as oakmoss, contain oils that produce fragrant odors used in scented soaps, cosmetics and perfumes. Some lichens are also known to have antibiotic properties to kill bacteria.

So definite are the form, color, and characteristics of these organisms that for hundreds of years lichens were constantly under scientists’ microscope.

1. What characteristic of lichens is mainly talked about in paragraph 1?

A．They grow only on rock surfaces.

B．They live primarily in cold places.

C．They have adapted to a wide variety of environments.

D．They live in remote locations far from human communities.

2. The author refer to lichens as pioneers in paragraph 2 because they __________.

A．have their primitive structure

B．grow in areas before other plants do

C．are found in remote parts of the world

D．develop so early in the history of the planet

3. According to paragraph 3, humans use lichens in the following ways EXCEPT __________.

A．as a means of coloring clothing

B．as a type of medicine

C．as a source of food

D．as an ingredient in perfume

4. Which of the following cases would be probably dealt with in the next paragraph?

A．Lichens are important in Canada because of their abundance in the north.

B．Extracts of lichens were sold as herbal medicines to facilitate hair growth.

C．Glacier Park’s vast array of lichens indicate relatively good air quality.

D．A German botanist first found lichens are composed of two life forms.

6 . Do plants listen to music? How can a plant possibly respond to music? Well, plants breathe through their many mouths, which are also known as stomata and it has been discovered that plant stomata respond to music!

A few years ago, scientists at the University of California, San Diego discovered what controls a plant’s stomata.The two cells that form the stoma consist of specialized cells adjusted to the resonant(共鸣的)frequency of calcium(钙). When exposed to this frequency the stomata close. However, if the frequency isn’t exactly right the cells will open again within an hour.This happens even if the concentration of calcium is high enough that the stomata would normally close.

When specific music or bird songs cause the plant to vibrate(颤动), but not at the exact frequency for calcium resonance, the stomata will open after a misjudgment of time, even though the plant would keep them closed under normal circumstances.

Testing has shown that a leaf fertilizer(肥料)applied to the plant will have more effect on the development and growth of the plant if its stomata are wide open. This is quite logical, because plants absorb the leaf fertilizer through their stomata.Combinations of frequency and leaf fertilizer are available for many different crops. However, if the stomata are forced to remain open, the plant won’t be able to control the amount of water lost and so it risks dehydration(脱水). As a result, exposing plants to music for over 3 hours a day could endanger their health.There could also be bad effects on plants if the volume or frequency is too high.

It isn’t exactly clear how music influences the development and growth of plants, but more and more is being discovered about resonance physics and we’re closer than ever to solid scientific proof and theories in this area. Maybe, in twenty years’ time people will laugh if you say plants don’t have ears!

1. Why does the author ask the questions in Paragraph 1?

A．To express his doubts.

B．To present different ideas.

C．To describe the lifestyle of plants.

D．To introduce points for discussion.

2. What does the underlined word “This” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．The reopening of the cells.

B．The change in frequency.

C．The frequency of calcium.

D．The closing of the stomata.

3. It call be inferred from the text that         .

A．future plants are likely to have ears

B．how music affects plant growth is widely known

C．growers must be careful when exposing plants to music

D．the stomata don’t affect the effect of leaf fertilizer on plants

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

A．Benefits of Music to Plants

B．Influence of Music on Plants

C．How to Improve Plant Growth?

D．How Do Plants Listen Without Ears?

7 . Art museums are filled with centuries-old paintings with details of plants that today give us clues about evolution and breeding practices.

Exhibited at an art museum in New York City, The Harvesters created by Pieter Bruegel in 1565 shows farmers cutting wheat nearly as tall as they are. “Nowadays, if you walk through a wheat field, you basically see that wheat is about knee-height. The short wheat is essentially a consequence of breeding from the second half of the 20th century. ” said biologist Ive De Smet.

According to De Smet, wheat is just one example of how historical artwork can allow us to track the transformation of food crops over time. He teamed up with art historian David Vergauwen to seek similar kinds of artwork around the world.

Friends since childhood, their interest in plants in artwork began with a visit to a museum in Russia, where they noticed an odd-looking watermelon in an early-17th-century painting. A watermelon usually is believed to be dark red on the inside. But that one appeared to be pale and white. De Smet assumed the painter had done a poor job. But Vergauwen had a different idea. He says, “This is one of the best painters ever from that era. So, if he painted it like that, that’s the way it must have looked like. ”

Other paintings revealed that there were both red and white watermelons grown during the 17th century. The color is determined by a gene that controls the lycopene（番茄红素）. “There must have been some sort of genetic change preventing the accumulation of that color. Now, with all the genetic knowledge that we have from various plant species, we can look in more details how something comes about. ”

The team hopes to create an online research database of historical plant artwork. They call for contributions of art enthusiasts around the world via the social media. But they caution, the source paintings need to be realistic. “If you’re going to use, for example, Picasso’s paintings to try and understand how a pear looked like in the early 20th century, you might be misled. ” Indeed, such an attempt could be fruitless.

1. What can we learn about wheat from Paragraph 2?

A．It had no short variety before the 1950s.

B．It became shorter and shorter as it evolved.

C．It grew shorter as farmers’ heights changed.

D．It was about knee-height in the 17th century.

2. What inspired the team’s interest in historical plant artwork?

A．Their life-long friendship.	B．A white watermelon painting.
C．Their professional background.	D．An argument over the best painters.

3. Why is Picasso mentioned in the last paragraph?

A．To show the contributions of art enthusiasts.

B．To give an example of historical plant artwork.

C．To tell how a pear looked in the early 20th century.

D．To stress the importance of having realistic source painting.

4. What is mainly talked about in the text?

A．Centuries-old paintings of plants.	B．Plants information revealed in old art.
C．The values of different works of art.	D．Popular objects in historic artworks.

8 . As spring advances across the Midwest, a new study looking at blooming (盛开的) flowers suggests non-native plants might live longer than native plants due to climate change.

The study — led by researchers at Indiana University and Michigan State University — has shown warming temperatures affect native and non-native flowering plants differently, which could change the look of local landscapes (风景) over time. “When a plant flowers determines whether it will be pollinated (授粉) by bees or other insects and how much time it will have to produce seeds. Our data makes me worry that we will have a very weedy (杂草丛生的) world in our future.” said the study’s lead author Jen Lau, an associate professor in Indiana University.

The researchers’ findings suggest non-native plants may be better at shifting their flowering time compared to native plants. These differences are thought to influence a plant’s success both now and in future warmer environments.

Lau and her students simulated (模拟) global warming in fields planted with 45 native and non-native plants. Some areas were warmed by infrared (红外线的) heaters, while other areas were not. Lau’s lab surveyed all plants to determine when they first flowered and how long they flowered.

When plants were grown in warmed plots simulating the climate change expected in the Midwest by the end of the century, the researchers found that non-native plants flowered more than 11 days earlier on average. In contrast, native plants didn’t change flowering times at all when warmed.

They also found earlier-flowering non-native plants had greater geographic spread, suggesting that flowering earlier may help promote successful occupation across large areas.

The findings suggest important differences in how native and non-native plants respond to climate change.

1. What does the new study find about native plants compared with non-native?

A．They have a longer life cycle.

B．They are likely to have more flowers.

C．They are more adaptable to climate change.

D．They may be at greater risk from climate change.

2. What do Jen Lau’s words in paragraph 2 suggest?

A．She’s quite sure that a weedy world is waiting for us.

B．Plants may lose the ability to flower in the future.

C．The timing of a plant’s flowering is key to its life cycle.

D．A plant’s flowering time almost has no effect on its pollination.

3. What does the underlined word “shifting” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Changing.	B．Postponing.
C．Arranging.	D．Predicting.

4. What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．How global warming affected plant species

B．How the researchers tested their supposition.

C．How to keep the warmth of the planted fields.

D．How to determine the flowering times of plants.

9 . Gardens come in all shapes and sizes.     1     But with a little planning and a few tips, you’ll be growing in no time.

One of the most important things to remember when planning a garden is to grow what you love. This way, you’ll be sure to enjoy the process. You can grow vegetables. If you don’t like vegetables, try fruits or flowers. You can grow a garden to feed yourself, your neighbors, and a family that’s going through a hard time.     2     Find your interest.

Once you decide what type of garden you’d like to start, you’ll need to plan a few things before getting to work.     3     Find a place that is fairly flat and gets good sunlight. After that, it is necessary to pick the right soil. An expert at a gardening store can advise you on the best soil for your needs.

After you have the correct soil, choose your plants. Will you start with seeds or young plants? Growing from seeds is often less expensive. And it’s more satisfying, because you have a chance to watch the growth from seed to plant.     4     There’s a better possibility your plant will survive the environment condition to produce.

    5     I suggest planting right before the start of the growing season so the plants can adapt to the soil. You’ll see them start to produce sooner.

A．Now you’re ready to plant your garden.

B．Starting a new one might seem challenging.

C．But growing from young plants is easier.

D．First, work out where your garden will lie.

E．You’ll be able to plant season after season and try to grow new things.

F．It will help you explore and understand the whole progress of these plants.

G．There are many different things you can grow and many different reasons to grow.

10 . Students at Beijing’ s Yucai High School have to be very careful when playing football on the school’ s field. That’ s because there is a 100- year-old tree growing in the middle of it. And keeping their eye on the ball too much can result in a painful collision.

Building a football field around a tree sounds pretty stupid. But the school had no choice. It’ s reported that there are historic buildings all around Yucai High School, and this was the only space that could be used for a football field. Before starting working on the field, the school did ask to have the tree moved and planted somewhere else. However, they were told that it was hundreds of years old, and that it was a national treasure.

Having it moved and planted somewhere else was too risky—they might damage or kill the tree. So they were 1eft with no choice but to build the field around it.

Interestingly, Yucai High School is built on the grounds of Beijing’s Royal Gardens of the Ming and Qing dynasties. A reporter for the Beijing News believes that the strangely- located tree is the oldest tree in the Chinese capital. That information has not been checked, but other people think the tree is only 100 years old.

Playing a serious game of football on this field cannot be very pleasant. The tree could“catch” the ball and change its direction from time to time. But the students have no choice but to train on the playground with the tree. Luckily, they can play on a different field in competitions with other schools.

1. If students play football on the school field,________.

A．they might run into a tree	B．they will have a good chance of winning
C．they will fall down more often	D．they can control the ball all the time

2. Why did the school build a football field around a tree?

A．Because the tree was as old as the school.

B．Because the school could only use that place.

C．Because students in the school liked the tree.

D．Because the tree had something to do with the city’s history.

3. Why was the school not allowed to move and plant the tree somewhere else?

A．Because there was no other place for the tree.

B．Because it may have been dangerous for the tree and it might have died.

C．Because the tree was too big to be moved.

D．Because it was more meaningful to keep the tree where it was.

4. What do we know about the tree?

A．It’s the oldest tree in the Chinese capital.

B．It was planted in Ming Dynasty.

C．Some believe it is only one-hundred years old.

D．Students will play on another field to protect it.