1 . In a Parisian old shoe factory on the city’s outskirts, a new kind of life is taking root. Neoplants, a startup from Paris, has developed a special houseplant that could potentially help improve indoor air quality by removing harmful pollutants.

The plant is a modified variety of one of the most popular and low-maintenance houseplants. Its DNA has been altered to enhance its capacity to absorb volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air we breathe inside our homes. These VOCs include substances like formaldehyde, benzene. toluene. ethylbenzene, and xylene, which are commonly found indoors and can be harmful in large quantities.

The genetic tweaking also allows the plant to convert the absorbed VOCs into substances it can use. such as sugars and carbon dioxide, which then fuel its growth. While Neoplants’concept is quite promising, proving its effectiveness is a challenge.

Plant shops often claim their greenery can purify the air, but much of this belief stems from research conducted by NASA back in 1989. They found that houseplants could indeed absorb certain toxins. However, achieving the same level of toxin removal as simply opening a window would require an impractical number of plants   — anywhere from 10 to 1,000 per square meter.

So, does Neoplants’genetically modified houseplant offer a better solution? Field tests haven’t yielded definitive results yet, but there is hope for more conclusive testing in the future with the help of a new lab equipped with unique non-absorbent rooms that mimic real-life conditions . Additionally, the company is exploring potential applications for its gene-editing technology in areas such as carbon capture and phytoremediation, where plants are used to clean up contaminated environments

Neoplants is relying on patience and a bit of faith. It takes time for innovations to mature. “This will be the first time such a product exists.” says the company’s CEO. drawing a parallel to the early days of computers, which were not very powerful initially but still represented a significant breakthrough.

With Neoplants’ vision, the old shoe factory on the edge of Paris isn’t just a place where shoes were made; it’s where a novel approach to cleaning our indoor air is being cultivated — one that could someday make our homes healthier and more environmentally friendly.

1. What does Neoplants’genetically modified houseplant aim to do?

A．maintain its capacity easily	B．absorb VOC’s massively
C．alter its DNA completely	D．fuel its growth quickly

2. What can be inferred from this passage?

A．The absorbed VOCs can enhance the growth of the plant.

B．Opening a window can remove the same level of toxins as the Neoplants.

C．Neoplants will need powerful computers to make a significant breakthrough.

D．Conclusive testing needs conducting to achieve definite results.

3. What does the underlined term “phytoremediation” in paragraph 5 most likely mean?

A．The process of using plants to absorb nutrients.	B．The process of using plants to purify the air.
C．The process of using plants to explore applications.	D．The process of using plants to edit certain genes.

4. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．Science fiction.

B．A scientific textbook.

C．A news article.

D．An art magazine.

2 . Kongeegen

Kongeegen is a large oak tree located (位于) in the north of Denmark. Kongeegen’s real age is unknown. The tree went through a scientific study in 1965, through which Kongeegen was confirmed to be between 1,500 and 2,000 years of age. This would make it the oldest living oak in the northern part of Europe.

Granit Oak

The Granit Oak measures 2.38 meters in diameter (直径) and 23.4 meters in height. The head of the tree measures about 1,017 square meters, which covers nearly 11,000 square feet. Back in 1967, the Bulgarian government announced this oak was a protected tree and it has been under protection ever since.

Stelmuze Oak

Not all of the tree’s branches are still alive, but it continues to be considered a living tree. This makes it the oldest living tree in all of Lithuania. Stelmuze Oak was made a natural monument (纪念碑) in 1960. Ever since then, it has been on the Lithuanian list of protected monuments, and it is well looked after.

Major Oak

Local legends (传说) say that this is the tree where Robin Hood’s shelter was located. According to the tales, Robin and his merry men slept in this very tree. Back in 2003 in Dorset, England, 260 acorn saplings (橡子树苗) from the Major Oak were used to start an oak plantation.

	Kongeegen	Granit Oak	Stelmuze Oak	Major Oak
Estimated age	1, 500-2, 000yeas	1,700 years	1, 500-2, 000 years	800-1,000 years
Status	Alive	Dead	Alive	Alive
Location	Denmark	Bulgaria	Lithuania	England
Oak species(物种)	Quercus robur	Quercus robur	Quercus robur	Quercus robur

1. When was Kongeegen’s age announced?

A．In 1960.

B．In 1965.

C．In 1967.

D．In 2003.

2. Which is the youngest tree mentioned in the text?

A．Kongeegen.

B．Granit Oak

C．Stelmuze Oak.

D．Major Oak.

3. What do the four trees have in common?

A．They are of the same species.	B．There are beautiful stories about them.
C．Some of their branches aren’t alive now.	D．They are under good protection.

3 . Malvern is a place close to my heart. When I was growing up, both my parents worked full-time, and I spent every school holiday with my grandmother, who lived in a house in the Malvern Hills, looking out over the Worcestershire land to Bredon Hill in the distance with the Three Counties Showground in the foreground. This is the scene for the RHS Malvern Spring Festival, the opening event of the horticultural (园艺的) calendar.

Garden designer and television presenter Arit Anderson is one of the familiar faces who will be presenting talks over the four days of this year’s show. Anderson didn’t move into garden design until her mid-40s. Raised in a large family by a busy single mum in Hertfordshire, she began her working life as a pharmacy technician (药剂师). From there she moved into fashion seller, working her way up to the head office of a major high street brand. At the same time she trained as a healer. All these different strands equipped her well for a career change to horticulture.

I always said I didn’t want to do fashion at 50, but it came about a little bit earlier. The company was laying off workers and I’d just got my first garden and fallen in love with it. I thought. Let’s do something I love.”

She retrained in garden design at Cape Manor College, and in 2013 won the Fresh Talent competition at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Three years later she won a gold medal at RHS Hampton Court for a garden showcasing the need for sustainability in the face of climate change.

Gardening at one with the environment has continued to be an important focus for Anderson and she is currently setting up the Sustainability Landscape Foundation with fellow designer Marian Boswall. Their aim is to cut through the green washing and provide a portal (入口) for professionals and the public to seek out information about how to garden sustainably.

1. Why does the author refer to her childhood experience?

A．To show how busy her parents were.	B．To introduce the beautiful place — Malvern.
C．To tell the readers how she spent her holiday.	D．To remember her grandmother.

2. Which of the following was Arit Anderson’s first job?

A．A garden designer.	B．A television presenter.
C．A pharmacy technician.	D．A fashion seller.

3. What is Anderson devoted to?

A．Creating gardens.	B．Retraining in garden design.
C．Fighting against climate change.	D．Cooperating with big companies.

4. Which of the following does Anderson agree with?

A．Greenwashing is really eco-friendly.

B．Everyone should choose new ways to live.

C．It doesn’t matter whether you like your job or not.

D．Gardening should be in harmony with nature.

4 . You don’t have to brave the crowds at the Tidal Basin to enjoy the glories of cherry blossom (樱花), which always runs for one month. The delicate pink and white blooms decorate the district. Washington-based nonprofit Casey Trees has a detailed map of where to find them.

Using the map’s explanation, you can check out a neighborhood’s list of trees. The map is color-coded by a variety of cherry blossom, and there are several: Yoshino, Okame, Oshi-ma, and Sour Cherry, just to name a few.

Michaila Musman, the Geographic Information Systems manager at Casey Trees，suggests tracking down the Sargent Cherry, which develops pinkish white blossoms and is called the “cream” of flowering cherries by the Arbor Day Foundation. “They can also support bird species around the city, which is a wonderful bonus.” says Musman.

The map is an annual tradition at Casey Trees. The organization plans to use it to help protect Washington’s trees. To build the map, staff and volunteers walked into the city’s parks to identify and measure every tree they came across. “We can do better advocacy and tree protection if we know what our trees across the city look like.” said Musman.

Other data points for the map come from DDOT’s Urban Forestry Division and from cherry trees that Casey Trees has planted. Most of the trees on the map are located on public land. So if your yard or your neighbor’s yard is the proud home of a cherry tree, it may not appear (considering it as your own secret garden).

And if you miss the cherries this time around, the organization also maintains a separate map of all the flowering trees in the city. Musman recommends checking out the Eastern Red bud. “They are native to this area and they have very beautiful blossoms.” she says, “It seems as though they came right out of a Dr. Seuss’ book.”

1. What can the map be used to do?

A．Research bird species.	B．Decorate some districts.
C．Locate cherry blossom.	D．Identify the type of flowers.

2. Why does Casey Trees develop the map?

A．To know the city better.	B．To protect the local trees.
C．To build the city’s parks.	D．To use public land efficiently.

3. What can we know from the last two paragraphs?

A．The map comes out of a Dr. Seuss’ book.

B．The map is the only product of Casey Trees.

C．Casey Trees has planted many trees across the USA.

D．Casey Trees takes individual privacy into consideration.

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

A．Casey Trees likes cherry blossom	B．Casey Trees will introduce a new map
C．You should protect the city’s cherry trees	D．You needn’t bother to find cherry blossom

5 . Big Basin Redwoods State Park is recovering after a natural disaster—fires heavily dam aged California’s oldest protected natural area. Lightning storms caused more than 650 fires in Northern California. But during a guided visit recently, life was reappearing on blackened red wood trees. Small flowers stood out on the burned land.

The big park usually has about 1 million visitors a year. But one year ago, many parts of the park burned for 24 hours. More than 100 structures were sabotaged , including the main part of the historic park, shelters, picnic tables and more. Many bridges were gone, too. In some places, roots are still smoking, leaving dangerous underground areas. Repair experts have been trying to identify materials and waste that need to be removed. In many ways, the park does not look much different than it did soon after fires.

Most of the ancient redwoods have survived. Astonishingly, the trees are about 2, 000 years old and among the tallest living things on Earth. The next 8 to 10 months will be spent cleaning up the park. It will be up to a year before the public can safely use the paths beyond a small coastal area.

Environmentalists have urged quick action because state officials are currently providing funds for wildfire recovery efforts and new building projects. This change provides a rare chance to get more money for public lands.

Barth is the director of Sempervirens Fund. That group started an effort in 1900 to protect 15. 5 square kilometers of redwood forest that is now in the center of Big Basin. “When Big Basin was set up, it was a sign of hope for the state park’s system, " she said. Barth added, “In this fire and rebirth, you have an opportunity again. ”Redwoods are naturally fire resistant(防火的). In old growth forests, most trees have burn marks dating back to hundreds of years.

1. What does the author feel about the recovery of the park?

A．Doubtful.

B．Anxious.

C．Curious.

D．Hopeful.

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

A．Destroyed.

B．Ignored.

C．Protected.

D．Rebuilt.

3. What do we know about the redwoods?

A．They have a short history.	B．They are amazingly tall.
C．Few of them have survived.	D．Most of them have no burn marks.

4. What did Barth think of building Big Basin?

A．It was for funds.	B．It was effortless.
C．It was praiseworthy.	D．It was against nature.

6 . Life in a city can be especially hard for a tree. Buildings, pollution, poor soil, insects, and even car crashes can add to tree loss. Now, the warming climate is making a tree’s life even harder, Between 2016 and 2021, Seattle lost about 255 hectares of tree covering. Climate change was blamed in part for the loss. Then came the driest summer on Seattle’s record books in 2022. The drier conditions and hotter temperatures have left many trees with brown leaves, naked branches, and extreme seeding. These are all signs of tree stress.

Researchers from France and Australia studied the effect of hotter temperatures and less rain on over 3, 100 trees and other plants in 164 cities across 78 countries. They found about half the trees in the cities were experiencing climate conditions beyond their limits. They also found that by 2050 nearly all trees planted in Australian cities won’t survive.

It’s not the gradual change that’s going to be the problem. It’s these extreme swings of too much water, too little water, too much wind, and storm intensities that are going to cause these rapid changes. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed about 10%6 of the trees in New Orleans. And in 2021, Hurricane Ida uprooted many new trees. With climate change, researchers are also concerned that many cities will lose newly planted trees before they reach maturity.

Non-native trees have been brought to cities for some time. However, climate change is causing many tree experts to specifically consider them-a practice called “assisted migration”. In Bellevue, experts are growing different kinds of trees specifically for climate change. On city grounds, they’ re planting baby giant sequoias, just a few centimeters tall. The giant sequoias aren’t native to the Pacific Northwest area. But tree managers in Bellevue are planting more sequoias because they can deal with the lack of rain and insects.

Planting more non-native trees is also drawing attention to something city tree experts have learned from years of tree deaths: having many different kinds and ages of trees is important to keep urban forests alive.

1. What happened to Seattle in 2022?

A．Many trees there showed signs of stress.

B．Climate change attracted public attention.

C．It experienced the driest weather in the world.

D．Its tree covering decreased by about 255 hectares.

2. Which of the following conditions is most likely to cause tree deaths?

A．Frequent small storms.

B．Gradual climate change.

C．Sudden extreme weather.

D．Lack of abundant sunshine.

3. What conclusion can be drawn when it comes to keeping city tree covering alive?

A．The younger, the better.

B．The greater space, the better.

C．The fewer non-native trees, the better.

D．The greater diversity, the better.

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

A．City Trees Can Help Fight Climate Change

B．Climate Change Causes City Trees to Struggle

C．Trees Play a Specially Important Role in Cities

D．Assisted Migration Helps Keep Urban Forests Alive

7 . How to Make a Window Box Garden

For many people, warm weather means growing things in the ground. Gardening is a popular activity all around the world. But what about people who do not have the space to garden? Don’t worry! Today, we will give you information about growing beautiful window boxes.

Place and safety

    1     They can also sit on other surfaces such as walls, or front steps. Make sure your window boxes are safe so they will not come down in a storm. Because of these possible dangers, window boxes are sometimes not allowed by house owners. If that is the case where you live or if you feel your window box could be unsafe, you can have an indoor window box.

Light and water

Before choosing plants, check your window box place for light and rain.     2     So, they need more water. And if a window box is close to a wall or other buildings, it may not get enough rainwater. Even if all your windows get little sun, do not give up. Browne, a famous gardener, says one of her greatest successes is a beautiful window box in a full-shade area.     3    

Try to be different

So, what makes some window boxes different while others are just so-so? Create a topic!     4     For example, you may have a window box that is filled with all cactuses or all plants fit for eating. Or you could have a color-topic window box with only purple flowers and plants.     5     People who have really nice window boxes cut off anything dead. They also water their window boxes often and change things a lot.

A．This is a main idea for the plants.

B．Besides having a topic, caring is important.

C．Window boxes dry out faster than ground plants.

D．You should not let quick-growing plants get out of control.

E．She suggests knowing which plants look best during each season.

F．Window boxes are not just for the outside edge of the window.

G．She gets a great look by using plants and flowers that don’t need much sun.

8 . Sunflower season generally runs from late July, so be sure to visit the best sunflower fields near Chicago.

Thompson Strawberry Farm

This huge Wisconsin sunflower field covers an area of 15 acres, so come prepared with scissors and a jar to prepare for a long day of picking. Visitors are welcome to cut up to a dozen sunflowers from the field, but if you really want to take home a few more, additional flowers will only set you back a dollar each.

$25 per car for up to six people, $5 per person for more than six people.

Heap's Giant Pumpkin Farm

Flower enthusiasts will delight in walking through more than 5 acres of sunflowers at this farm, which offers an all—day pass that gives you access to the sunflower field and other farm attractions like corn mazes(迷宫). You can buy a De Bucket: a $20 basket you can fill with as many flowers as you can fit inside.

Thistleberry Farm

Though some of its previous summer sunflower fields have already been cleaned, South Bend's Thistleberry Farm will once again erupt in a 3—acre sea of sunflowers from September 16—27. You can order tickets online to reserve a spot before visiting.

$6 per person plus a $ l online processing fee.

M&D Farm and Garden Center

Located just 45 minutes of driving outside the city in Homer Glen, Illinois, this 10—acre farm allow for six weeks throughout the season. Check the farm's Facebook page for updates about when the field will enter full golden time — and when you visit, be sure to have a couple of fresh cut sunflowers for $2.50 each.

$5 Monday —Friday, $7 Saturday — Sunday, children under 3 free.

1. Which sunflower field is the largest?

A．Thistleberry Farm.

B．Thompson Strawberry Farm.

C．Heap's Giant Pumpkin Farm.

D．M&D Farm and Garden Center.

2. What service can Thistleberry Farm offer to visitors?

A．Free Admission.

B．Sunflower cleaning.

C．Online ticket booking.

D．Sunflower delivery.

3. How much will you pay to get ten sunflowers at M&D Farm and Garden Center?

A．$10.

B．$20.

C．$25.

D．$50.