1 . Few fruits carry more health-promoting antioxidants (抗氧化剂) than blackcurrants (黑加仑). Widely grown in cooler parts of Europe, they are in high demand from consumers seeking chemical-free juices made from the berries. Farmers, though, can struggle to increase productions without relying on chemicals. That could change, not just for blackcurrants but other fruit too, with the careful use of probiotics (益生菌).
Probiotics is mostly known for its use of tiny living things, including certain bacteria, to restore or improve the digestion in people and animals. But plants can benefit from bacteria too. Among other things, bacteria help plants produce things that keep disease-causing viruses off their leaves, support them in collecting nutrition from the environment and help them melt minerals found in the soil.
Knowing all this, Virgilija Gaveliene and Sigita Jurkoniene, of the Institute of Botany Nature Research Centre in Lithuania, set out 10 find a way to use probiotics to increase the production of blackcurrant bushes, which are grown in that country. The researchers also knew from other work that the production of strawberries and raspberries could be increased by exposing plants to a carefully selected mix of bacteria.
As they report in Agricultural Science and Technology, the results were impressive. While thousand blackcurrants collected randomly weighed just over 538 grams, the same number from the field exposed to bacteria treatments weighed nearly 783 grams. A similar increase was also true for the field using the probiotics.
Drs. Jurkoniene and Gaveliene are convinced that the right mix of bacteria can help blackcurrant farmers meet demand without using chemicals. And it could help other growers. What works for berries should, in theory, work for other fruit, like apples, pears and oranges. More experiments are needed to be sure.
1. Blackcurrants are in high demand mainly because _____________.| A．they are widely grown in cooler parts of Europe |
| B．consumers are looking for berry juices free from chemicals |
| C．farmers increase production of blackcurrants using probiotics |
| D．few other fruits are more nutritious than blackcurrants |
| A．improve their digestion and nutrition | B．get rid of harmful viruses from their leaves |
| C．collect nutrition from the environment | D．melt minerals obtained from the soil |
| A．probiotics can only be used to prevent growth of plants |
| B．blackcurrants grown in Lithuania are more impressive |
| C．blackcurrant production is increased due to probiotics |
| D．bacteria must be removed from plants to promote production |
| A．an online novel | B．a science magazine | C．a travel brochure | D．a fashion website |
2 . 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| A．Coconut — A Welcome Fruit |
| B．Coconut — A Mistaken Fruit |
| C．Coconut — A Life-saving Fruit |
| D．Coconut — A Multi-function Fruit |
3 . There’ s no place like home. It’ s the place where we’ re surrounded by our possessions and creature comforts. We purchase things to give our homes a personal touch. And one thing we’re buying more of is houseplants. But are these “living” additions to our homes good for us and the environment?
Houseplants, also known as pot plants, add a natural touch and they have the ability to brighten up a room on a budget. The Royal Horticultural Society found that nearly 72% of adults in the UK had a houseplant in their home, with this figure rising to 80% of 16-24 year olds. A fifth of owners also said they use plants in the home to boost their health and well-being. And average sales last year were up on the previous year.
It seems millennials (千禧代) are driving the growth in the sales of houseplants. More young people are living in flats without a garden. 24-year-old Daisy Hale said “being able to care for something but not having too much commitment—I guess that’s a classic millennial line—is ideal for my lifestyle.”
From hanging baskets, to cacti (仙人掌) and succulent ferns, the choice of vegetation is endless. They are easy to care for, and there have been unproven claims that they improve the air quality in our home. But whatever their benefits, there are now concerns that they might not be so good for the environment. Some are bought online and shipped from overseas. Fay Kenworthy, co-founder of PlantSwap, a community activity that encourages people to trade plants locally, said “this could defeat many local plants.”
But botanist James Wong argues that home delivery has less of an environmental impact than multiple trips to the garden center in a car. Although he’ s not too concerned about the environmental impact, others are worried about the plastic pots they are in and the type of peat (泥炭) that some of them are grown in. However, a sustainable approach to buying them may be the best way forward if we want to introduce some natural greenery into our homes.
1. What is the benefit of a houseplant?| A．A houseplant can cure people of many diseases. |
| B．A houseplant is ideal for millennials’ career. |
| C．A houseplant improve the water quality in our home. |
| D．A houseplant can beautify a room with little money. |
| A．The choice of vegetation is endless. | B．People should buy local plants. |
| C．It’s best to buy plants online. | D．Houseplants are hard to care for. |
| A．A fashion magazine. | B．A tour brochure. |
| C．A scientific fiction. | D．A history book. |
| A．Negative. | B．Neutral. | C．Positive. | D．Not mentioned. |
| A．Natural Greenery | B．Millennials’ Choice |
| C．Houseplants: Good or Bad? | D．Hanging Baskets or a Garden? |
4 . Gardens come in all shapes and sizes.
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.
Once you decide what type of garden you’d like to start, you’ll need to plan a few things before getting to work.
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.
| 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. |
5 . The number of trees larger than two feet across has declined by 50 percent on more than 46, 000 square miles of California forests, the new study finds. No area was spared or unaffected, from the foggy northern coast to the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the San Gabriels above Los Angeles. In the Sierra high country, the number of big trees has fallen by more than 55 percent; in parts of southern California the decline was nearly 75 percent.
What is the second paragraph mainly about?
| A．The seriousness of big-tree loss in California. |
| B．The increasing variety of California big trees. |
| C．The distribution of big trees in California forests. |
| D．The influence of farming on big trees in California. |
6 . The connection between people and plants has long been the subject of scientific research. Recent studies have found positive effects. A study conducted in Youngstown，Ohio，for example, discovered that greener areas of the city experienced less crime. In another, employees were shown to be 15% more productive when their workplaces were decorated with houseplants.
What is the first paragraph mainly about?
| A．A new study of different plants. | B．A big fall in crime rates. |
| C．Employees from various workplaces. | D．Benefits from green plants. |
7 . In south Africa’s Limpopo province, a baobab tree (猴面包树) once grew so large and stood so strong that its human neighbors decided to build a pub inside the living tree’s thousand-year-old hollow trunk(树干). For 20 years, “The Big Baobab Pub” attracted tourists all over the world. But in August 2016, one of “the walls” broke. Eight months later, another huge piece broke, too. Now, five of the giant stems have collapsed and died, leaving only half of the tree standing.
Though it could sound like a result of human visitation, it's part of an alarming trend: many of the oldest, largest baobab trees in Africa have died within the last 12 years.
Stephan Woodbourne, an African scientist, said: “Of the oldest trees that we’ve looked at in Southern Africa, the three trees that are older than 2,000 years have all died in the past 10 years. Of the 11 trees that are 1,000 to 2,000 years old, six of them have died.”
A report published in the journal Nature Plants claims scores of the ancient baobab trees, some of which are up to 3,000 years old, are now dying because of rising global temperatures.
Researchers believe it is impossible that such a high number of old baobab trees die in such a short time due to natural causes. They think it may be associated with huge change of climate conditions that affect southern Africa in particular.
1. What has happened to The Big Baobab Pub?| A．The pub has largely been destroyed. |
| B．More tourists from the world visit it. |
| C．The pub has a long history of 2,000 years. |
| D．The Baobab Tree grows larger and stronger. |
| A．all the oldest baobab trees have been dead |
| B．the oldest baobab trees will die out soon |
| C．ancient baobab trees are in the face of danger |
| D．Human’s visits lead to ancient baobab trees’ deaths |
| A．Many pubs’ foundation. | B．Global climate changes. |
| C．Human visitation. | D．Natural causes. |
| A．Research on Baobab Tree. | B．Facts about Baobab Tree. |
| C．Baobab Tree in Africa. | D．Tree of Life is Dying. |
8 . The Bridegroom's Oak, a 500-year-old tree just outside of Eutin, in Germany, has its own postal address and receives around 40 letters every day. They're sent by love seekers from around the world, in the hope that someone will read them and write back.
With so many dating apps and services available nowadays, sending letters to a tree hardly sounds like the best way to find love. However, there's something charming about sending a letter and allowing fate (命运) to work its magic, so the Bridegroom's Oak remains popular even now.
In 1890, a local girl named Minna fell in love with a young chocolate maker named Wilhelm, but her father didn't allow her to see the boy. Instead of giving up on each other, the two started exchanging love letters secretly, by leaving them in a knothole (节孔) of an oak tree. After about one year, Minna's father found out about their continued relationship, but instead of punishing them, he gave them permission to marry. The two lovers got married on June 2, 1891, under the oak tree that helped keep their romance (罗曼史) alive.
The couple's story spread around Eutin, and soon, people unable to find love started writing romantic letters and leaving them in the tree's knothole. By 1927, it was already known as Bridegroom's Oak and was so popular that it had its own address and postal code, allowing people from all over Germany and even abroad to send in their letters.
Love seekers visiting the Bridegroom's Oak need respect only one simple rule. They can check all the letters in its knothole, and take with them the one they wish to reply to, but they have to put the others back for other people to find.
So far the Bridegroom's Oak has been responsible for at least 100 marriages and many other romantic relationships.
1. What's the Bridegroom's Oak popular for?| A．Its long life. |
| B．Its special function. |
| C．Its good position. |
| D．Its rare species. |
| A．The best way to find love a century ago. |
| B．What sufferings the two lovers experienced. |
| C．How the two lovers kept their romance alive. |
| D．The love story behind the Bridegroom's Oak. |
| A．Reply to all the letters in its knothole. |
| B．Read each letter in its knothole. |
| C．Put their name at the top of each letter. |
| D．Take as many letters away as they like. |
| A．Writing to the Bridegroom's Oak does work. |
| B．Germany needs dating apps and services. |
| C．Germans hold a firm belief in fate. |
| D．Foreigners have little idea of the Bridegroom's Oak. |
9 . Do you know how blueberries (蓝莓) grow？They grow on bushes. Each blueberry is small and round. Many blueberries can grow on one bush. At first, the blueberries are green. The green berries are not ready to eat yet. They need a lot of sun and rain to help them become fat and sweet. When the berries turn blue, they are ripe and ready to be picked.
Farmers grow blueberries in big fields. The people who live nearby can earn money by helping to pick the blueberries. Each one takes a pail (桶) out to the field and fills it with blueberries. They work fast so that they can fill many pails. They want to earn as much money as they can. When they are done picking, their fingers are blue from the juice of the berries.
After the blueberries are picked, they are put into boxes and sent to stores. People buy the blueberries and take them home to eat. Some people like to wash the berries and eat them one by one. Other people like to cook with blueberries. They make blueberry cakes.
No matter how you eat them, blueberries taste great!
1. What color are the blueberries before they are ripe to be picked?| A．Green. | B．Blue. | C．Red. | D．Black. |
| A．In the mountains. | B．In a greenhouse. |
| C．In the forest. | D．In the field. |
| A．To the food shop. | B．To the farm house. |
| C．To the kitchen. | D．To the kitchen. |
| A．Cooking with Blueberries | B．Things about Blueberries |
| C．The Taste of Blueberries | D．Growing Blueberries |
| A. capable B. effectiveness C. employing D.exposure E.famously F. joining G. limitation H. minimal I.precisely J.recognizing K.worthwhile |
Clean Air Act
The air in modern homes and offices is pretty clean,but not as clean as it might be.Often it contains small amounts of volatile(挥发性的）,poisonous,organic compounds.Long-term
Finding an effective way to do so has proved difficult.But Stuart Strand, Long Zhang and Ryan Routsong, of the University of Washington,in Seattle,think they have succeeded,As they report in Environmental Science and Technology, their method involves
The idea of
Dr Strand, Dr Zhang and Mr Routsong thus sought something suitably transgenic ( 转 基 因 的),but that does not flower indoors. The plant they settled on was Devil's vine,
