1 . Indoor plants might look as if they just sit around not doing much, but in many ways they are the unsung heroes of the home.     1    , but studies have shown that they can promote people’s wellbeing by improving their mood (心情), reducing stress and helping their memory. What’s more, indoor plants are easy to look after and are not very expensive.

What are indoor plants?

Indoor plants, also known as houseplants or pot plants, are plants that like to grow indoors. Many of these species (物种) are not ideally suited to growing outside in the UK, especially in the winter.     2    .

Why are indoor plants good for you?

Will Spoelstra, who works at the Royal Botanic Gardens, says, “    3    . I find during the winter months, plants around the house can really lift your mood.” Several studies have backed this up and found that indoor plants can improve creativity, focus and memory. There is also research showing that pot plants can clean the air around them by removing harmful gases, such as carbon dioxide. They also remove some harmful chemicals from paints or cooking.     4    .

Which plants can you grow?

Aloe vera, peace lilies and spider plants are some of the species that are easy to grow indoors. You can buy plants from supermarkets, garden centres or online. Younger plants are often cheaper than fully grown ones, and you get to care for them as they mature — which is part of the joy of owning plants. “    5    ,” Spoelstra says. “It can bring a new interest and focus into people’s lives and help to make the link between home and nature.”

A．All plants are different

B．Not only do they look beautiful

C．There are many benefits to growing plants indoors

D．Instead, they grow better inside, where it is warmer

E．Plants like peace lilies and devil’s ivy are among the best

F．Changing the pot of your plant from time to time will also help

G．Learning about the requirements of each plant can be very rewarding

2 . Animals can adapt quickly to survive unfavorable environmental conditions. Evidence is mounting to show that plants can, too. A paper published in the journal Trends in Plant Science details how plants are rapidly adapting to the effects of climate change, and how they are passing down these adaptations to their offspring(后代).

Plants are facing more environmental stresses than ever. For example, climate change is making winters shorter in many locations, and plants are responding. “Many plants require a minimum period of cold in order to set up their environmental clock to define their flowering time,” says Martinelli, a plant geneticist at the University of Florence. “As cold seasons shorten, plants have adapted to require shorter periods of cold to delay flowering. These mechanisms allow plants to avoid flowering in periods when they have fewer opportunities to reproduce.”

Because plants don’t have neural(神经的) networks, their memory is based entirely on cellular(细胞的),molecular(分子的),and biochemical networks. These networks make up what the researchers call somatic memory(体细胞记忆). “It allows plants to recognize the occurrence of a previous environmental condition and to react accordingly,” says Martinelli.

These somatic memories can then be passed to the plants’ offspring via epigenetics(表现遗传). “Several examples demonstrate the existence of molecular mechanisms modulating plant memory to environmental stresses and affecting the adaptation of offspring to these stresses,” says Martinelli.

Going forward, Martinelli hopes to understand even more about the genes that are being passed down. “We are particularly interested in decoding the epigenetic alphabet without changes in DNA sequence(序列),”he says. “This is especially important when we consider the rapid climate change, we observe today that every living organism, including plants, needs to quickly adapt to survive.”

1. What adaptations have plants made to shortened cold seasons?

A．They have shortened their flowering time.

B．They have got more chances to reproduce.

C．They have avoided flowering in cold seasons.

D．They have adjusted their environmental clock.

2. What can we learn about somatic memory?

A．It is entirely based on neural networks.

B．It can help the plants’ offspring to survive.

C．It can help relieve environmental stresses.

D．It disturbs the plants’ biochemical networks.

3. What does the underlined word “modulating” mean in paragraph 4?

A．Adjusting.	B．Treasuring.
C．Recording.	D．Sharing.

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

A．Plants are smart about flowering time

B．Plants can also adapt to climate change

C．Environmental stresses challenge plants

D．Mysteries of plant genes are to be unfolded

3 . 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。
Space Station Rice Tests Show Promise

Chinese astronauts have successfully grown rice seedlings (幼苗) onboard the Tiangong space station.

There have been other rice     1     (experiment) in space. But the one being conducted on Tiangong is the first of     2     (it) kind that aims to produce the complete life cycle of the plant, which begins with a seed and ends with     3     mature plant producing new seeds.

China launched the Wentian space laboratory into orbit on July 24. The space lab, which weighs 23 metric tons and is 17.9 meters tall, is the country’s     4     (large) spacecraft to date. Onboard     5     (be) eight experimental payloads, including the one for the rice experiment.

“We want to investigate how microgravity affects the plant flowering time on the molecular (分子的) level     6     whether it is possible to use the microgravity environment     7     (control) the related process,” said Zheng Huiqiong, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Flowering is a     8     (vital) important stage for plant reproductive development.

“If we want to land on and explore Mars, food     9     (bring) from Earth is not enough for the astronauts’ long journey and mission in space. We have to find a sustainable food source     10     long-term space explorations,” Zheng said.

4 . Most of Florida is a flat peninsula (半岛) with water on three sides and houses built as close to the shoreline as possible. For one thing we are more frequently the target of hurricanes than any other state; for another, our geography makes us more easily to be hurt by rising seas.

A news story about climate change in Florida popped up. Historically, scientists believed mangroves (红树林) didn’t live farther north than Cedar Key, in the middle of Florida’s Big Bend. But that’s not the case anymore. Samantha Chapman, a biology professor who’s been studying how Florida’s mangroves have been migrating (迁移), found them up near the St Mary’s River, which forms the border between Florida and Georgia. It seems that they soon be marching through Georgia and becoming a thriving new component of coastal habitats.

But a coastal biologist named Blair Witherington took issue on the matter. The mangroves weren’t spreading into a new territory, he pointed out. They were entering areas that had been classified as saltmarsh (盐沼), where the landscape was dominated by cordgrass. Saltmarsh and mangrove create very different habitats that attract a very different set of animals. “When one community replaces the other, this diversity is lost,” Witherington remarked. Changing the animals’ habitat has the potential to influence the whole food chain, making a widespread difference.

What was driving this? “Mangroves can survive a short freeze, but not a prolonged, hard freeze. By combing through the weather records kept by the state’s orange juice industry, biologists have been able to document that Florida is having fewer prolonged hard freezes than it used to. Then the mangroves have adapted by expanding their range.” Samantha explained.

“They’ve adapted in another way, too. Not only are the mangroves spreading into areas that once were unfriendly to them, but they have also changed their life cycle to speed things up. Normally it takes them about 15 years of growth before they start making seeds. Now, as they get into these marshes, they’re producing seeds when they’ re only a couple of years old,” Samantha said.

The problem with having too many mangroves by the sea is that climate change may overwhelm them. A study by the US Geological Survey said sea level rise could wipe out mangroves all along the Florida coast. So, here’s the question we humans have to consider: Nature is finding ways to adapt to how we’ve changed the climate. What are we doing to adapt to it? Or at least slow it down?

1. What can we learn about the state of Florida?

A．It could be affected by high tides easily.

B．Its geography fuels shipbuilding industry.

C．Its houses are built in a high-lying but flat area.

D．It is often hit by tornadoes and suffers huge losses.

2. What is the news story about Florida’s mangroves?

A．They migrate to warmer regions.

B．They are marching into a new habitat.

C．They form the border between Florida and Georgia.

D．They are introduced into Florida to prevent flooding.

3. Which of the following would Blair Witherington agree with?

A．Saltmarsh is fragile and requires urgent protection.

B．Florida includes a rich diversity of natural habitats.

C．The benefits of the mangroves outweigh their troubles.

D．Everything in the ecosystem is connected complicatedly.

4. What are the 4th and 5th paragraphs mainly about?

A．What mangroves had to face in their habitats.

B．Whether mangroves had influence on other plants.

C．How mangroves adapted to the changing environment.

D．Why mangroves had a different life cycle in marshes.

5. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Human beings are supposed to worship nature.

B．It is urgent to grow more mangroves along coastlines.

C．Measures against mangroves’ migration are far from enough.

D．What we should do to stop the climate change is still up in the air.

5 . Take a look at that tree in the local park. What might it be feeling? Could it be thinking? Experiments are exploring the idea of plant cognition (认知), even going so far as to suggest they possess some form of consciousness.

As wild as it sounds, it isn’t a new idea. The field of “plant neurobiology (神经生物学)” began in 2006, aimed at understanding how plants process information from their environment.

It is now clear that plants are capable of complex communication and can sense their surroundings, which were originally dismissed. But advocates of plant consciousness take things further and draw parallels between the electrical signaling that can be found from root to stem and that present in the nervous system of animals. They claim to show that plants are capable of intentionally choosing to perform certain behaviors, of learning and perhaps even having personalities. If plants are experiencing a conscious inner world, they argue, it becomes vital that we find ways to test and understand it.

Extending the concept of cognition to plants would mean a significant shift in our view of the uniqueness of humanity, not to mention how we treat our botanical friends, so the bar of acceptance is high. Researchers rising to the challenge are hoping to explore plants with tools usually reserved for the human brain.

The research can appear persuasive, but it is in its early stage and suffers from repeated failure. Critics say the field is a high guess and that the behaviour can be explained through inborn response.

Whether we decide that plants have cognition may come down to our ability to describe consciousness itself-something we are far from doing. But rather than dismiss the idea, we should welcome the chance to think up new ways to test our understanding of consciousness. It might just improve our grasp of the human mind. At the very least, our trees and plants should benefit from the extra attention-consciously or not.

1. What do supporters of plant consciousness believe?

A．Plants can only perform native reaction.

B．Plants can perceive their surroundings and adapt to them.

C．Plants possess the same level of consciousness as humans.

D．Plants can communicate complicatedly and choose actions deliberately.

2. What is the main challenge in accepting the idea of plant consciousness?

A．The need to develop tools to test plant cognition.

B．The dramatic change in our view of humanity.

C．The lack of evidence in the field of plant neurobiology.

D．The inability to describe consciousness itself.

3. What is the current state of research in the field of plant cognition?

A．The field is highly based on guesses and has no evidence.

B．Researchers are using tools reserved for the human brain to study plant behaviors.

C．There is not enough evidence to support the idea of plant consciousness.

D．Plants have been proven to possess a form of consciousness.

4. What is the potential benefit of studying plant consciousness?

A．Enhancing our understanding of the human brain.

B．Developing new ways to test plant behaviors.

C．Promoting our relationship with plants.

D．Proving the existence of plant cognition.

6 . Scientists have shown how plants can protect themselves against genetic (基因的) damage caused by environmental stresses. The growing tips of plant roots and shoots have an in-built mechanism (机制) that spells cell death if DNA damage is detected, avoiding passing on faulty DNA.

Plants have small populations of stem cells (干细胞) at the tips of their roots and shoots, which enable them to continuously grow and produce new tissues throughout their lifetime. These stem cells serve as ancestors for plant tissues and organs. However, any genetic faults present in the stem cells will continue to exist and be passed on permanently throughout the plant’s life, which could last thousands of years.

Given the critical role of stem cells and their exposure to potentially dangerous environments at the growing tips of roots and shoots, safeguards are necessary to prevent stem cell faults from becoming fixed. Researchers Nick Fulcher and Robert Sablowski, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, aimed to uncover these protective mechanisms. Through experiments involving X-rays and chemicals, they discovered that stem cells were more sensitive to DNA damage compared to other cells.

When DNA damage occurs, the cells have the capacity to detect it and cause programmed cells to die, preventing the propagation of the damaged genetic code to the rest of the plant tissues. This process has similarities to the safeguard mechanism found in animal cells, which has been broadly studied due to its relevance in preventing cancer.

The identification of a similar protective system in plants is of great interest in the field of plant development. It also helps scientists develop plants that can better handle environmental stress. So knowledge of how plants deal with these stresses is of fundamental significance to agricultural science’s response to climate change.

1. What is the function of the in-built mechanism in plants?

A．To produce more roots and shoots.	B．To increase the overall lifetime of the plant.
C．To enhance plant growth and nutrient intake.	D．To stop genetic faults in stem cells passing on.

2. What can we know about stem cells in plants according to the text?

A．They are relatively abundant in quantity.	B．They are resistant to environmental stresses.
C．They make quick response to DNA damage.	D．They have the ability to repair damaged DNA.

3. What does the underlined word “propagation” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Spread.

B．Change.

C．Existence.

D．Self-repair.

4. What does the last paragraph focus on?

A．The way of dealing with climate change on the earth.

B．The significance of identifying the protective system in plants.

C．The method of ensuring plant survival under environmental stress.

D．The urgency of developing plants that can handle environmental stress.

7 . At first, the grains of rice that Ingo Potrykus held in his fingers did not seem at all _________, but inside, these grains were not white, as ordinary rice is, but a very pale yellow — thanks to beta-carotene (胡萝卜素), a building block for vitamin A.

For more than a decade Potrykus had _________ creating a golden rice that could improve the lives of millions of the poorest people in the world, strengthening their eyesight and their _________ disease.

_________ imagining golden rice was one thing and creating one quite another. Year after year, Potrykus and his colleagues ran into one _________ after another until success finally came in the spring of 1999.

At that point, he tackled an even greater challenge. The golden grains _________ pieces of DNA borrowed from bacteria and flowers. It was what some would call Frankenfood, a product of genetic engineering. As such, it _________ a web of hopes and fears.

The debate began the moment genetically engineered crops (GM crops) were first sold in the 1990s, and it has _________ ever since. First to start major protests against biotechnology were European environmentalists and consumer-advocacy groups. They were soon followed by their U.S. counterparts (相对应的人事物).

The hostility is _________. Most of the GM crops __________ so far have been developed to produce a plant that is not harmed by chemicals used to kill weeds (杂草) in the fields. These genetically engineered crops are often sold by the same large, multinational corporations that __________ the weed-killing chemicals that farmers spray on their fields. Consumers have become suspicious (怀疑的).

The benefits did seem small __________ golden rice was developed. It is the first strong example of a GM crop that may __________ not just the farmers who grow it but also the consumers who eat it. In this case, those include at least a million children who die every year because they are weakened by vitamin-A deficiency (缺乏) and an additional 350,000 who go blind.

Many people __________ poverty and hunger look at golden rice and see it as evidence that GM crops can be made to serve the greater public good. They see a critical role for GM crops in feeding the world’s ever-increasing population. As former U.S. President Jimmy Carter put it, “Responsible biotechnology is not the enemy; __________ is.”

1.

A．typical

B．special

C．local

D．white

2.

A．dreamed of

B．come in handy

C．been reminded of

D．broken up

3.

A．attempt at

B．effort to

C．resistance to

D．majority of

4.

A．But

B．And

C．While

D．Since

5.

A．surprise

B．obstacle

C．norm

D．opposition

6.

A．achieved

B．stressed

C．overlooked

D．contained

7.

A．was caught in

B．was alive with

C．be conscious of

D．was honored by

8.

A．announced

B．maintained

C．escalated

D．applied

9.

A．brilliant

B．understandable

C．discharged

D．rewarding

10.

A．introduced

B．reminded

C．respected

D．overlooked

11.

A．toss and turn

B．give and take

C．produce and sell

D．demand and supply

12.

A．until

B．after

C．although

D．when

13.

A．feature

B．mark

C．build

D．benefit

14.

A．worried about

B．ashamed of

C．filled with

D．admired for

15.

A．terror

B．misery

C．starvation

D．crisis

8 . 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.

9 . 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。

Yunnan is the hometown of tea. It provides the ideal climate and the ecological environment for large-leaf tea trees, which are located in the     1     (region) along the Lancang River. Thousands of years ago, they formed those ancient tea plantations,     2     are the best gift that nature has grated us.

    3     (preserve) the ancient tea trees, Southwest Chinn’s Yunnan Province has passed a protection regulation recently,     4     (clarify) that wild and cultivated ten plants aged over 100 wars should be better protected in the province. The new regulation, which will come into force starting from March 1, 2023,    5    (prohibit) six kinds of behaviors that harm ancient tea plants and their growing environment. Unauthorized cutting and transplantation of ancient tea trees, carving tree branches, digging the roots,     6    damaging the ancient lea trees are all banned.

Other     7     (legal) practices include using harmful chemical herbicides, releasing waste gas and water, as well as dumping and throwing waste     8     (casual) within the protection range of the trees, according to the regulation.

Yunnan has diverse resources of tea trees. The regulation also advocates proper research and     9    (apply) of Yunnan’s resources of ancient tea trees, raising varieties     10    new tea trees of good quality, as well as the establishment of relevant industrial chains.

10 . 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.