1 . Britain’s seed bank the only one in the world aiming to collect all of the planet’s wild plant species, has reached its goal of banking 10 percent by 2010.
The Millennium Seed Bank Project run by Kew Gardens — one of the oldest botanical gardens — will officially deposit the 24,200th species on Thursday, a pink, wild banana from China.
More than 50 countries are now on board with Kew’s giant task but vast places of the globe, including India and Brazil, still need to join in and donate seeds, director Paul Smith said.
The seed bank is one of the largest and most diverse in the world with more than 1.5 billion seeds. Its goal is to help protect the planet’s bio-diversity during a time of climate change.
The wild banana seed is under threat of extinction (灭绝) in southwest China from agricultural development. It is a vital food source for Asia elephants and important for growing bananas for human consumption.
The seeds are stored at minus 20 degrees centigrade. So they can last for thousands of years, the seeds await the day that scientists hope never comes — when the species no longer exist in the wild.
It is a race against time, Smith said, because in the last decade alone, 20 plants held in the bank have already been wiped out in the wild. He estimates that between a third and a quarter will become extinct this century.
“It is urgent and it is happening now. An area, the size of England, is cleared of primary vegetation (植被) every year.” Smith said.
Because most of the world’s food and medicines come from nature, protecting wild plant species is quite important, scientists say. There are already many other seed banks safeguarding food crops, which only account for 0.6 percent of plant diversity.
For Kew’s next goal — to collect a quarter of wild varieties by 2020 — the botanists need 10 million pounds a year, or a further 100 million pounds on top of the 40 million they have already been granted.
1. What’s the final purpose of the Britain’s seed bank?| A．To collect enough money for the project. |
| B．To safeguard food crops. |
| C．To help scientists study wild plants. |
| D．To protect wild plants from extinction. |
| A．the climate change in this area | B．the expanding of farming work |
| C．the large number of Asian elephants | D．human’s large consumption |
| A．the seeds in the bank can be used now and then all over the world |
| B．there is only one seed bank in the world at present |
| C．India and Brazil haven’t joined in the Seed Bank Project at present |
| D．the wild plants in places like India and China will never die out |
| A．The extinction of plant species. | B．Kew Gardens’ next goal. |
| C．The Millennium Seed Bank Project. | D．Britain’s seed bank. |
| A．The global partnership of collecting wild plant species. |
| B．The temperature condition of the conservative wild plant species. |
| C．Scientists’ concern on the extinct wild plant species. |
| D．The government’s financial support for the seed bank project. |
2 . In hot countries the woods are not like our woods. They are great dark forests, where the trees grow so closely together, and are so tall, that if you looked up you could hardly see the sky.
Then there are a great many climbing plants, which twist themselves round and round the trunks and branches of the trees. They are called vegetable cables, because they are so much like ropes. They reach from one tree to another, and almost fill up the spaces between. Troops of monkeys run along the vegetable cables from one tree to another, or swing from the branches by their tails, making a noise all the time as if they are talking to each other. When night comes they roll themselves into a ball, gathered together as close as may be, to keep themselves warm.
Dangers of every kind lie in the forest. The poisonous snake may lie coiled among the bushes, or traces of the wild American tiger may be seen upon the path.
Then there are all sorts of wonderful birds, such as we never see in our country, except in cages. Birds, beasts, and insects live there, for the most part, undisturbed. It is their home; and on every side they are at work, hunting their prey, or escaping from danger. For though man seldom wages war upon them, these wild creatures of the forest are engaged in constant warfare with each other; and the weak are always using some plan to protect themselves from the strong.
There are a great many curious things to be seen in these South American forests.
1. Why are the forests in hot countries so dark?| A．Because it is cloudy and rainy in the woods. |
| B．Because there is no sunshine shinning there. |
| C．Because it is night time there all year around. |
| D．Because the trees are tall and grow closely together. |
| A．Twisting trunks. | B．Vegetable cables. |
| C．Rolling ropes. | D．Grape branches. |
| A．By their talking. | B．By their running. |
| C．By their noises. | D．By their tails. |
| A．rolled | B．injured |
| C．climbed | D．poisoned |
| A．Trees, trunks and branches. | B．Monkeys, snakes and tigers. |
| C．Birds, beasts, and insects. | D．Man, fruits and vegetables. |
