1 . When you watch TV programs about wild animals, it is surprising to see how an antelope (羚羊)can run away from a strong lion. In the wild, everyone has his own way to protect himself. Even plants have their own ways to fight against enemies.

Over millions of years, plants have developed their own way to protect themselves. Chemicals (化学物质) are used by plants to live. By making their leaves, flowers, roots and fruits poisonous (有毒的) to enemies, plants can fight back.

One such plant is the Golden Wattle tree. The British scientist David Cameron has found when an animal eats the tree’s leaves, and the number of poisonous chemicals becomes more in the other leaves. “It’s like the injured (受伤的) leaves telling the others to fight against the enemy together, ” he said.

The tree also sends messages to plants near it by giving out a special smell. Golden Wattle trees in the nearly 45 meters will get the message and produce more poison in 10 minutes. Now, if an enemy eats too many of the trees’ leaves, he will die.

Every kind of plant is good at producing special chemicals. Animals that feed on plants or glass, like rabbits, can safely eat the leaves of one tree, but they may be hurt by its neighbor.

In this way, plants have not only developed their own way to protect themselves, but also shared it with others. So it’s impossible for a single animal to damage even a small area of forest.

1. What’s the function (功能) of the first paragraph?

A．To use an example to lead to the main idea of the passage.

B．To show the structure (结构) of the passage.

C．To introduce how wild animals protect themselves.

D．To raise readers’ interest on wild animals.

2. If animals eat one Golden Wattle tree’s leaves, the tree can _____.

A．kill the animals with a special smell

B．tell other trees to come to protect it

C．warn people to fight against the animals

D．send messages to the plants nearby to protect themselves

3. How long can a Golden Wattle tree produce more poison when it gets the message from the plant 45 meters away from it？

A．For about an hour.	B．In ten minutes.
C．For fifteen minutes.	D．For more than ten minutes.

4. What do you think of the plants’ way to protect themselves？

A．It’s bad for human beings.	B．It’s good for forests.
C．It’s helpful to some animals.	D．It’s harmful to forests.

5. What does the passage mainly talk about？

A．The examples of protecting forests.

B．The balance between animals and plants.

C．The ways of plants fighting against enemies.

D．The relationship between lions and antelopes

2 . 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。

August 3rd is Watermelon Day, an annual holiday that celebrates everyone’s favorite summer fruit.     1     (make) of almost 92% water, the fruit is full of vitamin A and vitamin C and antioxidants (抗氧化剂). So what are you waiting for? Get yourself a few slices of watermelon     2     (celebrate) this delicious holiday.

Watermelon is an ancient food that     3     (believe) to have originated in Africa. Historians have found evidence of watermelon planting as far back as 4,000 years ago. Today,     4     (variety) of the fruit are grown in warm parts of the world.

Because of     5     (it) high water content, watermelon is a kind of thirst -quenching (解渴的) fruit. In fact, in the Kalahari Desert,     6     watermelon is called “tsamma”, it is one of the main sources of water during the dry, hot season. In the past, people     7     (go) across the desert only during a good tsamma season.

Some studies have shown that the antioxidants in watermelon can reduce the risk of some types of cancer. Moreover, all parts of the fruit are eatable. Its flesh can be eaten     8     (direct) or juiced. In many parts of the world,     9     thick green outer covering of the fruit serves     10     a dish, and its seeds are dried, roasted and enjoyed like nuts.

3 . The story started from a popular video, in which a tourist pulled a flower out of the ground in Tibet and boiled it with other food.

He might not know what he dug up was not an ordinary one but snow lotus, an extremely rare species. The exact number existing in the wild is unknown, but scientists believe that the species is dying out and people are not allowed to collect them for private or even scientific use since 2000.

The snow lotus generally only grows above the snowline of the Tibetan Himalayas or Heaven Mountain in Central Asia. In order to survive the harsh environment and strong wind, it grows thick hair on the outside, which keeps the plant from the cold. And it often has to grow around six to eight years before its only flowering time in life.

Only very few plants and animals survive in such an environment. Therefore, each snow lotus is key part of fragile (脆弱的) ecosystem around it. When someone digs one out of the ground, he/she not only wastes the plant’s own years of efforts, but also threatens the ecological (生态的) balance of about one square kilometer around it.

For a long time, many people collect the lotus flowers to sell as herbal (药草的) plants to others, even though their herbal effects are not proved. Regardless of the fact, some traders do misleading advertising about them and illegally sell them at high prices. As a result, the species is in danger. The snow lotus is not the only plant that suffers from the illegal sale of certain people because they carry a sense of mystery. It is time the law offered stricter protection of these rare plants for the ecological environment.

1. What did the author intend to tell us about the tourist?

A．He destroyed an endangered plant.	B．He has good outdoor survival skills.
C．He discovered a special kind of flowers.	D．He has made many popular short videos.

2. Why does the snow lotus have thick hair on the outside?

A．To fight for enough living space.	B．To make the flower less obvious.
C．To protect it from extreme conditions.	D．To prevent it from being dug out easily.

3. What does the author mainly suggest in Paragraph 4?

A．It is hard for people to find a snow lotus.

B．It takes many years for a snow lotus to fully grow.

C．Some rare plants usually grow in weak environments.

D．The snow lotus is very important to the local ecosystem.

4. What lesson can we probably learn from the text?

A．We should call on the public to protect rare plants.

B．We should learn to recognize different plants.

C．We should follow all the laws in our country.

D．We should avoid taking wild plants as food.

4 . Do Trees Talk to Each Other?

Did you know that trees can communicate with each other? Suramme Simard, a professor of forest ecology at the University of British Columbia, has conducted research into the cooperative and social behavior of trees.

Growing up in the forests of Canada, Simard observed how logging (伐木) companies would cut down diverse forests and replace them with a single tree species. Loggers believed that by removing competition, the newly planted trees would thrive, as they would receive more space, water, and sunlight. However, Simard noticed these trees were actually more likely to suffer disease and environmental stress. As she investigated this question, Simard realized that tree communication was the answer to this.

Trees communicate through underground networks of helper fungi (真菌). The fungi connect with tree roots, forming links, which can connect trees of different kinds across a forest. The fungi transport water and nutrients to the trees. In return, trees provide fungi carbon-based sugars. The fungi not only allow for tree-fungi cooperation but also for communication. Trees can transport carbon, water, nutrients (营养), chemical warning signs, and hormones. This system allows them to balance resources and warn neighboring trees of danger. Trees are also connected through the “mother” trees, which are the oldest and largest trees. Through this connection, young trees can get the resource and information network.

These findings have many effects, including the way we structure our own societies and ecological practices. Mother trees are key for providing the information, medicinal, and resource capacity to future generations of trees. Also Simard believes that with climate change stressing out plants and threatening the survival of species, humans may need to step in to help — perhaps even by moving some species to cooler climates as the world warms.

While Simard wholeheartedly believes in the cooperative nature of trees, other scientists argue that competition is still the main reason why these trees end up sharing resources. The fungi that transport resources might actually be sending nutrients to resource-poor trees because they can demand more carbon-based sugars in return from plants on the edge of survival.

Regardless of whether cooperation or competition drives tree behavior, stronger evidence of forest communication and networks is an exciting discovery with much to learn!

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

A．Become removable.	B．Communicate freely.
C．Grow stronger	D．Share more resources.

2. What does the author mainly talk about in paragraph 3?

A．The function of fungi.	B．The wide network of wood.
C．The transportation of nutrients.	D．The strong effect of “mother” trees.

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Efforts should be made to protect mother trees.

B．The fungi stop mother trees from sharing resources.

C．Simard proves competition and cooperation work together.

D．Some endangered plants have been moved to cooler places.

4. How does the author feel about the finding?

A．Surprised.

B．Confused.

C．Inspired.

D．Uninterested.

5 . Over the years, farmers and scientists have discovered ways to grow crops stronger, bigger, and faster. This has greatly increased in the amount of food we produce.

These huge increases in food have allowed the world’s population to grow. As the population grows, so does the amount of space that we need to feed people. In the coming decades, feeding a growing population will become more difficult. Greenhouse gases from agriculture are heating the Earth, which makes growing food more difficult.

Modern agriculture is also partly responsible for its own problems. Farmers of ten use too many of the Earth’s natural resources and harm ecosystems (生态系统).

There are many ways agriculture harms ecosystems. Three main ways are irrigation, animal grazing (放牧) and chemical fertilizers (化肥).

Irrigation

70 percent of the freshwater that people use goes to agriculture, much of which is used for irrigation, the process of watering crops through pipes.

Irrigation has consequences for the environment, one of which is draining water out of rivers and underground water systems. In areas where water has been drained, the soil can become too salty. This also harms plant growth. Besides, studies have shown that irrigation can change rainfall thousands of miles away from the irrigated areas.

Animal Grazing

Farm animals are responsible for a large part of greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere. Methane and carbon dioxide are two major greenhouse gases. Cows and their manure (牛粪) are responsible for releasing huge amounts of methane.

Chemical Fertilizers

Modern agriculture depends on chemical fertilizers, which farmers spread over crop fields or into dirt. They contain nutrients that plants need to grow, such as nitrogen and phosphorus.

Chemical fertilizers have helped double how much food we can produce. But they have also increased nitrogen and phosphorus levels in the environment. About half the nitrogen in chemical fertilizers escapes from crop fields. Therefore, ecosystems become loaded with too many nutrients, which causes water plants to grow in water bodies. When the plants decay (腐败), they use up the oxygen in the water.

As the population continues to grow, it might become more difficult to feed people. We will likely have to find more sustainable ways of farming.

1. What is the function of Para. 7?

A．It provides examples of some of the most dangerous types of greenhouse gases.

B．It describes the increase in agricultural production because of animal grazing.

C．It explains how overgrazing contributes to climate change.

D．It illustrates advantages and disadvantages of animal grazing.

2. How do fertilizers affect ecosystem health according to the article?

A．They overload ecosystems with nutrients harmful to other life.

B．They contribute to the worsening of the global freshwater supply.

C．They allow farmers to double their output.

D．They release powerful greenhouse gases.

3. Which will the author be likely to support?

A．Many current technologies are harmful to ecological sustainability.

B．Modern agricultural technologies have also increased our ecological sustainability.

C．Food system’s ecological sustainability increases with the increase of agricultural productivity.

D．To increase agricultural productivity, we will need to be less conscious of ecological sustainability.

4. Which is the main idea of the article?

A．Population explosion has been enabled by revolutionary agricultural technologies.

B．Irrigation overuse in many areas is now threatening soil quality and weather patterns.

C．Current global agricultural system relies completely on the use of chemical fertilizers.

D．Overusing agricultural technologies causes climate change and threatens future agricultural health.

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 . If the grass looks greener after the skies have cleared, your eyes aren’t cheating you. “There are several reasons rain helps lawns green up,” said Jennifer Knoepp, a soil research scientist with the USDA Forest Service in Otto, North Carolina.

After it rains, there’s typically more water available in the soil for plants. When plants take up that water, they are also taking up nitrogen (氮) from the organic matter that’s in the soil. “As plants grow, their small roots die and new roots grow,” Knoepp said. When that happens, soil microbes (微生物) cause the dead roots to rot. This process is similar to adding fertilizers to your lawn, but only this action takes place underground and naturally, without your awareness. As rain runs into the soil, it activates the microbes to give off more nitrogen. The grass benefits from the freshly fallen rain because the water allows the roots to take up this “new” nitrogen as well as the nitrogen that the microbes have previously produced. At the same time, “the grass is very active with photosynthesis (光合作用)” when the sun returns, Knoepp explained.

Even though rain increases the nitrogen that’s available to your lawn in several ways, you can’t count on nitrogen from rain to meet all the fertilizer needs of your grass or your vegetable garden. Commercial fertilizers are still needed for a balanced fertilizer program, but Knoepp urges caution in applying them.   While nitrogen is vital for good plant growth, be sure to follow package directions. Too much of a good thing can be harmful not only to plants but to nearby ponds, lakes, streams and rivers. After all, it’s not green streams but green lawns that homeowners want to see when the clouds depart and the sun returns.

1. What makes the grass look greener after the rain?

A．The cleanup of the rain.	B．Slower photosynthesis.
C．The appearance of new roots.	D．Increased absorption of nitrogen.

2. What’s the main idea of Paragraph 2?

A．The production of nitrogen.	B．The process of plants’ growth.
C．The effects of photosynthesis.	D．The method of natural fertilizing.

3. What does Knoepp suggest homeowners do?

A．Be careful not to overuse fertilizers.	B．Keep a commercial fertilizer program.
C．Collect as much rainwater as possible.	D．Take advantage of nitrogen from rain only.

4. Which best describes the author’s tone in the passage?

A．Skeptical and critical.	B．Cautious and confident.
C．Objective and humorous.	D．Scientific and conservative.

8 . Baseball Plant

Where it's found: South Africa

This is a ball-shaped juicy plant. Unluckily, it was unsustainably harvested because more people around the globe have decided to grow baseball plants around them. Luckily, some botanical gardens have started to grow this plant. In this way, it will no longer need to be obtained from the wild so that it does not become extinct.

Corpse Flower

Where it's found: Sumatra, Indonesia

The corpse flower is also listed as an endangered plant and there are about 1, 000 plants growing in the wild. This plant sends out a smell of rotting（腐烂）meat during its nightly peak bloom. This allows it to attract pollinators like flies from miles away. It can grow an astonishing eight feet tall and can weigh up to 170 pounds.

African Starfish Flower

Where it's found: Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe

Don't fall in love with its beautiful flowers, because this is yet another plant that's known for its bad smell. It smells like rotting meat and looks like a rotting animal! Unluckily, it is endangered due to destroyed habitats, plant collectors as well as the Zulus, who use the plant as a cure for hysteria（癔病）.

Hydnora Africana

Where it's found: Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, Ethiopia

This has an appearance similar to mushroom until the flower opens. At this point, the plant transforms from a leafless brown-gray plant to something that looks more like an animal than a plant. While this is also a smelly plant, it is an edible（可食用的）fruit that is loved by many animals and even humans! It makes for a tasty food when mixed with cream and can also treat conditions like diarrhea（腹泻）.

1. What can be inferred about the baseball plant?

A．It gives out a bad smell.	B．Its flowers have a strange shape.
C．It is a kind of food for the locals.	D．It is endangered in its wild habitat.

2. In which country are corpse plants found?

A．South Africa.

B．Botswana.

C．Indonesia.

D．Ethiopia.

3. What do African Starfish Flower and Hydnora Africana have in common?

A．They have great sizes.

B．They can be used as drugs.

C．They look like rotting animals.

D．They change shapes to keep away enemies.

9 . A disease called “Panama” is threatening supplies of the world’s most popular fruit—banana.

The disease started in Asia in the 1990s, and later spread to Africa and the Middle East. A new outbreak was discovered last year in Australia. World health officials worry that the disease could travel to Latin America, one of the top banana producers in the world.

This is a big concern because bananas are an important source (来源) of income and nutrients for millions of people. They are grown in 135 tropical (热带的) nations. The United Nations lists bananas as one of the most important foods, along with rice, wheat and corn.

Randy Ploetz, America’s top banana expert, explained Panama disease affects the Cavendish banana. The Cavendish is the most popular one of more than 500 kinds of bananas. “The industry is waking up to the problem,” Ploetz said. “If the disease spreads to Latin America, it could hurt the world’s economy along with food supplies for millions of people.”

Robert Bertram, chief scientist for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), told VOA, “In Africa, Asia and tropical America, bananas are an important food source for more than 100 million people. As a cash crop, bananas are sold in local and international markets. Banana exports provide jobs and foreign money that producing countries need.”

Bertram said USAID is organizing a worldwide effort to stop the growth of Panama disease. At Wageningen University in the Netherlands, researchers are looking for Cavendish replacements. Their work is difficult. Researchers said a replacement will have to resist Panama disease, and survive the shipping time needed to get bananas to stores thousands of miles away from banana fields. And, yes, they will have to taste good.

1. Where was Panama disease recently found?

A．In Asia.	B．In the Middle East.
C．In Australia.	D．In Latin America.

2. What does the underlined “the problem” in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Short supply of rice, wheat and corn.	B．Panama disease’s effects on bananas.
C．The popularity of 500 kinds of bananas.	D．Latin American nations’ poor economy.

3. Which of the following might be a possible way to stop the spread of Panama disease?

A．Selling bananas in more international markets.

B．Providing more money for producing countries.

C．Finding replacements for Cavendish bananas.

D．Getting bananas stored miles away from fields.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Food and agriculture.	B．History and geography.
C．Modern technology.	D．Environmental pollution.

10 . “Best space tacos(玉米卷饼) yet,” American astronaut Megan McArthur wrote on social media Twitter on Oct 30, with a photo of her smiling from ear to ear. The taco feast celebrated the first time peppers were successfully grown on the International Space Station.

Life as an astronaut is exciting, but that doesn’t include food. Astronauts have endured packaged food for decades. “If you store packaged food for a long duration, the quality, flavor and nutritional quality decrease, the vitamins degrade,” Gioia Massa of NASA Kennedy Space Center in the US told The Guardian. Growing food in space could be crucial for astronauts on long-duration missions.

“Growing colorful vegetables in space can have long-term benefits for physical and psychological health,” said Mat Romeyn, project scientist at NASA, in a statement. The benefits of growing vegetables in space are obvious, but how are they grown?

Though astronauts have been growing plants in space for decades , cultivating edible(可食用的) food without the benefits of gravity and natural light has been difficult . A plant growth system called Veggie has been used to grow plants on the space station since 2014, according to The New York Times.

The Veggie garden is about the size of a piece of luggage and typically holds six plants. Each plant grows in a “pillow” filled with clay and fertilizer. The “pillows” are important for distributing water, nutrients and air in a healthy balance around the roots.

In the absence of gravity, plants use other environmental factors, such as light, to guide growth. LEDs above the plants produce a light suited for the plants’ growth. According to NASA, Veggie typically glows pink, which enables plants to use both blue and red wavelengths more efficiently. Other spectrums(光谱) of light, like greens, yellows or oranges, are less useful for plants.

So far, US astronauts have successfully grown 10 different crops, including lettuce and radish, on the space station since 2015, according to CNN.

1. Which word can best describe the food consumed by astronauts in space?

A．Low-nutrition

B．Tasty-flavor

C．Poor-package

D．High-calorie

2. What makes it difficult to grow plants suitable to eat in space?

A．The shortage of crop varieties

B．The objection of the International Space Station

C．The lack of gravity and natural light

D．The long-duration missions

3. What can be learned about The Veggie Garden?

A．It can hold 10 different crops for a piece of garden.

B．It has been used to grow plants on the space station for nearly six years.

C．The “pillows” can provide plants with balanced water, nutrients and air.

D．Blue, red and orange lights are important for the growth of plants.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Life of American Astronauts on the Space Station

B．Success of Planting in Space

C．Benefits of Growing Vegetables in Space

D．Varieties of crops on the Space Station