1 . When we think of insects that native plants support, we often think of bees and butterflies, but they really support many other insects as well as birds and mammals (哺乳动物). The fact that our native plants and wildlife have developed together means that they rely on each other to survive.

The biggest threat to these insects is the loss of their home. In fact, the insect population has reduced by an alarming 45% since 1974! By bringing native plant species into our gardens, we create natural feeding and nesting sites important to their survival and ours. By creating living areas for our native insects, we help to support native birds and other native wildlife, and thus, increase the natural biodiversity of our ecosystem.

Native plantings also have a positive effect on the overall health of our environment. They are used in bio-filters (生物过滤), and rain gardens. With their deep roots systems, natives are able to hold the soil, take in nutrients, catch and release water, as well as filter pollutants out of the water.

Native plants are the best choice for these situations because they are adapted to our soil, rainfall and climate, and are able to bear brief periods of wet soil and long periods of dryness. In addition to helping clear pollutants from our waterways, native plants, especially long-lived trees, also help our air quality by removing CO² at a higher rate than grasses due to their large root systems.

Besides all the amazing things native plants already do for our environment, having them in your garden will also help you save time and money. Because native plants aren’t as susceptible to pests and bacteria as non-natives are, so they don’t require the use of fungicides or pesticides. Putting in native plants is much easier than you think and extremely beneficial for not only your local environment but also for you. We encourage you to design a small area of your garden for native plants or reconsider whether you can add a few native plants to your existing garden. A little work can go a long way in supporting our local wildlife and ecosystem!

1. What is most likely to put native insects in danger?

A．Native birds are increasing.	B．Their homes are gradually lost.
C．Foreign wildlife is introduced.	D．The climate disasters appear frequently.

2. What does paragraph 4 mainly talk about?

A．Benefits of native plants.	B．Choices for native plants.
C．Relationships among native plants.	D．Advantages of long-lived plants.

3. What do the underlined words “susceptible to” in the last paragraph probably mean?

A．Easily affected by.	B．Greatly harmful to.
C．Constantly dotted with.	D．Potentially beneficial to.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．How you can clear your garden

B．How you can protect native wildlife

C．Why you need a garden with various plants

D．Why you should plant natives in your garden

2 . The Bitter Truth Behind Vanilla

Vanilla is one of the world’s most popular spices and an important ingredient in products ranging from chocolate to perfume. However, the wholesale price of vanilla has reached up to $600 per kilogram, when just a few years ago it fetched a tenth of that. What is happening?

Madagascar supplies more than 80 percent of the world’s natural vanilla. In the 19th century, the French introduced Bourbon vanilla to their African island colony. Today, vanilla represents 20 percent of Madagascan exports, worth around $600 million at current prices. However, it is a difficult crop to grow. A vine takes three to four years to mature.     1     Nine months later, the green beans must be hand-picked when perfectly ripe to optimize their vanillin content (the compound that gives vanilla its flavor). Months of blanching(焯水), sweathing(焖煮) and gradual drying in the sun are then necessary to produce the aromatic(芳香的) spice. Six hundred hand-pollinated blossoms yield about six kilos of green beans, which convert to one kilo of dried beans.

The price of Madagascan vanilla was once set by the government.     2     Madagascar’s government was eventually forced to end its price-fixing regime(体制). Food giants such as Unilever and Nestlé also increased their use of synthetic vanillin, which can be produced from reliable sources, adding to the pressure. For 30 years, Madagascar’s vanilla farmers earned just a pittance, and many ended up leaving the business. But even with fewer producers, the price of natural vanilla stayed low.

It was not until public tastes started shifting towards all things natural that farmers’ fortunes revived. From around 2011, some manufacturers began focusing once more on natural vanilla. In 2015, Nestlé announced plans to use only natural ingredients in five years, and Hershey’s followed suit.     3     Extreme weather, weak crop-security, and exporters who hoard inventory(囤货) and speculate (做投机买卖) on further rises have also kept prices high.

    4     To prevent theft of their now rather valuable crops, farmers have taken to harvesting the beans early, thereby reducing the overall quality of the crop. That forces the government to make greater efforts to enforce penalties(处罚). If it manages this, Madagascar could yet savor the benefits of its near monopoly(垄断).

A．It’s expensive because it’s both labor-intensive and time-consuming to grow.

B．Demand has therefore surged, and with it prices - in part because natural supplies are insufficient.

C．If pollination (授粉) is successful, it will take another eight to nine months until the plant matures.

D．This rise has not been without its challenges.

E．The flowers open for just one day a year, so pollination is done completely by hand.

F．But such were the prices it demanded for vanilla that in the 1980s buyers turned their attention to the cheaper, poor-quality version available elsewhere, in particular Indonesia.

3 . We often try to save every drop of water in gardening. Yet this summer, over half of the world is experiencing “abnormally dry” weather, which means millions of people are living under drought conditions.     1     Here are suggestions for how to keep your garden healthy during periods of dry weather.

Choosing water-saving plants

If you are gardening under water restrictions, decide which plants need water least. Older trees, especially fruit, nut, and even evergreens, can suffer during drought, while newly planted trees require regular watering until their roots become established.     2     They can usually get by with less water than crops like corn, which have shallow roots.

Watering effectively

Most plants require an average of 2 to 4 centimeters of water each week under normal conditions. That need could increase, however, during periods of extreme heat, when the soil dries out more quickly.     3     Divide it over two or three times per week with less water. Remember deeper, less-frequent watering instead of daily sprinkle helps get the roots really wet. Also avoid watering midday when moisture is likely to disappear before reaching roots.

    4    

Consider using recycled household water, also called gray water, to water plants. Unsalted water left over from boiling eggs or vegetables provides extra nutrients. Dish and bath water that is not too oily will not harm plants.    5    

A．Using fresh clean water.

B．Choosing recycled water.

C．And melons have deep roots.

D．Try to water your plants all at once.

E．Do not water your plants once weekly.

F．And many of the people have plants to worry about.

G．And water from washing fruits and vegetables can be used around the garden.

4 . A new report by a British-based plant protection group says almost 30 percent of the world’s tree species are at risk of extinction. The State of the World’s Tree report warns that 17,500 tree species are at risk of dying out. And 440 species have fewer than 50 individual trees left in the wild. The report was recently published by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).

The report says the number of threatened tree species is double the number of threatened mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles combined. In a statement, BGCI Secretary General Paul Smith said, “This report is a wake-up call to everyone around the world that trees need help.”

Among the most at-risk trees are species including magnolias and dipterocarps. These trees are commonly found in Southeast Asian rainforests. The report says oak and maple trees also face threats.

Trees help support the natural environment and are considered important for fighting global warming and climate change. The extinction of a single tree species could mean the loss of many others. “Every tree species matters, to the millions of other species that depend on trees all over the world,” Smith said.

The report shows that thousands of kinds of trees in the world’s top six countries for tree-species diversity are at risk of extinction. The greatest single number is in Brazil, where 1,788 species are at risk. The other five countries are Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Colombia and Venezuela.

The top three threats facing tree species are crop production, logging and farming. Most worryingly, climate change and extreme weather are also growing threats. The report adds at least 180 tree species are directly threatened by rising seas and severe weather. It notes that island tree species are more at risk than other trees because many islands have species of trees that can be found nowhere else.

1. What can we know about the world’s tree species?

A．They are in urgent need of protection.

B．There are 50 types of them unknown.

C．Most of them are in danger of dying out.

D．The number of them is higher than wild animals.

2. Why does the author mention Southeast Asian rainforests in paragraph 3?

A．To attract readers to explore there.

B．To emphasize their special location.

C．To present wild animals’ important habitats.

D．To show the most threatened tree species there.

3. What does paragraph 4 mainly tell us about trees?

A．Their environmental benefits.	B．Their economic value.
C．Their characteristics.	D．Their evolution.

4. What is the author’s tone in writing the text?

A．Confused.	B．Concerned.
C．Grateful.	D．Humorous.

5 . There are not only strange animals in the world; there are also some crazy plants.

Cactuses grow in places that have very little rain. These plants don’t have leaves because plants lose water through their leaves. Cactuses want to keep water inside their bodies. If you are ever stuck in a desert, you can get water by cutting a cactus. The water is not very nice because it tastes bitter. Sharp thorns protect cactuses. This is why desert animals won’t eat them. Their roots are spread out very close to the top of the sand.

Venus flytraps got their name because they trap and digest small insects in their leaves. They grow in wet places where the soil does not have the right food for the plants, so the plants have to catch their own food. Venus flytraps are small plants that have little white flowers.

Mangrove trees are trees that are able to grow in salty water. As a mangrove gets taller, it grows roots from its branches. When it is fully grown, hundreds of roots hold the leaves above the salty water. Mangroves grow mainly in the shallow water of rivers, close to where the river runs into the sea. Trees do not need much salt and mangroves have special ways of releasing excess salt, to stop it damaging the tree. Other mangroves send the salt to be stored in the oldest leaves on the tree, so that when they drop off, the tree gets rid of all unwanted salt.

Plants are able to change so that they can live in certain environments.

1. What’s the tone of the article?

A．Terrifying.

B．Thrilling.

C．Serious.

D．Frightening.

2. What does the underlined word “excess” mean?

A．Poisonous.

B．Costly.

C．Extra.

D．Bitter.

3. Where can the text be found?

A．In a science fiction.

B．In a biology book.

C．In a fashion magazine.

D．In a novel.

4. What’s the title of the article?

A．Unique plants.

B．Wet plants.

C．Shallow plants.

D．Salty plants.

6 . 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.

7 . 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.

8 . The rapid pace of global warming and its effects on habitats raise the question of whether species are able to keep up so that they remain in suitable living conditions. Some animals can move fast to adjust to a swiftly changing climate. Plants, being less mobile, rely on means such as seed dispersal(传播) by animals, wind or water to move to new areas, but this redistribution typically occurs within one kilometre of the original plant.

When the climate in a plant’s usual range becomes hotter than it can tolerate, it must find new, cooler areas that might lie many kilometres away. One explanation for long-distance seed dispersal is through transport by migratory (迁徙的) birds. Such birds swallow seeds when eating fruit and can move them tens or hundreds of kilometres outside the range of a plant species.

Gonzáiez-Vary and colleagues report how plants might be able to keep pace with rapid climate change with the help of migratory birds. The authors analysed the fruiting times of plants, patterns of bird migration and the interactions between fruit-eating birds and fleshy-fruited plants across Europe. Plants with fleshy fruits were chosen for this study because most of their seed transport is by migratory birds, and because fleshy-fruited plants are an important part of the woody-plant community in Europe. The common approach until now has been to predict plant dispersal using models fitted to abiotic (非生物的) factors such as the current climate. Gonzáiez-Vary instead analysed an impressive data set of 949 different seed-dispersal interactions between bird and plant communities, together with data on entire fruiting times and migratory patterns of birds across Europe. The researchers also analysed DNA traces from bird wastes to identify the plants and birds responsible for seed dispersal.

1. How do species adapt to climate changes when it’s too hot?

A．All animals will move away across great distanced.

B．Some plants depend on migratory birds to carry seeds.

C．Some plants depend on animals, wind or water to move.

D．Plants’ seeds disperse to cooler places of several kilometres away.

2. Why did researchers mainly study fleshy-fruited plants?

A．Most of these can’t fit rapid climate change

B．Migratory birds like making nests in them

C．Migratory birds transport their seeds.

D．They are favoured by most birds.

3. Why does the author mention “fleshy fruits” and “fruiting times” in paragraph 3?

A．To explain relations between fruit plants and migratory birds.

B．To clarify the reason why birds migrate in fruiting times.

C．To present a fact that migratory bird eats flesh fruits.

D．To show that fruits depend on migratory birds.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The advantage of fruit plants.

B．The destination of the bird migration.

C．The adaptation of fruit plants to the climate change.

D．The influence of climate change on plants and animals.

9 . 阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。

Watering is key to growing plants well, so here we look at how to get it just right. This not only means providing the water our gardens need but using it wisely. Water is a precious resource and supplies in the UK are under pressure from the effects of climate change, population increase and the need to protect the environment. Generally, several aspects need to be considered.

When to water

Water in the mornings, if you can, as this is when the sun comes up and plants start to transpire (蒸腾) in sunlight, drawing water from the soil, through their roots, up their stems and to their leaves. Evening watering is also fine, as the cooler conditions mean less water is lost to evaporation (蒸发). Watering in the heat of the day is not a good idea, as much water is lost through evaporation from the surface of the soil. Plants will use water more efficiently if watered in the cooler parts of the day.

How to water

Watering thoroughly matters. It helps get the water down to the deeper root tips where it’s needed. But, equally important, the soil doesn’t have to be really wet all the time because plants roots need air as well as water to grow well. Otherwise, there might be no flower or fruit, and even a worse result might come along.

Other tips

To use water in the most economical way, it’s good to learn different plants’ watering requirements. For example, a container plant in hot sunny weather may need watering daily, whereas a mature shrub might only need a drink in extreme drought. Annual flowers and vegetables produced in the spring are likely to need more watering than self-sown or autumn grown plants as they have new and shallow root systems. So, don’t treat all the plants in the same way.

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10 . Covered in lush fur, the thickest in the animal kingdom, sea otters (海獭) can live their entire lives in the ocean, feeding heavily upon seafloor animals such as shellfish. They are often seen to eat clams(蛤), which bury themselves in meadows of eelgrass (大叶藻场),   a wide-ranging plant species growing in water. Eelgrass meadows where sea otters dig for clams become partly bare, which is commonly a concern for ecologists.

As it turns out, the meadows with otters are healthier, with more eelgrass, according to a new study published in Science. That's because by gently disturbing the seabed, the otters make the plants flower and produce seeds. What's more, their digging provides more space and sunlight for seeds to settle and grow. The enhanced genetic diversity caused by sea otters could make eelgrass more adaptable to present and future threats.

The finding is a powerful example of how animals such as otters influence their ecosystems beyond predation (捕食), often in unseen and little-known ways, says study leader Erin Foster, a research associate at the Hakai Institute. It also means sea otters, an endangered species, are vital to their environments and give eelgrass, which is in danger worldwide, a better chance at staying healthy and surviving.

Seagrass habitats are also important for many fish, providing food for animals, absorbing, and filtering harmful pollution and bacteria from the water. "Genetic diversity typically strengthens the adaptability of species, and considering the challenges we're facing…this will be important for eelgrass meadows, and from this aspect, the impact the otters are having deserves our lasting concern," says Foster.

1. What do we know about sea otters?

A．They live part of their lives underwater.	B．They mainly feed on sea animals like fish.
C．They eat clams beneath eelgrass meadows.	D．They become a new concern for ecologists.

2. How does the author develop paragraph 2?

A．By giving opinions.	B．By presenting reasons.
C．By clarifying concepts.	D．By comparing results.

3. Why does the author mention the endangered condition of eelgrass?

A．To provide examples of sea otters' predation.

B．To show the urgency to protect the environment.

C．To highlight the role of otters in their ecosystems.

D．To warn against the potential risk of climate change.

4. What does Foster think of the impact otters have on underwater meadows?

A．Overestimated.

B．Noteworthy.

C．Temporary.

D．Unpredictable.