1 . 根据下面的图片，用英语写一篇观察日记，描写甜椒(bell pepper)的生长过程。要点包括：
1.播种及发芽阶段(seed,sprout,8月份种植，发芽期10—15天)；
2.生长及发育阶段(stem,blossom,幼苗期30—50天)；
3.成熟及结果阶段(produce,fruit,开花、结果期60—100天)。

注意：
1.词数80左右;
2.请在相应位置作答。
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2 . Bottle gardens are loved by many people. What’s a bottle garden? A bottle garden is exactly what it sounds like: a tiny garden planted in an object like a bottle._     1    According to professionals, the oldest bottle garden in the world was first created in 1960.

    2    There are several characteristics that make a bottle garden fun to own and great to create. Whether you’re short on outdoor gardening space or just want an eye-catching indoor garden, bottle gardens are a great way to grow many of your favorite plants. Moreover, they help recycle (回收利用) bottles and are easy to create.

By following some tips, you’ll have your bottle garden planted and thriving (茁壮成长) in no time. The first step in creating a bottle garden is selecting (挑选) the bottle. Clear bottles can allow the most sunlight to enter.     3    

Then you should keep in mind that bottles with openings big enough to fit your hand through can make planting easier.     4     Likewise, you could choose a bottle and simply cut an opening for your plants to fit in. If you choose to reuse a bottle, wash it completely before adding plants.

When the bottle is ready, put inside some rich soil and plants suitable for a bottle garden. Once you grow the plants in the way you like, remember to place your bottle in a bright space which won’t have direct sunlight. East-facing windows often work well for this purpose.     5    Then you’ll just need to water them and watch out for signs of disease or crowding inside the bottle.

A．How do the bottle gardens work?

B．Such gardens don’t have a very long history.

C．They make thoughtful and eco-friendly gifts.

D．Why would anyone want to grow a garden in a bottle?

E．If you choose a colored bottle, select plants that prefer low levels of light.

F．If not, you’ll have to use tools to work the soil and plants inside the bottle.

G．You can also use a grow light if your home doesn’t have any suitable windows.

3 . We are learning more and more every day about just how smart some animals are: monkeys, some species of birds, dogs, cats. But how about other animals? Snails? Mosquitos? They sure seem less smart. Still smarter than plants, though. Because it would be difficult to argue that plants are intelligent. Or would it?

In a new study, it was shown that plants send out sounds when they are sad. And these sounds are very different depending on whether they have recently been cut or whether they don’t have enough water. The sounds can’t be heard by human ears, as they are between 20 and 100 kilohertz, which is above the bottom of human hearing (which usually has the upper limit of 15-17 kilohertz).

These are fantastic results: plants don’t suffer in silence; they are screaming with pain. That is exactly what the popular science press has been doing.

There is no evidence that they are heard by anyone although theoretically (理论上) some animals — bats, moths, mice — could actually hear it as their ears are sensitive to the plant sounds. And it could very well be a byproduct (副产品) of the physical condition of these plants: less water in the system leads to more air bubbles (气泡) in plants, which leads to the sound of the popping of these bubbles.

Is this a disappointing explanation? I don’t think so. The aim is to understand why plants do what they do. And the results about the sounds contribute to this body of knowledge. They could even lead to better ways of controlling the needs of plants in gardening by sound observation.

All of this is true even if the plants don’t strictly “cry” or “scream”.

1. Why are we unable to hear the sounds of plants?

A．Because they are imagined by humans.

B．Because they go beyond human hearing.

C．Because plants don’t actually give off sounds.

D．Because plants are not as intelligent as animals.

2. What do we know about the study?

A．Plants keep silent even when they suffer.

B．Water in the plants sends off different sounds.

C．The plant sounds might show their feelings or needs.

D．The study aims to control the needs and feelings of plants.

3. Why does the author consider the explanation acceptable?

A．Because plants don’t actually “cry” or “scream”.

B．Because the results prove their knowledge of plants.

C．Because the results show that-plants understand what they do.

D．Because plants’ demands could be met by observing their sounds.

4. What can be a suitable title for the passage?

A．Plants suffer in silence	B．Plants “cry” in pain
C．Plants “scream” with joy	D．Plants need attention

4 . This is the time of year when many gardeners are harvesting tomatoes. Gardening expert Jessica Damiano recently reported about the many pictures of strangely shaped tomatoes sent to her from fans of her gardening advice.     1    . The good news, Damiano said, is that there is nothing wrong with the strangely shaped fruits.     2    . Their unusual appearance does not affect their taste or nutritional value.

    3     If you have ever cut open a tomato, you know they are divided into internal (内部的) parts, called locules (小室). Most tomatoes have about four or five locules; other kinds of the fruit, like cherry tomatoes, contain two or three. But when a plant experiences extreme (极端的) temperature, cell division in the developing fruit can go off track. Temperatures over 32℃ during the day and 27℃ overnight can lead the tomato to form an extra locule. But there is not enough room inside a tomato for the extra part, so it grows on the outside of the fruit.

Not every tomato on an affected plant will be deformed (改变形状), however. What are the possibilities? Under the right conditions (temperatures that are too hot or even too cold), this could affect one or two tomatoes per plant, depending on where they are in the development process and what the (weather) conditions are, said Timothy McDermott, a professor at Ohio State University. The possibility of one of your tomatoes developing a locule oddity (怪异) is about one in a thousand, McDermott said.     4     But, Damiano noted, heirloom (原种) kinds seem more likely to have this genetic mutation (基因变异) than hybrids.

And, when harvesting your crop, remember:     5    

A．select the good-looking ones.

B．Any tomato can grow an extra locule.

C．the funny-looking tomatoes taste just as good!

D．What causes the unusual appearance of tomatoes?

E．Unless otherwise diseased, they are perfectly good for eating.

F．She said people sometimes question if the tomatoes are okay to eat.

G．Provide shade for your plants when temperatures are predicted to remain above 32℃.

5 . Wildfire season has begun in many places around the world. The dangerous smoke wildfires produce can spread far and wide. It blocks sunlight, poisons the air and damages the health of people and other living things.

Some of those living things could be the plants in gardens, says gardening expert Jessica Damiano, who writes gardening stories for the Associated Press. Damiano lives in New York City and recently experienced several days of very smoky air. Wildfires in eastern Canada were the source.

Damiano, like other people, limited the time she spent outdoors when the air quality was poor. She also wore a face covering when she had to go outside.

But the plants in her garden had no such escape. They had to breathe the poisoned air through the extremely small holes in their leaves.

Pollutants in smoke landing on plants can block sunlight, which is essential for photosynthesis (光合作用). Reduced photosynthesis results in reduced energy. That means slower growth. Additionally, smoke can also affect a plant’s ability to take in nutrients(营养物质).

Brooke Edmunds, a plant scientist and community horticulturalist with Oregon State University Extension, said plants that are affected by smoke for a short amount of time will usually recover quickly. “It depends on how close they are,” she said. “There could also be a localized effect, where one garden is covered in ash(灰烬), and a half-mile away, there’s nothing because that’s the way the wind was moving things around.”

The best thing home gardeners can do is keep an eye on plants. Edmunds suggests giving plants some extra love and care. “Wash the plants gently to remove pollutants left by smoke. Then give them a long, slow drink of water. Most will pull through,” Edmunds said. However, people should not use leaf blower machines to remove ashes from plants because they will risk breathing in what is blowing around.

1. What happened to Jessica Damiano?

A．She had her house burned in a fire.

B．She couldn’t afford face coverings.

C．She suffered from health problems.

D．She had to deal with poor air quality.

2. What is paragraph 5 mainly about?

A．The bad effects of smoke on plants.

B．The benefits of growing plants.

C．The role of plants in the environment.

D．The importance of water to plants.

3. What can we learn from Brooke Edmunds’s words?

A．Wind has little effect on plants.

B．Plants can sometimes make a quick recovery.

C．Ashes can spread more than half a mile.

D．Plants close to smoke usually grow well.

4. How should people protect plants affected by smoke?

A．By pulling them out of the ground.

B．By using leaf blower machines.

C．By washing them with great care.

D．By giving them a fast drink of water.

6 . Too often, houseplant decisions are made suddenly. We find a fine plant at the supermarket and say, “That’s so pretty. I want it.” So we bring home a healthy, tropical (热带的) plant only to find it, weeks later, on death’s doorstep.

Before buying a tropical plant or indoor flowering plant, look around your house and decide where you would like to see it. It is not necessary to choose the brightest place, as there are great houseplants for nearly all light conditions. After determining where new plants are needed, decide what shape the plants should be. Perhaps you need something tall to fill an empty corner or soften an empty wall.

Once you have a list of the spaces you need to fill and the plant forms you would like to try, visit the garden center or greenhouse and look at the offerings. Mid-winter is the best time for tropical plant shopping since most stores fill the gap between gardening seasons with tropical orders. Ordered a lot, they are cheaper in the winter as well.

Ask the salesman which plants are the easiest to grow; this list should include cast iron plant, parlor palms, snake plants, peace lilies and so on. Flowering plants are the most difficult to grow and should be avoided if you are new to indoor plants. If you must have one, look for Jasmine Sambac, an easy plant.

Don’t lose heart if you buy something and it doesn’t survive. Tropical plants are suited to warm, moist (潮湿的) and protected air. They are not suited to some places in hot northern homes. Remember that a lovely plant that looks good in your living room for only a year is still a better action than last night’s pizza.

1. What should we consider before buying a houseplant?

A．Its color and shape.	B．Its flowering period.
C．The area which it belongs to.	D．The place where we will put it.

2. Why does the author suggest buying plants in mid-winter?

A．There are more plants to choose from then.

B．The gardening business then is increasing.

C．The plants look more beautiful then.

D．The plants grow better then.

3. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．We’d better not buy the pizza made last night.

B．The living conditions are important to plants.

C．Few people can keep tropical plants alive.

D．It is wrong to keep tropical plants indoor.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Where to buy houseplants.

B．When to grow houseplants.

C．How to choose a proper houseplant.

D．Whether houseplants are easy to grow.

7 . The forests of today will not be the forests of tomorrow.

Rising temperatures, deforestation (森林砍伐), development and climate-caused disasters are changing the very form of Earth’s forests, new research published in the journal Science finds.

Older, bigger trees are being lost at an amazing rate, making the planet’s forests shorter and younger in general.

The shift is being driven at different rates by different causes in different places, the study’s authors say, but the consequences will be global.

Old growth forests absorb and store massive amounts of climate-warming carbon dioxide (二氧化碳). They provide home for rare and critically endangered species and make the biology diverse. And they’re disappearing fast.

Warming temperatures, wildfires, and insect outbreaks were among the many causes of the decline, says Nate McDowell, the study’s lead author.

Just in the past year, the world has watched as massive wildfires across Siberia, the Amazon and Australia. Deforestation in Southeast Asia and Brazil continue rapidly.

Human-driven climate change is also making it difficult for many forests to fully recover from the type of natural behaviors — wind events, flooding or fire — that would normally occur.

The researchers did find evidence that increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could increase tree growth in some places, but not to an extent where it would outweigh the harm being done by increased temperatures. The most important trend was one of loss.

“I would recommend that people try to visit places with big trees now, while they can, with their kids,” McDowell says. “Because there’s some significant threat, that might not be possible sometime in the future.”

1. What does the author mean by saying “The forests of today will not be the forests of tomorrow”?

A．Tree species in forests will be changed as governments plan.

B．The climate of tomorrow will be different from that of toady.

C．The form of forests will be changed due to various reasons.

D．Animals in the forests will die away at an amazing rate.

2. What is making Earth’s forests shorter and younger generally?

A．People are planting a great deal of trees.

B．People are involved in protecting forests.

C．The growth of new trees is threatening that of big ones.

D．The number of older and bigger trees is dropping greatly.

3. What does the author say about old growth forests?

A．They are harmful to the growth of younger trees.

B．They are home to many rare and endangered trees.

C．They rely largely upon weather conditions.

D．They serve as the habitats for most birds.

4. Why would McDowell suggest people visit places with big trees now?

A．Because they would be impressed by their beauty.

B．Because they would keep away from busy life temporarily.

C．Because there might be no big trees at all in the future.

D．Because warmer climate might destroy all trees globally.

8 . Plants have ears

It is generally believed that plants are silent. They don’t make noises. When a tree falls down in an empty forest, none of the other plants in the forest are listening.

    1     The flowers are listening, according to new research. Scientists from Tel Aviv University have found evidence that flowers are technically the “ears” of plants. They can actually hear the buzz of passing bees and produce sweeter nectar in response to draw the flying insects in.

The scientists went into the experiments with a hypothesis that plants can indeed pick up the vibrations of sound waves.     2     Their research was based on observations of evening primroses in both lab experiments and outdoor trials. Those experiments involved more than 650 evening primrose flowers. Their nectar production was measured in response to silence, sound at three different frequency levels, and a recording of the buzzing noise made by bees.

The team discovered that within minutes of sensing the sound waves of nearby bee wings, the concentration of the sugar in the plant’s nectar was increased by an average of 20%. The low-frequency sounds that closely matched the recording of buzzing bees were enough to change the mix of the nectar in just three minutes.     3     The flowers even seemed able to turn a deaf ear to some background noises, such as the wind. This capability may help maximize their chances of spreading pollen.

    4     No change in nectar production was found, suggesting that it is indeed the flowers that have the job of the ears. It’s not clear precisely how the vibrations are turned into a trigger for sweeter nectar production. But it’s an interesting first step into the study of how plants react to sounds around them. Next, the researchers want to look at how plants might respond to other sounds and animals, including humans.

A．They also believed that this might be part of the reason many plants’ flowers are bowl-shaped-to better trap the sounds.

B．Plants have plenty of interactions with animals.

C．The team also tried the experiments with plants that had some flower petals (花瓣) removed.

D．The silence and the high- and mid-frequency sounds had no effect.

E．However, these ideas may not be true.

F．Pushing out sweeter nectar means bees may stay feeding for longer.

9 . 根据所给的首字母或汉语意思，在空白处填入恰当的单词(每空一词)。

Herbal tea has v    1     health benefits. Many people enjoy herbal tea because it can have a positive effect on energy levels. If you haven’t been feeling very well, drink some ginger tea to give your     2     (免疫) system a helping hand. Mint tea, meanwhile, is good for d    3    .

10 . 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