1 . Imagine walking by a maple (枫树) tree that is no taller than a ruler. You may think that this is a special type of miniature tree, but it actually isn’t! Creating a tree like this is a form of art called bonsai. Bonsai are tiny trees grown in small pots. Bonsai can be any kind of tree. They just need to be planted in a small container and cultivated in a way that stunts their growth.
Cultivating, or taking care of, a bonsai tree requires patience and care. Pruning — removing branches, leaves, and roots — is an important part of raising bonsai. It keeps the trees small, and it also controls their shape. Pinching off new buds (嫩芽) and tying wire around branches help create a beautiful design. These processes allow the grower to control what shape the bonsai tree will take as it develops.
People who raise bonsai want their trees to look like they belong in nature. Even though it is contained in a pot, a bonsai tree should look similar to its larger counterpart (相对物，参照物). For example, the bonsai maple should have the same forked branches and vibrant leaves as the full-sized maple. This makes the bonsai a tiny copy of the full-sized maple that towers overhead.
Like other plants, bonsai need water and food from the soil. In order to keep bonsai the proper size, you need to carefully control the amount of water and fertilizer you provide. If you want to grow a bonsai, it is best to start with a species that grows in your area. Most bonsai do best when kept outdoors, so they need to be able to survive the weather. If kept indoors, the bonsai must be placed near a window. Interestingly, with proper care, bonsai can live for a hundred years or more.
1. Why does a bonsai tree need pruning frequently?| A．To control its size. |
| B．To help it grow well. |
| C．To save fertilizer and water. |
| D．To create a shape as designed. |
| A．One of a larger counterpart. |
| B．A tiny copy of the full-sized maple. |
| C．One looking like its counterpart in nature. |
| D．One with forked branches and vibrant leaver. |
| A．To keep the bonsai indoors. |
| B．To start with a native species. |
| C．To keep bonsai the proper size. |
| D．To control the amount of water. |
| A．Bonsai — a special hobby |
| B．How to be bonsai grower |
| C．What does bonsai refer to? |
| D．Why is bonsai so popular? |
2 . A solar tree is a structure like a tree that generates solar energy using photovoltaic panels (太阳能光伏板). It helps solve an urgent global challenge: Replacing greenhouse gas-emitting energy sources like oil and gas with renewable energy. But the power generation potential of solar trees is relatively limited, and their primary purpose is to raise public awareness about renewable energy by getting people to notice and interact with solar energy in new ways.
Solar trees generally have a firm metal, plastic, or stone base that extends up and out into “branches” on which solar panels are mounted. Beyond this basic structure, there is great diversity in the design of solar tree units. The solar tree’s photovoltaic “leaves” absorb sunlight, converting it into electricity that is conducted down through the trunk-like central pillar of the structure to an inside battery. Many designs feature rotating (旋转的) panels that can move throughout the day in order to obtain the greatest amount of sunlight.
Solar trees help power homes, businesses, and public services. They can create shade to help reduce the urban heat island effect and provide shelter in severe weather such as rainstorms and heatwaves, creating greater urban adapting ability in the face of climate change. They also enhance public spaces, providing charging stations, and powering streetlights.
In comparison to other kinds of ground-mounted solar panel devices, solar trees don’t require much land. They make solar energy generation possible in areas with little land that can’t support vast solar arrays, as well as places that lack sufficient rooftop space for panels. However, solar panels are much cheaper than solar trees at present and have far greater energy generation capacity. Therefore, present solar tree designs often serve as a extra source rather than as a primary energy source.
At present, solar trees aren’t designed as large-scale solar projects, which limits their ability to contribute to the low-carbon energy transition. Still, their varied designs are appealing. This makes solar trees effective at displaying and thereby educating people about solar energy, and promoting a business or organization’s commitment to renewable energy.
1. What is the main purpose of building solar trees?| A．To beautify the urban environment. | B．To draw public attention to solar energy. |
| C．To replace non-renewable energy resources. | D．To provide charging services in emergencies. |
| A．It stores energy in its own battery. |
| B．It can adjust its height automatically. |
| C．It is made of environmentally friendly materials. |
| D．It transforms sunlight into electricity by its metal base. |
| A．The design features of solar trees. | B．The ways of saving energy in cities. |
| C．The benefits of solar trees to humans. | D．The difficulties of promoting solar trees. |
| A．They occupy much less land. | B．They are cheaper to manufacture. |
| C．They are more effective in generating energy. | D．They can work in various weather conditions. |
3 . A new study reveals that trees can communicate and warn each other of danger. “For the first time, researchers have been able to visualize plant-to-plant communication,” said Masatsugu, senior author of the study.
The idea of talking trees started to take root in the 1980s. Two scientists found that damaged trees began producing chemicals that made their leaves unappetizing and indigestible to discourage insects. The trees then sent chemical signals to one another through the air. Over the past four decades, scientists have observed this cell-to-cell communication in more than 30 plant species.
Past research shows plants communicate with their surroundings by releasing chemicals known as volatile (易挥发的) organic compounds. One class of these compounds are released when a plant is injured: green leafy volatiles. These are released by, as the name suggests, pretty much every green plant with leaves, and are produced when a plant experiences physical damage. An example of these compounds is the smell released from fresh-cut grass.
In the new study, Masatsugu and his colleagues manually damaged leaves and placed insects on tomato plants to trigger the release of various green leafy volatiles. After testing many of them, the team found it seemed to increase calcium ions (钙离子) inside cells. The calcium signaling is like a switch to turn on the defense responses from the plants.
With this new understanding, researchers say plants could be immunized against threats and stressors before they even happen. For instance, exposing healthy plants to insect-ridden plants or the associated green leafy volatiles could boost their genetic defenses, so farmers use less pesticides. The revelation could also help make plants more resilient (有复原力的) during a drought, signaling the plants to conserve more water.
1. What does the new research find?| A．Trees can inform other trees of potential threats. | B．Trees can make themselves attractive. |
| C．Trees will send signals first once damaged. | D．Trees will work together to trick insects. |
| A．They defend insects. | B．They kill insects. |
| C．Some of them can be smelt. | D．Some of them can be seen. |
| A．By protecting trees from insects. | B．By classifying green leafy volatiles. |
| C．By increasing calcium ions inside cells. | D．By causing the release of certain chemicals. |
| A．Its target. | B．Its process. | C．Its application. | D．Its background. |
4 . When most of us read the words “plant-based diet”, we tend to think of foods such as salads and grain. But there is another option — the newest super-food: seaweed. The brownish-green oceanic plant like matter that washes up on beaches is in fact edible. Nori, the papery sheets used to wrap sushi rolls, is likely the most well-known and enjoyed seaweed, but these large leafy algae (海藻) come in hundreds of colorful varieties. Seaweed helps to support other life in the ocean and to clean the water surrounding it. When out of the water, seaweed can bring more nutrition and minerals to our diets.
“Even though we try to eat healthily, we’re relying on land-based and soil-based agriculture for the most part,” said Sarah Redmond, founder and owner of Springtide Seaweed in Gouldsboro, Maine. “Seaweed is a really interesting alternative because it provides the nutrients that are really hard to find in other land plants.”
For humans, seaweed is a one-stop shop for our necessary nutrient needs. “Seaweed is an excellent source of dietary fiber and minerals,” said Mary Ellen Camire, professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Maine.
Though nutrition varies slightly between green, brown and red varieties, across the board seaweed contains a number of vitamins, including B,C,E and K, omega-3 fatty acids, protein and 10 times more minerals than land-based plants, according to a recent study.
However, you don’t need to pile your plate high with seaweed. “Some brown seaweed is very high in iodine (碘),” Camire said. “It has so much iodine that consumers are advised to eat it no more than three times per week.”
Seaweed is just as beneficial to the planet as it is to our personal health. Seaweed pulls carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and uses it to make more carbohydrates (碳水化合物). “We are not sure how much seaweed farming it would take to have a significant effect on global warming, but it helps,” Camire said.
Seaweed also consumes elements that can harm the ocean. It can also provide a place for smaller sea creatures to hide from their enemies, establishing environments that can help restore diverse ocean life in over-fished habitats.
1. What does the underlined word “edible” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Fit to be eaten. | B．Large in size. | C．Hard to notice. | D．Good for health. |
| A．It can replace most vegetables and grain. | B．It provides people with important nutrition. |
| C．It attracts Mary Ellen Camire to agriculture. | D．It is bad for people’s health in the long run. |
| A．Choose seaweed low in iodine. | B．Combine seaweed with other foods. |
| C．Control the amount of seaweed you eat. | D．Remove brown seaweed from your plate. |
| A．By setting up new habitats for sea creatures. |
| B．By releasing friendly gases into the atmosphere. |
| C．By providing plenty of carbohydrates for fishers. |
| D．By using carbon dioxide to produce useful substances. |
5 . Theoretically some trees could live forever, according to a recent essay that reviews growing evidence on long-lived trees.
Across the board, trees do not die so much as they are killed, write the authors of the review essay. Their killers are outer factors rather than old age alone. That is, there is no evidence that harmful genetic mutations (基因突变) occur over time or that trees lose their ability to continue to grow.
“Trees might live forever, but this does not happen,” says co-author Franco Biondi. “Tree killers include environmental risks such as droughts , wildfires, terrible weather and human behaviors such as woodcutting and fires set to clear forests for hunting or grassland.”
Tree longevity (长寿) interests researchers in part because trees and other plants remove carbon from the atmosphere, and older trees are thought to store more carbon than younger ones. The rings of old trees can also serve as an invaluable record of climate history, with wider rings indicating better years.
David Stahle, a geographer and tree longevity researcher at the University of Arkansas, takes issue with the belief that trees can possibly live forever. “The likelihood, all things being equal, that trees can live forever seems unlikely to me,” he says.
This hypothesis (假设) has become popular in the past 20 years as researchers continue to report having found little genetic evidence of aging in extremely old trees. And this is one of the review essay’s most important points. But evidence of aging could be out there and just not yet found.
1. What does the recent review essay mainly indicate?| A．There are a great variety of tree killers. | B．Trees could keep on surviving forever. |
| C．More trees die naturally than being killed. | D．Genetic mutations stop trees from growing. |
| A．Because the way trees grow rings is more interesting. |
| B．Because trees make clearer climate records than other plants. |
| C．Because older trees contribute more to the environment. |
| D．Because younger trees are less likely to have genetic mutations. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Uninterested. | C．Reserved. | D．Favorable. |
| A．The assumption has been proved true. | B．Evidence of aging trees might exist. |
| C．Tree research has grown in the past 20 years. | D．Some key points disappear in the review essay. |
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。
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 . 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._
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.
Then you should keep in mind that bottles with openings big enough to fit your hand through can make planting easier.
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.
| 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. |
1. How does the woman feel at first?
| A．Curious. | B．Surprised. | C．Excited. |
| A．Flowers. | B．Mushrooms. | C．Trees. |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. |
| A．On Thursday. | B．On Friday. | C．On Saturday. |
9 . Plant biologists have found a way that may enable poor farmers to do away with the need to purchase expensive hybrid seeds every year. Researchers at the University of California report that they have solved a long-standing problem of hybrid seeds by making exact clones of the hybrid plants from seeds.
For long, many crops have been grown from high-yielding, anti-disease or climate-tolerant hybrid seeds. But the seeds of hybrid crops do not produce plants with the same qualities during reproduction and hence farmers cannot save the seeds for the next growing season. They end up paying for new hybrid seeds each sowing season. The discovery, long sought by plant researchers, could make it easier to grow desirable high-yielding crops and make them available to the world’s farmers. Farmers could thus replant seeds from their own hybrid plants and enjoy the benefits of high production year after year, the scientists report.
While the discovery would help farmers, it would also impact the commercial interest of the hybrid seed industry. Siddiq, a former Deputy Director General in the Crop Science Division of the ICAR, said at first sight, this might seem like a setback for hybrid seed companies but there would be plenty of things they can still do. “Rice is grown over such a vast climatic and geographical range that specialized hybrids would have to be developed for each region,” he said. The companies, he said, would continue to improve their hybrids. “It will be interesting to see how all this plays out in the years to come.”
Currently, the high costs of producing hybrid seeds are a major barrier to farmers in developing countries, especially South Asia and Africa. Siddiq said if efficiently used, this method could potentially be a game-changer for poor farmers, who would need to purchase hybrid seeds just once and plant the progeny(后代) seeds from their own harvest in the following seasons.
1. What problem do the researchers aim to solve?| A．Farmers’ income. | B．Farmers’ costs. |
| C．Hybrid seeds’ cloning. | D．Hybrid seeds’ climate tolerance. |
| A．They have a pretty long growth cycle. |
| B．They tend to be affected by various diseases. |
| C．They have stricter requirements for sowing time. |
| D．They fail to reproduce plants with the same quality. |
| A．Hopeful. | B．Concerned. | C．Doubtful. | D．Anxious. |
| A．The future of the hybrid seed industry. |
| B．The drawback of cloning hybrid seeds. |
| C．A method of cloning hybrid plants from their seeds. |
| D．A means of promoting the specialized hybrid seeds. |
10 . Readers can explore the wonders of nature with Big Tree. The book was written by famous author and illustrator (插画家) Brian Selznick. It is filled with detailed black-and-white illustrations, which took years to complete.
The story introduces Merwin and Louise, two tiny Sycamore seeds (梧桐树种子) who began life during the time when dinosaurs (恐龙) travelled around the Earth. After they fell from their mother tree, they started a dangerous 147-million-year adventure to the modern day.
After reading it, I met with the famous author and illustrator at his home in La Jolla, California. Selznick explained the lessons that nature offers about helping our planet and each other. “All of us can do something to help the real seed,” Selznick said. “No matter how small you feel, there’s always something you can do.”
As for his main goal when writing Big Tree, Selznick said, “Readers feel like they are learning about interesting stories when they read Big Tree, but actually and secretly, they are learning about real science. That’s why I wrote Big Tree.”
In order to write Big Tree, Selznick went to the New York Botanical Garden, where he talked to a wonderful park manager. She walked him through the forest and talked about the way leaves work, the way trees grow and the way trees experience time.
Selznick said he learned a lot while creating Big Tree. “The manager thinks that forests are really communities. It really surprised me,” he said. “We live in communities, and when we run into trouble or danger, we communicate with each other to find solutions. Trees are doing the same thing. We’re all part of a community. And that, to me, was a really important part of Big Tree.”
1. What does paragraph 2 mainly focus on?| A．The main idea of Big Tree. | B．The discussion about Big Tree. |
| C．The review of Big Tree. | D．The story behind Big Tree. |
| A．To show the illustration art. | B．To share an interesting story. |
| C．To encourage readers to learn. | D．To make real science interesting. |
| A．He did some research. | B．He planted some trees. |
| C．He asked others’ advice. | D．He stayed in the forest alone. |
| A．Trees are important for communities. | B．Trees can communicate with each other. |
| C．Trees can protect people against danger. | D．Trees run into trouble more often. |
