1 . When dehydrated (脱水) or snipped with scissors (用剪刀剪断), plants make popping noises that are too high-frequency (高频率的) for humans to hear, a study suggests.

Researchers set up microphones near healthy and stressed tomato and tobacco plants, both in a soundproofed box and in a greenhouse setting. The stressed plants were either dehydrated or had their stems snipped. The team also recorded pots with only soil in them to check that soil, alone, didn’t make any sounds. (They found it didn’t.) On average, healthy plants let out less than one pop per hour, but the stressed plants let out about 11 to 35, depending on the plant species and stressor. Drought-stressed tomato plants were the noisiest, with some plants letting out more than 40 pops per hour.

The team fed these recordings into a machine-learning algorithm (算法) —an AI system used to identify patterns in data—and found that the trained algorithm had about a 70% success rate in differentiating the sounds made by different plants close to different stressors. They trained another AI system to differentiate between drought-stressed and healthy tomatoes in a greenhouse with more than 80% accuracy. Another model could tell what stage of dehydration a plant was in with about 80% accuracy.

In additional experiments, the team successfully recorded the cries of many other stressed plants, such as wheat, corn and pincushion cactuses.

Although the researchers gathered these recordings by setting microphones about 10cm away from the plants, they suggested that these sounds could potentially be heard by animals and insects with great hearing from 3 to 5 meters away. “These findings can change the way we think about the plant kingdom, which has been considered to be almost silent until now,” the study authors wrote.

In the future, humans could take advantage of recording devices and AI to monitor crops for these signs of dehydration or disease, the scientists suggest.

1. What did the researchers do in their study?

A．They referred to previous research.

B．They studied different diseases of plants.

C．They used AI to analyze the experimental recordings.

D．They adopted different ways to record the sounds of plants.

2. What do the study authors say about the research?

A．It changes people’s views on plants.

B．It reveals the challenges plants face.

C．It provides a cure for plant diseases.

D．It shows animals have better hearing than people.

3. What does the last paragraph mainly tell us about the study?

A．Its results.

B．Its process.

C．Its methods.

D．Its application.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Stressed plants make popping sounds

B．The cries of plants were successfully recorded

C．AI systems can be used to detect diseased plants

D．Different kinds of plants make different popping sounds

2 . Grapes are popular fresh fruit, and people also love to make them into wine, jam, juice, various candied fruit, jelly, vinegar, grape seed extract and grape seed oil. Grapes are very useful, and many countries have good growing conditions to grow them.     1     The following are some fascinating facts about one of the most common fruits.

Grapes are used to make synthetic leather.

In order to find more environmentally friendly synthetic leather, Vegea, an Italian company founded in 2018, has developed a product that can be completely recycled from the grape waste left over from winemaking.     2    , including vegan-friendly shoes, bags, and boxing gloves.

    3    

Grapes and their derivatives (raisins, wine, and grape juice)are poisonous to dogs: They can cause kidney (肾脏) failure, which can cause their final death.

The grapes you eat are different from the ones used for making wine.

    4     The seeds and thicker skins on wine grapes add more flavor and color to the wine, while their greater sweetness speeds up fermentation (发酵) process. Table grapes are usually larger and more palatable: juicy with firmer flesh and a less strong taste, with thinner skins and fewer seeds.

China leads the way in table grape production and consumption.

Thanks to its favorable climate and growing conditions, China has been growing grapes for more than 2000 years. Consumption is expected to increase from 11. 8 million metric tons in 2021-2022 to 12. 4 million metric tons in 2022-2023, making China the world’s largest consumer.

    5     The country’s table grape production in 2022-2023 is expected to reach 12. 6 million tons—more than half of the world’s grape production-making it the world’s top grape producer as well.

Grapes were probably the first fruit domesticated by humans.

In 2023, researchers published genetic evidence that grape vines (藤) were domesticated around 11, 000 years ago. As the scientists pointed out, “The grapevine was probably the first fruit crop domesticated by humans …It was one of the first globally traded goods.”

A．Grapes can be deadly to your pet.

B．Grapes can be unfriendly to your animals.

C．China doesn’t just consume a lot of grapes.

D．Therefore, grapes are one of the world’s most economically important crops.

E．The quality requirements of the ones you eat (table grapes) differ greatly from those required for wine production.

F．Grape leather is being used to produce a variety of products.

G．Grape leather is very useful.

3 . If the plant could thrive (茁壮成长), maybe I could too, even with cancer.

After my cancer diagnosis (诊断), my friend gifted me a lucky bamboo plant in a deep-green pottery bowl. Despite my physical limitations, ______ the green plant became an achievement during a time when I felt ______.

As a family physician used to ______ care, now I was the one relying on others. The _________ change left me feeling unsettled. Watering the plant, as small an act as it was, ____me to my old identity and taught me I could still be a caregiver and be ______.

Through surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy (化疗), I ______ looking after the plant, and it thrived, so did my ______.

But then, ______, its leaves kept browning and dropping to the floor. The ______of its struggles made me frustrated and uneasy. I seemingly related its struggle to my own health, fearing it ______ the return of my tumor (肿瘤).

As my anxiety eased, I ______ guidance online to figure out how to better take care of the poor little thing. Following the   ______ found, I transplanted it to a larger pot, allowing more room and nutrients it required. When it returned to the sunny window, we both began to thrive again!

Now, the lucky bamboo was not just a ______item in my home but a representation of life, and the ability to find ______ even in challenging circumstances.

1.

A．looking for

B．picking up

C．digging up

D．caring for

2.

A．useless

B．painless

C．selfless

D．desireless

3.

A．respecting

B．persuading

C．showing

D．providing

4.

A．gradual

B．positive

C．enormous

D．complex

5.

A．connected

B．recommended

C．added

D．sent

6.

A．focused on

B．brought up

C．picked up

D．depended on

7.

A．delayed

B．continued

C．avoided

D．considered

8.

A．optimism

B．career

C．opportunity

D．lesson

9.

A．originally

B．possibly

C．mysteriously

D．approximately

10.

A．attitudes

B．signs

C．meanings

D．outcomes

11.

A．affected

B．mirrored

C．tested

D．prevented

12.

A．exchanged

B．shared

C．appreciated

D．sought

13.

A．instructions

B．commands

C．schedules

D．trends

14.

A．flexible

B．sustainable

C．decorative

D．sensitive

15.

A．company

B．hope

C．aid

D．creativity

4 . It turns out our plants are just like us in some ways. We turn to medicines to relieve a minor flu or headache, and plants too have their ways of self-medicating. They protect themselves from environmental hazards like insects, drought and heat by producing salicylic acid (水杨酸). It is responsible for the anti-inflammatory action of aspirin, a drug which has been used by humans for centuries to counter pain and inflammation.

Researchers have found that plants’ salicylic acid, which is produced in chloroplasts (叶绿体), is usually generated in response to the stress caused by climate change. “It’s like plants use a painkiller for aches and pains, just like we do,” said plant biologist Wilhelmina van de ven from the University of California, River-side (U. C. R)

“We’d like to be able to use the finding to improve crop resistance (作物抗性),” said U. C. R.plant geneticist Jin-Zheng Wang. “That will be crucial for the food supply in our increasingly hot, bright world.”

Human skin produces ROS (Reactive oxygen species) (活性氧) in the absence of sunscreen. This causes freckles and burns. Similarly, environmental stresses result in the formation of ROS in plants which, at high levels, can cause death.

At low levels, however, ROS serves an essential function in plant cells. “ROS is a double-edged sword,” said Wang. “At non-lethal levels, ROS are like an emergency call to action, enabling the production of protective hormones ( 激素) such as salicylic acid.” The acid then acts to protect the plants’ chloroplasts, known to be the site of photosynthesis.

“With climate change, things like salicylic acid:   helping plants stand up to stresses have become more common. So, being able to increase plants’ ability to produce it represents a step forward in challenging the impacts of climate change on everyday life,” said Katayoon Dehesh, UCR professor of molecular biochemistry.

“Those impacts go beyond our food. Plants being in trouble are a sign of what the future holds for us,”   she continued. “Plants clean our air by removing the carbon dioxide from it while also offering us shade, and providing habitats for numerous animals. For humankind,   the benefits of boosting plants’ ability to survive are becoming increasingly essential.”

1. What is the main function of salicylic acid in plants?

A．To secure plants.	B．To produce chloroplasts.
C．To relieve pain and inflammation.	D．To generate hormones.

2. What is the main cause of ROS formation in plants?

A．Lack of sunscreen.	B．Chloroplastic acid.
C．Environmental stresses.	D．Use of Photosynthesis.

3. What is the main goal of the researchers at UCR?

A．To explore the history and significance of aspirin in human medicine.

B．To invent a device that can make plants do self-medicating.

C．To compare the differences between plants and humans in self-medicating.

D．To improve crop resistance by increasing plants’ ability to produce salicylic acid.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Plants can be improved to resist environmental hazards.

B．Plants produce their own aspirin to cope with stress.

C．Plants and humans share some common features and needs.

D．Plants contribute to the well-being of humans and animals.

5 . Dandelion (蒲公英)seeds are some of the best flyers in nature, catching the wind and spreading as far as 100 kilometers. Each dandelion seed is tied by a thin tube to around 100hairs, which form the parachute-like (类似降落伞的) structure, When seeds break free from the flower head, these hairs catch the wind and carry their seeds. This hairy parachute closes when the air is humid (潮湿的), which often means the wind is weak. In drier, windier conditions. dandelions widen their parachutes to better catch the wind so the seeds can fly freely.

However, in the past, nobody knew how they sense and respond to their environment so effectively.

Now researchers have uncovered the secret “thinking” behind dandelions’ spreading seeds. Their work. published in Nature Communications, found the seed-carrying parachutes open and close using something like actuators-devices that change signals into movement-without using active input of energy. The center of the parachutes senses the humidity of their immediate environment by absorbing water molecules (分子)from the air. Responding to these humidity signals. they either open their parachutes and fly away, or close their parachutes and stay put.

Study author Dr. Naomi Nakayama of the Department of Bioengineering who led the work said that their “findings reveal how the dandelion ensures the survival of its species by making perhaps the most important decision in a plant’s life—to stay or go seek a better habitat”.

“Understanding how dandelions work is fascinating because the dandelion is the foundation of ecosystems. It feeds insects and birds.” Nakayama says “So, the environmental sensitivity of their flight is an important topic for us to understand how nature will change in future climates.”

1. What can be learned from paragraph 1?

A．Dandelion seeds have a tube-like design.

B．A dandelion flower consists of 100 hairs.

C．Dandelion seeds begin to grow in dry weather.

D．The dandelion parachute closes on wet mornings.

2. What do researchers find about the dandelion?

A．Its hairs catch the wind easily.

B．Its actuator needs extra energy to function.

C．The middle of its parachute measures humidity.

D．Its actuator’s shape was changed by the wind.

3. Why do they study how dandelions work according to Nakayama?

A．To feed more insects and birds.	B．To better learn about climate change.
C．To explain their role in ecosystems.	D．To change dandelions’living environment.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Why dandelion seeds “prefer” the wind

B．How dandelions “tell” us their destinations

C．How dandelions “decide” to spread their seeds

D．Why dandelion seeds “create” parachute-like structure

6 . High-resolution (高分辨率) satellite imagery has been used to map every single tree in Africa, showing a technique that could help improve the monitoring of deforestation (森林砍伐) across the world. Florian Reiner at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and his colleagues used images from sate lies to map canopy (树冠) across the entire African continent.

Modern sate lies usually catch tree canopies at a resolution of 30 meters — fine for measuring the size of forests, but less good at mapping individual trees. The satellite data Reiner and his colleagues used had a resolution of 3 meters, enabling the study to map all trees, including those not part of a forest.

The results suggest that 30 percent of all trees in Africa aren’t in a forest and instead are across farmland, savannah and urban areas. “Many countries in Africa lack thick forests, but have a lot of trees.” says Reiner. “These trees are extremely important to the local ecosystems, the people and the economy. By tracking every single tree, researchers can start to monitor how these trees are coping with climate change or whether they are sensitive to deforestation.” It could also improve the monitoring of reforestation efforts, which are growing in popularity as a way of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

“At a local level, being able to consistently monitor when and where trees are disappearing or reappearing can lead to more actionable insights,” says John Francis at the Alan Turing Institute in London.

“The study is a proof of concept rather than a map ready for immediate commercial use,” says Reiner. “It’s research work. It’s showing what could be done,” he says. But he is already working with colleagues to scale up the tracking approach to cover the entire global canopy: “We’re hoping that this will be seen as a way forward in monitoring tree resources.”

1. Why is high-resolution satellite imagery used to map every single tree?

A．To know the exact height of the tree.

B．To have a clear picture of the canopy.

C．To help monitor the deforestation.

D．To improve the satellite technology.

2. What is John Francis’ attitude towards the map?

A．Doubtful.

B．Disapproving.

C．Indifferent.

D．Favorable.

3. What do Reiner and his colleagues expect to do?

A．Protect the trees only in Africa.

B．Put the map into commercial use.

C．Track the entire global canopy.

D．Improve the imagery technology.

4. What is probably the best title?

A．Ways to Measure the Size of Forests in Africa

B．Coping with Climate Change by Tracking Every Single Tree

C．A Map from the Satellite Ready for Immediate Commercial Use

D．High-resolution Satellite Imagery Used in Monitoring Deforestation

7 . At first, the grains of rice that Ingo Potrykus held in his fingers did not seem at all _________, but inside, these grains were not white, as ordinary rice is, but a very pale yellow — thanks to beta-carotene (胡萝卜素), a building block for vitamin A.

For more than a decade Potrykus had _________ creating a golden rice that could improve the lives of millions of the poorest people in the world, strengthening their eyesight and their _________ disease.

_________ imagining golden rice was one thing and creating one quite another. Year after year, Potrykus and his colleagues ran into one _________ after another until success finally came in the spring of 1999.

At that point, he tackled an even greater challenge. The golden grains _________ pieces of DNA borrowed from bacteria and flowers. It was what some would call Frankenfood, a product of genetic engineering. As such, it _________ a web of hopes and fears.

The debate began the moment genetically engineered crops (GM crops) were first sold in the 1990s, and it has _________ ever since. First to start major protests against biotechnology were European environmentalists and consumer-advocacy groups. They were soon followed by their U.S. counterparts (相对应的人事物).

The hostility is _________. Most of the GM crops __________ so far have been developed to produce a plant that is not harmed by chemicals used to kill weeds (杂草) in the fields. These genetically engineered crops are often sold by the same large, multinational corporations that __________ the weed-killing chemicals that farmers spray on their fields. Consumers have become suspicious (怀疑的).

The benefits did seem small __________ golden rice was developed. It is the first strong example of a GM crop that may __________ not just the farmers who grow it but also the consumers who eat it. In this case, those include at least a million children who die every year because they are weakened by vitamin-A deficiency (缺乏) and an additional 350,000 who go blind.

Many people __________ poverty and hunger look at golden rice and see it as evidence that GM crops can be made to serve the greater public good. They see a critical role for GM crops in feeding the world’s ever-increasing population. As former U.S. President Jimmy Carter put it, “Responsible biotechnology is not the enemy; __________ is.”

1.

A．typical

B．special

C．local

D．white

2.

A．dreamed of

B．come in handy

C．been reminded of

D．broken up

3.

A．attempt at

B．effort to

C．resistance to

D．majority of

4.

A．But

B．And

C．While

D．Since

5.

A．surprise

B．obstacle

C．norm

D．opposition

6.

A．achieved

B．stressed

C．overlooked

D．contained

7.

A．was caught in

B．was alive with

C．be conscious of

D．was honored by

8.

A．announced

B．maintained

C．escalated

D．applied

9.

A．brilliant

B．understandable

C．discharged

D．rewarding

10.

A．introduced

B．reminded

C．respected

D．overlooked

11.

A．toss and turn

B．give and take

C．produce and sell

D．demand and supply

12.

A．until

B．after

C．although

D．when

13.

A．feature

B．mark

C．build

D．benefit

14.

A．worried about

B．ashamed of

C．filled with

D．admired for

15.

A．terror

B．misery

C．starvation

D．crisis

8 . How to Help Your Garden Get Through the Heat

Record-breaking heat is affecting plants in many places around the world. But gardening expert Jessica Damiano says selecting the right plants and a little care could save them.

Damiano says that in serious heat, and when that heat is dry, the soil loses water in it quickly.     1     This requires them to use energy to cool down and use water. This energy should be spent on growth, flowering, fruiting and reproducing. The stress often completely weakens the plant.

    2     These systems allow the plants to reach distant sources of wetness when the nearby area dries out.

Many foreign plants, including most plants that live for just one year, have root systems that are not deep. This means they must depend on the top few centimeters of soil for all of their water needs.     3    

Planting advice

When planting, Damiano says she always covers root balls with fungi (真菌) called mycorrhizae. It helps roots grow and helps plants deal with high temperature. She also treats her plants once a month with two materials: a seaweed-containing fish mixture and a vitamin—hormone—kelp material.

Seaweed and kelp are plants that grow in water.     4     These materials also help plants grow quickly after dividing and planting.

Finally, Damiano says the last addition is a good deal of covering on top. Covering not only keeps things looking clean, but it also helps to keep soil wetness and soil temperatures even.     5     Covering can mean the difference between life and death when it gets hot.

A．When the top soil dries up, so do they.

B．Study which plants are native to your area.

C．And it also keeps unwanted plants from growing.

D．She has watered her flower garden just two times this summer.

E．They have been proved to help other plants in difficult environments.

F．Plants will turn to their own limited water storing when they need water.

G．When plants are native to an area, they naturally develop deep, large root systems.

9 . How to Care for Indoor Plants

If you’ve ever had an indoor plant that’s quickly withered (枯萎), you might believe that you don’t have a green thumb or you’re not cut out for growing plants.     1     The truth is that anyone can be a good plant owner, and it really isn't complicated, we promise. In this article, we'll walk you through everything you need to know to care for your indoor plants, from watering to sunlight requirements to fertilizer.

    2     If your soil is either too dry or overwatered, it can damage the plant’s roots and prevent the plant from growing. In some cases under or over watering your plant can also kill it. Plants with thick leaves require more water than plants with leathery leaves. There is no specific frequency that works for all indoor plants. Instead, what you must do is determine what kind of plant you have, and follow guidelines on how often to water it by doing research on its specific type.

Stick your finger in the soil to determine how wet it is below the surface. If you put your finger into the soil up to your joint, you can feel if your plant needs more water. If the soil feels damp, then you don’t need to water it.     3     If it feels dry then it’s likely you need to water it.

Use water that is at room temperature. 68F or 20C is the best temperature to keep the water that you’re using to water your plants.     4     After that, you are supposed to take some actions to make the plants grow comfortably.

Use a hand-held moisture (水分) meter to ensure water levels in your soil.     5     The mechanism explores the underlying soil to give you a reading on how hydrated (含水的) your soil is.

A．Keep potting soil moist, but not wet.

B．Indoor plants are not necessarily good for us.

C．Well, we’re here to tell you that’s not the case.

D．Test whether your finger is long enough to put into the soil.

E．You can use a thermometer to determine the temperature of the water.

F．Over-watering can lead to rotting of the root which you need to fix.

G．Moisture meters are the most accurate way to determine how hydrated your plants are.

10 . It has long been known that plants communicate when they are stressed. You need only observe a houseplant to realize that a plant wilts (枯萎) when it needs water. Some plants may also emit a terrible taste to prevent some insects from hurting them.

Now, a new study that was conducted by researchers at Tel Aviv University, shows that not only do plants express themselves in the above ways when stressed, they also make sounds, like talking.

According to the researchers, plants make sounds at frequencies (频率) between 40 to 80 KHZ — out of the range of human ears — but within the range of some animals. “Bats make sounds in these ranges all the time, and mice, dogs and cats can partially hear within it,” Dr. Lilach Hadany, a Professor at Tel Aviv University, and one of the authors of the study said.

One of the primary breakthroughs (突破) of Hadany’s study is that the researchers have managed to understand and classify the sounds that plants make for the first time. Plants that are not stressed make about one noise per hour, but plants that are stressed or injured make many hundreds of sounds per hour. And each of these sounds seemed to be specific to the type of stress the plant was under.

This type of information could be important for agriculture. Knowing what sounds their plants are making could help farmers determine whether their crops are in danger of drought or disease and allow them to make the necessary changes to help their plants.

Amazingly enough, the researchers are not actually sure how the plants make sounds. But anyway, the discovery is still a game-changer for plant science, and potentially for the future of agriculture. One day soon your plants may be able to tell you if they are hungry, thirsty, or just feeling lonely.

1. What does the underlined word “emit” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Give off.	B．Add to.
C．Clear up.	D．Take in.

2. Which of the following is most likely to hear plants talk?

A．Humans.	B．Bats.
C．Mice.	D．Dogs.

3. What is the breakthrough of Hadany’s study?

A．They’ve found plants can communicate with each other.

B．They’ve used plants’ sounds to improve agriculture.

C．They can understand and classify plants’ sounds.

D．They’ve discovered how plants make sounds.

4. What can be a best title for the text?

A．Scientists Discover the Language of Plants

B．Animals Understand Plants’ Language

C．Plants Communicate in Various Ways

D．Stress Makes Plants Talk