1 . Keeping plants at home is a healthy and comfortable way of life. The following houseplants can create a most beautiful piece of green for your home.

Bird’s Nest Fern (蕨)

The bird’s nest fern is a good choice for anyone with a house that wouldn’t support sun-loving species. It’s a hardy fern variety adapting to living on forest floors, where the air tends to be cool and damp. It likes to be misted as well, but this doesn’t always mean you need a misting bottle—spraying (喷洒) it in the sink or hanging it near a shower often works as well.

Chinese Money Plant

This is a flowering species that might be most appropriate for experienced plant gardeners looking for a new challenge. It prefers a moderate amount of indirect light, and tends to dry out slightly between watering sessions. It produces new plants easily without any input, directly from its root system. These can coexist in the same pot for a time.

Resurrection Plant

This native of the Mexican desert has adapted to surviving in extreme drought by curling (蜷缩) into a ball and remaining in seemingly lifeless state for years, if necessary. In this form, it can be transported by the wind across the dry landscape to areas with water. It will revive within hours in a shallow bowl of water, unfolding and transforming into a fresh and green moss (苔藓).

Snake Plant

This is a striking houseplant that can be an especially good option for new plant owners who you might not trust to keep a plant alive. It grows happily in almost any condition. While it prefers bright light, it doesn’t mind shade or even artificial light. Plus, thanks to its thick, fleshy leaves, it stores water with remarkable efficiency, which makes it survive without water in the earth.

1. What is special about the bird’s nest fern?

A．It prefers shade.	B．It is sun-loving.
C．It tends to grow in the sink.	D．It can return to life after death.

2. Which plant will test its owner’s gardening skill most?

A．Bird’s nest fern.	B．Chinese money plant.
C．Resurrection plant.	D．Snake plant.

3. What do resurrection plant and snake plant have in common?

A．They demand attentive owners.	B．They are very drought-tolerant.
C．They will curl for self-protection.	D．They can store water for drought.

2 . A forest in Staffordshire (in the UK) transformed into a hi-tech laboratory. Researchers here are investigating how the trees use carbon, and it’s difficult to find out. In an unusual experiment, extra carbon dioxide is piped to the trees, to create the kind of atmospheric conditions expected in the middle of the century. And instruments measure how the forest reacts.       

The scientist in charge says there’s still a lot to learn. And he worries that governments and companies are rushing to plant trees as an easy answer to climate change. “If you try and use trees to tidy up the mess that we’re making through emissions, you are putting those trees into a very rapidly changing climate and they will struggle to adapt,” said Professor Rob MacKenzie, University of Birmingham.

This device tracks the movement of carbon dioxide. In a healthy forest, the gas is not only absorbed by the trees but some is released as well. What scientists here are finding out is the way carbon flows into a forest and out of it is a lot more complicated than you might think. So, if mass tree planting is meant to be a solution to tackling climate change, the trees are going to have to be monitored and cared for, over not just decades, but may be centuries as well.

Of all the challenges, the task of planting is the simplest. Shelby Barber from Canada can do an amazing 4,000 trees in a day. “People talking about planting millions billions of trees around the world. Is it possible do you think, physically?” asked BBC.

“It’s definitely possible with the right amount of people, the right group of people. I’ve personally, in three years, planted just over half a million trees.” said Professor Rob MacKenzie.

Once planted, the trees need to survive, and experts are mixing different types to minimize the risk of disease. “It’s a bit like making sure you don’t put all your eggs in one basket, you’re spreading out your risk. And then if one part of that woodland fails, for whatever reason, it gets a disease or it can’t tolerate future climatic conditions, there are other parts of the forest that are healthy and able to fill in those gaps.” said Eleanor Tew of Forestry England.

Suddenly there’s momentum to plant trees on a scale never seen before. So what matters is doing it in a way that ensures the forests thrive — so they really do help with climate change.

1. Why is extra carbon dioxide piped to the trees in the experiment?

A．To predict the future atmospheric conditions.

B．To imitate the possible air condition in the future.

C．To create an instrument to measure atmospheric conditions.

D．To investigate the quality of air condition in the future.

2. The underlined word “some” in the second paragraph refers to __________.

A．oxygen

B．carbon dioxide

C．mess

D．purified gas

3. What will Eleanor Tew suggest concerning the survival of the forest?

A．Minimizing the area of the woodland.

B．Studying future climatic conditions.

C．Planting different types of trees.

D．Avoiding mixing different species.

4. Which statement concerning mass tree planting will Professor Rob Mackenzie mostly likely agree with?

A．It should be advocated in terms of efficiency and convenience.

B．It is the most effective solution to fighting climate changes.

C．It will do more harm than good to the health of the environment.

D．It needs to be studied further as a measure against climate change.

3 . Common water plant could provide a green energy source. Scientists have figured out how to get large amounts of oil from duckweed, one of nature’s fastest-growing water plants. Transferring such plant oil into biodiesel (生物柴油) for transportation and heating could be a big part of a more sustainable future.

For a new study, researchers genetically engineered duckweed plants to produce seven times more oil per acre than soybeans. John Shanklin, a biochemist says further research could double the engineered duckweed’s oil output in the next few years.

Unlike fossil fuels, which form underground, biofuels can be refreshed faster than they are used. Fuels made from new and used vegetable oils, animal fat and seaweed can have a lower carbon footprint than fossil fuels do, but there has been a recent negative view against them. This is partly because so many crops now go into energy production rather than food; biofuels take up more than 100 million acres of the world’s agricultural land.

Duckweed, common on every continent but Antarctica, is among the world’s most productive plants, and the researchers suggest it could be a game-changing renewable energy source for three key reasons. First, it grows readily in water, so it wouldn’t compete with food crops for agricultural land. Second, duckweed can grow fast in agricultural pollution released into the water. Third, Shanklin and his team found a way to avoid a major biotechnological barrier: For the new study, Shanklin says, the researchers added an oil-producing gene, “turning it on like a light switch”by introducing a particular molecule (分子) only when the plant had finished growing. Shanklin says, “If it replicates (复制) in other species-and there’s no reason to think that it would not — this can solve one of our biggest issues, which is how we can make more oil in more plants without negatively affecting growth.”

To expand production to industrial levels, scientists will need to design and produce large-scale bases for growing engineered plants and obtaining oil — a challenge, Shanklin says, because duckweed is a non-mainstream crop without much existing infrastructure (基础设施).

1. What can people get from duckweed firsthand?

A．Plant oil.	B．Stable biodiesel.
C．Sustainable water.	D．Natural heat.

2. What does paragraph 4 mainly convey?

A．Options for renewable energy.

B．Reasons for engineering genes.

C．The potential of revolutionary energy source.

D．The approach to avoiding agricultural pollution.

3. What is the decisive factor to mass-produce the plant?

A．Industrial levels.	B．Unique design.
C．Academic research.	D．Basic facilities.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．Duckweed Power	B．Duckweed Production
C．Genetic Engineering	D．Genetic Testing

4 . Every tree tells a story. They hold our memories, represent belief, and witness countless moments of joy and sorrow. In our imagination, there is always a place for a tree.

For the locals in Naunde, Mozambique, a mango tree provides more than just shade from the Saharan sun. It is also a traditional setting for storytelling, ceremonies, and regulating village life. “It is a place to meet and talk, to seek agreement and settle arguments, to bridge differences and develop unity,” wrote Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the UN. “If you have a problem and can’t find a solution, you meet again tomorrow under the tree and you keep talking.”

The mango tree always stands there, witnessing and remembering everything, and at the same time becomes an inseparable part of the collective memory of the locals. “Each growth layer that trees add every year contains a bit of the air from that year. The trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air through tiny pores (气孔) , which helps build their tissues, so they physically hold the record of the years of their surroundings,” said Benjamin Swett, author of New York City of Trees. In this way, trees also serve as nature’s memory stick, keeping a record of a history as long as themselves.

The English language borrows a lot from trees: We turn over a new leaf and branch out, meaning we move on from the past and start something new. And there are times when we can’t see the wood for the trees. We tend to enjoy the flourishing leaves, branches, and roots of the trees. However, we pay little attention to the forests that embrace trees. The same things often happen to us in our own lives. We often dip ourselves into some bad experiences in life. As a result, we may give up at a terrible moment instead of imagining satisfying success after defeating the failure.

Trees inspire mankind, not just through language, but through ideas. Perhaps the most famous is a tree in a garden in Lincolnshire, England, where an apple fell and inspired young Isaac Newton to wonder: Why would that apple always fall directly to the ground? According to an   18th-century account, Newton was home from Cambridge when he stepped into the garden and into a reverie (沉思) . There, the idea of gravitation came into his mind, inspired by an apple.

1. What is the role of a mango tree in Naunde?

A．A spot to bind the locals together.	B．A witness to the changing weather.
C．A generous food supplier on Earth.	D．A shelter to protect villagers in disasters.

2. How do trees keep a record of their surroundings?

A．By changing the width of their growth layer.

B．By sticking out branches in different directions.

C．By absorbing carbon dioxide to build their tissues.

D．By reflecting changing climate conditions with their tiny pores.

3. What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?

A．Suggestions on facing failure.	B．Famous English stories about trees.
C．The relationship between trees and forests.	D．Lessons from English expressions related to trees.

4. Why does the author mention Newton in the last paragraph?

A．To explain the necessity of observation.	B．To show how gravitation was discovered.
C．To stress the importance of trees in inspiring ideas.	D．To introduce how trees serve as a mirror of history.

5 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What does Jacob ask Amy to do?

A．Enjoy the flowers.

B．Provide help.

C．Grow flowers.

2. How often does Jacob water flowers?

A．Every day.

B．Every two days.

C．Every three days.

3. What do we know about Jacob’s flowers?

A．They lack water.

B．They lack sunshine.

C．Their leaves turn yellow.

4. What will Jacob do?

A．Water flowers in time.

B．Learn about growing flowers.

C．Grow flowers with Amy.

6 . When lightning caused fires around California’s Big Basin Redwoods State Park north of Santa Cruz in August 2020, the fire spread quickly. Mild fires strike coastal redwood (红杉) forests about every decade. The giant trees resist burning thanks to the bark (树皮), up to about 30 centimetres thick at the base, which contains acids. Their branches and needles are normally beyond the reach of flames. But this time flames shot through the top of 100-metre-tall trees, burning the needles. “It was shocking,” says Drew Peltier, a tree expert at Northern Arizona University. “It really seemed like most of the trees were going to die.”

Yet many of them lived. In a paper published yesterday in Nature Plants, Peltier and his colleagues help explain why: The survivors use long-held energy reserves—sugars that had been made from sunlight decades earlier—and poured them into buds (芽) that had been lying dormant (休眠的) under the bar k for centuries.

“This is one of those papers that challenges our previous knowledge on tree growth,” says Adrian Rocha, an ecosystem ecologist at the University of Notre Dame. “It is amazing to learn that carbon taken up decades ago can be used to sustain its growth into the future.” The findings suggest redwoods have the tools to cope with big fires driven by climate change, Rocha says. Still, it’s unclear whether the trees could cope with the regular infernos that might occur under a warmer climate environment.

The fire in 2020 was so intense that even the top branches of many trees burned and their ability to photosynthesize (光合作用) went up in smoke along with their pine needles. Trees photosynthesize to create sugars and other carbohydrates (碳水化合物), which provide the energy they need to grow and repair tissue. Trees do store some of this energy, which they can call on during a drought or after a fire. Although the redwoods have sprouted (长出) new growth, Peltier and other forest experts wonder how the trees will cope with far less energy from photosynthesis, given that it will be years before they grow as many needles as they had before the fire. “They’re alive, but I would be a little concerned for them in the future.”

1. What’s special about this big fire for coastal redwood forests in 2020?

A．It burnt the top of the trees.	B．It was very close to the last fire.
C．It resisted burning effectively.	D．It caused relatively minor damage.

2. Why did redwoods survive in the big fire?

A．Sugars protected their barks.	B．Energy reserves promoted the growth of buds.
C．They got used to hot climate.	D．They took in much carbon to resist fire.

3. What does the underlined word “infernos” in the third paragraph mean?

A．Unpredictable disasters.	B．Changeable climate.
C．Terrible environment.	D．Uncontrollable fires.

4. Why does Peltier worry about the survival of redwoods?

A．Their tissues can’t be repaired.	B．They can’t save energy anymore.
C．Their energy saved is not sufficient.	D．They grow too slowly.

7 . Cork is a light brown material harvested from the cork oak tree. Cork is lightweight, strong and resistant to water.     1     For thousands of years, people have used pieces of cork as closures for bottles because cork is made of small cells filled with air. It is said that no technology has been able to copy this unusual material exactly.

The cork oak tree is native to the western Mediterranean coast of Europe.     2     In fact, Portugal produces more than half of the world’s cork supply. Cork oak trees have to be at least twenty-five years old before they are ready for harvest.     3     Cork is gathered by skillfully cutting off the outer layer of the tree with special knives. The harvest weakens the tree temporarily, but it soon starts to grow a new layer of bark. Next, the cork harvest is set out in the open for six months. Then, the cork is boiled in order to clean it and make it softer.     4    

Because cork oak trees are not killed during harvest, they can live for as long as 200 years. Also, used cork products can be recycled and used again. This makes cork a valuable renewable resource.     5    Wine makers say cork stoppers in their bottles let the wine be aged and improve over time. But now some wine producers are changing to plastic or metal closures. Some environmentalists worry that if cork starts to lose its value, the cork oak forests in Europe will no longer be protected.

A．After drying, the cork is ready to be cut.

B．Harvests only happen once every nine years.

C．Cork has even found a use in making rockets.

D．It is best known for keeping liquids from spilling.

E．Cork can be shined and used to cover floors and walls.

F．The largest cork oak forests in the world are in Portugal.

G．The wine industry has been a major supporter of cork production.

8 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. How many people died in a landslide in 2003?

A．About two hundred.

B．Over one thousand.

C．About two thousand.

2. What has the Philippines banned for several years?

A．Growing grass.

B．Cutting down trees.

C．Growing population.

3. What does the speaker advise to protect our environment?

A．Growing more forests.

B．Chopping down the old forests.

C．Getting busy in protecting our country.

9 . Why did the woman’s plants die according to the man?

A．From not enough water.

B．From not enough sun.

C．From not enough plant food.

10 . There are a number of animals that give off light in some way-including several kinds of insects and fish. Some kinds of mushrooms give off light, too. But most plants don’t give out light. Now, scientists are working to change that.

When a living thing gives off light, it’s called bioluminescence(生物发光). Fireflies are a well-known example of bioluminescence. Though less well-known, many mushrooms are also bioluminescent. These bioluminescent creatures light up thanks to the chemicals called luciferins(荧光素)inside their bodies. Luciferins cause a chemical reaction that can give off light.

Plants don’t naturally have luciferins, so there are no naturally bioluminescent plants. But that hasn’t stopped scientists from trying to create them. In the past, scientists have created plants that made less bright by adding DNA from shining objects. Scientists have also created plants that can give off light by adding luciferins to plants. But it only works as long as the chemicals last. In 2017, a team was able to cause a plant to give off light for about four hours.

Now, researchers at a Russian company have come up with a new method of creating shining plants. By adding certain parts of the DNA from shining mushrooms to ordinary tobacco plants, the researchers were able to create plants that could make their own luciferins. The scientists reported that the light was about 10 times brighter than in earlier shining plants.

The researchers believe that shining plants could help scientists learn more about the way plants work. For example, the moving patterns or waves of light in the plants may show activities in plants that normally can’t be seen. The shining also helps reveal how plants may be affected by things around them. For example, the plants gave off much more light strongly when a ripe banana skin was nearby. But the researchers don’t think the plants will just be used for science. They think many people may want shining plants for their beauty. So they are working with a company to develop shining plants for sale.

1. What phenomenon does the author describe in paragraph 1?

A．Most animals hate giving off light.

B．Many plants give off light through scientists’ efforts.

C．Animals give off light to protect themselves.

D．It’s hard to find plants that give out light.

2. What happens when a firefly lights up?

A．It gives off lots of heat to warm itself.

B．It has chemical reactions inside its body.

C．It lacks energy due to chemical reactions.

D．It informs other fireflies of the danger.

3. How does the author support his viewpoint in the last paragraph?

A．By showing numbers.	B．By making a comparison.
C．By providing examples.	D．By making a summary.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Human development results in less shining plants

B．Scientists manage to create shining plants

C．People’s lifestyles are reflected in shining plants

D．Geography determines the types of shining plants