We had known for along time that flowers of different plants open and close at different time of day. Yet no one really understands why flowers open and close like this at special time. The question is not as simple as we might think, as recent experiments have shown. In one experiment, flowers were kept in constant (持续的)darkness. We might expect that the flowers ,without any information about the time of the day, did not open as they usually do. In fact, they continue to open at their usual time. This shows that they have some special ways of knowing the time. Their sense(感觉) time does not depend on information from the outside world. It is inside them: a kind of "inner (内部的)clock". This discovery may not seem to be very important. However, it is later found that not just plants but animals have this "inner clock" which control(控制)the working of their bodies and influences their activities. Human beings, then, are also influenced by it. Whether we wish or not, it affects such things in our life as our need for sleep or need for food.Before the experiment arrived at a conclusion ,people had thought that the flowers would____.
A.never open in constant darkness |
B.change their usual time to open |
C.open ahead of the time as they usually did |
D.continue to open at usual time |
The sense of time that flowers have is connected with_____________.
A.its age and size |
B.light and temperature |
C.a kind of strange power(力量)inside them |
D.some unknown information from the outside world |
What will happen if we make good use of the "inner clock"
A.We'll need less sleep or food. |
B.We'll be able to sleep as long as we wish to. |
C.We'll be able to change our work time when necessary. |
D.We'll have more energy to do our work better. |
What's the Chinese meaning of the underlined word" affects"
A.产生 | B.影响 | C.给予 | D.依赖 |
Animals can move from place to place, but plants cannot. When an animal is under attack, it can run away or fight back. Plants certainly cannot run away, and they lack teeth and claws. But plants can defend themselves by using both physical and chemical means.
Some plants have their own ways to keep animals away. For example, the leaves of the holly plant have sharp spines (刺) that discourage grass-eating animals. Holly leaves on lower branches have more spines than leaves on upper branches. This is because the lower leaves are easier for most animals to reach.
Some plants, such as the oak tree, have thick and hard leaves that are difficult for animals to eat. Some grasses may contain a sandy material; eating such grasses wears down the animal’s teeth.
Many plants also have chemical defenses. Some plants produce chemicals that taste bitter or cause an unpleasant reaction. Some plants may fight against an attack by increasing the production of these chemicals. When a caterpillar (毛虫) bites a tobacco leaf, the leaf produces a chemical messenger. This messenger sends to the roots the information to produce more nicotine. The higher levels of nicotine discourage the caterpillar.
Many plants depend on both physical and chemical defenses. A certain plant in China, for instance, has prickly (多刺的) leaves, and each prickle contains poisonous venom (毒液). A single experience with this kind of plant will teach an animal to stay away from it in the future.
67.The holly plant has more spines on the lower leaves because most animals________.
A.are not tall enough
B.like the lower leaves only
C.are not clever enough
D.can get the lower leaves easily
68.To defend themselves, oak trees use________.
A.chemical means B.physical means
C.bitter chemicals D.sandy materials
69.How does tobacco protect itself against an attack from a caterpillar?
A.Its leaves fight against the attack by physical means.
B.Its roots send a messenger to discourage the caterpillar.
C.Its roots increase the production of nicotine when it is attacked.
D.Its leaves produce poisonous sand to drive the caterpillar away.
70.What would be the best title for this passage?
A.Plants and Animals
B.How Plants Defend Themselves
C.Attacks and Defenses
D.How Animals Eat Plant Leaves
Have you ever had the strange feeling that you were being watched? You turned around and,sure enough,someone was looking right at you!
Parapsychologists(灵学家)say that humans have a natural ability to sense when someone is looking at them.To research whether such a“sixth sense”really exists,Robert Baker,a psychologist(心理学家)at the University of Kentucky,performed two experiments.
In the first one.Baker sat behind unknowing people in public places and stared at the backs of their heads for 5 to 15 minutes.The subjects(受试者)were eating,drinking,reading,studying,watching TV,or working at a computer.Baker made sure that the people could not tell that he was sitting behind them during those periods.Later,when he questioned the subjects, almost all of them said they had no sense that someone was staring at them.
For the second experiment,Baker told the subjects that they would be stared at from time to time from behind a two-way mirror in a laboratory setting.The people had to write down when they felt they were being stared at and when they weren’t.Baker found that the subjects were no better at telling when they were stared at and when they weren’t.Baker found that the subjects were no better at telling when they were started at than if they had just guessed.
Baker concludes that people do not have the ability to sense when they’re being stared at.If
people doubt the outcome of his two experiments,said Baker,“I suggest they repeat the
experiments and see for themselves.”
64.The purpose of the two experiments is to.
A.prove why humans have a sixth sense
B.explain when people can have a sixth sense
C.show how people act while being watched in the lab
D.study whether humans can sense when they are stared at
65.In the first experiment,the subjects.
A.were not told that they would be stared at
B.lost their sense when they were stared at
C.were not sure when they would be stared at
D.were uncomfortable when they were stared at
66.What can be learned from the passage?
A.People are born with a sixth sense.
B.People have a sixth sense in public places.
C.The experiments support parapsychologists’ idea.
D.The subjects do not have a sixth sense in the experiments.
We’ve all heard the saying “Go Green”, but is it important? Can one person really make any difference? These may all be questions you’re asking yourself.
Our main source of energy, at the moment, is fossil fuels. We’ve been using fossil fuels for decades now, so why stop? You see, fossil fuels are created over time by the earth, and can only be replaced over time by the earth, but we were using them faster than the earth could produce them. On top of stripping(剥夺)the earth of her natural resources, we’re also damaging the atmosphere by burning things like coal, oil, and natural gases. That’s the greenhouse effect, which occurs when the burning of these fossil fuels help trap the sun’s energy inside the earth’s atmosphere, causing the temperature to rise over time.
With all the people in the world, how could you possibly make a difference? Well, here are a few things to think about.
How many lights do you use in your house?
How many miles do you drive to work?
How many electronics do you use, which you don’t need?
If you were to stop and think about it, you’re able to make a bigger difference than you might realize.
So many times you’ll hear people say, “So what? I won’t be around for it when things go bad.” But bad times are coming quicker than you might like to believe. It’ll be you children, or maybe even your grandchildren. With the temperature ever-rising, the polar ice caps are melting and water begins taking over land, so many people will crowd into so little space.
As you can see, this is no laughing matter. It’s time to take action. Don’t let your children or grandchildren live in a world without hope. One person at a time, we can begin to save this earth.
60. The passage is mainly to _______.
A. introduce what “Go Green is”
B. call on us to “Go Green”
C. warn us of the danger of burning fossil fuels
D. introduce the greenhouse effect
61. According to the author, if we want to “Go Green”, we should _______.
A. use natural resources
B. make the temperature to be lower
C. stop the greenhouse effect
D. try to avoid using fossil fuels
62. According to the author, some people don’t take “Go Green” seriously because they think ______.
A. it will cost them a lot
B. its harm won’t fall on them
C. they haven’t grandchildren at all
D. it is only a laughing matter
63. According to the author, which is the right order of the following things happening?
a. The rise of temperature.
b. The greenhouse effect.
c. The reduction of land.
d. The rising sea level.
e. The melting polar ice caps.
f. The using of fossil fuels.
A. f,b,e,d,a,c B. b,a,f,d,c,e C. f,b,a,e,d,c D. b,a,e,d,c,f
There were a lot of hardships when growing up, but there were a lot of fond memories as well.
Back in those days, we had very little money, so we couldn’t afford a garden tractor that could make gardening easier. All the preparations has to be done by hand with hoes(锄头),shovels and Daddy’s trusty plow(犁).
Part of my job in the garden was planting the seeds. I would sow the seeds and Daddy would come behind me with the plow and cover them. I liked to walk behind Daddy when he was planting. Every step he took left an impression. I would try to make my short legs match his stride(大步)and put my tiny feet in his footprints.
One of my gardening tasks was finding worms. We didn’t use a lot of pesticides so we often had worms. Some worms were harder to find because sometimes they would get on the bottom side of the leaves and have a similar color to that of the plant. I had to look very closely for them.
Next came the harvest. That was my mum’s busiest time. There were tomatoes, peas, corn and beans that all had to be washed and “put up” for the winter.
We would sit out in the yard late in the evening when air was cooler until midnight. I would sit and attentively listen to my mum and daddy to tell stories about their past. I loved those times because they created the most precious memories of all for me.
We may not have had too many material possessions, but we had a lot of love. I think our working together as a family to put food on the table helped to strengthen out ties to each other and kept us close.
56. What did the author like to do as a child in the garden?
A. Put up tomatoes, peas, corn and beans for the winter.
B. Follow his father’s footsteps.
C. Plow and cover the seeds.
D. Listen to his parents to tell stories.
57.The underlined word “Pesticides” (in Paragraph 4) most probably means “things that _______”.
A. can make plants grow more quickly
B. can affect the growth of plants
C. kill worms
D. benefit worms
58. What does the author think of his childhood?
A. Poor and miserable. B. Rich and fruitful.
C. Sad and unforgettable. D. Hard but precious.
59. What does the author intend to tell us?
A. Learning to help parents is very important.
B. Family members’ working together is precious.
C. Staying in a garden is helpful to one’s development.
D. A person should be hard-working from childhood.
D
A sunflower is a sunflower . A mobile phone is a mobile phone . But can you combine the two to do something for your local environment?
As early as next year it may well be possible. When you have finished with your mobile phone you will be able to bury it in the garden or a plant pot and wait for it to flower. A biodegradable (能进行生物递降分解的) mobile phone was, this month, introduced by scientists.
Scientists have come up with a new material over the last five years. It looks like any other plastic and can be hard or soft, and able to change shape. Overtime it can also break down into the soil without giving out any toxic chemicals. British researchers used the new material to develop a phone cover that contains a sunflower seed. When this new type of cover turns into waste, it forms nitrates (硝酸钾). These feed the seed and help the flower grow. Engineers have designed a small transparent window to hold the seed. They have made sure it only grows when the phone is thrown away. "We've only put sunflower seeds into the covers so far. But we are working with plant experts to find out which flowers would perform best. Maybe we could put roses in next time," said one scientist.
As phone technology is developing so quickly people are constantly throwing their mobiles away. This means manufacturers are under pressure to find ways of recycling them. Some 650 million mobile phones have been sold this year. Most of them will be thrown away within two years, adding plastic, heavy metal and chemical waste to the environment. A biodegradable cover can offer some relief for nature, according to the scientists. "The seed is released and the flower grows in the pot so you don't have to concern yourself with the phone when you have finished using it," said Kerry Kirwan. She leads the research team, which is based at the University of Warwick in Britain.
67. The main idea of the passage is ________ .
A. the relationship between high tech and environment
B. the phone technology is developing
C. how to grow sunflowers
D. mobile phone and environment
68. The purpose of introducing a biodegradable mobile phone is ______ .
A. to encourage consumers to recycle
B. to prevent consumers from throwing their phones away
C. to meet consumers’ need
D. to help consumers know which flower can best perform
69. What is the possible meaning of the underlined word ?
A. pleasant B. poisonous C. useful D. new
70. Which of the following statements is NOT true ?
A.Engineers have designed a small transparent window to hold the rose seed .
B. Mobiles with biodegradable covers can do good to nature .
C.Manufacturers are under pressure to find ways of recycling mobiles .
D. The flower only grows when the phone is thrown away .