Can plants talk？Modern research has found something amazing：they do communicate with each other.
It has been known for some time that plants use chemicals to communicate with each other.This happens when a plant gets attacked by insects.The plant gives out chemicals from the leaves that are being eaten.This is like a warning，or a call for help："I'm being attacked!"When another plant gets the chemicals，it starts to give out its own，different chemicals.Some of these chemicals drive insects away.Others attract the wasps （黄蜂；蜜蜂）!The wasps kill the insects that are eating the plants.Scientists hope to learn more about this plant warning system，so that we can use it to grow more crops.
More surprisingly，plants also use sound to communicate.People can't hear these sounds，but plants are making them.Some plants make noises with their roots.Corn and chili plants do this.Some trees make clicking noises when there is not enough water.
Most surprisingly of all，plants have an amazing system of communication that can link nearly every plant in a forest.Scientists call this system the "wood wide web".The wood wide web is linked underground by fungi （霉菌）.It links the roots of different plants to each other.It is in some ways similar to the Internet we use.Using the wood wide web，plants can share information and even food with each other.However，it may lead to bad effects.Plants may use it to steal food from each other，or spread chemicals to attack other plants.Perhaps one day scientists will learn how to create a "firewall" to help prevent these attacks within the wood wide web.
Scientists are learning more every day about the secret ways in which plants talk to each other.Maybe one day we will know enough about plant communication to be able to "talk" with them ourselves.
（1）What will plants do when they are attacked by insects？
A.They will kill the insects by themselves.
B.They will control the wasps to kill the insects.
C.They will send out signals to ask for help.
D.They will produce chemicals as a warning or a call for help.
（2）How are the wood wide web linked by fungi？
A.By making noises with their roots.
B.By connecting the roots of different plants to each other.
C.By sharing food and information with each other.
D.By spreading chemicals to each other.
（3）What is the writer's intention of the last paragraph？
A.To give people hope for further studies.
B.To praise scientists for their great achievements.
C.To call on people to protect the plants on Earth.
D.To inspire people to communicate with plants.
（4）What is the structure of the passage？
A.
B.
C.
D.
（5）Which is the best title for the passage？
A.The Secret Language of Plants
B.The Study about the Plant Warning System
C.The Plants that Give Warnings
D.Why Scientists Do Research about Plants
Hey! Mother's Day is coming. Have you planned something good for your mom? If not, try one of these tips.
What's Her Favorite?
Most teens don't know what their mom's favorite is. You do? Then, what are you waiting for? Buy her something she likes and wrap it carefully. The best time to give her that is while she is sleeping at night. Put it on the drawer next to her so that when she wakes up, she'll be surprised to see it.
Treat a Queen
Your house is a palace with a king and queen (it doesn't matter if you're rich or poor). Our mother is the real queen in our life and in our family, though her duties make her look like she is not. Give the lady a day off and you can do the housework.
Because of stress and the problems that she is facing right now, she doesn't look good any more. Perhaps you could take some of your savings to treat her in a salon or the department store. Then, choose nice clothes that would make her look beautiful!
Have Some of Your Time
Our mothers have special memories in mind. It is the time that they gave birth to their healthy baby. How about you? What's your best moment with her? Have you ever had a good time with your mother not talking about your problems? Have you ever told her how much you thank her for the life she gave to you, the time she cared for you? Maybe you can tell her how happy you are when she was there looking after you during your painful days in your life.
Tell the magic words
Life is short. We don't know what will happen tomorrow. Those three words can make her heart jump for joy, you know? Just tell her “I love you!” and it would make her smile so sweetly. Just try! We don't want to miss a thing, right?
What is the hottest English word of 2013? It’s “selfie”, according to Oxford dictionaries. Selfie is a photo that one takes of oneself, according to the Oxford online dictionary. People usually take selfies with a smart phone(智能手机) and send them to a social media website.
The word was first used in 2002. In the past 12 months, its frequency (出现频率) in the English language has increased by 17,000 percent, said Oxford dictionaries. Now, almost everybody knows it.
“Almost every day, I take a photo of myself at school, and save it in my Qzone (QQ空间),” said Huang Xu, 13, from Hunan. These photos record her happy and sad moments.
Pop stars also take a lot of selfies. Li Chunping, 14, from Harbin, is a big fan of Yang Mi. “She has used many selfies to tell us what’s going on in her personal life,” said Li.
What makes people love selfies? Some people say it’s narcissism (自恋). “The rise of the selfie is a perfect symbol for our narcissistic culture. We’re crying out: Look at me!” said US psychiatrist(精神科医生) Carole Lieberman.
Young people are using selfies to make friends online, Jonathan Freedland wrote in The Guardian. “The usual purpose of taking a selfie is to share online. They express a human need to connect with others,” wrote Freedland.
Huang Xu agrees with that. “During summer vacation, my classmates and I shared many selfies online. Hair or clothes were not our interests. Through these photos, we got to know each other’s holidays and feelings,” said Huang Xu.
According to the story, a “selfie” is _______.
| A．a person with a smart phone |
| B．a smart phone which can take photos |
| C．a photo taken by oneself |
| D．an English dictionary |
When was the word “selfie” first used?
| A．More than ten years ago. |
| B．In 2013. |
| C．When smart phones appeared. |
| D．12 months ago. |
We can tell from the story that _________.
| A．only famous people enjoy taking selfies |
| B．all the people love selfies because of narcissism |
| C．people love to share selfies online |
| D．US psychiatrist Carole Lieberman hates selfies |
We put the sentence “But some people don’t see it that way.” at the beginning of _______.
| A．Paragraph 4 | B．Paragraph 5 |
| C．Paragraph 6 | D．Paragraph 7 |
What is the best title of this passage?
| A．Selfies and narcissism. |
| B．Selfies and sharing. |
| C．Selfies and smart phones. |
| D．Selfies, the hottest word in 2013. |
Every day since March 8, people all over the world keep asking the same question: Where did Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 go? It turns out to be the biggest mystery in modern aviation (航空) history.
In the early hours of March 8, a Boeing 777 took off from Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur (吉隆坡). It was heading to Beijing. But about two hours into the flight, the plane lost contact. There were 239 people on board the Malaysia Airlines flight, including 154 Chinese.
About 12 countries, including China, the US and Australia, have joined the search for the missing plane and passengers. The plane’s disappearance was a “mystery”, said officials. The plane was flying at a height of more than 10,000 meters when it suddenly lost contact. The weather was clear. The pilots didn’t make any distress calls (求救信号). When a plane crashes, broken parts are usually recovered. But up to April 2, officials have not found anything.
People are also talking about a possible hijacking. Interpol (国际刑警组织) said that two people on the flight used stolen passports. But that information alone isn’t evidence(证据) of a hijack.
The investigation (调查) is still going on. It could take months or even years to find out what happened to the flight.
“We are looking at all possibilities,” said Malaysian Transport Minister Hishamuddin Hussein. “The most important thing now is to find the plane.”
On March 24 came a piece of sad news. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said that the plane “ended in the southern Indian Ocean”. Everyone on the plane died. But the mystery is still not solved. Nobody is giving up. China has said it will work hard to find out the truth at all costs.
Which country was the Flight MH370 flying to ?
| A．Malaysia. | B．China. |
| C．Australia. | D．the US. |
How many Chinese were on the plane according to the article?
| A．239. | B．393. |
| C．154. | D．12. |
What does the underlined word “hijacking” mean in this article?
| A．你好，杰克。 | B．偷渡。 |
| C．劫机。 | D．偷盗。 |
From the article above, it is clearly that __________.
| A．two passengers (乘客) didn’t use the passports of their own. |
| B．the plane was hijacked by two people. |
| C．Interpol has known what happened to the flight. |
| D．broken parts has been found by April 2. |
Where can you probably read the article?
| A．In a travel guide. | B．In a history book. |
| C．In a novel book. | D．In a newspaper. |
Sometimes the easiest way to get somewhere is on the back of a bike.
More and more people are using cars in many places in Africa today. However, things are different in Malawi(马拉维). Bikes are the most popular in this African country.
Bike riding is a way of life in Malawi. People use them to carry heavy things. They also use bikes to carry people, especially tourists. These years, taking a “ bicycle taxi” to travel around Malawi has become quite popular among tourists from all over the world.
If you go to Malawi, you will find a lot of bike taxis waiting on the sides of the roads. The riders make the bikes comfortable for passengers to sit on. You can jump on a bike taxi and get around at a very low cost.
Alice is a 21-year-old student from Canada. She enjoys the special bike riding a lot. “I really like the bike taxi,” she says. “It’s easy and cheap.” Alice usually pays just $1 for going shopping in town.
28-year-old Panjira Khombe began to ride a bike taxi two years ago. The young man enjoys this job. “I used to make boats for a living, but that’s a hard job. Being a bike taxi rider is easy for me and I don’t mind carrying heavy people,” he says.In Malawi ________ are the most popular way for people to get somewhere.
| A．cars | B．bikes |
| C．trains | D．buses |
Bikes are the most popular in Malawi because __________________.
| A．people are too poor to buy cars |
| B．visitors don’t like taking taxis |
| C．they travel faster than cars |
| D．they are cheap and easy |
From the passage we can learn Panjira Khombe thinks that________.
| A．going shopping is easy |
| B．making boats for a living is difficult |
| C．riding a bike taxi is cheap |
| D．carrying heavy people is interesting |
Which of the following is True?
| A．The easiest way to get somewhere is on the back of a bike in the world. |
| B．More and more people are using bike taxis in many places in Africa today. |
| C．People in Malawi only use bike to carry tourists. |
| D．A tourist can get around Malawi at a very low cost on a bike. |
The best title of the passage may be “________”.
| A．Bike Riders | B．A Special Country |
| C．Bike Taxis | D．A Cheap Journey |
We always celebrated Dad's birthday on Thanksgiving Day. even afier he stayed in a nursing home（疗养院）. When we knew it might be his last birthday, the whole family decided to have a big birthday celebration at the nursing home.
Dad was a good storyteller. But this time I told Dad to listen to some stories for a change. One after another, people told stories from their hearts (内心)， while Dad listened with tears (眼泪) in eyes. People thought of kinds of stories-stories about when they were little, stories about when Dad was young.
Everyone seemed to have more than one story. Even the little grandchildren couldn't wait to tell Dad why they loved him. For a man who was kind to so many hundreds of people in his life, here was a change to tell him how much we love him. A few months later, at Dad's memorial service (追悼会), we fully knew what we gave to Dad that night. Those are the stories people usually tell at a funeral (葬礼) after his or her death (死亡). They tell stories, full of tears. But we gave those memories（回忆） to Dad in his life, and we told them through laughter with hugs and joy. He had them to hold and enjoyed them from time to time in his heart during his last days and months.
That's the ways to give back love and that's our chance（机会） to celebrate a person in his or her life.The whole family decided to have a big birthday celebration because _______.
| A．Dad was to leave the hospital |
| B．it might be Dad's last birthday |
| C．they would celebrate Thanksgiving Day |
| D．Dad was at the nursing home |
They celebrated Dad's birthday by_______.
| A．listening to Dad about his story |
| B．singing and dancing at the party |
| C．telling stories about Dad from hearts |
| D．giving expensive presents to Dad |
We can know from the passage that_______.
| A．we can tell stories to celebrate Thanksgiving Day |
| B．we should show love to our loved one in his or her life |
| C．we should dance and sing songs at a funeral |
| D．we should give back love to our loved one after their death |