Britain’s seed bank, the only one in the world aiming to collect all of the planet’s wild plant species, has reached its goal of banking 10 percent by 2010．

The Millennium Seed Bank Project, run by Kew Gardens—one of the oldest botanical gardens—will officially deposit the 24,200th species on Thursday, a pink, wild banana from China．

More than 50 countries are now on board with Kew's giant task but vast places of the globe, including India and Brazil, still need to join in and donate seeds, director Paul Smith said．

The seed bank is one of the largest and most diverse in the world with more than 1．5 billion seeds．Its goal is to help protect the planet’s bio-diversity during a time of climate change．

The wild banana seed is under threat of extinction（灭绝） in southwest China from agricultural development．It is a vital food source for Asian elephants and important for growing bananas for human consumption．

Stored at minus-20 degrees centigrade, so they can last for thousands of years, the seeds await the day that scientists hope never comes—when the species no longer exist in the wild．

It is a race against time, Smith said, because in the last decade alone, 20 plants held in the bank have already been wiped out in the wild．He estimates that between a third and a quarter will become extinct this century．

"It is urgent and it is happening now． An area, the size of England, is cleared of primary vegetation（植被）every year．" Smith said．

Because most of the world's food and medicines come from nature, protecting wild plant species is quite important, scientists say．There are already many other seed banks safeguarding food crops, which only account for 0．6 percent of plant diversity．

For Kew's next goal—to collect a quarter of wild varieties by 2020—the botanists need 10 million pounds a year, or a further 100 million pounds on top of the 40 million they have already been granted．

1．What’s the final purpose of the Britain’s seed bank?

A． To collect enough money for the project．

B． To safeguard food crops．

C． To protect wild plants from extinction．

D． To help scientists study wild plants．

2．The wild banana seed in China is in danger because of _______．

A． the expanding of farming work             B． the climate change in this area

C． the large number of Asian elephants         D． human’s large consumption

3．We can learn from the passage that _______．

A． the seeds in the bank can be used now and then all over the world

B． India and Brazil haven’t joined in the Seed Bank Project at present

C． there is only one seed bank in the world at present

D． the wild plants in places like India and China will never die out

4．What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 7 refer to?

A． The extinction of plant species．              B． The Millennium Seed Bank Project．

C． Britain’s seed bank．                               D． Kew Gardens’ next goal．

5．Which of the following information isn’t mentioned in the passage?

A． The global partnership of collecting wild plant species．

B． The temperature condition of the conservative wild plant species．

C． The government’s financial support for the seed bank project．

D． Scientists’ concern on the extinct wild plant species．

Do you always forget where you placed your keys or your purse? What was the name of the movie you saw last week? The major cause of your forgetfulness may be linked to what you store in your body, not in your short-term memory bank.

Tests continue to show that people with enough Vitamin B-2 do well in memory exams. The "B" could stand for "brain", if you're one of many with limited instant recall. And the number one source of that vitamin is sunflower seeds.

Even when you're sleeping or relaxing, your brain is still at work. Although it makes up just two percent of your total body weight, it uses up to 30 % of the calories you take in each day. For it to work properly, it must be fed. Even if you're not a breakfast eater, that meal is the best way to prepare your brain for the day. A quick and easy English muffin with peanut and butter in it, a glass of milk, and an orange, might be what your brain may be asking you the first thing in the morning when you feel your head is in a fog. Having sunflower seeds and fruit between meals adds more muscle to that hungry, demanding organ. Vitamin B-1 also helps the memory, and that is found in eggs, meats and nuts. In Chinese culture, walnuts (核桃) are known as the fruit for a long life because it is believed that they feed both the kidneys and the brain. And according to Chinese culture, if you keep those two important organs in good working order, you'll live longer.

However forgetful you are, just keep in mind the letter "B", which will help you to "bear in mind almost everything" even on those days when life's challenges are sending you in a billion directions.

57. The underlined word "muffin" in the third paragraph probably means_________.

　 A. menu　　　　 B. dinner　　　　　 C. calorie　　　　 D. cookie

58. In the passage, Chinese culture is mentioned to____________.

　 A. support the idea of long life B. show the importance of vitamin B-1　

C. warn the readers of two organs 　　　 D. remind us of walnuts and sunflower seeds

59. What can we conclude from the passage?

　 A. What we eat seems more important than what we learn in terms of memory.　

B. Two percent of our brain is still active when we are sleeping or relaxing.

　 C. It doesn't make much difference to our brain whether we have breakfast or not.　

D. Life's challenges have no effect on our memory, if dealt with in a proper way.

60. The best title for the passage could be_______________.

　 A. Human of Memory Loss　　　　　　 B. Vitamin B-2 and Memory

　 C. Forgetful? But not Brain D. Chinese Culture of Long Life