All plant cells are capable of taking up water．Even dead ones do to a certain degree．Absorption of water by dead cell walls makes wood become larger．In common land plants, the living cells of roots take up most of the water．Land plants without roots do exist, however．Those greenish-yellow lichens (苔藓) you see on rocks in the high mountains have no roots．Half a billion years ago, when water plants started to enter the land, the first land plants did not have roots．

　　Even among the flowering plants, one finds rootless forms．These flowering plants are the higher plants because they evolved (进化) recently and are thus considered higher on the evolutionary scale (进化树)．In the Peruvian desert, there grows one of these rootless higher plants, a bromeliad．It is a relative of the pineapple．Even if this plant had roots, they would be of no use, because where the plant grows, it never rains．The plant gets its water only from the dew (露水) it collects at night, when its leaves cool off．Such rootless plants, of course, can be moved with ease, but they will only grow when they are placed out in the open．If they are placed too near a house, the radiation from the heat of the house prevents the leaves from cooling and so prevents dew from forming, and the plant dies．In the southern United States and in Puerto Rico, one sees bromeliads growing high above the streets on the insulation (绝缘物) of electric wires．These plants get their water from rain, and the only soil they ever come in contact with is the dust that may blow on their leaves．

1．Wood becomes larger because of________．

[　　]

A．plants having roots

B．water entering dead cell walls

C．the growth of cells

D．the death of cells

2．From the passage we know that the evolutionary scale is graded according to ________．

[　　]

3．The bromeliad is a plant that________．

[　　]

A．has useless roots

B．resembles a pineapple

C．can grow anywhere

D．takes up water through its leaves

4．The most suitable title for this passage is________．

[　　]

A．Absorption of Water by Plants

B．Rootless Plants

C．Plants in the Desert

D．Higher Plants

Imagine putting a seed in a freezer, waiting 30,000 years, and then taking the seed out and planting it. Do you think a flower would grow?
　 Amazingly, scientists have just managed to do something very similar. They found the fruit of an ancient plant that had been frozen underground in Siberia — a region covering central and eastern Russia — for about 31,800 years. Using pieces of the fruit, the scientists grew plants in a lab. The new blooms have delicate white petals. They are also the oldest flowering plants that researchers have ever revived from a deep freeze.
　 “This is like regenerating a dinosaur from tissues of an ancient egg,” said University of California, Los Angeles biologist Jane Shen-Miller.
　 The plant has a long history. Back when mammoths and woolly rhinoceroses walked the land, an Arctic ground squirrel buried seeds and fruits in an underground chamber near the Kolyma River in northeastern Siberia. The ground became permafrost, a layer of soil that stays frozen for a long time.
　 Recently, Russian scientists dug out the old squirrel hole and found the plant remains 38 meters below the surface. Back at the lab, the team fed nutrients to tissue from three of the fruits to grow shoots. Then the scientists transferred the shoots to pots filled with soil. The plants produced seeds that could be used to grow even more of them.
　 It’s important for scientists to know that plant tissues can still be revived after being frozen for a long time. That’s because many researchers are trying to preserve the seeds of modern plants by freezing them and then storing them in giant lockers at various spots around the globe. One such endeavor, an underground facility in Norway, is called the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. It stores hundreds of thousands of frozen seeds. If a plant ever goes extinct, scientists could bring it back by taking its seeds from the Svalbard or other storage lockers.
　 “No one knows how long they are able to live for, but freezing is basically the format for many plant conservation attempts nowadays.” Shen-Miller said. It’s a good thing that at least some plants are tough enough to survive the experience.

64. How did the fruit originally get underground?
　 A. It was placed there by an animal. 　

B. It was trapped there during the ice-age.
C. It was planted there by ancient farmers.　　

D. It was buried there after the earthquake.
65. Why are scientists interested in this discovery?
　 A. It helps them learn how plant life has changed in the past 30,000 years.
　 B. It can help guide future efforts to protect endangered plant-life.
　 C. It can provide directions for where to look for other ancient plants.
　 D. It proves that all plant life can survive for thousands of years when frozen.
66. The underlined word “they” in the final paragraph refers to _______.
　 A. plants　 B. seeds　C. scientists 　D. storage lockers
67. The purpose of the passage is to _______.
　 A. discuss a plant conservation effort　　 　 B. introduce some ancient plants
　 C. outline some causes of global warming　 D. describe a scientific research project

阅读理解

　　Tom Dyson tried to find out what his new machine could do. One day he fixed the small box to a flowering plant that was growing in a pot. He didn't say anything at all, but he began to think some cruel thoughts.

　　“I'm going to cut off these flowers. They're getting old and ugly. So I'll cut them off…”

　　The needle on the machine climbed quickly from  zero to 8, then 10, 12, 15. It stopped at 17. The plant was in trouble! Something was worrying it. Was it fear or sadness? The thought of being cut? The flowers bent their heads. They suddenly looked old and tired, and Tom felt sorry for them.

　　“No, no!” he cried.“I won't cut you. You're my friends. I just want you to grow and be lovely. I'll take you outside, into the sunshine. You'll like that, won't you?”

　　The flowers lifted their heads slowly and seemed to smile at him. The needle returned to zero. Tom put away the machine, picked up the plant and walked outside. It was very nice in the garden that morning.

　　All plants enjoy their owner's love and care and kindness. They know the sound of their voice. They also seem to understand people's thoughts. So if you have flowers of your own, think about them with love. They will return your kindness in the only way they can: they will grow strong and beautiful.

1．Choose the right order of the events given in the passage.

[　　]

a．The needle pointed to 17.

b．Tom felt sorry for the flowers.

c．Tom thought of cutting off the flowers.

d．The flowers looked old and tired.

e．Tom fixed the machine to a plant.

f．Tom took the plant outside.

g．The needle returned to zero.

h．Tom cried, “I won't cut you.”

[　　]

A．e; a; g; h; d; b; c; f

B．c; e; d; a; b; h; g; f

C．e; c; a; d; h; b; f; g

D．e; c; a; d; b; h; g; f

2．The only way in which plants can show their love is ________.

[　　]

A．enjoying their owner's love

B．bringing up nicely

C．holding up their heads

D．smiling at their owners

3．According to the passage, which of the following is true?

[　　]

A．Tom wanted to cut off the flowers.

B．Tom said nothing, but the flowers could understand him.

C．The machine didn't work properly.

D．The flowers were getting bad - looking

Of all living creatures on earth, insects are the most plentiful. Some　 36　 are very useful to man, for example, bees,　 37　 we get honey and wax, and silkworms, which　 38　 us with silk. Other varieties,　 39　 , are extremely harmful, and do a great　 40　 of damage, especially to crops. Locusts （蝗虫） are perhaps the most dangerous of all,　 41　 they will eat almost any green　 42　 , and when millions of them　 43　 on cultivated land（耕地）they soon leave it　 44　 . In some countries they are the farmer’s　 45　 enemy. Another nuisance is the common　 46　 , not only because it　 47　 us indoors and out - of- doors, but because it spreads diseases.

　　Scientists have given much time and　 48　 to the study of insects. It needs the most careful and　 49　 observation. Thanks　 50　 their discoveries we now know almost all　 51　 is to be known about the habits of these hardworking insects, bees and ants, which live in　 52　 better planned in some ways than our　　53　 . But the most valuable work has been done in trying to give　 54　 to men, animals and crops from the　 55　 which insects cause.

　　36．A. members  B. forms  C. qualities  D. varieties

　　37．A. by which  B. from which  C. of which  D. in which

　　38．A. give  B. produce  C. offer  D. supply

　　39．A. however  B. meanwhile C. therefore  D. what's more

　　40．A. majority  B. number  C. amount  D. quantity

　　41．A. and  B. for  C. if  D. when

　　42．A. grass  B. field  C. fruit  D. plant

　　43．A. settle  B. attack  C. pass  D. cross

　　44．A. bare  B. nothing  C. empty  D. untouched

　　45．A. hardest  B. greatest  C. serious  D. wildest

　　46．A. insect  B. creature  C. fly  D. enemy

　　47．A. dislikes  B. bites  C. worries  D. hates

　　48．A. understanding  B. ideas  C. comprehension  D. thought

　　49．A. serious  B. patient  C. curious  D. long

　　50．A. for  B. of  C. to  D. with

　　51．A. that  B. which  C. there  D. what

　　52．A. societies  B. crowds C. teams  D. organizations

　　53．A. world  B. nation  C. selves  D. own

　　54．A. help  B. protection  C. living  D. defense

　　55．A. injury  B. wound  C. sickness  D. ruin