Most kinds of rose plants come from Asia. But roses are also native to other areas including northwest Africa, Europe and the United States. In 1986, Congress chose the rose as America’s national flower. Technically, Congress and President Ronald Reagan declared it the “national floral emblem.” Whatever the name, the decision did not smell sweet to supporters of others popular flowers.

Some people say roses are difficult to grow. But you have a good chance of success if you start with a few suggestions from experts. You should plant your roses where they can get sunshine for about six hours on bright days. You can buy roses form a garden center or by mail order. You can buy potted roses, also known as container roses, or bare-root plants. Each kind has its fans.

Some gardeners say potted roses are easier to plant. They say the roots develop better. But Jeffrey Dinslage, an expert, pint out that bare-root roses come without soil. So they weigh less to transport.

Another expert advises getting bare-foot roses as close to planting time as you can. If they arrive before you are ready to plant them, make sure the packing material is moist. Keep the plants in a cool, dark place. The resting plants have no leaves but still need water. When growing roses, the soil should feel moist deep down. Watering should be done in the morning.

But do not water too much. People often ask Jeffrey Dinslage about unhealthy discoloration on rose leaves. He says the spots are usually caused by too much water. After heavy rains or too much watering, he advises pulling away mulch, the substance used to protect the roots, temporarily from around the roots. This will help dry the soil.

1.From the first paragraph, we know that in the United States _______.

A. all the people like roses                  B. there are a lot of national flowers

C. some roses don’t smell sweet             D. there are some other popular flowers

2.Why does Jeffrey Dinslage suggest planting bare-root roses?

A. They are easier to plant.          B. Their roots develop better.

C. They are cheap to transport     D. Their leaves need no water

3.Which of following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “moist”?

A. Slightly wet.    B. Pretty dry.     C. Too hard.      D. Lightly soft.

4.According to Jeffrey Dinslage, people should ______ to avoid the spots on the rose leaves.

A. not water roses in the morning             B. protect the roots of roses

C. improve the quality of the soil            D. not water roses very much

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.
【小题1】 The main idea of the passage is ________ .

If the rose can be said to be a special flower, then the apple can be said to be a special fruit. It is very important in American culture. American stories speak of Johnny Appleseed, who went throughout America collecting apple seeds and planting apple trees. He had a great love for nature and went through fields and farms adding richness and beauty to the country.

One of the first sayings taught to school children is, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." This short saying encourages children to eat fresh fruit to keep healthy. If someone always says good words to a person, people will call him an "apple polisher". This, however, is not a good name. If someone is very dear to us, we say that he or she is the "apple of our eye".

Most people believe that the fruit which Eve gave to Adam was an apple, even though the Bible(圣经) never says so. The apple, therefore, is a deep part of the language and stories of America.

An apple is also delicious. Apples can be cooked in many ways, used as a dessert (甜点) , and made into sweet juice.

In many parts of the country during the harvest season, a popular activity is to go into an apple garden to pick apples. Washington, D. C. and New York are both famous for their apples.

Finally, when it’s time to take a vacation to American cities, one can always visit New York, which is "the biggest apple" of all the American cities.

1.Why was Johnny Appleseed so famous?

2.What does the underlined phrase "apple polisher" mean?

3.Which of the following is TRUE with apples?

4.The passage is mainly about______.

第二节 语法填空(共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分)
阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填人一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卡标号为3l-40的相应位置上。
Indiana middle school and high school students can receive free help with their math and science homework,   31 is great news for parents, teachers, kids in grades six through twelve in the state of Indiana. The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology has   32  homework hotline that makes   33  possible, and the homework hotline provides this   34   (value) tutoring （辅导）service for free. Not only is homework help   35  (complete) free to Indianan middle school and high school kids, but the call is also free  36 charge.
Since 1991, the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology   37 (help) middle school and high school kids in the state of Indiana develop the skills they need   38   (solve) math and science problems, and Rose-Hulman college students help in a way that makes kids think and solve problems without   39  (provide) the answers. This free tutoring program is a great benefit    40  middle school and high school students in Indiana.

       阅读下面短文，掌握其中大意，然后从36－56各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

       I still don’t believe in ghosts even after my experience at the Rose Inn．41 I have never seen one．But stories have made me feel 42  since then．I arrived at the inn late at night and asked the landlord for a room．

       “There is nothing left,” he said, “ 43 you’d like to sleep in Number 7．”

       “Why not?” I said．“What’s 44 it? I am  45 that I would sleep 46 ．”

       “Nothing,” he said slowly, “but something happened there a few months ago．”

       Every old inn has its own strange stories, so I thought that 47 he told me about it, the better．I was willing to listen to anything for a room to 48 ．

       “A man came here late at night 49 you．” the landlord said, “I thought there was something strange about him because he kept 50 while he was signing his name in the book．He asked me 51 room he could have and I offered him No．7 ．‘ 52   a man who has said he’ll 53 me,’ he said suddenly, ‘with a knife．’ He looked so frightened that I thought I had better 54 him to his room．I closed the door and left him 55．The next day we found him dead, with a knife beside him．He had cut his throat．” The landlord said, “Or 56 had done it．Do you 57 sleeping there now you know the story?”

       “Well,” I said, “no one is 58 me．But I wish you had told me the story 59 ．As it is, I’ll sleep here on the floor in the bar if you have a couple of  60 ．”

41．A．Because         B．Of course  C．At all       D．Though

42．A．natural    B．unsafe      C．brave D．uncomfortable

43．A．unless     B．if     C．since        D．whether

44．A．the price B．wrong with     C．the matter D．strange for

45．A．so tired  B．so hurt      C．very weak       D．too worried

46．A．somewhere      B．anywhere  C．nowhere   D．everywhere

47．A．the later       B．the quicker     C．the sooner      D．the slower

48．A．rest   B．live in     C．lie down         D．go to

49．A．like        B．with        C．behind      D．because of

50．A．looking after   B．looking into    C．looking over   D．looking back

51．A．what       B．which     C．whose     D．whether

52．A．There’s  B．He’s        C．It’s         D．That’s

53．A．harm      B．punish     C．frighten  D．kill

54．A．invite          B．take        C．bring D．allow

55．A．by himself           B．for himself     C．at himself       D．to himself

56．A．whoever             B．nobody  C．anybody         D．someone else

57．A．like        B．mind      C．permit     D．promise

58．A．tricking      B．following       C．killing     D．frightening

59．A．at night      B．at once    C．in time    D．in the morning

60．A．chairs         B．blankets         C．books      D．swords