Talking to plants makes them grow, especially if you ‘re a woman ,according to an experiment by the Ryal  Horticultural Society(RHS皇家园艺学会).

Women gardeners’ voices speed up growth of tomato plants much more than men’s, it found.

In an experiment that ran over a month, they found that tomato plants grew up  two inches taller if they were serenaded by the sweet tones of a female rather tha a male.

Appropriately the most effective talk came from Sarah Darwin ,whose great-great grandfather was legendary botanist(植物学家)Charles Darwin, one of the founding fathers of the RHS’ Scientific Committee. She read a passage from On the Orgin of Species and beat nine other”voices”.

Her plant grew nearly two inches taller than the best performing male and half an inch higher than her nearest competitor.

The experment began in Apirl,2009 at RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey. A variety of recorded voices were picked to play to 10 taomato plants over a month. Every plant was played a voice through headphones connected to the plant pot, and the conditions for all the plants remained the same throughout the experiment. To ensure the experiment was fair, two control plants were also left to grow in silence.

The results showed that women on average saw their plants rise by an inch on their male competitors. Some men were so bad that their plants actually grew less than a plant that was left completely alone.

Colin Crosbie, the leader at RHS, said:”We’re not sure why the female voice is more effecitive, It could be that they have a greater range of pitch and tone that affects the sound waves that hit the plant. Sound waves are an emvironmental effect just like rain or light.”

67.What is the best title for the passage?

A. Plants can’t grow faster without female voices

B. Women’s voices are more useful than men’s

C. Women’s voices make plants grow faster

D. Voices have positive effects on the growth of plants

68.The underlined word”serenaded” in Paragraph 3 most probably means”________”.

A.sung songs to

B.spoken to

C.talked about

D. played music to

69.According to the passage, ten_________were used in the experiment.

A.tomato plants

B.headphones

C. tape recorders

D.plant pots

70.What can we know about the findings of the experiment from the passage?

A. The women’s voices made the palnts grow faster by half an inch than the men’s.

B.Sarah Darwin’s plant grew 2 inches taller than her neraest competitor’s.

C. The plants which grew in silence did not necessarily grow the slowest

D. The women’s plants grew 2 inches taller than the men’s on average.

Talking to plants makes them grow, especially if you ‘re a woman ,according to an experiment by the Ryal  Horticultural Society(RHS皇家园艺学会).
Women gardeners’ voices speed up growth of tomato plants much more than men’s, it found.
In an experiment that ran over a month, they found that tomato plants grew up  two inches taller if they were serenaded by the sweet tones of a female rather tha a male.
Appropriately the most effective talk came from Sarah Darwin ,whose great-great grandfather was legendary botanist(植物学家)Charles Darwin, one of the founding fathers of the RHS’ Scientific Committee. She read a passage from On the Orgin of Species and beat nine other”voices”.
Her plant grew nearly two inches taller than the best performing male and half an inch higher than her nearest competitor.
The experment began in Apirl,2009 at RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey. A variety of recorded voices were picked to play to 10 taomato plants over a month. Every plant was played a voice through headphones connected to the plant pot, and the conditions for all the plants remained the same throughout the experiment. To ensure the experiment was fair, two control plants were also left to grow in silence.
The results showed that women on average saw their plants rise by an inch on their male competitors. Some men were so bad that their plants actually grew less than a plant that was left completely alone.
Colin Crosbie, the leader at RHS, said:”We’re not sure why the female voice is more effecitive, It could be that they have a greater range of pitch and tone that affects the sound waves that hit the plant. Sound waves are an emvironmental effect just like rain or light.”

1. 1.

   What is the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      Plants can’t grow faster without female voices
   2. B.
      Women’s voices are more useful than men’s
   3. C.
      Women’s voices make plants grow faster
   4. D.
      Voices have positive effects on the growth of plants
2. 2.

   The underlined word”serenaded” in Paragraph 3 most probably means”________”.

   1. A.
      sung songs to
   2. B.
      spoken to
   3. C.
      talked about
   4. D.
      played music to
3. 3.

   According to the passage, ten_________were used in the experiment.

   1. A.
      tomato plants
   2. B.
      headphones
   3. C.
      tape recorders
   4. D.
      plant pots
4. 4.

   What can we know about the findings of the experiment from the passage?

   1. A.
      The women’s voices made the palnts grow faster by half an inch than the men’s.
   2. B.
      Sarah Darwin’s plant grew 2 inches taller than her neraest competitor’s.
   3. C.
      The plants which grew in silence did not necessarily grow the slowest
   4. D.
      The women’s plants grew 2 inches taller than the men’s on average.

On Jan 23, 2012, I was aboard a ship on the Yangtze River, listening to the sound of fireworks and eating plate after plate of dumplings.

On Sunday Feb 10, 2013, I was preparing to celebrate Chinese New Year again – in London’s Chinatown.

It was raining. It was cold. But ever since I left Beijing in August, I had promised myself I would celebrate Chinese New Year – if only to help with my Beijing “homesickness”.

Central London was dressed up for the occasion. There was a stage for a big fireworks display for the evening. Even so, it wasn’t like my real Beijing chunjie.

Even buying a baozi didn’t cheer me up. It cost about 10 times as much as the real thing does in Beijing and got stuck to its rain-ruined paper bag.

Cold, wet and depressed, I ran into a shop for shelter. Suddenly, there it was. Between the packets of dried meat and fish, the bags of rice and the smell of dried noodles in this little Chinese supermarket, I had found home.

An hour later, I hurried into my house with bags of frozen jiaozi, packets of sauce and a large bottle of vinegar. I boiled water, tore open the packets, grabbed my chopsticks and settled down to a feast. This, I thought, is a Happy Chinese New Year.

I even watched the fireworks on TV. After all, why face the British weather when I can bring China home in one bite?

1. We can conclude from the first three paragraphs that the author ______.

A. likes watching fireworks on the boat

B. misses Chinese food more than anything else

C. finds it great fun to celebrate Chinese New Year

D. misses her life in Beijing very much

2.How did the author feel when she found some Chinese foods in a supermarket?

A. a little curious                B. rather tired

C. a bit comfortable           D. very depressed

3.Why did the author watch the fireworks on TV?

A. She didn’t want to get wet and cold again.

B. The square is far away from where she lives.

C. She doesn’t like fireworks very much.

D. She was too hungry to go out.

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A. Unforgettable Chunjie in Beijing            B. Wonderful Experience in Britain

C. Finding Home in London                                   D. Festival in London

阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C、和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The position of children in American family and society is no longer what is used to be. The ___36___ family in colonial(殖民时期的) North America was mainly concerned with survival and     37   that, its own economic prosperity. Thus, children were ____38___in terms of their productivity(生产能力), and they played the role of producer quite early.   39  they fulfilled this role, their position in the family was one of subordination(附属).
With the ____40____ of the society, the position of children in the family and in the society became more important. In the complex and technological society ____41____the United States has become, each ___42____ must fulfill a number of personal and occupational___43____ and be in contact with many other member. _____44_____, viewing children as necessary members of society means that they are ____45_____ more as people in their own right than as those of subordination. This acceptance of children as____46____ participants in the family is reflected in various laws _____47_____ the rights of children and in the social and public welfare programs.
This new ____48____of children and the frequent contact between the members of society has also ____49_____an increasing interest in child-raising techniques. People today spend much time___50_____ the proper way to ____51____ children.
Nowadays, the socialization of the child in the United States is a ___52____transaction(事务) between parent and child____53_____a one-way, parent-to-child training___54_____ . As a consequence, socializing children and____55____with them over a long period of time is for parents a mixture of pleasure, satisfaction, and problems.
36. A. poor           B. ordinary          C. happy             D. wealthy
37. A. except         B. for               C. beyond             D. through
38. A. supported       B. received          C. encouraged          D. valued
39. A. Until           B. After            C. Although            D. When
40. A. movement      B. achievement       C. development         D. requirement
41. A. that            B. where            C. when               D. what
42. A. parent          B. member           C. family              D. relative
43. A. purposes        B. promises         C. roles                D. tasks
44. A. Besides         B. However          C. Instead              D. Therefore
45. A. admired         B. regarded          C. made               D. respected
46. A. willing          B. equal             C. similar              D. common
47. A. enjoying         B. preventing        C. considering           D. protecting
48. A. view            B. faith             C. world               D. study
49. A. led in          B. brought in         C. resulted in            D. taken in
50. A. seeking          B. making           C. fighting              D. working
51. A. nurse            B. praise            C. understand            D. raise
52. A. one-sided        B. many-sided        C. round-way            D. two-way
53. A. more than        B. rather than         C. better than            D. less than
54. A. manner          B. method            C. program              D. guide
55. A. talking           B. living            C. playing               D. discussing