A．Not Only Honeybees

　　　B．Protection of Honeybees

　　　C．Growing Threats to Bees

　　　D．Newly Discovered Bee Species

　　　Money might not grow on trees, but it seems that furniture does! Gavin Munro, a UK-based designer, has come up with a brilliant alternative to cutting beautiful trees and converting them into furniture.

　　　He first came up with the idea of growing furniture when he was working as a gardener in California and also made furniture with washed-up driftwood on the side.

　　　After several attempts, he finally managed to develop a model chair using four trees. Munro is now tending to a small 2.5 acre "furniture forest" of 400 trees in a field north of Derby, England. He uses specially designed plastic frames to make young oak and ash trees into the shapes of chairs, tables, frames, or lamps.

　　　A forest that grows furniture sounds like a setting right out of Alice in Wonderland, but there's nothing magical about it, just a lot of hard work. The forest consists of rows upon rows of trees covered in blue plastic molds, converting them into furniture as they grow. Once they take the desired shape, they are cared for until thick, mature and ready for harvest.

　　　After harvesting, each piece is planned(刨平) and finished to show off the wood grain inside. "It's an art form in itself, keeping track of everything," Munro said.

　　　The entire process takes about four to eight years, resulting in fully functional, organic, eco-friendly furniture, and more long-lasting than anything else on the market. They are grown and grafted(嫁接) into one solid piece without any joints that loosen over time. As Munro puts it, "These pieces of furniture could last for centuries."

　　　Quality isn't an issue with forest-grown furniture, but maintenance and scalability(可伸缩性) certainly are. For now, Munro expects to grow 50 pieces a year, with the first lot of chairs available for purchase in mid-2017, priced at $3,700 each.

　　　12．The first paragraph mainly serves as _________.

　　　A．introduction B．praise

　　　C．comment D．background

　　　13．Gavin Munro thought of growing furniture ______.

　　　A．while studying in California B．while relaxing at home

　　　C．while serving as a gardener D．while growing up

　　　14．What plays a key role in growing furniture?

　　　A．Rich imagination. B．Hard work.

　　　C．Large irrigation. D．Perfect design.

　　　15．The passage is probably taken from _______.

　　　A．a brochure B．a diary

　　　C．a novel D．a report

二、完形填空

　　　Last spring, I was fortunate to be chosen to participate in an exchange study program. In my application letter, I was careful to__16__how much I wanted to see France; evidently, my excitement really came through in my words. Once I_17___that I was going, all I could think about was the fun of foreign travel and making all sorts of new and__18__friends. While traveling was inspiring and meeting people was_19___, nothing about my term in France was what I__20__.

　　　The moment I arrived in Paris, I was__21__by a nice French couple who would become my host parents. My entire experience was joyous and exciting__22__I received some shocking news from my program-coordinator(协调人): there had been a death in my host parents' extended family. They had to travel outside France for several weeks. That afternoon, I had to__23__out of one family's house and into another. The exchange coordinator told me I' d have a___24_this time and asked whether I could share a bedroom with an English speaker. To avoid the temptation to__25__my native language, I asked not to be__26__with an English-speaking roommate. When I got to my new room, I__27__myself to my new roommate Paolo, a Brazilian the same age as I, whom I was surprised to find playing one of my favorite CDs! In just a few hours, we knew we'd be good friends for the rest of the__28__.

　　　I left France with many___29_, so when people ask me what my favorite part of the trip was, they are always__30__to hear me talk about my Brazilian friend Paolo and the scores of weekdays in class, weeknights on the town, and weekends__31__France we enjoyed together. I love how people__32__seem so different, but end up being so__33_. The most valuable lesson I gained from studying in France wasn't just to respect the French people__34__to respect all people, for your next best friend could be just a continent away. I would recommend an exchange program to anyone who wants to experience foreign cultures and gain meaningful_35___.

　　　16．A．discuss B．express C．announce D．argue

　　　17．A．approved B．knew C．warned D．denied

　　　18．A．stubborn B．anxious C．universal D．interesting

　　　19．A．boring B．upsetting C．exciting D．promising

20．A．expected B．liked C．doubted D．feared