People have been growing chrysanthemums（菊花）for more than 2,000 years. Mums make bright and colorful gardens. People in China and other Asian cultures make tea with the flowers.
One basic kind of mum is the garden mum. The other basic kind is the florist mum. The garden mum is better able to handle different growing conditions.
There are many varieties of mums. The decorative mum is often seen in gardens. Another popular type, the quill mum, has long, straight petals（花瓣）like a tube or needle.
Chrysanthemum blooms can be white, yellow, gold, red or other colors. The plants often grow one meter high.
The soil for chrysanthemums should be kept moist but well drained so it does not get too wet.
Newly-planted mums should be watered two or three times a week, depending on conditions. Plants established in the ground may do well just with normal rainfall.
Mums grow best in full sunshine. They produce colorful blooms when days get shorter and nights get longer. The life cycle of the plant depends on the amount of daylight. This is why experts advise against placing mums near night lights or street lights. The light may interfere with their normal growth cycle. The plants may develop buds too soon.
In climates where temperatures fall below freezing, plant mums at least six weeks before the first frost. That way, the plants will be well established for cold weather.
Some gardeners say the most beautiful presentation comes from planting mums close together. But be sure to leave enough space to let air flow between the plants. If not, there may be a greater chance of disease.
To get more blooms, gardeners pinch（掐）back the branches when new growth has reached fifteen centimeters. Squeeze about five to seven centimeters off each branch. Pinch it again when a branch grows another twelve to fifteen centimeters. Stop the pinching about one hundred days before you want the plants to bloom.
【小题1】 What has a great effect on the life cycle of the mum?

Archaeologists believe they are on the turning point of throwing light on the life of William Shakespeare — by excavating (发掘) what may have been the playwright’s dust hole.

Experts have begun excavating the ruins of New Place, Shakespeare’s former home in Stratford-upon-Avon, which was destroyed 250 years ago. Although little remains of the property, the team, led by Birmingham Archaeology, believes it has identified a dust hole used by the 16th century poet.

Small pieces of pottery (陶瓷) and broken clay pipe have already been found from a muddy hole on the site, which they claim could yield some of the most significant discoveries about Shakespeare in decades. The dig focuses on three areas of the property, which Shakespeare bought in 1597 when he returned to his home town from London having achieved fame — including the so-called knot garden at the back of the building.

Dr Diana Owen, Director of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, which owns the site, said, “We do not know if the knot garden was an area used by Shakespeare — it may have been a yard simply used by his servants. But this could actually yield some fantastic results, especially if it was an area where rubbish was thrown or the dust hole was located.”

Kevin Colls, from Birmingham Archaeology, added, “Through documentary evidence we know Shakespeare lived at New Place but we have very little information regarding the layout (布局) of the house and gardens at this time. Through archaeological fieldwork, in particular the dig of structural remains and the recovery of artifacts, we hope to fill in the blanks.”

Until October, visitors will be able to watch archaeologists and volunteers at work as they excavate the remains of the house, which was knocked down in 1759. Experts hope to unearth evidence to support theories that Shakespeare wrote many of his most famous works at the property.

This excavation intends to ______.

A. know something about the playwright’s dust hole

B. search for some treasure in the dust hole

C. explore the life of William Shakespeare

D. find something that Shakespeare lost

New Place was destroyed in the ______ century.

A. 15th            B. 16th            C. 17th            D. 18th

Small pieces of pottery and broken clay pipe on the site ______.

A. could show Shakespeare’s luxurious life

B. could lead to important discoveries about Shakespeare

C. could show us that Shakespeare lived at New Place

D. could prove when New Place was knocked down

What can we learn from the text?

A. Shakespeare used to live at New Place.

B. Shakespeare became famous after 1597.

C. Only his servants used the knot garden.

D. Dr Diana Owen owns Shakespeare’s property.

Danielle Steel,America’s sweetheart,is one of the hardest working women in the book business.Unlike other productive authors who write one book at a time,she can work on up to five.Her research alone before writing takes at least three years.Once she has fully studied her subjects,ready to dive into a book,she can spend twenty hours nonstop at her desk.

Danielle Steel comes from New York and was sent to France for her education.After graduation,she worked in the public relations and advertising industries.Later she started a job as a writer which she was best fit for.Her achievements are unbelievable:390 million copies of books in print,nearly fifty New York Times best-selling novels, and a series of “Max and Martha” picture books for children to help them deal with the real-life problems of death,new hobbies and new schools. Her 1998 book about the death of her son shot to the top of the New York Times best-selling list as soon as it came out.Twenty-eight of her books have been made into films.She is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for one of her books being the Times best-seller for 381 weeks straight.

Not content with a big house,a loving family,and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Danielle Steel considers her readers to be the most important resource(资源) and has kept in touch with them by e-mail.While she is often compared to the heroines(女主人公) of her own invention,her life is undoubtedly much quieter.But,if she does have anything in common with them,it is her strength of will and her inimitable style.There is only one Danielle Steel.

1.Danielle Steel is different from other writers in that        .

A. she can write several books at the same time

B. she often does some research before writing a book

C. she is one of the most popular American women writers

D. she can keep writing for quite a long time without a break

2.Children who have read “Max and Martha” picture books may know        .

A. how to deal with affairs at school

B. what to do if Max and Martha die

C. what to do when new babies are born into their families

D. how to solve the difficult problems in their writing classes

3.One of Danielle Steel’ achievements is that        .

A. some TV plays were based on her books

B. her picture books attracted a lot of young men

C. one of her books became a best-seller in 1998

D. she wrote the Guinness Book of World Records

4.We can learn from the passage that Danielle Steel   .

A. lives an exciting life                                                      B. values her readers a lot

C. writes about quiet women                                          D. is pleased with her achievements

5.What does the underlined word “inimitable” mean?

A. hardworking                                                         B. attractive

C. strange                                                                  D. unique

Danielle Steel, America's sweetheart, is one of the hardest working women in the book business. Unlike other productive authors who write one book at a time, she can work on up to five. Her research time before writing takes at least three years. Once she has fully studied her subjects, ready to dive into a book, she can spend twenty hours nonstop at her desk.

Danielle Steel comes from New York and was sent to France for her education. After graduation, she worked in the public relations and advertising industries. Later she started a job as a writer which she was best fit for. Her achievements are unbelievable: 390 million copies of books in print, nearly fifty New York Times best-selling novels, and a series of "Max and Martha" picture books for children to help them deal with the real-life problems of death, new hobbies and new schools. Her 1998 book about the death of her son shot to the top of the New York Times best-selling list as soon as it came out. Twenty-eight of her books have been made into films. She is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for one of her books being the Times best-seller for 381 weeks straight.

Not content with a big house, a loving family, and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Danielle Steel considers her readers to be the most important resource(资源) and has kept in touch with them by e-mail. While she is often compared to the heroines(女主人公) of her own invention, her life is undoubtedly much quieter. But, if she does have anything in common with them, it is her strength of will and her inimitable(独特的) style. There is only one Danielle Steel.

60. Danielle Steel is different from other writers in that ____.

A. she can write several books at the same time

B. she often does some research before writing a book

C. she is one of the most popular American women writers

D. she can keep writing for quite a long time without a break

61. Children who have read "Max and Martha" picture books may know ______.

A. how to deal with affairs at school                  B. what to do if Max and Martha die

C. what to do when new babies are born into their families

D. how to solve the difficult problems in their writing classes

62. One of Danielle Steel's achievements is that ______.

A. some TV plays were based on her books         B. her picture books attracted a lot of young men

C. one of her books became a best-seller in 1998

D. she wrote the Guinness Book of World Records

63. We can learn from the passage that Danielle Steel _____.

A. lives an exciting life                       B. values her readers a lot

C. writes about quiet women               D. is pleased with her achievements

下面文章中有5个段落需要添加首句。请从以下选项（A、B、C、D、E和F）选出适合各段落的首句，并在答题纸上将相应选项的标号涂黑。选项中有一项是多余选项。
A. Time can run out.
B. Tomorrow won’t be better.
C. Ideas need time to develop.
D. Your professor will be impatient.
E. You blow off your chances for help.
F. You are probably overestimating （高估）the pain.
Never Put off Tomorrow What You Can Do Today
Want to put off studying for the physics test? Or writing that thirty-five-page research paper on future uses of biotechnology? Sure you do? And who wouldn’t? But it’s still a silly idea to put off doing something until a future time. Here is why ....
【小题1】__________. The task will be still the same. It won’t be any more fun and you still won’t want to do it. As the deadline gets closer and closer, the task seems to become larger and larger if you haven’t started the work. And the stress increases. Now not only do you have to write that paper, you have to do it under great pressure.
【小题2】_________ . Before you start, it seems that the task is unlikely to be accomplished. But you know what? You’re probably miscalculating. Get started -------- maybe on a small piece ------ And you will discover that you have more resources and know more about the subject than you thought. Result? You won’t experience nearly as much suffering as you expected to. Things are guaranteed ------ 100 percent ------- to get better.
【小题3】_____________ . If you leave your work before the night before it’s due, you give up the possibility of getting input from your professor. Professors regularly give advice ----- or at least a few useful tips ---- during office hours. Unfortunately though, they don’t usually hold office hours at midnight, so you will be out of luck when you discover the night before the midterm that you have no idea how to do the questions that will count for two-thirds of your grade.
【小题4】________ . Ever wonder why the professor assigns the papers two weeks before it’s due? It’s because he or she expects you to be thinking about the issue, or doing the research, for two weeks. No, not every waking moment, but at least some of the time. After all, the professor could just as easily have given the assignment one week before it was due if he or she expected less thinking. When you throw together a paper or a report at the last minute, your ideas are half-baked. And your professor will know it.
【小题5】________ . If you put things off at the last minute, you might find that you haven’t budgeted enough minutes to finish the necessary tasks. It’s the easiest thing in the world to miscalculate how long it will take to do all the work especially when new issues arise ------ like illness, family problems, computer breakdowns, trouble at work, and all the other things ------- as you are thinking through your paper argument or preparing yourself for the coming test. If you keep delaying, you don’t allow yourself time for those various life events that have an adverse(不利的) effect on your ability to complete your assignment.