C
After the haircut
It’s getting hot. You go to have your hair cut. The barber Tony cuts off part of your hair
and sweeps it away, but your hair’s journey is not over after the haircut.
Have you ever thought of planting your old hair after it’s cut off? Some farmers do!
What comes up? Not wigs(假发), but bigger and tastier crops. Hair is full of nitrogen(氮)
that helps plants to grow. When the cut hair is mixed into soil, the hair breaks down, slowly
letting out nitrogen. Then it can help flowers and vegetables get big a little faster.
If you’ve got a wool sweater on, you’re wearing a sheep’s haircut. Sheep grow fine curly
(卷曲的) fur called wool. All those curls make air pockets that trap heat, keeping the sheep
warm. Farmers shear the sheep in summer, so the sheep don’t feel too hot. And we use the
wool to make warm clothes, socks, and hats. Wool can even take in rain while remaining dry.
Wool doesn’t catch fire easily, either.
What does your hair say about you? Even many years after it has been cut off, hair can
still tell surprising secrets. Because hair is composed(组成) of bits of old cells. Hair has
traces(微量) of chemicals(化学物质) that were in the body when the hair grew. When people
are kept in the situation of dangerous chemicals, these traces remain in the hair, even long
after they have disappeared from the body itself. Testing hair can help doctors know if there
are dangerous chemicals in food and water. Hair can tell another important secret—whose
hair is it? This can be used to help solve crimes.
Hair does so many things for us. It keeps us warm, helps farmers, shows mysteries, and
provides endless styling fun. One thing is for sure—it’s not just for wigs any more.
()8. In which part of a magazine can we probably read this passage?
A. Nature. B. Science. C. History. D. Health.
()9. What does the underlined part “shear the sheep” mean?
A. Give enough food to the sheep. B. Wash the sheep many times.
C. Find a living place for the sheep. D. Cut the wool off the sheep.
()10. What’s the main idea of Paragraph 4?
A. Hair helps keep warm. B. Hair testing is important.
C. Hair can tell secrets. D. Hair helps solve crimes.
()11. How is the passage organized(组织)?

A. B. C. D.