C(2024·连云港市赣榆区二模)
① The “April snow” is here! It’s not real snow, of course—it’s catkins(飞絮) from willows(柳树) and poplar trees(杨树) in spring. The female trees grow lots of flowers. When these flowers finish growing, they produce cotton-like seeds that spread through the air. For some people, this “snow” is not welcomed. Catkins can cause allergies(过敏), making people’s noses, eyes, and skin uncomfortable.
② Luckily, scientists have found many ways to control catkins. Doing “gender change surgery(变性手术)” on willows and poplar trees is one of them. People cut off the branches(树枝) of female trees and replace(替换) them with branches from male trees. This cuts down the number of catkins. However, this way is slow and expensive. A skilled worker can do the “surgery” on less than ten trees a day. From 2008 to 2018, only around 1,000 trees were treated in Beijing, reported *Outlook Weekly* in 2022.
③ Scientists in Wuxi, Jiangsu use special injections(注射剂) to reduce the number of catkins on trees. These injections make the trees mainly use their energy to grow bigger and get more leaves, not to reproduce(繁殖) and make catkins. Xu Qinming, an expert in Wuxi, told *Science and Technology Daily* that this method is safe for the trees. However, the trees need to get injections every year to keep the catkin numbers under control.
④ Other than injections, the trees can take “medicine”. This medicine can be sprayed(喷洒) onto the trees before the catkins form, which can quickly reduce catkin numbers. Still, people need to be careful about how much of the medicine they use and when they use it, or they might hurt the environment.
⑤ It is sure that with the development of science and technology, there will be more convenient ways to deal with the problem.
()9. What can we infer from Paragraph 1?
A. Catkins are hard to see.
B. It’s usual to snow in April.
C. People welcome willows.
D. It’s uncomfortable to breathe in catkins.
()10. What does the “gender change surgery” refer to?
A. Cutting off the branches of female trees.
B. Planting more male trees.
C. Planting more female trees.
D. Changing the branches of female trees into male trees’.
()11. What’s the disadvantage of using injections according to the passage?
A. Trees need to be injected every year.
B. It needs many skilled workers to do it.
C. It is slow and expensive.
D. It’s bad for trees and the environment.
()12.(新考法 篇章结构)What is the structure of the passage?
A. ①—②③—④⑤
B. ①—②—③④⑤
C. ①—②③④—⑤
D. ①②—③④—⑤