Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
| A. species | B. informed | C. awareness | D. indicate |
| E. additional | F. figures | G. advanced | H. sticking |
| I. state | J. reliance | K. based | |
Sensors for Houseplants
Over the past two years Jasmin Moeller, a 38-year-old in Germany, has been buying more houseplants, making her feel more comfortable.
Actually, the fact that people have spent much more time 【小题1】 at home has started a trend to bring more nature inside. In the UK, the latest 【小题2】 show that 2021 houseplant sales were 29% higher than in 2020. It is a similar picture in other countries, with sales of houseplants in the US rising by 18% last year, for instance.
Yet it is one thing to buy a houseplant and quite another to successfully look after it. Luckily, some 【小题3】 sensors for indoor plants may help those without professional skills in gardening. These devices, usually solar powered and connected wirelessly to a user’s smartphone, should be inserted into the soil next to the plants. Then, they show in real time the 【小题4】 of the plants.
A sensor made by German firm Greensens has approximately 5000 plant 【小题5】 on its app database. Like a traffic light system, the app uses red, yellow and green faces to 【小题6】 how plants are doing. For example, red reveals that the plant is dying, while green means it’s in perfect condition. Besides, users are regularly 【小题7】 of what they should do with plants.
Another app released by German business Fyta tells users how their plants are by analyzing the uploaded pictures of the plants. It also includes 【小题8】 content other apps rarely offer, such as cultural history of some plants, so users can learn more about their plants.
However, Botanist Silver Spence is worried that 【小题9】 on these sensors may affect users’ gardening skills negatively. And David Anglov recommends that amateurs try their best to establish their own 【小题10】 of what a plant needs in various situations through careful observation.
Back in Germany, Ms Moeller says she is sure that the sensors are helping her improve gardening skills.
