Question

【題目】 Even though they're not the most exciting things in the world, plants have attracted us ever since the days of early humans. They may not do any tricks or greet us when we come home at night like a dog would, but that doesn't mean they're any less interesting than animals.

However, just when we thought we knew everything we could about them, a recent study found that plants may have a secret ability that has gone unnoticed all this time.

According to the study by Australian biologist Monica Gagliano, published in the journal Oecologia, plants may be able to "hear” sounds . To come to this conclusion, Gagliano and her team planted pea seedlings （幼苗）in a pair of different Y-shaped pots with two arms. The first pot's arms led to fresh water, while the other's led to either dry soil or a sealed （密封的）plastic tube containing flowing water. Naturally, the first pot's seedlings grew toward the water. What's surprising, however, is that the second pot's seedlings grew toward the sealed water supply but not the soil.

"They just knew the water was there even if the only thing to discover was the sound of it flowing inside the pipe, ” Gagliano told Scientific American . She believes that plants are able to use their leaves to discover sound waves, which make tiny vibrations （振動）as they're produced. This could explain why so many people believe that singing or playing music to their plants helps them grow. “ I had a plant that I used to wash the leaves of once a week and sing to," plant lover Heather Goodall told BBC News. "It grew from being about 2 feet tall to 7 feet tall in just a couple of years."

So, does this mean we should start treating our plants like pets? Not necessarily, although perhaps it does mean we should give them more respect. "I would like to see plants accepted more as the amazing and interesting living beings, and less as just a source of human nutrition," Fatima Cvrckova, a scientist at Charles University in the Czech Republic, told BBC News.

【1】What did Gagliano find in their study?

A.Plants can recognize the sound of water.

B.Sound can change the direction plants grow toward.

C.Plants can tell the difference between various sounds.

D.Different plants can discover sounds in different ways.

【2】What do plants use to hear sound according to Gagliano?

A.Their rootsB.Their flowers

C.Their fruitsD.Their leaves

【3】Why does the author mention Heather Goodall's example?

A.To show a different way of growing plants.

B.To inspire people to sing to their plants often.

C.To prove that music plays a role in plant growth.

D.To stress the importance of treating plants like pets.

【4】What would Cvrckova probably agree with?

A.Plants are just a source of human nutrition.

B.There is still a lot we do not know about plants.

C.Plants are unbelievable and deserve more respect.

D.Most people do not care enough about their plants.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】A

【2】D

【3】C

【4】C

【解析】

這是一篇說明文�？茖W家發(fā)現(xiàn)植物擁有一種神奇功能---聽力。

【1】

推理判斷題。根據(jù)文章第二段However, just when we thought we knew everything we could about them, a recent study found that plants may have a secret ability that has gone unnoticed all this time（然而，就在我們以為對植物了如指掌的時候，最近的一項研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，植物可能有一種一直被人們忽視的秘密能力）和第三段實驗的結果Naturally, the first pot's seedlings grew toward the water. What's surprising, however, is that the second pot's seedlings grew toward the sealed water supply but not the soil（很自然，第一個花盆的幼苗就朝著水的方向生長。然而，令人驚訝的是，第二盆的幼苗是朝著密封的水源而不是土壤生長的）以及第四段They just knew the water was there even if the only thing to discover was the sound of it flowing inside the pipe, Gagliano told Scientific American（Gagliano告訴《科學美國人》:“他們知道水就在那里，即使唯一能發(fā)現(xiàn)的只是水在管道里流動的聲音）可知，種子會依靠聽力尋找水源。綜合分析，故選A項。

【2】

細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文章第四段She believes that plants are able to use their leaves to discover sound waves, which make tiny vibrations as they're produced（她認為，植物能夠利用它們的葉子發(fā)現(xiàn)聲波，聲波產生時產生微小的振動）可知，植物通過葉子來聽聲音。故選D項。

【3】

推理判斷題。作者在舉Heather Goodall的例子前提到This could explain why so many people believe that singing or playing music to their plants helps them grow（這就解釋了為什么那么多人相信唱歌或播放音樂有助于植物生長），然后用一個舉Heather Goodall的例子來驗證這個論點即來證明音樂在植物生長中起作用。故選C項。

【4】

推理判斷題。根據(jù)最后一段提到So, does this mean we should start treating our plants like pets? Not necessarily, although perhaps it does mean we should give them more respect. "I would like to see plants accepted more as the amazing and interesting living beings, and less as just a source of human nutrition," Fatima Cvrckova, a scientist at Charles University in the Czech Republic, told BBC News（那么，這是否意味著我們應該開始像對待寵物一樣對待我們的植物呢?不一定，盡管這可能意味著我們應該給予他們更多的尊重。捷克共和國查爾斯大學的科學家Fatima Cvrckova在接受BBC新聞采訪時表示:我希望植物更多地作為一種神奇有趣的生物而被接受，而不是僅僅作為人類營養(yǎng)的來源）可知，Cvrckova認為植物應當被當做神奇而有趣而受到尊敬。故選C項。