Question

【題目】

The population of Earth is still going up. There will be less and less good land for growing crops in the future. People worry that there will not be enough food for everyone in the middle of this century.

Recently scientists have discovered one strange plant

named fedtschenkoi（玉吊鐘）may help. It can absorb（吸收）carbon dioxide(CO)

at night. It only needs 10 times less water than food plants like beans. This means it

can grow in the desert(沙漠).

In which ways could this plant help us?

Since deserts are increasing in size because of the changes in Earth’s climate, growing plants there will be more and more important. Although it is dangerous to

eat this plant, scientists can still study something about it: how it absorbs CO at

night while many other plants only do this during the day, and why it is suited to the

desert.

There is another direction to take the research in. Producing a desert plant to eat

will be difficult, but there is still possibility to use the genes(基因)from this plant and put them into food plants.

The other way is to grow this type of plant for fuel(燃料). At the moment we

grow plants for fuel in good land. If we do it in deserts instead, more good land can be used to grow plants for food.

Desert plants have special qualities, which could be an answer to our future food

or energy needs. Scientists are working hard on it.

The Desert Plant Could Help
The problems of the future	◆The population on Earth is becoming 【1】 than before. ◆There is less and less 【2】 land for growing crops. ◆There will not be enough food in the future, which makes people 【3】
The discovery of the scientists	◆It is an 【4】 plant named fedtschenkoi. ◆Food plants like beans need 10 times 【5】 water than it does in deserts.
The ways it could 【6】 us	◆The scientists are studying how it absorbs CO and why it is 【7】 for living in desert. ◆It is 【8】 to use genes from one plant and then put it inside another. ◆It will be better if we can grow plants for fuel in deserts 【9】 than in good land.
Conclusion	◆Because desert plants have special qualities, it may 【10】 our food and energy problems in the future.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】larger/bigger

【2】good

【3】worried

【4】unusual/uncommon

【5】more

【6】help

【7】suitable/fit

【8】possible

【9】rather

【10】solve

【解析】本文介紹了地球上人口增長，人們擔心將來沒有足夠的食物�？茖W家正在研究把沙漠里的植物的基因移植到糧食作物上，這樣糧食作物需要的水會更少。將來如果我們在沙漠里種植燃料作物，而不是在良田上種植，這樣會更好。

【1】larger/bigger

根據The population of Earth is still going up.可知地球上的人口比以前更多，故用larger或bigger。

【2】good

根據There will be less and less good land for growing crops in the future.可知在未來將會有越來越少的良田用于種植莊稼，故為good。

【3】worried

根據People worry that there will not be enough food for everyone in the middle of this century.可知未來將沒有足夠的食物，這讓人們感到擔心，make sb +形容詞“使某人感到…….”，故為worried。

【4】unusual/uncommon

根據Recently scientists have discovered one strange plant named fedtschenkoi（玉吊鐘）may help.可知玉吊鐘是一種奇怪的植物，因此是罕見的，不同尋常的植物，故為unusual或uncommon。

【5】more

根據It only needs 10 times less water than food plants like beans. This means itcan grow in the desert(沙漠).可知糧食作物需要的水是沙漠里的植物的10倍，根據倍數的表達方式：倍數+比較級+than+比較對象，故為more。

【6】help

根據In which ways could this plant help us?可知這種植物在某些方面能幫助我們，故為help。

【7】suitable/fit

根據scientists can still study something about it: how it absorbs CO at night while many other plants only do this during the day, and why it is suited to the desert.可知科學家正在研究它為什么能在晚上吸收二氧化碳，為什么適合在沙漠里生長，be suitable for=be fit for適合，故為suitable或fit。

【8】possible

根據but there is still possibility to use the genes(基因)from this plant and put them into food plants.可知有可能使用一種植物上的基因，然后把這個基因放到糧食作物上，根據句型It is+形容詞+to do sth“做某事是…….”，故為possible。

【9】rather

根據At the moment we grow plants for fuel in good land. If we do it in deserts instead, more good land can be used to grow plants for food.可知如果我們在沙漠里種植燃料作物，而不是在良田上種植，這樣會更好，rather than而不是，故為rather。

【10】solve

根據Desert plants have special qualities, which could be an answer to our future food or energy needs.可知因為沙漠里的植物有特殊性質，它們能解決我們將來食物或能源問題。故為solve。