Question

【題目】

When a leafy plant is under attack, it doesn’t sit quietly. Back in 1983, two scientists, Jack Schultz and Ian Baldwin, reported that young maple trees getting bitten by insects send out a special smell that neighboring plants can get. These chemicals come from the injured parts of the plant and seem to be a warning. What the plants pump through the air is a mixture of chemicals known as volatile organic compounds（VOCs）.

Scientists have found that all kinds of plants give out VOCs when being attacked. It’s a plant’s way of crying out. But is anyone listening? Obviously. Because we can watch the neighbors’ react.

Some plants pump out smelly chemicals to keep insects away. But others do double duty. They pump out perfumes to attract different insects who are their natural enemies. Once the insects arrive, the tables are turned. The attacker who was lunching now becomes lunch.

In study after study, it appears that these chemical conversations help the neighbors. The damage is usually more serious on the first plant, but the neighbors stay safer because they heard the warning and knew what to do.

Does this mean that plants talk to each other? Scientists don’t know. Maybe the first plant just made a cry of pain or was sending a message to its own branches, and so, in fact, was talking to itself. Perhaps the neighbors just happened to hear the cry by accident and so wrong information was exchanged.

Charles Darwin, over 150 years ago, imagined a world far busier, noisier and more intimate than the world we can see and hear, our senses are weak. There’s a whole lot going on.

【1】What does a plant do when it is under attack?

A.It makes noises.B.It gets help from other plants.

C.It stands quietly.D.It sends out certain chemicals.

【2】What does “the tables are turned” mean in Paragraph 3?

A.The attackers are attacked.B.The insects gather under the table.

C.The plants get ready to fight back.D.The perfumes attract natural enemies.

【3】Scientists find from their studies that plants can__________.

A.talk to one anotherB.predict natural disasters

C.protect themselves against insectsD.help their neighbors when necessary

【4】What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A.The world is changing faster than ever.B.People have stronger senses than before.

C.The world is more colorful than it seems.D.People in Darwin’s time were full of imagination.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】D

【2】A

【3】D

【4】C

【解析】

本文主要講述了當(dāng)多葉植物受到攻擊時(shí)，不會(huì)坐以待斃這一論點(diǎn)，并圍繞這一論點(diǎn)展開敘述。研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，當(dāng)植物受到攻擊時(shí)，會(huì)發(fā)出VOCs，以此來保護(hù)自己或者與周圍的植物通過化學(xué)物質(zhì)進(jìn)行交流。

【1】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)“These chemicals come from the injured parts of the plant and seem to be a warning. What the plants pump through the air is a mixture of chemicals known as volatile organic compounds”可知這些化學(xué)物質(zhì)來自植物的受傷部位，似乎是一種警告，植物在空氣中吸收的是一種被稱為揮發(fā)性有機(jī)化合物(VOCs)的化學(xué)混合物，故選D。

【2】詞義猜測題。The attackers are attacked.攻擊者被攻擊了；The insects gather under the table.昆蟲聚集在桌子下面；The plants get ready to fight back.植物準(zhǔn)備反擊；help their neighbors when necessary必要時(shí)幫助鄰居；根據(jù)“But others do double duty. They pump out perfumes to attract different insects who are their natural enemies.”可知但也有人承擔(dān)雙重責(zé)任，它們會(huì)分泌香水來吸引天敵昆蟲，可推測出劃線部分顏色是“攻擊者被攻擊了”，故選A。

【3】推理判斷題。根據(jù)“it appears that these chemical conversations help the neighbors…but the neighbors stay safer because they heard the warning and knew what to do.”可知這些化學(xué)物質(zhì)的對話似乎對鄰居有幫助，鄰居們會(huì)更安全，因?yàn)樗麄兟牭搅司瘓?bào)，知道該怎么做，故選D。

【4】推理判斷題。根據(jù)“imagined a world far busier, noisier and more intimate than the world we can see and hear, our senses are weak.”可知想象一個(gè)比我們所能看到和聽到的世界更忙碌、更嘈雜、更親密的世界，我們的感官是脆弱的，可推測出世界比它看起來更豐富多彩。故選C。