Question

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 another B.predict natural disasters

C.protect themselves against insects D.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.D

2.A

3.D

4.C

【解析】

本文主要讲述了当多叶植物受到攻击时，不会坐以待毙这一论点，并围绕这一论点展开叙述。研究发现，当植物受到攻击时，会发出VOCs，以此来保护自己或者与周围的植物通过化学物质进行交流。

1.细节理解题。根据“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”可知这些化学物质来自植物的受伤部位，似乎是一种警告，植物在空气中吸收的是一种被称为挥发性有机化合物(VOCs)的化学混合物，故选D。

2.词义猜测题。The attackers are attacked.攻击者被攻击了；The insects gather under the table.昆虫聚集在桌子下面；The plants get ready to fight back.植物准备反击；help their neighbors when necessary必要时帮助邻居；根据“But others do double duty. They pump out perfumes to attract different insects who are their natural enemies.”可知但也有人承担双重责任，它们会分泌香水来吸引天敌昆虫，可推测出划线部分颜色是“攻击者被攻击了”，故选A。

3.推理判断题。根据“it appears that these chemical conversations help the neighbors…but the neighbors stay safer because they heard the warning and knew what to do.”可知这些化学物质的对话似乎对邻居有帮助，邻居们会更安全，因为他们听到了警报，知道该怎么做，故选D。

4.推理判断题。根据“imagined a world far busier, noisier and more intimate than the world we can see and hear, our senses are weak.”可知想象一个比我们所能看到和听到的世界更忙碌、更嘈杂、更亲密的世界，我们的感官是脆弱的，可推测出世界比它看起来更丰富多彩。故选C。