Question

    Plants on mountains

Mountains are more than 500 meters tall and it’s not easy for plants to live on them. The wind is strong. The soil is thin and rocky. Which plants can live there? Come and see some of them.

	They look like a small cushion(垫子). They grow together and they are less than 30 cm tall. But they can be 3 meters wide. People also call the plants “ecosystem engineers”. That’s because many other plants live under them. Cushion plants keep the cold away. They make the soil inside soft and wet. In this way, cushion plants help other plants survive(生存).
	The snow lotus lives at elevations ranging from 2,400 to 4,000 meters. The climate there is cold. It always snows and the air is thin. Most plants will die. But the snow lotus grows well. A snow lotus can be 15 to 35 cm tall. People use it in medicine.
	The evergreen saxifrage has star-shaped flowers. Most saxifrages are very small — less than 12 cm tall. They grow very slowly in cold environments. Saxifrages can live both in the mountains and in your garden, yet they are not resistant (耐受的) to high temperatures.

1.According to the passage, which are the smallest plants?

A.Cushion plants B.Snow lotuses C.Saxifrages

2.What do we know about cushion plants?

A.They can grow up to 3 meters tall.

B.They can protect the plants under them from the cold.

C.They need to live in soft and wet soil.

3.Which plants can be used in medicine?

A.Cushion plants B.Snow lotuses C.Saxifrages

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.B

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文，主要介绍了高山上植物很难生存，土壤薄而多岩石。在这种条件下，有部分种类的植物可以生存。本文主要介绍了在高山上生存的三种植物。

1.

细节理解题。根据“They grow together and they are less than 30 cm tall.”它们长在一起，高度不足30厘米。根据“A snow lotus can be 15 to 35 cm tall.”一朵雪莲有15到35厘米高。 根据“Most saxifrages are very small — less than 12 cm tall.”大多数虎耳草都很小——不到12厘米高。可知虎耳草是最小的植物。故选C。

2.

细节理解题。根据“But they can be 3 meters wide.”但它们可以有3米宽。可知垫状植物是可以长到3米的宽带，不是高度，故A项错误；根据“Cushion plants keep the cold away.”垫状植物防寒。且根据“In this way, cushion plants help other plants survive.”这样，垫状植物帮助其他植物生存。可知垫状植物可以保护下面的植物不受冻。故B项正确；根据“They make the soil inside soft and wet”它们使里面的土壤又软又湿。可知垫状植物不是生长在湿软的土壤里。故C项错误。故选B。

3.

细节理解题。根据“A snow lotus can be 15 to 35 cm tall. People use it in medicine.”一朵雪莲有15到35厘米高。人们在医学上使用它。可知雪莲是可以药用。故选B。