Question

    According to a study published in the pre-print website bioRxiv, a team of Israeli scientists recorded tomato and tobacco plants producing sound frequencies which humans cannot hear in stressful situations—such as when they experienced a lack of water or their stems were cut. The team identified the sounds with microphones placed around 10 centimeters (around four inches) away from the plants, though the scientists say the noises could potentially be heard several feet away by some mammals and insects, such as mice.

Plants exposed to drought stress have been shown to experience cavitation (空化现象)— a process where air bubbles (气泡)form, expand and explode inside tissue that transports water. These explosions produce sound, but they have only ever been recorded using devices directly connected to the plants. The latest study, meanwhile, is the first to identify plants making sounds which can be detected over a distance. And the researchers say that cavitation could potentially be the source of these sounds.

The team detected the tomato plants made 35 sounds an hour on average when they were exposed to drought conditions, while the tobacco plants produced 11. When the stems of the plants were cut, the tomato plants made 25 sounds an hour on average and the tobacco plants produced 15. As a comparison, unstressed plants made less than one sound hour on aver-age, according to the study.

The team say that while they only tested tomato and tobacco. It's possible that other plants could also produce sounds, adding that the latest findings could have implications for agriculture. ''Plant sound emissions could offer a novel way for monitoring crops' water state—a question of vital importance in agriculture, '' the authors wrote in the study. ''More Precise irrigation can save up to 50 percent of the water consumption and increase the output, with dramatic economic implications. ''

''According to Anne Visscher from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the U. K., the idea that the sounds could be used in precision agriculture is 'practical' though she urges caution regarding the Israeli team's suggestion that other animals could hear the sounds at a distance, '' New Scientist reported.

1.What do the Israeli scientists find about plants?

A.Stressed plants tend to lack water.

B.Some plants can understand humans' sounds.

C.Stressed plants can make more frequent sounds.

D.Some mammals and insects can communicate with plants.

2.What can we learn about cavitation?

A.It may contribute to the plants' sounds.

B.It may lead to plants experiencing drought.

C.It is determined by the number of air bubbles.

D.It was identified and recorded for the first time.

3.How many sounds do the tomato plants make per hour on average when cut?

A.11. B.15.

C.25. D.35.

4.What's Anne Visscher's attitude to applying the study to agriculture?

A.Supportive. B.Cautious.

C.Reserved. D.Opposed.

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.C

4.A

【解析】

本文是说明文。以色列科学家研究表明，植物在压力大的时候会发出声音，并说明这一研究可以应用在农业上。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段的According to a study published in the pre-print website bioRxiv, a team of Israeli scientists recorded tomato and tobacco plants producing sound frequencies which humans cannot hear in stressful situations—such as when they experienced a lack of water or their stems were cut.(根据发表在印预网站bioRxiv的一项研究，一组以色列科学家记录了西红柿和烟草植物发出的声音频率，例如缺水或茎被切断的时候，这些频率人类是下无法听到的)可知，以色列科学家研究表明，植物在受压的时候会发出声音。C. Stressed plants can make more frequent sounds.(受压力的植物可以发出更频繁的声音)符合以上说法，故选C项。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段的Plants exposed to drought stress have been shown to experience cavitation — a process where air bubbles form, expand and explode inside tissue that transports water. These explosions produce sound(受到干旱胁迫的植物已经被证明会出现空化现象——一个空气泡形成、扩大和在组织内部爆炸的过程。这些爆炸会产生声音)可知，研究人员认为空化现象可能是这些声音的来源，空化现象过程中植物可能会产生声音。A. It may contribute to the plants’ sounds.(这可能导致植物声音的产生)符合以上说法，故选A项。

3.细节理解题。根据第三段的When the stems of the plants were cut, the tomato plants made 25 sounds an hour on average and the tobacco plants produced 15.可知，当茎被切断时，番茄植株平均每小时发出25个声音，烟草植株每小时发出15个声音。C. 25.符合以上说法，故选C项。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段''According to Anne Visscher from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the U. K., the idea that the sounds could be used in precision agriculture is 'practical' though she urges caution regarding the Israeli team's suggestion that other animals could hear the sounds at a distance, '' New Scientist reported.可知，尽管英国皇家植物园的安妮·维斯彻对以色列研究小组提出的其他动物可以听到远处声音的看法持谨慎态度，但她认为这种声音可以用于精准农业的想法是可行的。由此推测，她对把该研究应用到农业是持赞同态度的。A.Supportive.(支持的)符合以上说法，故选A项。