Question

    Global warming does more than just kill plant species-it also changes the way plants grow. Researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) joined forces with the Leibniz Institute for Plant Biochemistry (IPB) to discover the molecular processes of plant growth. In Current Biology, a scientific journal, they presented their findings on high-temperature plant growth. This could lead to developing plants that can survive global warming.

Plants react to even small temperature changes, but they are unable to move to new locations. “When temperatures rise, plants grow taller... to cool themselves off. Their stalks become taller, and their leaves become narrower and grow farther apart. Yet, this makes the plant more unstable overall,” explains Professor Marcel Quint, an agricultural scientist at MLU. Unstable plants bend faster in the rain and produce less food that’s also less nutritious.

There’s still lots to learn about plant reactions to temperatures. “We are just starting to understand how plants detect the changes in temperature...,” Quint says. Earlier studies have shown that the protein PIF4 directly controls plant growth and is also dependent on temperature. When it’s cold, PIF4 is less active, meaning the plant doesn’t grow. At higher temperatures, PIF4 activates growth-promoting genes, and the plant grows taller. This is new information, says Quint.

To understand it, they investigated the growth of thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana,) seedlings. Normally, its seedlings form short stems at 20℃. These stems become considerably longer at 28℃. They discovered a hormone  that activates the PIF4 at high temperatures, thus producing the protein. The findings of the Halle group may help to breed plants that remain stable even at high temperatures and produce many crops.

1.Why did the researchers at MLU and IPB conduct their research?

A.To study the negative effects of global warming.

B.To find out how plants help reduce global warming.

C.To observe how global warming affects plant growth.

D.To understand the ways that plants cause global warming.

2.What can we learn from Paragraph 2?

A.Low temperatures have little impact on plants.

B.Plants prefer dry weather to rainy weather.

C.Plants are very sensitive to changes in soil.

D.High temperatures decrease crop production.

3.What do we know about PIF4?

A.It mainly exists in the cress seedlings.

B.It works differently at different temperatures.

C.It is a kind of gene that controls plant growth.

D.It is a plant hormone that works at high temperatures.

4.Who will probably benefit most from the findings?

A.Farmers. B.Botanists.

C.Researchers. D.Environmentalists.

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.B

4.A

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。全球变暖不仅杀死了植物物种，还改变了植物的生长方式。有研究发现，全球变暖会导致农作物产量减少，且营养含量降低。文章还介绍了植物能够察觉温暖变化的原因是PIF4蛋白直接控制植物的生长。以及和研究人员发现了能够使高温下也能保持稳定的植物，并能生产许多农作物。

1.推理判断题。根据第一段中Researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) joined forces with the Leibniz Institute for Plant Biochemistry (IPB) to discover the molecular processes of plant growth.In Current Biology, a scientific journal, they presented their findings on high-temperature plant growth. This could lead to developing plants that can survive global warming.可知，Martin Luther大学的研究人员与Leibniz植物生物化学研究所(IPB)合作，发现了植物生长的分子过程。在科学期刊《当代生物学》上，他们介绍了他们关于高温植物生长的发现。这可能导致开发出能够抵御全球变暖的植物。由此判断出，为什么MLU和IPB的研究人员进行他们的研究是为了观察全球变暖如何影响植物生长。故选C。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段中“When temperatures rise, plants grow taller... to cool themselves off. Their stalks become taller, and their leaves become narrower and grow farther apart. Yet, this makes the plant more unstable overall,” explains Professor Marcel Quint, an agricultural scientist at MLU. Unstable plants bend faster in the rain and produce less food that’s also less nutritious.可知“当温度上升时，植物会长得更高……它们的茎变得更高，叶变得更窄，离得更远。然而，这使得植物总体上更加不稳定，”MLU的农业科学家Marcel Quint教授解释说。不稳定的植物在雨中弯得更快，产生的食物也更少，营养价值也更低。由此可知，温度升高最终会导致农作物产量减少，且营养含量降低，故选D。

3.细节理解题。根据第三段中Earlier studies have shown that the protein PIF4 directly controls plant growth and is also dependent on temperature.When it’s cold, PIF4 is less active, meaning the plant doesn’t grow. At higher temperatures, PIF4 activates growth-promoting genes, and the plant grows taller.可知早期的研究表明，PIF4蛋白直接控制植物的生长，也依赖于温度。当天气寒冷时，PIF4不那么活跃，这意味着植物不能生长。在较高的温度下，PIF4激活生长促进基因，植物长高。由此可知，PIF4在不同的温度下工作不同。故选B。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段中The findings of the Halle group may help to breed plants that remain stable even at high temperatures and produce many crops.可知，Halle团队的研究发现可能有助于培育即使在高温下也能保持稳定的植物，并能生产许多农作物。由此可推知，农民最受益。故选A。