Question

    Researchers have found, for the first time plants letting out sounds when they are stressed. According to a study a team of scientists recorded tomato and tobacco (烟草) plants producing sound frequencies which humans cannot hear in stressful situations—such as when they experienced a lack of water or their stems (茎) were cut.

Previous research has shown that plants respond to stress by producing several visual and chemical signals. For example, stressed plants may differ in color and shape compared to unstressed plants. Meanwhile, some are also known to let out things in response to drought (干旱) or being eaten.

The latest study, meanwhile, is the first to identify plants making sounds which can be detected over a distance. 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 per hour on average, 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 an influence on agriculture. “Plant sound production could offer a new way for monitoring crops water state—a question of key importance in agriculture”, the authors wrote in the study more precise irrigation can save up to 50 percent of the water cost and increase the production.

“In times when more and more areas are exposed to drought due to climate change, while human population and consumption keep increasing, effective water use becomes even more important for food security”, they said “Our results, showing the ability to distinguish between drought-stressed and control plants on the basis of plant sounds, open a new direction in the field of precision agriculture.”

1.Which of the following best describes plants’ response to stress in the study?

A.Sing. B.Laugh.

C.Cry. D.Sigh.

2.What can we know from the first 3 paragraphs?

A.Humans can hear the sound produced by plants.

B.Stressed and unstressed plants look the same.

C.Plants in stressful situations make the fewest sounds.

D.Stressed tomato plants make more sounds than tobacco.

3.How can the study help agriculture?

A.Lower the cost. B.Better the quality.

C.Monitor climate change. D.Control the pests.

4.In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?

A.Science. B.Health.

C.Education. D.Culture.

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.A

4.A

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。研究人员通过对西红柿和烟草植物在缺水或其茎被切断时的观测，首次发现，植物在压力下会发出声音，并讲述了这项研究发现对农业生产应用的影响。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段中According to a study a team of scientists recorded tomato and tobacco (烟草) plants producing sound frequencies which humans cannot hear in stressful situations—such as when they experienced a lack of water or their stems (茎) were cut. 根据一项研究，一组科学家记录了西红柿和烟草植物产生的声音频率，这些频率人类在紧张的情况下听不到，比如缺水或茎被切断。由植物在缺水或者茎被切断时声音会发出，可知，在这项研究中，cry“发出刺耳的叫声”最能描述植物对压力的反应。故选C项。

2.推理判断题。根据第一段中Researchers have found, for the first time plants letting out sounds when they are stressed. 研究人员首次发现，植物在压力下会发出声音。以及第三段中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. 研究小组发现，番茄植株在干旱条件下平均每小时发出35种声音，而烟草植株发出11种声音。当这些植物的茎被切断时，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。通过数字的对比，可知，从前三段我们可以知道压力大的番茄比烟草发出的声音更大。故选D项。

3.细节理解题。根据第四段中“Plant sound production could offer a new way for monitoring crops water state—a question of key importance in agriculture”, the authors wrote in the study more precise irrigation can save up to 50 percent of the water cost and increase the production. 研究报告的作者们在报告中写道：“植物声音的产生可以为监测作物的水状况提供一种新方法——这是农业中一个非常重要的问题。”更精确的灌溉可以节省高达50%的水成本，并提高产量。可知，这项研究帮助农业降低了成本。故选A项。

4.推理判断题。根据第一段中Researchers have found, for the first time plants letting out sounds when they are stressed.研究人员首次发现，植物在压力下会发出声音；最后一段中“Our results, showing the ability to distinguish between drought-stressed and control plants on the basis of plant sounds, open a new direction in the field of precision agriculture.” “我们的研究结果,以植物的声音为基础，显示了区分有干旱压力和控制植物的能力,打开一个精准农业领域的新方向。”可知，本篇文章主要介绍了植物在压力下会发出声音，并介绍了了这项研究发现对农业生产应用的影响，因此这篇文章可能出现在报纸的科学版面。故选A项。