Question

    Even though they're not the most exciting things in the world, plants have attracted us ever since the days of early humans. They may not do any tricks or greet us when we come home at night like a dog would, but that doesn't mean they're any less interesting than animals.

However, just when we thought we knew everything we could about them, a recent study found that plants may have a secret ability that has gone unnoticed all this time.

According to the study by Australian biologist Monica Gagliano, published in the journal Oecologia, plants may be able to "hear” sounds . To come to this conclusion, Gagliano and her team planted pea seedlings （幼苗）in a pair of different Y-shaped pots with two arms. The first pot's arms led to fresh water, while the other's led to either dry soil or a sealed （密封的）plastic tube containing flowing water. Naturally, the first pot's seedlings grew toward the water. What's surprising, however, is that the second pot's seedlings grew toward the sealed water supply but not the soil.

"They just knew the water was there even if the only thing to discover was the sound of it flowing inside the pipe, ” Gagliano told Scientific American . She believes that plants are able to use their leaves to discover sound waves, which make tiny vibrations （振动）as they're produced. This could explain why so many people believe that singing or playing music to their plants helps them grow. “ I had a plant that I used to wash the leaves of once a week and sing to," plant lover Heather Goodall told BBC News. "It grew from being about 2 feet tall to 7 feet tall in just a couple of years."

So, does this mean we should start treating our plants like pets? Not necessarily, although perhaps it does mean we should give them more respect. "I would like to see plants accepted more as the amazing and interesting living beings, and less as just a source of human nutrition," Fatima Cvrckova, a scientist at Charles University in the Czech Republic, told BBC News.

1.What did Gagliano find in their study?

A.Plants can recognize the sound of water.

B.Sound can change the direction plants grow toward.

C.Plants can tell the difference between various sounds.

D.Different plants can discover sounds in different ways.

2.What do plants use to hear sound according to Gagliano?

A.Their roots B.Their flowers

C.Their fruits D.Their leaves

3.Why does the author mention Heather Goodall's example?

A.To show a different way of growing plants.

B.To inspire people to sing to their plants often.

C.To prove that music plays a role in plant growth.

D.To stress the importance of treating plants like pets.

4.What would Cvrckova probably agree with?

A.Plants are just a source of human nutrition.

B.There is still a lot we do not know about plants.

C.Plants are unbelievable and deserve more respect.

D.Most people do not care enough about their plants.

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.C

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。科学家发现植物拥有一种神奇功能---听力。

1.

推理判断题。根据文章第二段However, just when we thought we knew everything we could about them, a recent study found that plants may have a secret ability that has gone unnoticed all this time（然而，就在我们以为对植物了如指掌的时候，最近的一项研究发现，植物可能有一种一直被人们忽视的秘密能力）和第三段实验的结果Naturally, the first pot's seedlings grew toward the water. What's surprising, however, is that the second pot's seedlings grew toward the sealed water supply but not the soil（很自然，第一个花盆的幼苗就朝着水的方向生长。然而，令人惊讶的是，第二盆的幼苗是朝着密封的水源而不是土壤生长的）以及第四段They just knew the water was there even if the only thing to discover was the sound of it flowing inside the pipe, Gagliano told Scientific American（Gagliano告诉《科学美国人》:“他们知道水就在那里，即使唯一能发现的只是水在管道里流动的声音）可知，种子会依靠听力寻找水源。综合分析，故选A项。

2.

细节理解题。根据文章第四段She believes that plants are able to use their leaves to discover sound waves, which make tiny vibrations as they're produced（她认为，植物能够利用它们的叶子发现声波，声波产生时产生微小的振动）可知，植物通过叶子来听声音。故选D项。

3.

推理判断题。作者在举Heather Goodall的例子前提到This could explain why so many people believe that singing or playing music to their plants helps them grow（这就解释了为什么那么多人相信唱歌或播放音乐有助于植物生长），然后用一个举Heather Goodall的例子来验证这个论点即来证明音乐在植物生长中起作用。故选C项。

4.

推理判断题。根据最后一段提到So, does this mean we should start treating our plants like pets? Not necessarily, although perhaps it does mean we should give them more respect. "I would like to see plants accepted more as the amazing and interesting living beings, and less as just a source of human nutrition," Fatima Cvrckova, a scientist at Charles University in the Czech Republic, told BBC News（那么，这是否意味着我们应该开始像对待宠物一样对待我们的植物呢?不一定，尽管这可能意味着我们应该给予他们更多的尊重。捷克共和国查尔斯大学的科学家Fatima Cvrckova在接受BBC新闻采访时表示:我希望植物更多地作为一种神奇有趣的生物而被接受，而不是仅仅作为人类营养的来源）可知，Cvrckova认为植物应当被当做神奇而有趣而受到尊敬。故选C项。