文章大意:这是一篇说明文。对植物来说,香味是与昆虫和其他动物互动的一种方式。它们对人的吸引力完全是偶然发生的。文章主要说明了植物是如何通过香味来保护自己以及繁殖的。
Humans have long gained pleasure from the smells of the natural world. For the most part, though, human beings are not their target market. For plants, fragrances are a way to interact with insects and other animals. Their attraction for people happens simply by chance.
In chemical terms, most natural fragrances are made up of volatiles — so called because of their tendency to change states suddenly. Volatiles evaporate easily, drifting into noses. In plants’ reproductive processes, smelly volatiles attract pollinators (授粉昆虫). But their natural applications are much more varied. If an insect chews through the leaves of some Bursera plants, out shoots a sticky, smelly liquid to trap it. Coyote tobacco plants are even more crafty: upon sensing the smell of hungry caterpillars, they produce volatiles that attract predators to kill the pests.
What is truly amazing is just how wily plants can be in using their scents for reproduction. White flowers often emit their scent at night to attract nocturnal pollinators such as moths. They produce a dilute nectar (稀释的花蜜) that encourages moths to keep moving, rather than linger at a single bloom—all the better to increase pollination. Other flowers change their fragrance after being successfully pollinated, as a signal for insects to go elsewhere.
But though “Scent” is a story of plants’ cleverness, it is also a tale of the human kind. People have long used fragrances for their own purposes, particularly for use in religious ceremonies: perfume recipes on the walls of an Egyptian temple in Edfu demonstrate just how long ingredients have been mixed in pursuit of the best blend. So highly prized were some scents that, to scare off competitors, Arab traders spread a legend about giant eagles that guarded cinnamon.
Eventually scientists no longer needed natural sources for fragrances. In 1866 a fragrance molecule was produced for the first time. Sixteen years later, Houbigant Parfum released Fougère Royale, the first “modern fantasy perfume” that creates an imaginary scent rather than copying a natural one. Nowadays fragrance–making is dominated by man–made compounds, which can be reliably and affordably produced in large quantities.
That has led to the mass production of smelly products, from toilet paper to toothpaste. Scent is accordingly big business. It is said that a world–famous fragrance and flavour manufacturer that claims people interact with its products up to 30 times a day, had sales of €3.8bn last year.
8. According to Paragraph 1 and 2, which would the author agree with?
A.Some plants might kill the pests with their smells. |
B.Fragrance is a tool for plants to protect themselves. |
C.People interact with nature easily through fragrance. |
D.Fragrances are less important to humans than to animals and insects. |
9. What does the underlined word “prized” in Paragraph 4 most probably mean?
A.Developed. | B.Rewarded. | C.Mixed. | D.Valued. |
10. What can we learn from the passage?
A.Humans do not use fragrances as purposefully as plants do. |
B.Natural sources for fragrances will be out of date in the future. |
C.Plants use fragrances to both attract and send away pollinators. |
D.Man–made fragrances have to be produced by copying natural ones. |
11. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.Plants Smell, Insects Prey | B.Smartness behind Fragrance |
C.Fragrance: To Make or Not to Make | D.Fragrance Connects Human & Nature |