Last year, brilliant’ botanists from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, discovered, identified and named 114 spectacular new species of plants and fungi (真菌) from around the world. Let’s find out more about some of Kew’s most wonderful new finds.
ROYAL MUSHROOM
NAME: Queen’s hedgehog fungus
FROM: Surrey, England
Named after the late Queen Elizabeth II, this rare fungus was found in an ancient forest in White Down, Surrey. According to the scientists who discovered it, the soft, white needles under the fungus’15cm-wide cap look like hedgehogs’ needles — giving it the second part of its name. Cool!
WORLD’S STRANGEST DAFFODIL
NAME: Sternbergia mishustinii
FROM: Turkey
The flowers of this rare species are bright yellow, but they’re only 2cm long and don't open up into a visible flower. Just 300 of these plants have been discovered, secret to hide them from illegal plant collectors.
RECORD-BREAKING WATERLILY
NAME: Giant Bolivian waterlily
FROM: Bolivia. South America
Check out this huge waterlily — its 3m wide leaves are big enough for a kid to float on! The big species has just won three Guinness World Records for largest waterlily, largest waterlily leaf and largest undivided leaf. And get this — although the giant plant was only named last year, a dried sample has been kept in Kew’s own Herbarium since 1845! Botanists had thought it was a similar, related species. Thankfully, the case of mistaken identity is all cleared up now. Unbe-leaf-able!
1. What’s Queen’s hedgehog fungus like?| A．It has yellow flowers. | B．It’s native to England. |
| C．It looks like hedgehogs. | D．It’s critically endangered. |
| A．The oldest fungi. | B．The biggest leaves. |
| C．The fastest growing plant. | D．The largest waterlily species |
| A．A botanical magazine. | B．A geographic textbook. |
| C．A historical document. | D．Guinness World Records. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Apps can help any users, even those who are not students, get more organized and improve their work. Whether or not you are a student, here are some apps worth considering.
Quizlet
Quizlet is a study aid app. It is filled with flash cards on many subjects to study. Quizlet has links to subjects like: Arts & Literature; Languages & Vocabulary; Math & Science; History & Geography; Standardized Tests; Professional & Careers. The app has a mix of text, images and audio recordings, including pronunciation of words in different languages. Quizlet has games to play and tests to take. Cards are available on the app even when you are not connected to the Internet. Quizlet is available as a free app from Apple’s iTunes store.
Free Graphing Calculator App
The Free Graphing Calculator lets the user create up to four graphs at once, and lets users adjust the graphs for the best views. You can change measurements within the image easily using the app. The mathematics and science guide within the app can explain some important math or science ideas. The Free Graphing Calculator is free. Users can pay to remove the advertising.
PomoDone App
The PomoDone app can help divide time into blocks for work and for breaks. The app on the computer helps keep track of time blocks for each activity. The app will say when it is time to take a break and when it is time to get back to work. PomoDone can work with other apps and help the user keep track of one’s activities over long periods of time. The app is available for computers from the PomoDone website. The app is free. Paid extra features are available.
1. What’s the same feature of the three apps?| A．They can be used to help users for free. |
| B．They can be used to divide time into blocks. |
| C．They can be used to explain some important maths. |
| D．They can be used to study English freely. |
| A．Remove the advertising for free. | B．Make a graph clearer. |
| C．Keep track of time blocks. | D．Study Arts & Literature. |
| A．At Apple’s iTunes store. | B．In the advertising column. |
| C．From the PomoDone website. | D．From the Free Graphing Calculator. |
【推荐2】“Giraffenap” has been created by a Japanese company and is intended to allow the user to take a rest while standing when you feel tired or sleepy with the aim of improving performance at work.
Rather than relying on coffee and endless yawns to try and make it through the workday, Koyoju Plywood Corporation declared about the “Giraffenap” that the nap box will allow you to “be refreshed” in just 20 minutes.
Giving in to your sleepiness and taking a 20-minute nap will apparently help improve your performance by recovering from tiredness, reducing stress, restoring memory and concentration, and improving creativity. A study by NASA has found that pilots who took a 26-minute nap experienced a 34 percent improvement in performance, and a 16 percent improvement in reaction time. “As a new way to take a break, we will provide a space where you can take a nap while standing in the office,” the site explains.
But why does it have to be standing? Well, the site explains that the research by Hokkaido University showed that sleeping while standing allows you to reach a sleep state in which you breathe lightly, so when you wake up you can feel the effect of a nap without having to sleep too much, and you can quickly return to work without feeling dizzy. Plus, making the box vertical (垂直的) rather than horizontal means that it takes up half as much floor space and makes it less likely that your boss will say there just isn’t room. The box also comes equipped with a fire extinguisher, smoke detector, and LED lighting for safety, and it blocks out sound from the outside to ensure a calm, sleep-worthy environment.
Now, I know what you’re thinking—wouldn’t you just fall down if you tried to sleep while standing? Well, not with Giraffenap’s design. The box is equipped with four points to support the body at the head, butt, legs and feet, meaning you can relax in the box while still remaining upright.
1. Where is the “Giraffenap” designed to be used?| A．At home. | B．In the field. |
| C．In the workplace. | D．In the classroom. |
| A．The benefits from taking a nap. | B．The new finding by NASA. |
| C．The ways of improving productivity. | D．The pilots’ experience with the “Giraffenap”. |
| A．It will ensure the sleepers’ safety. | B．The sleepers can breathe slowly. |
| C．It will occupy much less floor space. | D．The sleepers can enter a deeper sleep state. |
| A．They have limited mobility. | B．They will be disturbed by noise. |
| C．They come out feeling pretty dizzy. | D．They’re likely to suffer injuries. |
【推荐3】Safe Travel Abroad
Preparing to go traveling abroad can be really stressful (有压力的), especially if you don't know what to expect. Here is a list of important things to remember, so you know exactly what you need to do before you take off.
What vaccines (疫苗) do I need?
Go to your doctor for advice as soon as you know you're going traveling. They will know what vaccines you will need and will be able to advise you on when you need to have them. Remember, some vaccines need to be given months ahead, so make sure you book an appointment as early as possible.
Do I need a visa?
It's important that you have the correct official documents for traveling abroad. If you don't have the necessary paperwork, you might be refused entry. You'll need to check that your passport hasn't been out of date either.
How do I arrange travel insurance (保险)?
Travel insurance is really important. It can protect you in different kinds of situations, such as if you need medical treatment or if your flights are canceled. Travel insurance can be arranged easily online or over the phone, but you can always turn to your local travel agency. Travel agents will also be able to advise you on what you are insured against.
1. Who will most probably be interested in this text?| A．Those who work in insurance companies. |
| B．Those who need medical treatment. |
| C．Those who plan to travel abroad. |
| D．Those who want to take vaccines. |
| A．It can be really stressful to prepare to go traveling abroad. |
| B．You might be refused entry if you don't have necessary paperwork. |
| C．It's not difficult to arrange travel insurance online or over the phone. |
| D．Some vaccines need to be given ahead, for some vaccines cannot easily be bought sometimes. |
| A．To help you make a travel plan. |
| B．To tell you how to keep safe while traveling. |
| C．To give you some advice on travel preparations. |
| D．To suggest you buy insurance for your family. |
【推荐1】Imagine you are on a beautiful tropical beach. The blue water shines in the sun, and the sand is warm under your feet. You notice a small fruit in the sand. It looks like a little green apple. You pick it up and smell it... it smells sweet. But whatever you do. Don’t take a bite!
This is the fruit of the manchineel tree. It is the most poisonous tree in America. You can find it in Florida, as well as in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America.
If you were to eat the fruit, it would taste delicious. But then your mouth would start to burn. Your throat would tighten and make it difficult to breathe. You could even die.
The fruit isn’t the only risky part of the manchineel tree. The tree is full of milky white sap. Sap is a liquid that flows through a plant, like blood flows through a person. The manchineel’s sap is hazardous. If it gets on your skin, it will cause painful blisters. So don’t try to cut down these trees, because you could get sap all over you!
And if you try to burn manchineel wood, the smoke will choke and blind you.
Manchineel trees are dangerous, but they’re also an important part of the environments where they grow. Manchineels protect beaches with their strong roots. The roots help stop sand and soil from washing away. This is good for the plants, animals, and people living nearby. There aren’t many manchineel trees left in the world. So even though they’re harmful, people are trying to protect them. Still, if you see one, stay away!
1. What do we know about the manchineel tree?| A．It looks ugly. | B．Its fruit is dangerous. |
| C．Its fruit tastes terrible. | D．It grows in cool places. |
| A．Clear. | B．Smelly. |
| C．Sweet. | D．Unsafe. |
| A．To help people choose fruit. |
| B．To introduce the manchincel tree. |
| C．To improve people’s sense of safety. |
| D．To attract people to tropical beaches. |
【推荐2】Saving Seeds for Next Year’s Flower Garden
Just like vegetable seeds (种子), you can save flower seeds from your garden this year to plant in the following year.
If you want the same kind of flower or plant for next year’s garden, collect only the seeds from plants marked as “heritage”.
Even if you expect plants to be the same as their parents, it is not certain. Wind or insects could bring pollen from one plant to another and accidentally create a mixture.
Just like everything else in gardening, timing is important. Collect seeds on a dry, sunny day.
For plants like sunflowers, cut the head off the plant and drop it into a paper bag.
You can place the seeds in a glass box that can be sealed. Then store them in a cool, dry area. Make sure to mark your glass box so you do not forget what they are.
| A．Keep an eye on some flowers. |
| B．Let the seeds grow and fall naturally. |
| C．Give the bag a shake to help separate the seeds. |
| D．When stored with care, seeds are good for several years. |
| E．These kinds of plants will grow just like their parent plant. |
| F．In this case, add more seeds to the soil to make sure that some will grow. |
| G．You can avoid this by planting only the plant from which you plan to collect seeds. |
The Secret Language of Plants
Talking plants have long been a thing of myths and legends. Many cultures have stories of talking trees that give advice as well as warnings to people. Alexander the Great and Marco Polo were said to have visited such a tree in India. And in some modern stories, such as the film Avatar, trees can communicate with animals and people.
With us long believing that talking plants are fantasy, new research has revealed something amazing：it appears that plants can communicate after all.
It has been known for some time that plants use chemicals to communicate with each other. This happens when a plant, say a bean plant, gets attacked by insects. The plant releases tiny amounts of chemicals from the leaves that are being eaten. This is like a warning, or a call for help: “I’m being attacked!” When another bean plant detects the chemicals from its injured neighbour, it starts to release its own, different chemicals. Some of these chemicals drive insects away. Others attract insects—the wasps! The wasps kill the insects that are eating the bean plants. Scientists hope to learn more about this plant warning system, so that we can use it to grow crops without pesticides.
More surprisingly, plants also use sound to communicate. People can’t hear these sounds, but plants are making them. Some plants make noises with their roots. Corn and chilli plants do this. They also “listen” to the noises from other plants. A chilli plant can tell if a neighbouring plant is helpful, or unfriendly. Some trees make clicking noises when there is not enough water, indicating drought is arriving.
Most surprisingly of all, plants have an amazing system of communication that can link nearly every plant in a forest. Scientists call this system the “wood wide web”．It is in some ways similar to the Internet we use.]While the Internet is a worldwide network of computers linked by cables and satellites, the wood wide web is linked underground by fungi. This fungal network links the roots of different plants to each other. Using the wood wide web, plants can share information and even food with each other. For example, some pine trees can send food to smaller pine trees to help them grow. But just like our own Internet, the wood wide web has its own version of “cybercrime”．Plants can steal food from each other, or spread poisons to attack other plants. Perhaps one day scientists will learn how to create a “firewall” to help prevent these attacks within the wood wide web.
Scientists are learning more every day about the secret ways in which plants talk to each other. Who knows? Maybe one day we will know enough about plant communication to be able to “talk” with them ourselves.
1. What’s mainly talked about in the passage?| A．Scientists find plants can “talk” with each other. | B．Scientists find plants can “talk” with people. |
| C．Scientists aren’t sure whether plants can “talk”. | D．Scientists can use the secret language of plants. |
| A．Through calling for help. | B．Through driving insects away. |
| C．Through making special sounds. | D．Through releasing chemicals. |
| A．They can make noises as well as hearing noises from other plants. |
| B．They can detect the chemicals from the neighbours and make sounds. |
| C．They have been used by scientists to observe the state of the water. |
| D．They use sounds that can be heard by people to communicate. |
| A．An incredible communication system of plants. |
| B．The formation of the “wood wide web”． |
| C．The advantages and disadvantages of the “wood wide web”． |
| D．The “firewall” created by scientists for plants. |
