Imagine this: you sit down and begin to eat a tasty tomato when, suddenly, it starts to scream (尖叫). While this thing will never really happen, a new study showed that plants can make sounds when they are stressed.
Researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel did the study. They used ultrasonic microphones (超声波麦克风) to record the sounds of tomato plants in boxes.
Three groups of plants were listened to : One group wasn’t watered for five days, another group had the stems (茎) cut off, and the third group, was untouched. It turned out that the first two groups made sounds 30 to 50 times per hour at a frequency(频率) of 40 to 80 kilohertz, while the untouched group only made the sound once per hour. “When tomatoes are not stressed at all, they are very quiet,” Lilach Hadany from the team told CNN.
The researchers don’t know how the sounds are made, but they believe the noise comes from the breaking of air bubbles in the plants. This means the noise produced by the plants is not intentional (故意的) or a form of active communication.
Although there’s no evidence(证据) that plants can intentionally communicate, animals and insects may be “listening in” to benefit from the sound. For example, the sound can tell moth that the plant is under stress and not suitable (合适的) to lay eggs on. An animal that wants to eat a plant could also use the sounds to make decisions, according to Science Focus.
After the experiment, the researchers listened to other plants such as wheat (小麦), corn and grapevine, and found they also made more sounds when stressed. Researchers said the study can benefit farmers in the future, as they can better take care of the crops(庄稼) by “hearing” how plants feel.
1. What is the finding of the study by researchers from Tel Aviv University? ________| A．Plants often feel stressed. |
| B．Some plants can scream. |
| C．Plants can make sounds when stressed. |
| D．Plants can communicate with each other. |
| A．A group that is fully-grown. |
| B．A group which has its fruits picked. |
| C．A group that is watered regularly. |
| D．A group that has suitable temperature. |
| A．Plants make sounds on purpose. |
| B．Plants receive messages from animals. |
| C．Plants make noise in a high frequency. |
| D．Air bubbles in the plants can break. |
| A．It may help improve crop production. |
| B．It will help protect the environment. |
| C．It can help farmers predict weather. |
| D．It helps farmers decide what to plant. |
| A．Plants can also “scream” | B．Tasty vegetables |
| C．How can vegetables make sounds | D．Imagination about vegetables |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】From Asia to America and everywhere in between, Swing—an energetic form of dance that includes six-step and eight-step rhythms (节奏)—has taken the world by storm. Making a recent comeback, swing dance floors have popped up all over the world. Many clubs makes fans of Swing happy by holding nights when swing music is played, and sometimes even offering classes to attract customers.
Though Swing is now popular worldwide, it first appeared alongside the jazz movements of the 1920s and 1930s in New York city. While listening to jazz, the young black people of that time developed the movement of the Lindy Hop—a style of dance that is best known for a break away or “swing out” move and sudden improvisation (即兴表演).
It was reportedly given this name when a reporter was interviewing a person at the dance hall who was watching other couples dance. When asked what that dance was called, the watcher looked at a newspaper next to him that had an article about Lindbergh—the first person to fly alone across the Atlantic—which was titled “Lindy Hops the Atlantic”. Then the watcher announced that the “Lindy Hop” was the name of the dance, and it has stuck since then.
In 1926, the Savoy Ballroom was the first large business to offer a place for people to listen to swing music and dance. With its huge dance floor, the savoy became a big success overnight, attracting some of the best dancers and musicians in the New York area Within ten years, the Lindy Hops was sweeping through the US and became a symbol of unity, as young people of all racial (种族的) backgrounds crowded into dance halls to swing the night away. Traditional dance teachers did not welcome it because the thought it was not even a real dance and were quite sure about its demise but Swing has proved them wrong; it continues to be one of the world’s most fun dances.
1. The writing purpose of the passage is ________.| A．to introduce a popular form of dance |
| B．to discover the fun secrets of a dance |
| C．to tell stories about an energetic dance |
| D．to describe the special moves of a dance |
| A．challenge | B．change | C．development | D．death |
| A．It’s a lovely dance with strict rules. | B．It has a close connection to a pilot. |
| C．It has a history of around 90 years. | D．It attracts mostly young black people. |
| A．The dance style will soon be accepted by traditional dance teachers. |
| B．The name was changed from “Lindy Hop” to “Swing”in the 1940s. |
| C．The movement of different Swing dancers always look the same. |
| D．The dance might have become unpopular sometime in its history. |
5 Great British Bands | |||||
| Name | Origin | Dates | Main band members | Famous song/album | Honours |
| The Beatles | Liverpool | 1960-70 | John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr | The Beatles (The White Album) | Best- selling band in history |
| The Rolling Stones | London | 1962 - present | Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood, Bill Wyman | It’s Only Rock’n Roll | 4th on ‘100 Greatest Artists of All Time’ list (Rolling Stones magazine) |
| The Who | London | 1964 -82, 1985, 1988 - 89, 1996 - present | Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, Kenney Jones | My Generation | Have seven albums on Rolling Stone magazine’s ‘500 Greatest Albums of All Time’ |
| Led Zeppelin | London | 1968 -80 ( reunions: 1985,1988, 1995, 2007) | John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant | Stairway to Heaven | Second best-selling band ever in the USA |
| Pink Floyd | London | 1965 - 1995, (one-off reunion: 2005) | Syd Berrett, Roger Waters, Richard Wright, Nick Mason, David Gilmour | The Dark Side of the Moon | Sold more than 250 million albums worldwide |
1. ________ formed in Liverpool.
| A．The Beatles | B．The Rolling Stones | C．The Who | D．Led Zeppelin |
| A．The Rolling Stones | B．The Who | C．Led Zeppelin | D．Pink Floyd |
| A．The Beatles | B．The Rolling Stones | C．The Who | D．Led Zeppelin |
| A．It’s Only Rock’n Roll | B．My Generation |
| C．Stairway to Heaven | D．The Dark Side of the Moon |
| A．John Lennon | B．Keith Richards | C．John Paul | D．Richard Wright |
Think your winter is cold? Temperatures in Yakutsk (雅库茨克) fell to -62.7℃ in January this year—the coldest in more than twenty years, scientists say.
Yakutsk is the capital of Russia’s Sakha Republic. It is just 300 miles south of the Arctic Circle (北极圈). It is widely thought of as the coldest city in the world. People there know the key to keeping warm: Just dress warmly, like a cabbage. In the winter, the city is covered with “ice fog”. That happens when air is so cold that warmer air from houses, people and cars can’t go up.
Pyotr Beketov built Yakutsk in 1632. Today, it is the scientific, cultural and economic center for the Russian Far East Federal Region. The city has a population of more than 330,000. They mainly live on dairy products (奶制品), meat and fish. Although there are rich natural resources (资源), many people live a poor life. Some even live in places worse than their farm animals’ living places. The city also has some special museums. Permafrost Kingdom is one of the most popular, It is an underground museum with beautiful ice sculpture (冰雕). Its summers are cool, but visiting Yakutsk in winter is not a good idea.
It you want to experience this kind of life in Yakutsk, please come and see.
1. How does the writer start the passage?| A．By telling a story. | B．By asking a question. | C．By listing reasons. | D．By giving examples. |
① Where it is. ② When “ice fog” happens.
③ How people keep warm in the winter. ④ What people usually do in the winter.
| A．①②③ | B．①②④ | C．②③④ | D． ①③④ |
| A．Yakutsk has a history of over 500 years. |
| B．The best time to visit Yakutsk is in winter. |
| C．People in Yakutsk mainly eat vegetables in their daily life: |
| D．Yakutsk has a popular underground museum with ice sculptures. |
| A．Very boring. | B．Really busy. | C．Not easy. | D．Full of hunger. |
| A．In a science report. | B．In a travel guide. | C．In a personal diary. | D．In a business newspaper. |
【推荐1】Do you like growing vegetables or flowers? Do you enjoy gardening? Here is advice for you if you want to do better in gardening.
Choose a good place.
First of all, it’s important to find a good place for your garden. A sunny place usually works best. All plants need some sunlight, and most of them need lots of it to grow.
Check for good soil (土壤).
There are some different kinds of soil for plants. The best kind is called loam. It has lots of nutrients (养分) and helps your plants grow well.
Look after your plants well.
It’s necessary to check your garden often and care for your plants. When you are trying to grow vegetables or flowers, you should give special care to make them strong and healthy.
________
When you have problems about gardening, you can read some books. You can also find some useful information on the Internet.
1. How many suggestions does the writer give?| A．3. | B．4. | C．5. | D．6. |
| A．suitable | B．poor | C．dry | D．dirty |
| A．Learn to care for plants. | B．Enjoy gardening with friends. |
| C．Gardening is helpful and fun. | D．Get help if necessary. |
| A．Whether sunlight is important to plants. |
| B．How often people should water their plants. |
| C．Why good soil is important to plants. |
| D．What a right place for plants should be like. |
| A．Health. | B．Clothes. | C．Interests. | D．Exercise. |
In recent years, plastic pollution has become one of the most serious environmental problems around the world. Many countries have been looking for ways for a better future. On November 7, 2022, China started a “bamboo instead of plastic” activity with the International Bamboo and Rattan organization （INBAR国际竹藤组织）. This will hopefully increase the use of green bamboo products and reduce plastic pollution.
Bamboo is a renewable natural resource（资源） of great value. Unlike trees which usually need so long time to fully grow, bamboo can be harvested （收割） in 3 to 5 years. As long as it is protected well, bamboo can be cut every year and doesn’t have to be replanted. Bamboo can be used to make different kinds of products. These products can replace plastic products in many fields, such as packaging （包装）and building. Moreover, bamboo is an innocuous material. It doesn’t cause any pollution when it has to be thrown away.
China is one of the countries with the richest bamboo resources in the world. The Chinese are a pioneer in the use of bamboo. Provinces Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan and Guizhou have set up companies to produce and develop bamboo products. What’s more, China is also sharing its technologies and experience to help other countries with rich bamboo resources. It is hoped that countries will work together for green development around the world.
1. Why did China start the “bamboo instead of plastic” activity?| A．To ask people to protect bamboo. |
| B．To advise people to plant more bamboo. |
| C．To encourage people to use bamboo instead of plastic. |
| D．To invite people to learn about Chinese bamboo culture. |
| A．One to two years. | B．Three to five years. |
| C．Two to three years. | D．More than five years. |
| A．Harmless. | B．Cheap. | C．Strong. | D．Light. |
| A．China is the only country that has the richest bamboo resources. |
| B．China hopes to set up more companies in other countries. |
| C．Some countries will learn from China in using bamboo resources. |
| D．Hunan and Guizhou will set up companies to produce bamboo products. |
| A．Chinese Bamboo Products | B．Less Plastic, More Bamboo |
| C．Bamboo in Chinese Culture | D．Countries with Rich Bamboo |
【推荐3】What’s the end of the world for a chocolate lover? Somewhere with no chocolates! Scientists said the world could run out of chocolate within 40 years. It is because global warming is bad for cacao (可可) trees.
The trees can only grow within 20 degrees north and south of the equator (赤道). They like rich rain. However, the rising temperatures can make the air dryer. It also makes the land less fit for growing cacao. The warming weather could also make tree illnesses spread faster.
Although warming weather is making trouble for cacao planting, we’ll still have it in the near future.
The world is trying to do what it can to save our favorite candy. Scientists are working to make the cacao plants strong against illnesses. They are using gene editing (基因编辑) to change the DNA of cacao.
Another way to save chocolate is a growing method called cabruca from Brazil. It lets cacao grow without changing its genes. This method plants more rainforest trees to provide cacao tees with shade. It can cool the cacao down and keep the land soil wet.
What’s more, cacao is also produced in the Caribbean, India and Australia. These countries can help with growing more cacao if necessary.
1. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．Where cacao trees like to grow. |
| B．What makes cacao trees seldom ill. |
| C．Why global warming is bad for cacao trees. |
| D．What the best temperature for cacao trees is. |
| A．By changing the weather. |
| B．By changing the DNA of cacao. |
| C．By using more medicine on cacao trees. |
| D．By planting cacao trees in more counties. |
| A．阴凉 | B．营养 | C．热量 | D．雨水 |
| A．To teach people how to plant cacao trees. |
| B．To help people produce more chocolate. |
| C．To show people chocolate is running out. |
| D．To tell people hotter weather is bad for cacao trees. |
