1 . Think plants are just boring green things that you use for food and decoration? Think again! Plants are able to do some pretty awesome things that you’re probably totally unaware of.
Researchers have discovered that plants have the ability to communicate with an underground network made up of fungus (真菌) , which serves the plants in many ways. Tomato plants use the fungus web to warn each other of their own unhealthy conditions. Trees connected through the fungus network could move nutrients (养分) to and from each other. It is believed that larger trees move nutrients to smaller ones to help them to survive.
Not only that, but they can also damage unwelcome plants by spreading poisonous chemicals through the fungus. It sounds like the plant world had the Internet before we did.
Some plants have a rather impressive line of defense against being eaten. When sensing they are being swallowed, they give off a chemical into the air that attracts the insect’s natural enemy. The enemy attacks the bug, thus saving the plants. This is basically the plant kingdom version of getting your older brother to beat up that kid who steals your lunch money.
You might be aware that humans and animals have an internal clock. But did you know that plants also have this clock? This means they can prepare for certain times of day just like we do. Is it because they can react to light at sunrise? In a study, scientists found that plants use the sugars they produce to keep time, which help to regulate the genes responsible for the plant’s own internal clock. So, in a sense, ―wake up with petunias (矮牵牛) is just as valid as ―wake up with the chickens.
Nature is full of surprises. So for those of you who didn’t know the wonders of plants, now you do.
1. How many ways does the network of fungus serve the plants?
| A．Two. | B．Three. |
| C．Four. | D．Five. |
2. What does the underlined words ― “your older brother” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
| A．The chemical given off by plants. | B．The insect’s natural enemy. |
| C．The bug attacked by the enemy. | D．The plant to be eaten by the insect. |
3. What helps the plant keep time?
| A．The sugars produced by itself. | B．Its own genes. |
| C．The time of sunrise. | D．Its response to light. |
4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
| A．To show his love of different plants. |
| B．To share his study on some awesome plants. |
| C．To introduce the unknown abilities of plants. |
| D．To make people aware of plant protection. |
