C(2024·连云港市新海实验中学一模)
(新素养 问
题解决)Science fiction stories have imagined people in the future living in underground cities on Mars and in space stations far from the Sun. But if humans are to survive in those terrible environments, they will need ways to grow food using limited resources. Photosynthesis(光合作用), by which plants turn sunlight into sugar, might not work.
Now, some scientists are wondering whether it’s possible to produce food more efficiently(高效地) by giving up photosynthesis, just by growing plants in the dark.
The idea sounds as science fictional as cities on Mars. But a team of researchers has taken a first step towards realizing it with a study published in Nature Food. The research shows it is possible to grow algae, edible yeast and fungi in the dark by providing them with a carbon-based chemical(碳基化学物质). The chemical doesn’t come from plants, but instead is produced using solar electricity(太阳能发电).
That is, this method takes the place of natural photosynthesis with a partly artificial(人造的) process for turning sunlight into food. Their process is a kind of artificial photosynthesis, and the idea has been around for years and includes different ways of turning sunlight, water and CO₂ into some chemicals.
The scientists are hopeful that this method could unlock new ways to produce food using less physical space and energy than traditional agriculture—including, perhaps, crops that can grow in the dark.
While other scientists doubt if it will ever be possible to redesign plant biology so completely, they are excited by the technology the researchers have invented and the team’s
out-
of-
the-
box idea about how to make food production more efficient.
“It’s worth keeping an open mind. The reward may be something we haven’t imagined yet,” said Lynn Rothschild, a senior research scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Centre.
(
B
)8. (新考法 写
作手法)What is the writing purpose of the first paragraph?
A. To tell a story.
B. To lead in the topic.
C. To give an example.
D. To work out a mystery.
(
A
)9. What can we learn about artificial photosynthesis from the passage?
A. It may help find new ways of producing food.
B. It doesn’t need sunlight, water or CO₂ any more.
C. It has helped successfully grow food with limited resources.
D. It was introduced to the public for the first time in Nature Food.
(
D
)10. Which word has the closest meaning to “out-of-the-box”?
A. harmful
B. lasting
C. humorous
D. creative
