二、阅读理解
Can plants talk? Modern research has found something amazing: they do communicate with each other.
It has been known for some time that plants use chemicals to communicate with each other. This happens when a plant gets attacked by insects. The plant gives out chemicals from the leaves that are being eaten. This is like a warning, or a call for help: I’m being attacked! These chemicals can’t be noticed by people but can be picked up by other plants. When another plant gets the chemicals, it starts to give out its own different chemicals. Some of these chemicals drive insects away. Others attract the
wasps (黄蜂)! The wasps kill the insects that are eating the plants. That is why the first plant is usually found hurt while the neighbours stay well.
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. Some trees make clicking noises when there is not enough water.
Most surprisingly, plants have an amazing system of communication that can connect nearly every plant in a forest. Scientists call this system the “wood wide web”. The wood wide web is connected underground by fungi (真菌). It connects the roots of different plants to each other. It is in some ways similar to the internet we use. Using the wood wide web, plants can share information and even food with each other. However, it can lead to bad effects. Plants can use it to steal food from each other, or spread chemicals 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. Maybe one day we will know enough about plant communication to be able to talk with them ourselves.
(
C
) 1. What will plants do when they are being attacked by insects according to the passage?
A. They will kill the insects by themselves.
B. They will control the wasps to kill the insects.
C. They will let their neighbours know what is happening.
D. They will produce chemicals to drive the insects away.
(
C
) 2. What do we know about the system of communication of plants in a forest?
A. The plants in a forest are connected by the internet we use.
B. The “wood wide web” is built by joining the roots of the plants.
C. The “wood wide web” can be both helpful and harmful to the connected plants.
D. Scientists hope to make a “firewall” to protect the system from being attacked by insects.
(
B
) 3. What is the writer’s purpose of the last paragraph?
A. To encourage people to talk to plants.
B. To give people hope for further studies.
C. To praise scientists for their great achievements.
D. To call on people to do deeper research on nature.
(
B
) 4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. How plants give warnings
B. The secret language of plants
C. Why scientists do research about plants
D. The study about the plant warning system
