Talking to plants makes them grow, especially if you ‘re a woman ,according to a

题型：不详难度：来源：

Talking to plants makes them grow, especially if you ‘re a woman ,according to an experiment by the Ryal Horticultural Society(RHS皇家园艺学会).
Women gardeners’ voices speed up growth of tomato plants much more than men’s, it found.
In an experiment that ran over a month, they found that tomato plants grew up two inches taller if they were serenaded by the sweet tones of a female rather tha a male.
Appropriately the most effective talk came from Sarah Darwin ,whose great-great grandfather was legendary botanist(植物学家)Charles Darwin, one of the founding fathers of the RHS’ Scientific Committee. She read a passage from On the Orgin of Species and beat nine other”voices”.
Her plant grew nearly two inches taller than the best performing male and half an inch higher than her nearest competitor.
The experment began in Apirl,2009 at RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey. A variety of recorded voices were picked to play to 10 taomato plants over a month. Every plant was played a voice through headphones connected to the plant pot, and the conditions for all the plants remained the same throughout the experiment. To ensure the experiment was fair, two control plants were also left to grow in silence.
The results showed that women on average saw their plants rise by an inch on their male competitors. Some men were so bad that their plants actually grew less than a plant that was left completely alone.
Colin Crosbie, the leader at RHS, said:”We’re not sure why the female voice is more effecitive, It could be that they have a greater range of pitch and tone that affects the sound waves that hit the plant. Sound waves are an emvironmental effect just like rain or light.”
67.What is the best title for the passage?
A. Plants can’t grow faster without female voices
B. Women’s voices are more useful than men’s
C. Women’s voices make plants grow faster
D. Voices have positive effects on the growth of plants
68.The underlined word”serenaded” in Paragraph 3 most probably means”________”.
A.sung songs to
B.spoken to
C.talked about
D. played music to
69.According to the passage, ten_________were used in the experiment.
A.tomato plants
B.headphones
C. tape recorders
D.plant pots
70.What can we know about the findings of the experiment from the passage?
A. The women’s voices made the palnts grow faster by half an inch than the men’s.
B.Sarah Darwin’s plant grew 2 inches taller than her neraest competitor’s.
C. The plants which grew in silence did not necessarily grow the slowest
D. The women’s plants grew 2 inches taller than the men’s on average.

答案

小题1:C
小题2:D
小题3:B
小题4:C

解析

举一反三

Botany, the study of plants, occupies a special position in the history of human knowledge. For many thousands of years it was the one field of awareness about which humans had anything more than the vaguest (含糊的) of insight. It is impossible to know today just what our Stone Age ancestors knew about plants, but from what we can observe of pre-industrial societies that still exist, a detailed learning of plants and their properties must extremely ancient. This is logical. Plants are the basis of the food pyramid for all living things, even for other plants. They have always been enormously important to the welfare of peoples, not only for food, but also for clothing, weapons, tools, eyes, medicines, shelter, and a great many other purposes. Tribes living today in the jungles of the Amazon recognized accurately hundreds of plants and know many properties of each. To them, botany, as such, has no name and is probably not even recognized as a special branch of knowledge at all.
Unfortunately, the more industrialized we become the farther away we move from direct contact with plants, and the less distinct our knowledge of botany grows. Yet everyone comes unconsciously on an amazing amount of botanical knowledge, and few people will fail to recognize a rose, an apple, or an orchid. When our Neolithic ancestors, living in the Middle East about 10,000 years ago, discovered that certain grasses could be harvested and their seeds planted for richer productions the next season, the first great step in a new association of plants and humans was taken. Grains were discovered and from them flowed the wonder of agriculture; cultivated crops. From then on, humans would increasingly take their living from the controlled production of a few plants, rather than getting a little here and a little there from many varieties that grew wild and the built up knowledge of tens of thousands of years of experience and close relationship with plants in the wild would begin fade away.
1. Which of the following statements about early humans is expressed in the passage?
A. They probably had extensive knowledge of plants.
B. They thought there was no need to cultivate crops.
C. They did not enjoy the study of botany.
D. They placed great importance on the ownership of property.
2. What does the comment “This is logical.” In the first paragraph mean?
A. There is no clear way to determine the extent of our ancestor’s knowledge of plants.
B. It is not surprising that early humans had a detailed knowledge of plants.
C. It is reasonable to assume that our ancestors behaved very much like people in pre-industrial societies.
D. Human knowledge of plants is well organized and very detailed.
3. According to the passage, why has general knowledge of botany begun to fade?
A. People no longer value plants as a useful resource.
B. Botany is not recognized as a special branch of science.
C. Research is unable to keep up with the increasing numbers of plants.
D. Direct contact with a variety of plants has decreased.
4. In the second paragraph, what is the author’s purpose in mentioning “ a rose, an apple, or an orchid”?
A. To make the passage more poetic.
B. To give an example of plant that are attractive.
C. To give botanical examples that all readers will recognize.
D. To explain the variety of botanical life.
5. According to the passage, what was the first great step toward the practice of agriculture?
A. The invention of agricultural tools and machinery.
B. The development of a system of names for plants.
C. The discovery of grasses that could be harvested and replanted.
D. The changing diets of early humans.

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

There is a brown female(母的) Canadian duck that weighs only four hundred fifty grams. The duck had flown to the southern state of Florida for the winter．A hunter shot it on January fifteenth and took it to his home in the city of Tallahassee．He put it in the refrigerator(冰箱)．Two days later the man’s wife opened the refrigerator door．The duck lifted its head and looked at her．It was alive!
The family took the duck to a doctor who treats animals．The doctor gave the duck to the Goose Creek Animal Sanctuary(动物保护区)．Animal sanctuaries provide homes for animals and teach people about their care．
The doctor said it was easy to understand why people thought the duck was dead. He said ducks generally do not move a 1ot，especially after being shot．And he said its low body temperature helped it survive in the refrigerator．
That was enough to make the duck famous around the world．The Tallahassee newspaper published the story that was re-printed in many different countries．But that was not the end of the story．
Workers at the wildlife sanctuary named the duck Perky．And they got the doctor to give an operation to repair the duck’s damaged wing．During the operation，Perky stopped breathing--not just once but two times．The doctor tried to save Perky by giving her oxygen．But he finally said the duck had died．A few seconds later, however, Perky began to move．Reports say the people in the operating room were so happy that they cried.
Workers at the wildlife sanctuary say Perky will not have any more operations. It seems the drugs that were used had side-effects on her．Perky is expected to live at the sanctuary．And a local company has begun to sell T-shirts showing a picture of the lucky duck. Money from the sale of the shirts will help pay for Perky’s care．
小题1:Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Animal sanctuaries are homes specially for wounded animals．

B．The hunter shot the duck in the wing．

C．Ducks do not move at all for the whole winter.

D．The hunter’s wife intended to free the duck in the refrigerator．

小题2:The underlined Word “That” in the fourth paragraph refers to the fact that______.

A．the duck survived the shot and the cold in the refrigerator

B．the hunter had saved the duck by freezing it

C．the hunter shot the duck from Canada

D．the Tallahassee newspaper published the story

小题3:The duck in the story______．

A．was big and strong

B．flew to Florida for food

C．stayed in the refrigerator to keep its body temperature low

D．was considered dead before being put in the refrigerator

小题4:What is the best title for the passage?

A．Save the Duck

B．The Lucky Duck

C．Stop Killing Ducks

D．The Poor Duck

小题5:It can be inferred from the passage that_______．

A．the local company will get large profits by selling the T-shirts

B．it was illegal for me hunter to shoot the duck

C．the duck is likely to be well cared for in the sanctuary

D．Perky likes Florida better than Canada

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

The Red Panda isn’t much bigger than an average size house cat. At first you may think it’s a bear because of its name. They’re actually a member of the raccoon(浣熊) family which you can tell if you look at their appearance. The Red Panda has a long bushy tail that is useful in two ways. It helps them stay balanced when they are high up in the trees and it keeps them warm in cold weather. Their fur is thick and reddish brown, which may be why they’re known as the fire fox.
The Red Panda can be found in forested mountains. They’re originally from the forested mountain in the Himalayas in India, Nepal and Southern China. Bamboo is the most important part of their diet. They only eat the young leaves and shoots (嫩芽) of a bamboo plant. Red Pandas have a very low metabolic(新陈代谢的) rate in order to deal with their low energy diet and cool environmental temperatures.
They’re very shy and gentle and don’t hang around the wild too much during the day. If they feel endangered, they’ll stand on their back legs and make a hissing(嘶嘶) sound. Red Pandas are good climbers and spend most of their time living mainly in trees. Their claws are very strong and help them hold onto the branches. They sleep in an unusual way by curling up tightly and wrapping their tails around their heads while sitting on a branch. Sometimes they’ll sleep with their head beneath their chest and behind their back feet. This is the same position as an American raccoon sleeps.
小题1:You can tell that the Red Panda is a member of the raccoon family from ____.

A．its name

B．its appearance

C．its diet

D．its living place

小题2:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The Red Panda can only be found in India, Nepal and Southern China.

B．The Red Panda’s tail can help it stay balanced when it is high up in the trees.

C．The Red Panda eats the whole of the bamboo.

D．The Red Panda has high metabolic rate when the temperature is low.

小题3:What will Red Pandas do when they are in trouble?

A．They will hang around the wild during the day.

B．They will climb into the trees.

C．They will wrap their tails around their heads.

D．They will stand on their back legs and make a hissing sound.

小题4:The Red Panda holds onto the branches with its ____.

A．tail

B．fur

C．back legs

D．claws

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

Do you want to live another 100 years or more? Some experts say that scientific advances will one day enable humans to last tens of years beyond what is now seen as the natural limit of the human life span.
“ I think we are knocking at the door of immortality (永生),” said Michael Zey, a Montclair State University business professor and author of two books on the future. “ I think by 2075 we will see it and that’s a conservative estimate.”
At the conference in San Francisco, Donald Louria, a professor at New Jersey Medical School in Newark said advances in using genes as well as nanotechnology(纳米技术) make it likely that humans will live in the future beyond what has been possible in the past. “ There is a great push so that people can live from 120 to 180 years,” he said. “ Some have suggested that there is no limit and that people could live to 200 or 300 or 500 years.”
However, many scientists who specialize in aging are doubtful about it and say the human body is just not designed to last about 120 years. Even with healthier lifestyles and less disease, they say failure of the brain and organs will finally lead all humans to death.
Scientists also differ on what kind of life the super aged might live. “ It remains to be seen if you pass 120, you know; could you be healthy enough to have good quality of life?” said Leonard Poon, director of the University of Georgia Gerontology Center. “ At present people who could get to that point are not in good health at all.”
小题1:By saying “ we are knocking at the door immortality”, Michael Zey means_____.

A．they believe that there is no limit of living

B．they are sure to find the truth about long living

C．they have got some ideas about living forever

D．they are able to make people live past the present life span

小题2:Donald Louria’s attitude toward long living is that_____.

A．people can live from 120 to 180

B．it is still doubtful how long humans can live

C．the human body is designed to last about 120 years

D．it is possible for humans to live longer in the future

小题3:70. The underlined “ it” (Para. 4) refers to_____.

A．a great push

B．the idea of living beyond the present life span

C．the idea of living from 200 to 300

D．the conservative estimate

小题4:What would be the best title for this text?

A．Living longer or not

B．Science, technology and long living

C．No limit for human life

D．Healthy lifestyle and long living.

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

Against the assumption that forest fires in Alaska, Canada and Siberia warm the climate, scientists have discovered that cooling may occur in areas where burnt trees allow more snow to mirror more sunlight into space.
This finding suggests that taking steps to prevent northern forest fires to limit the release of greenhouse gases may warm the climate in northern regions. Usually large fires destroyed forests in these areas over the past decade. Scientists predict that with climate warming, fires may occur more frequently over next several centuries as a result of a longer fire season. Sunlight taken in by the earth tends to cause warming, while heat mirrored back into space tends to cause cooling.
This is the first study to analyze all aspects of how northern fires influence climate. Earlier studies by other scientists have suggested that fire in northern regions speed up climate warming because greenhouse gases from burning trees and plants are released into the atmosphere and thus trap heat.
Scientists found that right after the fire, large amounts of greenhouse gases entered the atmosphere and caused warming. Ozone（臭氧）levels increased, and ash from the fire fell on far-off sea ice, darkening the surface and causing more radiation from the sun to be taken in. The following spring, however, the land within the area of the fire was brighter than before the fire, because fewer trees covered the ground. Snow on the ground mirrored more sunlight back into space, leading to cooling.
“We need to find out all possible ways to reduce the growth of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.” Scientists tracked the change in amount of radiation entering and leaving the climate system as a result of the fire, and found a measurement closely related to the global air temperature. Typically, fire in northern regions occurs in the same area every 80 to 150 years. Scientists, however, found that when fire occurs more frequently, more radiation is lost from the earth and cooling results. Specifically, they determined when fire returns 20 years earlier than predicated, 0.5 watts per square meter of area burned are soaked up by the earth from greenhouse gases, but 0.9 watts per square meter will be sent back into space. The net effect is cooling. Watts are used to measure the rate at which energy is gained or lost from the earth.
小题1:According to the new findings, taking steps to prevent northern forest fires may _______.

A．result in a warming climate

B．cause the forest fires to occur more frequently

C．lead to a longer fire season

D．protect the forests and the environment there

小题2:Earlier studies about northern forest fires ________.

A．analyze

all aspects of how northern fires influence climate

B．indicate that forest fires will pollute the atmosphere

C．suggest that people should take measures to protect environment

D．suggest that the fires will speed up climate warming

小题3:The underlined phrase “soaked up” in the last paragraph most probably means ________.

A．released

B．absorbed

C．created

D．disturbed

小题4: From the text we can draw a conclusion that forest fires in Alaska, Canada and Siberia may ______.

A．warm the climate as the assumption goes

B．allow more snow to reflect more sunlight into space and thus cool the climate

C．destroy large areas of forests and pollute the far-off sea ice

D．help to gain more energy rather than release more energy .

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案