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问题详情：

Talking plants might sound like characters in a fairy tale. But recent scientific studies have shown that plants communicate with each other and with other living things in a surprising number of ways. To understand them, scientists say, we just have to learn their language. Farmers are especially interested in what plants have to say.

“Plants are able to communicate with all sorts of organisms (有机体). They can communicate with giant bacteria, with other plants and with insects. They do this chemically,” said Cahill, an Ecology Professor of the University of Alberta in Canada.     Plant scientists are just beginning to understand this chemical “ language”. Cahill says studies have shown, for example, that plants can evaluate conditions in their immediate environment and take appropriate actions. Plants have an ability, for example, to signal pain or discomfort caused by anything from temperature extremes to an insect attack. Jack Schultz, a professor of chemical ecology at the University of Missouri, says when a plant senses that it’s being eaten, it cannot walk away from trouble; on the contrary, it will release a chemical vapor that alerts other plants nearby.     “Their language is a chemical language, and it involves chemicals that move through the air that are easy to be changeable, and most of all are smells that we are familiar with,” Schultz explained.     “All plants responded to the attack by changing their chemistry to defend themselves,” Schultz recalled.“But we were quite surprised to find that nearby plants also changed their chemistry to defend themselves, even though they were not part of the experiment.”     Studies have also shown that plants under attack release pleasant chemicals. Those chemicals attract friendly insects that attack the pests eating the plant.

In the end, plants’ ability to communicate their needs---and our ability to understand them--- could help farmers reduce the use of poisonous chemicals, cut operating costs and limit damage to the environment.

54. The recent scientific studies have shown that plants can _________.

A. hardly react to any sudden change in temperature

B. use a very special chemical language which is familiar to us

C. communicate with other living things in a chemical way

D. respond to the attack by giving off poisonous chemicals

being eaten by an insect, the plant will _________.

A. walk away from trouble

B. change its chemistry to kill the insect

C. release a chemical vapor to “ask” other plants for help

D. give off nice chemicals to attract friendly insects killing the pest

underlined word “alert” most probably means “_________”.

A. threaten　　　　　 B. protect　　　　　 C. warn　 　　　　D. allow

【回答】

CDC

知识点：阅读理解

题型：阅读理解