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Even
though they're not the most exciting things in the world, plants have fascinated
us ever since the days of early humans. They may not do any tricks or greet us when
we come home at night like a dog would, but that doesn't mean they're any less interesting
than animals.
However,
just when we thought we knew everything we could about them, a recent study found
that plants may possess a secret ability that's gone unnoticed all this time. According
to the study by Australian biologist Monica Gagliano, published in the journal Oecologia,
plants may be able to hear sounds.
To
come to this conclusion, Gagliano and her team planted pea seedlings in a pair of
different Y-shaped pots with two arms. The first pot's arms led to fresh water,
while the other's led to either dry soil or a sealed plastic tube containing flowing
water.
Naturally,
the first pot's seedlings grew toward the water. What's surprising, however, is
that the second pot's seedlings grew toward the sealed water supply and not the
soil.
They
just knew the water was there, even if the only thing to detect was the sound of
it flowing inside the pipe, Gagliano told Scientific American. Gagliano believes
that plants are able to use their leaves to detect sound waves, which make tiny
vibrations (振动) as they're produced.
This
could explain why so many people believe that singing or playing music to their
plants helps them grow.
I
had a plant that I used to wash the leaves once a week and sing to it, plant lover
Heather Goodall told BBC News. It grew from being about 2 feet tall to 7 feet tall
in just a couple of years.
So,
does this mean we should start treating our plants like pets? Not necessarily, although
perhaps it does mean we should give them more respect. I would like to see plants
acknowledged more as the amazing, interesting, exotic living beings they are, and
less as a mere source of human nutrition, Fatima Cvrckova, a scientist at Charles
University in the Czech Republic, told BBC News.
(1)
What did Gagliano's study find?
A . Plants could identify the sound of water.
B . Different plants have different ways of detecting sounds.
C . Plants could tell the difference between various sounds.
D . Sound can change the direction plants grow toward.
(2)
According to Gagliano, plants use their _______ to hear sound.
A . flowers
B . roots
C . leaves
D . fruits
(3)
Why did the author mention Heather Goodall's example?
A . To show a different way of growing plants.
B . To prove that music plays a role in plant growth.
C . To stress the importance of treating plants like pets.
D . To point out that plants might be more interesting than we thought.
(4)
What would Cvrckova probably agree with?
A . Plants are just a source of human nutrition.
B . There is still a lot we don't know about plants.
C . Most people don't care enough about their plants.
D . Plants are incredible and deserve more respect.
答案: A
C
B
D