It is easy for us to tell who our family members are, but do plants recognize(识别) their own family? Some do, scientists say, according to a report by Science News in early 2010.
Guillermo P. Murphy and Susan Dudley are two plant scientists from McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada. They did a few experiments with Jewelweeds, a kind of flower that grows in wet, shady spots. They found that the flowers seem to know their own flower family. In their experiments, Murphy and Dudley planted jewelweeds in pots with either siblings or strangers.
When jewelweeds were planted in pots with strangers, the plants started to grow more leaves than if they had been planted alone. This response(反应)suggests that plants are competing with strangers for sunlight, since a plant with more leaves can receive more light and make more food. Jewelweeds usually grow in the shade, where sunlight is not enough.
When jewelweed seedlings(幼苗)were planted with siblings, they grew a few more branches than they usually would if they were alone – but they did not start growing lots of extra leaves. This behavior suggests the plants are more likely to share resources, rather than compete.
According to the Science News report, Jewelweeds are not the first plants that plant scientists have studied for family recognition. In 2007, Dudley and her team studied the Great Lakes sea rocket, a plant that grows on the beach – where it may be hard to get fresh water. In that experiment, the scientists found that when sea rockets were planted with siblings, they tolerated each other. But when they were planted with strangers, the sea rockets reacted by working extra hard to grow lots of roots.
Dudley says this just because sea rockets, on the beach, get plenty of sun but struggle for water – so when they’re threatened, they compete for water. Jewelweeds have plenty of water but have to compete for sunshine, so they grow more leaves.
【小题1】 What does the underlined word siblings mean?

A.Flowers come from foreign countries.
B.Plants growing in different environments.
C.Flowers planted with lots of strangers.
D.Plants that are the same kind.
【小题2】 In the text, the writer mentioned the experiments of Jewelweeds to         .
A.make a comparisonB.introduce a topic
C.describe a pretty flowerD.build a new theory
【小题3】 According to the passage, flowers planted alone will         .
A.grow more leaves than those planted in groups
B.become taller than those with more branches
C.grow fewer leaves than those planted with strangers
D.become ill easily because they can’t get enough shade
【小题4】 What can be the best title for the passage?
A.New Discoveries about Plants
B.How Plants Compete with Each Other
C.Family Recognition among Plants
D.Jewelweeds and the Great Lakes Sea Rockets

阅读理解

Yao Ming, the center of the Chinese National Men’s Basketball Team, served the Houston Rockets in 2002 in NBA. The 2.26m, 120kg center became the first player to come from a foreign team.?

Yao Ming was born in Shanghai in September, 1980. His mother was a center and captain(队长) of the Chinese National Women’s Team. His father played basketball, too.?

Yao Ming is widely known in China. He came to be a very important basketball player in CBA. It’s short for China Basketball Association(联赛). During the 2000-2001 season, he got 27.1 scores(得分) for the Shanghai Oriental(东方) Sharks in every match.?

Yao Ming joined the Houston Rockets in October, 2002. He said this was a new start in his basketball life. He would do his best to learn from the NBA and improve(提高) himself.?

Sport analyst(分析家) Bill Walton said,“Yao Ming has the potential(潜力), the capability(能力) of changing the future of basketball.”?

1.The Houston Rocket is the name of a ____ team.?

A. table tennis                             B. volleyball?

C. basketball                               D. golf

2. Both Yao Ming’s father and mother were ____.?

A. football players ?

B. basketball players?

C. the centers of the Chinese National Team?

D. the c aptains of the Chinese National Team

3. Yao Ming ____ in CBA during the 2000-2001 season.?

A. does well                                B. is good?

C. was good                                 D. did well

4. Yao Ming ____ the Houston Rockets in November, 2002.

A. did his best to join

B. was well known in

C. became a member(成员)of?

D. liked

5. Sport analyst Bill Walton thought Yao Ming was able to ____.?

A. learn from the NBA

B. change the future of basketball

C. improve himself

D. became the captain of the Houston Rockets

 

The most unusual museum in London is the Science Museum. In most museums, there’s no shouting and no running, and you aren’t allowed to touch the exhibits(展品). But the Science Museum is different, because it’s noisy! People talk about what they can see and do there, and some of the machines are noisy as well. Visiting the Science Museum is fun and it’s a great way to learn about science because you can work things out and try out ideas.

When I visit the Science Museum, I go to the Launch Pad. This is my favourite room because you can do physics experiments. For example, if you want to fill a bag with  falling sand, you have to move a kind of truck on wheels into the correct position. I also go to the Rocket Show. You can learn how we travel into space and back again.

Then I go upstairs to Human and Nature room. You can compare your speed with animals there. You hear a noise and push a button(按钮). If you aren’t fast enough, the lion catches you! I’m faster than all my friends, but the lion still catches me.

There are also rooms on transport, the environment and space technology, as well as maths, physics and chemistry.

You can do a lot of things in this museum, but you have to obey some rules as well. For example, you mustn’t take photos of the exhibits in the museum. But you can buy postcards of them in the museum shops.

Above all, the Science Museum is free. That means you can drop in for a few minutes or you can stay as long as you like—it’s open every day, from 10 am to 6 pm. So if you ever go to London, make sure you visit the Science Museum. It’s my favourite museum in the whole world.

1. What is the writer’s favourite room?

   A. The Launch Pad.      

B. The rooms on space technology.

   C. The Human and Nature room.  

D. The Rocket Show.

2. What can’t you do in the Science Museum?

   A. Touch the machines.                  

B. Do chemistry experiments.

   C. Take photos of the exhibits.         

D. Talk loudly about what you see.

3. How much does it cost to go into the Science Museum?

   A. $10 for adults.                       B. $6 for children.

   C. Only free for children.               D. Free for everyone.

4. How long can you stay at the Science Museum?

   A. 6 hours.      B. 8 hours.     C. 10 hours.    D.12hours.

5. In what way is the Science Museum different from other museums?

   A. We can see a lot of exhibits in the Science Museum.

   B. People can talk to each other in the Science Museum.

C. There’s no shouting and no running in the Science Museum.

   D. You can work things out and try out your ideas in the Science Museum.

 

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