For the first time, researchers have discovered that some plants can kill insects in order to get additional nutrients. New research shows that they catch and kill small insects with their own sticky hairs near the roots and then absorb nutrients through their roots when the insects are killed and fall to the ground.

Professor Mark Chase, of Kew and Queen Mary, University of London, said: “The cultivated (改良的) tomatoes and potatoes still have the hairs. Tomatoes in particular are covered with these sticky hairs. They do trap small insects on a regular basis. They do kill insects.”

The number of these carnivorous plants is thought to have came up to 50 percent and many of them have until now been wrongly regarded as among the most harmless plants. Among them are species of petunia(矮牵牛), some special tobacco plants and cabbages, some varieties of potatoes and tomatoes, etc. Researchers at Royal Botanical Gardens Kew, which carried out the study, now believe there are hundreds more killer plants than previously realized.

It is thought that the technique was developed in the wild to get necessary nutrients in poor quality soil – and even various plants grown in your vegetable garden still have the ability.

The researchers, publishing their finding in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, said: “We may be surrounded by many more murderous plants than we think.” “We are accustomed to thinking of plants as being immobile and harmless, and there is something deeply frightening about the thought of meat-eating plants," they added.

1.Tomatoes and potatoes kill insects to _____.

A. get more sticky hairs

B. make themselves grow better

C. make their roots stronger

D. avoid falling down to the ground

2.The word “carnivorous” in Paragraph 3 most probably means _____.

A. fast-growing

B. harmless

C. insect-killing

D. nutritious

3.The insect-killing technique of vegetables is developed most probably through _____.

A. evolution of species

B. helps from other garden plants

C. artificial cultivation

D. nutrients preserved in rich soil

4.The text is probably taken from _____.

A. a student book

B. a science fiction

C. a scientific repot

D. a bulletin board

The historical documentary, Mr. Deng Goes to Washington, which was first shown in the capital on May 12, not only reveals the details of an attempted assassination(刺杀) of Deng, but is also the first time that animated (动画的) images of China’s leaders have appeared on the silver screen. The film tells the story of Deng’s nine-day visit to the US in 1979, only a month after China established diplomatic(外交的) relations with the US for the first time after the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

Lv Muzi, the film’s producer, said the film includes 12 animated sequences of Deng, drawn in French, American and Japanese styles, as well as China’s traditional shadow puppetry(皮影) style.

Hu Yuchen, who has drawn cartoons for leaders including former premier, Wen Jiabao, is the artist behind the animated images of Deng. Among the three versions of images he drew, director, Fu Hongxing, chose to use the version which was moderately realistic.

“Deng’s animated images are not static(静止的) in the film. When he’s at meetings, the images are more serious, and when he’s at a party, he’s portrayed in a more lively way,” said Zhu.

For the young animator, animation can tell the story of that period of history better to younger viewers. “At first glance, animation may seem simple, but in reality, we need to do a large amount of homework, like checking what dishes were served at a dinner or what paintings were displayed in a particular room.” Zhu said he and the team went through a lot of historical documents and reviewed video clips (录像片段) in the process of creation.

Fu said the film is in honor of Deng’s contribution to China as well as his influence on generations of Chinese people. Production was completed last year, which marked the l10th anniversary of Deng’s birth and also the 35th anniversary of Sino-US diplomatic relations.

1.Mr. Deng Goes to Washington uses all of the following styles EXCEPT_______ .

A. French and American styles

B. Japanese style

C. traditional Chinese style

D. Korean style

2.What does the underlined word in the fourth paragraph, “portrayed “, probably mean?

A. painted. B. acted.

C. imagined. D. decorated.

3.Which of the following is NOT true about the documentary?

A. The version of Deng’s image that was chosen was moderately realistic.

B. This is the first time a documentary has been made of a Chinese leader.

C. The animator did lots of work in the process of creation.

D. It contains 12 animated sequences of Deng.

4.Why was the documentary made ?

A. To help younger viewers remember that period of history.

B. To honor Deng’s contribution to China.

C. To entertain the Chinese people

D. To emphasize the importance Sino-US diplomatic relations.

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