题目内容
—Which one can I take?
—-You can take__________ of them; I'll keep none.
A.both | B.any | C.either | D.all |
D
解析
Plants have family values, too; it seems, with new research suggesting they can recognize close relatives in order to work together.
An ability to tell family from strangers is well known in animals, allowing them to cooperate and share resources, but plants may possess similar social skills, scientists believe.
Susan Dudley and Amanda File of McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, report they have demonstrated for the first time that plants can recognize their kin.
This suggests that plants, though lacking recognition and memory, are capable of complex social interactions.
“Plants have this kind of hidden but complicated social life,” Dudley said.
The study found plants from the same species of beach-dwelling wildflower grew aggressively alongside unrelated neighbors but were less competitive when they shared soil with their families.
Sea rocket, a North American species, showed stronger and healthier root growth when planted in pots with strangers than when raised with relatives from the same maternal(母系的) family, the study found.
This is an example of kin selection, a behavior common in animals in which closely related individuals take a group approach to succeeding in their environment, the researchers said.
Kin selection also applies to competition, because if family members compete less with each other, the group will do better overall. “Everywhere you look, plants are growing right up next to other plants,” Dudley said,“ Usually it’s a case of each plant for itself. But sometimes those plants are related, and there are benefits to not wasting resources on being competitive, and there is not really a cost to not being competitive as long as your neighbor is also not being competitive.”
Learning and memory appear to be important for kin recognition in animals, but this isn’t an option for plants, she noted.
Some researchers speculate(猜测) that plants communicate through their roots, identifying themselves using tiny chemical signatures specific to each plant’s family.
【小题1】What’s the main idea of the message?
A.Studies find plants can recognize, communicate with relatives. |
B.Kin selection is important for plants. |
C.Animals can recognize and memorize their relatives. |
D.Competition asks plants to recognize their relatives. |
A.Animals can recognize and memorize their relatives. |
B.Animals’ social skill is to cooperate and share resources. |
C.Animals’ social skill can recognize close relatives in order to work together. |
D.Animals’ social skill is no use at all. |
A.grow well | B.compete with other kinds of plants |
C.strengthen the relationship among siblings | D.find which one is the best |
A.sea rocket is a South American species |
B.sea rocket grows aggressively alongside unrelated neighbors |
C.sea rocket grows aggressively alongside its siblings |
D.sea rocket is a kind of bush without flowers |
A.Plants communicate by using tiny chemical signatures specific to each plant’s family. |
B.Plants communicate with each other through their roots. |
C.Plants communicate with each other by their leaves. |
D.Plants communicate with each other with their flowers. |
Online clothes shoppers will be told exactly what size is best. for them using new software which combines with their web camera or smart phone to form a“3D tape measure”.
Scientists from Surrey University and design experts from the London College of Fashion are developing a program which can take precise (精确的) waist, hip, chest and other measurements from camera images.
Using the person’s height as a starting point,the software will be able to build up a 3D image and estimate their size at various different points on the body, based on their overall proportions.
The result will be a more accurate sizing guide than previous systems based on waist size or a “small/medium/large”scale, which rely on limited measurements and the buyer’s perception of their own body size.
Shoppers and retailers(零售商)who choose to sign up for the project could save millions of pounds a year in postage costs by removing the need to order multiple sizes of the same garment(服装) and send back ill-fitting clothes, researchers claimed.
The project, sponsored by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council(EPSRC), is expected to be brought to market within two years.
After choosing an item, the shopper will activate the software, enter their height, stand in front of their webcam or smart phone in their underwear and take a photograph.
The software will not store or transmit the image to the internet, but will use it to judge the person’s dimensions at various points on their body.
Philip Delamore of the London College of Fashion said:“The potential benefits for the fashion industry and for shoppers are huge. Currently, it’s common for online shoppers to order two or three different sizes of the same item of clothing at the same time, as they’re unsure which one will fit best.”
【小题1】What is the essential part of a 3D tape measure?
A.a software | B.a webcam |
C.a microphone | D.a smart phone |
A.It will store or transmit the image to the internet. |
B.It is based on the buyer’s perception of their size. |
C.It will be a co-working production. |
D.It uses a person’s weight as a starting point. |
A.quicker | B.more precise |
C.more beautiful | D.more vivid |
A.Online shoppers will get their ordered garment in time. |
B.Online shoppers will get their ordered garment more quickly. |
C.Online shoppers will get an ordered garment of high quality. |
D.Online shoppers will get an ordered garment to their measure. |
①to take a photo with a webcam
②to activate the software
③to enter his/her height
④to judge his size by analyzing his image
A.①②③④ | B.②①③④ | C.②③①④ | D.②③④① |