Question

【题目】Would it surprise you to learn that, like animals, trees communicate with each other and pass on their wealth to the next generation?

UBC Professor Simard explains how trees are much more complex than most of us ever imagined. Although Charles Darwin thought that trees are competing for survival of the fittest, Simard shows just how wrong he was. In fact, the opposite is true: trees survive through their co-operation and support, passing around necessary nutrition "depending on who needs it".

Nitrogen (氮) and carbon are shared through miles of underground fungi networks, making sure that all trees in the forest ecological system give and receive just the right amount to keep them all healthy. This hidden system works in a very similar way to the networks of neurons in our brains, and when one tree is destroyed, it affects all.

Simard talks about "mother trees", usually the largest and oldest plants on which all other trees depend. She explains how dying trees pass on the wealth to the next generation, transporting important minerals to young trees so they may continue to grow. When humans cut down "mother trees" with no awareness of these highly complex "tree societies" or the networks on which they feed, we are reducing the chances of survival for the entire forest.

"We didn't take any notice of it" Simard says sadly. "Dying trees move nutrition into the young trees before dying, but we never give them chance." If we could put across the message to the forestry industry, we could make a huge difference towards our environmental protection efforts for the future.

【1】The underlined sentence "the opposite is true" in Paragraph 2 probably means that trees .

A. compete for survivalB. protect their own wealth

C. depend on each otherD. provide support for dying trees

【2】"Mother trees" are extremely important because they .

A. look the largest in size in the forestB. pass on nutrition to young trees

C. seem more likely to be cut down by humansD. know more about the complex "tree societies"

【3】The underlined word "it" in the last paragraph refers to .

A. how "tree societies" workB. how trees grow old

C. how forestry industry developsD. how young trees survive

【4】We can learn from the passage that _______.

A. trees aren’t as complex as we think

B. Charles Darwin had the same opinion as Simard

C. if “Mother trees” are cut down, they won’t make difference to young trees.

D. trees can share resources with other ones by the underground fungi networks.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】B

【3】A

【4】D

【解析】

本篇文章难度适中，主要讲述树与树之间不是你死我活的竞争，他们之间是相互依赖的，快要死的树会将自己的营养传给小树，让他们更好地成长，人们如果知道这些现象，就会更好地保护树。

【1】词义猜测题。根据Although Charles Darwin thought that trees are competing for survival of the fittest, Simard shows just how wrong he was可知，表示达尔文的适者生存的理论，而相反的是树与树之间是彼此依赖生存的，故选C。

【2】细节理解题。根据She explains how dying trees pass on the wealth to the next generation, transporting important minerals to young trees so they may continue to grow可知，因为他们临死前会将自己的营养传给小树，故选B。

【3】代词指代题。根据When humans cut down "mother trees" with no awareness of these highly complex "tree societies" or the networks on which they feed, we are reducing the chances of survival for the entire forest可知，人们砍树是因为不知道树与树之间不是竞争关系，他们之间是相互依赖的，所以指的是树的社会是怎样依存的，故选A。

【4】推理判断题。根据Nitrogen (氮) and carbon are shared through miles of underground fungi networks, making sure that all trees in the forest ecological system give and receive just the right amount to keep them all healthy可知，氮和碳通过数英里的地下真菌网络共享，以确保森林生态系统中的所有树木都能给予和接受适量的氮和碳，以保持它们的健康。所以树是通过地下的真菌系统与其他树分享资源，故选D。