Question

【题目】

The population of Earth is still going up. There will be less and less good land for growing crops in the future. People worry that there will not be enough food for everyone in the middle of this century.

Recently scientists have discovered one strange plant

named fedtschenkoi（玉吊钟）may help. It can absorb（吸收）carbon dioxide(CO)

at night. It only needs 10 times less water than food plants like beans. This means it

can grow in the desert(沙漠).

In which ways could this plant help us?

Since deserts are increasing in size because of the changes in Earth’s climate, growing plants there will be more and more important. Although it is dangerous to

eat this plant, scientists can still study something about it: how it absorbs CO at

night while many other plants only do this during the day, and why it is suited to the

desert.

There is another direction to take the research in. Producing a desert plant to eat

will be difficult, but there is still possibility to use the genes(基因)from this plant and put them into food plants.

The other way is to grow this type of plant for fuel(燃料). At the moment we

grow plants for fuel in good land. If we do it in deserts instead, more good land can be used to grow plants for food.

Desert plants have special qualities, which could be an answer to our future food

or energy needs. Scientists are working hard on it.

The Desert Plant Could Help
The problems of the future	◆The population on Earth is becoming 【1】 than before. ◆There is less and less 【2】 land for growing crops. ◆There will not be enough food in the future, which makes people 【3】
The discovery of the scientists	◆It is an 【4】 plant named fedtschenkoi. ◆Food plants like beans need 10 times 【5】 water than it does in deserts.
The ways it could 【6】 us	◆The scientists are studying how it absorbs CO and why it is 【7】 for living in desert. ◆It is 【8】 to use genes from one plant and then put it inside another. ◆It will be better if we can grow plants for fuel in deserts 【9】 than in good land.
Conclusion	◆Because desert plants have special qualities, it may 【10】 our food and energy problems in the future.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】larger/bigger

【2】good

【3】worried

【4】unusual/uncommon

【5】more

【6】help

【7】suitable/fit

【8】possible

【9】rather

【10】solve

【解析】本文介绍了地球上人口增长，人们担心将来没有足够的食物。科学家正在研究把沙漠里的植物的基因移植到粮食作物上，这样粮食作物需要的水会更少。将来如果我们在沙漠里种植燃料作物，而不是在良田上种植，这样会更好。

【1】larger/bigger

根据The population of Earth is still going up.可知地球上的人口比以前更多，故用larger或bigger。

【2】good

根据There will be less and less good land for growing crops in the future.可知在未来将会有越来越少的良田用于种植庄稼，故为good。

【3】worried

根据People worry that there will not be enough food for everyone in the middle of this century.可知未来将没有足够的食物，这让人们感到担心，make sb +形容词“使某人感到…….”，故为worried。

【4】unusual/uncommon

根据Recently scientists have discovered one strange plant named fedtschenkoi（玉吊钟）may help.可知玉吊钟是一种奇怪的植物，因此是罕见的，不同寻常的植物，故为unusual或uncommon。

【5】more

根据It only needs 10 times less water than food plants like beans. This means itcan grow in the desert(沙漠).可知粮食作物需要的水是沙漠里的植物的10倍，根据倍数的表达方式：倍数+比较级+than+比较对象，故为more。

【6】help

根据In which ways could this plant help us?可知这种植物在某些方面能帮助我们，故为help。

【7】suitable/fit

根据scientists can still study something about it: how it absorbs CO at night while many other plants only do this during the day, and why it is suited to the desert.可知科学家正在研究它为什么能在晚上吸收二氧化碳，为什么适合在沙漠里生长，be suitable for=be fit for适合，故为suitable或fit。

【8】possible

根据but there is still possibility to use the genes(基因)from this plant and put them into food plants.可知有可能使用一种植物上的基因，然后把这个基因放到粮食作物上，根据句型It is+形容词+to do sth“做某事是…….”，故为possible。

【9】rather

根据At the moment we grow plants for fuel in good land. If we do it in deserts instead, more good land can be used to grow plants for food.可知如果我们在沙漠里种植燃料作物，而不是在良田上种植，这样会更好，rather than而不是，故为rather。

【10】solve

根据Desert plants have special qualities, which could be an answer to our future food or energy needs.可知因为沙漠里的植物有特殊性质，它们能解决我们将来食物或能源问题。故为solve。