Can trees talk? Yes — but not in words. Scientists have reason to believe that trees do

communicate with each other. Not long ago, researchers learned some surprising things. First a willow tree attacked in the woods by caterpillars（毛毛虫）changed the chemistry of its leaves and made them taste so terrible that they got tired of the leaves and stopped eating them. Then even more astonishing, the tree sent out a special vapor—a signal causing its neighbors to change the chemistry of their own leaves and make them less tasty.

   Communication, of course, does not need to be in words. We can talk each other by smiling, raising our shoulders and moving our hands. We know that birds and animals use a whole vocabulary of songs, sounds, and movements. Bees dance their signals, flying in certain patterns that tell other bees where to find nectar for honey. So why shouldn’t trees have ways of sending messages?

1．It can be inferred from the passage that caterpillars do not feed on leaves that          .

A．have an unpleasant taste

B．are lying on the ground

C．have an unfamiliar shape

D．bees don’t like

2．According to the passage, the willow tree was able to communicate with each other by       .

A．waving its branches              B．giving off a special vapor

C．dropping its leaves               D．changing the color of its trunk

3．According to the passage, bees communicate by        .

A．touching one another             B．smiling one another

C．making special movement         D．making unusual sound

4．The author believes that the incident described in the passage         .

A．cannot be taken seriously          B．seems completely reasonable

C．should no longer be permitted      D．must be checked more thorough

阅读下列短文, 从所给的四个选项中, 选出最佳答案。

    Can trees talk? Yes—but not in words. Scientists have　　 reason to believe that trees do communicate (互通信息)with each other. Not long ago, researchers learned some surprising things. First a willow tree (柳树) attacked in　　 the woods by caterpillars (毛毛虫) changed the chemistry of its leaves and made them taste so terrible that they got tired of the leaves and stopped eating them. Then even more astonishing, the tree sent out a special vapours—a signal causing its neighbours to change the chemistry of their own leaves and make them less tasty.　　

    Communication, of course, doesn't need to be in words. We can talk to　　 each other by smiling, raising our shoulders and moving our hands. We　　 know that birds and animals use a whole vocabulary of songs, and movements. Bees dance their signals, flying in certain patterns that tell other bees where to find nectar (花蜜) for honey.

　　     So why shouldn't trees have ways of sending messages?

(1) It can inferred (推断) from the passage that caterpillars do not feed    on leaves that _________.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   ［　　］ 　　A. have an unpleasant taste  　　B. are lying on the ground  　　C. have an unfamiliar shape  　　D. bees don't like (2) The willow tree described in the passage protected itself by _______. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   ［　　］ 　　A. growing more branches 　　    　　B. changing its leaf chemistry 　　C. communicating with birds and bees D. shaking caterpillars off (3) According to the passage, the willow tree was able to communicate     with other trees by ____________.　　　　　　　　　　   ［　　］ 　　A. waving its branches　　B. giving off a special vapour  　　C. dropping its leaves　　D. changing its colour of its trunk　　  (4) According to this passage, bees communicate by _________. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   ［　　］ 　　A. touching one another     　　B. smelling one another 　　C. making special movement  　　D. making usual sound  (5) The author believe that the incident described in the passage     _________.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  ［　　］
　　 A. cannot be taken seriously
     B. seems completely reasonable
     C. should no longer be permitted
     D. must be checked more thoroughly 

Science Daily (Apr 27, 2008) — Dutch ecologist Roxina Soler and her colleagues have discovered that subterranean (地下的) and aboveground herbivorous (食草的) insects can communicate with each other by using plants as telephones. Subterranean insects issue chemical warning signals through the leaves of the plant. This way, aboveground insects are warned that the plant is already “occupied”.
Aboveground, leaf-eating insects prefer plants that have not yet been occupied by subterranean root-eating insects. Subterranean insects send out chemical signals through the leaves of the plant, which warn the aboveground insects about their presence. This messaging makes it possible for spatially-separated insects to avoid each other, so that they do not compete for the same plant.
In recent years it has been discovered that different types of aboveground insects develop slowly if they feed on plants that also have subterranean residents and vice versa (反之亦然). It seems that a system has developed through natural selection, which helps the subterranean and aboveground insects to notice each other. This avoids unnecessary competition.
Through the “green telephone lines”, subterranean insects can also communicate with a third party, namely the natural enemy of caterpillars (毛虫). Parasitic wasps (寄生的黄蜂) lay their eggs inside aboveground insects. The wasps also benefit from the signals sent by the leaves, as these help them find more insects for their eggs.
The communication between subterranean and aboveground insects has only been studied in a few cases. It is still not clear how widespread this phenomenon is. But scientists are looking into it. This research was carried out at the Netherlands Institute for Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) by Roxina Soler, Jeffrey Harvey, Martijn Bezemer, Wim van der Putten and Louise Vet. The PhD project, in which this study was carried out, was funded by the Free Competition of NWO Earth and Life Sciences.
51. After finding a plant occupied by subterranean insects, aboveground insects usually ____.
A. send out warning signals             B. choose to give up the plant
C. compete for the plant               D. share it with the subterranean insects
52. Aboveground insects will develop more quickly if they ____.
A. feed on plants occupied by subterranean insects
B. feed on plants not occupied by subterranean insects
C. become cleverer through natural selection
D. compete with subterranean insects
53. Subterranean insects communicate with a third party through ____.
A. caterpillars     B. parasitic wasps    C. wasps’ eggs    D. a plant’s leaves
54. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. Other animals may communicate in the same way.
B. There will be further research into this phenomenon.
C. Part of the study is a PhD project.
D. The Free Completion of NWO Earth and Life Sciences has the patent for these results.
55. What would be the best title for this passage?
A. Insects use plants as a telephone.         B. Insects live in harmony with each other.
C. No species can live alone.               D. Plants and animals have an effect on each other.

Science Daily (Apr 27, 2008) — Dutch ecologist Roxina Soler and her colleagues have discovered that subterranean (地下的) and aboveground herbivorous (食草的) insects can communicate with each other by using plants as telephones. Subterranean insects issue chemical warning signals through the leaves of the plant. This way, aboveground insects are warned that the plant is already “occupied”.

Aboveground, leaf-eating insects prefer plants that have not yet been occupied by subterranean root-eating insects. Subterranean insects send out chemical signals through the leaves of the plant, which warn the aboveground insects about their presence. This messaging makes it possible for spatially-separated insects to avoid each other, so that they do not compete for the same plant.

In recent years it has been discovered that different types of aboveground insects develop slowly if they feed on plants that also have subterranean residents and vice versa (反之亦然). It seems that a system has developed through natural selection, which helps the subterranean and aboveground insects to notice each other. This avoids unnecessary competition.

Through the “green telephone lines”, subterranean insects can also communicate with a third party, namely the natural enemy of caterpillars (毛虫). Parasitic wasps (寄生的黄蜂) lay their eggs inside aboveground insects. The wasps also benefit from the signals sent by the leaves, as these help them find more insects for their eggs.

The communication between subterranean and aboveground insects has only been studied in a few cases. It is still not clear how widespread this phenomenon is. But scientists are looking into it. This research was carried out at the Netherlands Institute for Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) by Roxina Soler, Jeffrey Harvey, Martijn Bezemer, Wim van der Putten and Louise Vet. The PhD project, in which this study was carried out, was funded by the Free Competition of NWO Earth and Life Sciences.

51. After finding a plant occupied by subterranean insects, aboveground insects usually ____.

A. send out warning signals             B. choose to give up the plant

C. compete for the plant                D. share it with the subterranean insects

52. Aboveground insects will develop more quickly if they ____.

A. feed on plants occupied by subterranean insects

B. feed on plants not occupied by subterranean insects

C. become cleverer through natural selection

D. compete with subterranean insects

53. Subterranean insects communicate with a third party through ____.

A. caterpillars     B. parasitic wasps    C. wasps’ eggs     D. a plant’s leaves

54. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A. Other animals may communicate in the same way.

B. There will be further research into this phenomenon.

C. Part of the study is a PhD project.

D. The Free Completion of NWO Earth and Life Sciences has the patent for these results.

55. What would be the best title for this passage?

A. Insects use plants as a telephone.         B. Insects live in harmony with each other.

C. No species can live alone.               D. Plants and animals have an effect on each other.

Science Daily (Apr 27, 2008) — Dutch ecologist Roxina Soler and her colleagues have discovered that subterranean (地下的) and aboveground herbivorous (食草的) insects can communicate with each other by using plants as telephones. Subterranean insects issue chemical warning signals through the leaves of the plant. This way, aboveground insects are warned that the plant is already “occupied”.

Aboveground, leaf-eating insects prefer plants that have not yet been occupied by subterranean root-eating insects. Subterranean insects send out chemical signals through the leaves of the plant, which warn the aboveground insects about their presence. This messaging makes it possible for spatially-separated insects to avoid each other, so that they do not compete for the same plant.

In recent years it has been discovered that different types of aboveground insects develop slowly if they feed on plants that also have subterranean residents and vice versa (反之亦然). It seems that a system has developed through natural selection, which helps the subterranean and aboveground insects to notice each other. This avoids unnecessary competition.

Through the “green telephone lines”, subterranean insects can also communicate with a third party, namely the natural enemy of caterpillars (毛虫). Parasitic wasps (寄生的黄蜂) lay their eggs inside aboveground insects. The wasps also benefit from the signals sent by the leaves, as these help them find more insects for their eggs.

The communication between subterranean and aboveground insects has only been studied in a few cases. It is still not clear how widespread this phenomenon is. But scientists are looking into it. This research was carried out at the Netherlands Institute for Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) by Roxina Soler, Jeffrey Harvey, Martijn Bezemer, Wim van der Putten and Louise Vet. The PhD project, in which this study was carried out, was funded by the Free Competition of NWO Earth and Life Sciences.

51. After finding a plant occupied by subterranean insects, aboveground insects usually ____.

A. send out warning signals             B. choose to give up the plant

C. compete for the plant                D. share it with the subterranean insects

52. Aboveground insects will develop more quickly if they ____.

A. feed on plants occupied by subterranean insects

B. feed on plants not occupied by subterranean insects

C. become cleverer through natural selection

D. compete with subterranean insects

53. Subterranean insects communicate with a third party through ____.

A. caterpillars     B. parasitic wasps    C. wasps’ eggs     D. a plant’s leaves

54. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A. Other animals may communicate in the same way.

B. There will be further research into this phenomenon.

C. Part of the study is a PhD project.

D. The Free Completion of NWO Earth and Life Sciences has the patent for these results.

55. What would be the best title for this passage?

A. Insects use plants as a telephone.         B. Insects live in harmony with each other.

C. No species can live alone.               D. Plants and animals have an effect on each other.