{{B}}"Salty" Rice Plant Boosts
Harvests{{/B}} British scientists are breeding a new generation of
rice plants that will be able to grow in soil containing salt water. Their work
may enable abandoned farms to become productive once more. Tim
Flowers and Tony Yeo, from Sussex University's School of Biological Sciences,
have spent several years researching how crops, such as rice, could be made to
grow in water that has become salty. The pair have recently
begun a three-year programme, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological
Sciences Research Council, to establish which genes enable some plants to
survive salty conditions. The aim is to breed this capability into crops,
starting with rice. It is estimated that each year more than 100
hectares (公顷) of agricultural land are lost because salt gets into the soil and
stunts (妨碍生长) plants. The problem is caused by several factors. In the tropics,
mangroves (红树林) that create swamps (沼泽) and traditionally formed barriers to sea
water have been cut down. In the Mediterranean, a series of droughts have caused
the water table to drop, allowing sea water to seep (渗透) in. In Latin America,
irrigation often causes problems when water is evaporated (蒸发) by the heat,
leaving salt deposits behind. Excess salt then enters the plants
and prevents them functioning normally. Heavy concentrations of minerals in the
plants stop them drawing up the water they need to survive. To
overcome these problems, Flowers and Yeo decided to breed rice plants that take
in very little salt and store what they do absorb in cells that do not affect
the plants' growth. They have started to breed these characteristics into a new
rice crop, but it will take about eight harvests before the resulting seeds are
ready to be considered for commercial use. Once the
characteristics for surviving salty soil are known, Flowers and Yeo will try to
breed the appropriate genes into all manners of crops and plants. Land that has
been abandoned to nature will then be able to bloom again, providing much needed
food in the poorer countries of the world.
单选题
Which of the following statements about Flowers and Yeo is TRUE?
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 根据选项的内，容特点判定问题是在问这两个人之间的关系。该题考察考生根据文章细节进行推断的能力。利用题干中的特征词Flowers and Yeo作为答案线索，这样找到答案相关句：(British scientists are breeding a new generation of rice plants that will be able to grow in soil containing salt water. Their work may enable abandoned farms to become productive once more. Tim Flowers and Tony Yeo, from Sussex University's School of Biological Sciences, have spent several years researching how crops，such as rice，could be made to grow in water that has become salty．划线句内容表明Flowers and Yeo是来自生物科学研究院的研究工作者，结合上下文结构特点：上一段的内容说“英国科学家……”，“他们的工作……”，然后紧接着文章就明确提到具体的研究者名字，从这里我们可以推断出的结论是这相邻两段的逻辑关系是概述和具体举例说明。因此可以推出的结论是：这两个人是科学家，是从事生物研究的工作者。
单选题
Flowers and Yeo have started a programme ______.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 该题问及的内容与上一题有关，因此判断该题的答案相关句和上题的答案相关句应该接近，这样找到答案相关句：The pair have recently begun a three-year program，funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council，to establish which genes enable some plants to survive salty conditions．The aim is to breed this capability into crops，starting with rice．划线结构内容表明“他们开始着手的项目目的是为了确认什么基因能让一些植物在盐水中生存。”所以答案是B。
单选题
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a cause of the problem discussed in the passage?
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 利用备选项中的核心词(A：natural barriers；B：water table，drought；C：sea level；D： evaporation)作为答案线索，在文章中查找相关信息进行确认。It is estimated that each year more than 100 hectares(公顷) of agricultural land are lost because salt gets into the soil and stunts(妨碍生长)plants．The problem is caused by several factors．In the tropics, mangroves(红树林)that create swamps(沼泽)and traditionally formed barriers to sea water have been cut down.(该句说“阻挡海水的天然屏障红树木被砍伐”，这个内容与A一致。)In the Mediterranean, a series of droughts have caused the water table(水位)to drop，(该句说“一系列的干早造成水平面下降”，这个诶容与B一致)allowing sea water to seep(渗透)in. In Latin America, irrigation often causes problems when water is evaporated(蒸发)by the heat, leaving salt deposits behind．(该句说“水被高温蒸发后留下了盐分”， 这与D一致)， 所以只有C没有被提到。
单选题
The word "affect" in Paragraph 6 could be best replaced by ______.
单选题
The attitude of the author towards the research project is ______.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 该题考察文章韵主题。注意文章开头/结尾处句子句意的表述。文章结尾部分说“Land that has been abandoned to nature will then be able to bloom again，providing much needed food in the poorer countries of the world．一度荒芜的土地能再次繁盛，能为世界上贫穷的国家提供它们非常需要的食物。”这句话无疑是在对“在盐水中种植植物”这项研究课题的积极展望，因此判断作者的态度是“积极的”，所以A是答案。