高三暑期英语精品强化训练六.docxVIP

高三暑期英语强化训练六 一、阅读理解 A A group of German Scientists have discovered that the lotus plant is truly spotless. It does not allow any dirt to remain on its surface. And there is a clear reason for it. Lotus leaves are round and large and it is almost impossible to get them wet. You may splash as much water as you want on a lotus leaf, but the droplets immediately roll off. What makes this water plant’s leaves water repellent (防水剂)? Scientists have always known that aquatic (水生的) leaves secrete or give out wax crystals (蜡质结晶). These crystals help prevent the leaves from getting flooded with the water around the leaves. They also help the leaves gain the required amount of moisture. The leaves are able to do this because wax resists water. Now the scientists have discovered that these leaf surfaces have an amazing ability to clean themselves. Scientists at the University of Bonn carried out extensive research to show that the water droplets rolling off a lotus leaf carry away dirt particles, leaving the surface perfectly clean. This phenomenon has been named the “Lotus Effect” and works best on rough surfaces. A report on the scientists’ study was published in the journal “Planta”. Contrary to popular belief, lotus leaves are not smooth at all. When examined under a powerful microscope, the leaf cells show a bumpy surface. That makes the surface rough. As a result, dirt particles rest only on the tips of wax crystals coating the leaf surface. The roughness reduces the contact area between the particles (颗粒) and the leaf surface. A rough surface structure with wax crystals makes it impossible for water to stick. Due to the friction, the water contracts at once. It forms spherical droplets to minimise the contact area with the rough, waxy leaf surface and runs off the leaf very quickly. Since the dirt particles only rest on the tips of the wax crystals, they stick more strongly to the water droplets than to the leaf surfaces. They are washed away when the water falls on