外研版（2019）高中英语必修第一册 Unit6 Developing ideas and Presenting ideas 能力提升练.docxVIP

PAGE2 / NUMPAGES2 Unit6 Developing ideas and Presenting ideas 能力提升练 一、阅读理解 （2021四川眉山高一上学期期末） There are many gardening tips. Some suggest playing music for your houseplants, having conversations with them, or even giving them a gentle touch now and then. Most of these practices are probably more for the benefit of the gardener than the garden, and generally harmless enough but except the last one. Your plants really dislike it when you touch them. A new study out of the La Trobe Institute for Agriculture and Food has found that most plants are extremely sensitive to touch, and even a light touch can significantly stunt（遏制）their growth. The lightest touch from a human, animals, insects, or even plants touching each other in the wind, can cause a huge gene response in the plant, said Jim Whelan, who led the new study. Within 30 minutes of being touched, 10% of the plants genome（基因）can be changed. This involves a huge expenditure（消耗）of energy which is taken away from plant growth. If the touching is repeated, then plant growth is reduced by up to 30%. Whelan and his team are still trying to find out why plants respond, at the genetic level, so strongly. They do have some theories, however. We know that when an insect lands on a plant, genes are activated（激活）preparing the plant for defending itself against being eaten, said Dr. Yan Wang, co-author of the study. Until more research is done, its just a guess at this point. Still, the findings might already lead to new methods for how agriculturalists deal with their crops, to best promote healthier growth. Its worth noticing that while the study found that plants often respond to just a single touch in negative ways, its really repeated touch that causes lasting stunted growth. Thats because the plants are looking for patterns in the touching, to tell harmful touch from random touch. So it doesnt matter if you accidentally brush up against a bush during a walk through the woods. 1. How is the passage mainly develop