共享题干题 (三) "Salty" Rice Plant Boosts Harvests 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 bee 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 bee salty. The pair have recently begun a three-year programme, funded by the Biotechnology and Bio-logical 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 10m 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 fac-tors. 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 concentra-tions of minerals in the plants stop them drawing up the water they need to survive.To overe these problems, Flowers and Yeo decided to breed rice plants that take in very little salt and store what they do absorb in ceils 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 be-fore the resulting seeds are ready to be considered for mercial 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 na-ture will then be able to bloom again, providing much needed food in the poorer countries of the world.1.[不定向选择题]The attitude of the author towards the research project is____________A.positive B.negative C.suspicious D.indifferent 2.[不定向选择题]Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a cause of the problem discussed in the passage7A.Natural barriers to sea water have been destroyed B.The water table has gone down after droughts. C.Sea level has been continuously rising. D.Evaporation of water leaves salt behind.
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1.参考答案：A
参考解析：四个选项的意思分别是：肯定的(positive)、否定的(negative)、有怀疑的(suspi-cious)、冷淡的(indifferent)，从全文看作者对他们的研究无疑是肯定的。
2.参考答案：C
参考解析：引起盐分渗入土壤的3个原因都在第四段里谈到了：第一是阻挡海水的天然屏障红树林被砍伐(A)；第二是在地中海地区严重的旱灾导致水平面下降，海水渗透(B)；第三是在拉丁美洲，水分被高温蒸发后留下了盐分(D)。3.[不定向选择题]Which of the following statements about Flowers and Yeo is true?A.They are students at Sussex University. B.They are rice breeders. C.They are husband and wife. D.They are colleagues at an institution of higher learning.