When you watch TV programs about wild animals, it is surprising to see how an antelope can escape a lion’s attack. In the wilderness, everyone has a stunt. Even plants have their own ways of fighting off enemies.
Over millions of years of evolution, plants have developed a unique defence system. Chemicals are wildly used for survival. By making their leaves, flowers, roots and fruits distasteful or poisonous(有毒的) to enemies, plants can fight back.
One such plant is the Golden Wattle tree. The British scientist David Cameron has found when an animal eats the tree’s leaves, the amount of poison increases in the other leaves. “It’s like the damaged leaves telephoning the others telling them to fight together against the enemy, ” he said.
The tree also sends defence messages to neighboring plants by giving out a special smell. Golden Wattle trees in the surrounding 45 meters will get the message and produce more poison within 10 minutes. Now, if an enemy eats too many of the trees’ leaves, it will die.
Every species of plant or tree is good at the production of a particular set of chemicals. A herbivore that can safely eat the leaves of one tree may be poisoned by its neighbor.
In this way, plants have developed not only individual defence system, but also shared it with others. This makes it impossible for a single animal to destroy even a small area of forest.
【小题1】 Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?A．Plants Fight back with PoisonsB．Plants Can Kill AnimalsC．Animals and PlantsD．Lions and Antelopes【小题2】According to the study, if one Golden Wattle tree is attacked by animals, it can .A．tell other trees to protect itB．produce more poison within 10 minutesC．send defence messages to the neighboring plantsD．kill the animals with its leaves【小题3】 In this passage the underlined word “herbivore” probably means animals which .A．live on both animals and plants B．feed on smaller animalsC．live on treesD．feed on plants or grass【小题4】The last paragraph of the passage suggests that this kind of defence system .A．does great harm to the animals B．does good to the forestsC．is helpful to some animalsD．harms the forestsA
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(答案→)A
解析：
【小题1】A 主旨大意题。文章主要讨论的是植物进行自我保护的话题，它们是通过分泌出毒素来保护自己的，故A正确。
【小题2】C 细节题。根据第四段第一行The tree also sends defence messages to neighboring plants by giving out a special smell.说明C正确，
【小题3】D 推理题。根据本句A herbivore that can safely eat the leaves of one tree may be poisoned by its neighbor.
说明该herbivore是吃树叶的动物，也许它能吃一颗树的树叶，但是另外一棵树的树叶就会有更强的毒素。故该词指一种吃草的动物。故D正确。
【小题4】B 推理题。根据最后一段最后一句This makes it impossible for a single animal to destroy even a small area of forest.说明它可以保护整片森林不被动物吃掉。故B正确。