A (2020·全国卷Ⅰ·D)
The connection between people and plants has long been the subject of scientific research.Recent studies have found positive effects.A study conducted in Youngstown，Ohio，for example，discovered that greener areas of the city experienced less crime.In another，employees were shown to be 15% more productive when their workplaces were decorated with houseplants.
The engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have taken it a step further—changing the actual composition of plants in order to get them to perform diverse，even unusual functions.These include plants that have sensors printed onto their leaves to show when they're short of water and a plant that can detect harmful chemicals in groundwater.“We're thinking about how we can engineer plants to replace functions of the things that we use every day，” explained Michael Strano，a professor of chemical engineering at MIT.
One of his latest projects has been to make plants glow(发光) in experiments using some common vegetables.Strano's team found that they could create a faint light for threeandahalf hours.The light，about onethousandth of the amount needed to read by，is just a start.The technology，Strano said，could one day be used to light the rooms or even to turn trees into selfpowered street lamps.
In the future，the team hopes to develop a version of the technology that can be sprayed onto plant leaves in a oneoff treatment that would last the plant's lifetime.The engineers are also trying to develop an on and off“switch” where the glow would fade when exposed to daylight.
Lighting accounts for about 7% of the total electricity consumed in the US.Since lighting is often far removed from the power source(电源)—such as the distance from a power plant to street lamps on a remote highway—a lot of energy is lost during transmission(传输)．Glowing plants could reduce this distance and therefore help save energy.
【语篇解读】 本文介绍了与植物有关的研究，重点介绍了发光植物的相关内容。
1．What is the first paragraph mainly about?
A．A new study of different plants.
B．A big fall in crime rates.
C．Employees from various workplaces.
D．Benefits from green plants.
D [段落大意题。根据第一段第二句“Recent studies have found positive effects.” 可知，D选项“Benefits from green plants”能概括本段内容。]
2．What is the function of the sensors printed on plant leaves by MIT engineers?
A．To detect plants' lack of water.
B．To change compositions of plants.
C．To make the life of plants longer.
D．To test chemicals in plants.
A [细节理解题。根据第二段第二句中的“These include plants that have sensors printed onto their leaves to show when they're short of water...”可知，A选项正确。根据该句后半部分“a plant that can detect harmful chemicals in groundwater.”可知，干扰项D选项错误。]
3．What can we expect of the glowing plants in the future?
A．They will speed up energy production.
B．They may transmit electricity to the home.
C．They might help reduce energy consumption.
D．They could take the place of power plants.
C [推理判断题。根据最后一段的内容尤其是最后一句“Glowing plants could reduce this distance and therefore help save energy.”可推知，在未来发光的植物可能有助于减少能源消耗。]
4．Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A．Can We Grow More Glowing Plants?
B．How Do We Live with Glowing Plants?
C．Could Glowing Plants Replace Lamps?
D．How Are Glowing Plants Made Pollutionfree?
C [标题归纳题。文章第一段点明植物的积极作用；第二段是有关植物的其他方面的功能的研究；第三段说明最新的研究表明植物可以发光；第四段是有关将来要开发的一种用在植物叶子上的技术及研究植物发光是否可以“打开”和“关上”；第五段表述能量在传输中损失很多，或许发光植物可以解决这一问题。故C选项(发光的植物能代替灯吗？)最能凸显本文主题。]
