D篇
文体：解释文 词数：318 难度：4星
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 abou thow 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 grow (发光)in experiments using some common vegetables. Strano’s team found that they could create a faint light for three-and-a-half hours. The light, about one-thousandth 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 treeinto self-powered street lamps.
In the future, the team hopes to develop a version of the technology that can be sprayed onto plant leaves in a one-off 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 plantscould reduce this distance and therefore help save energy.
32. 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.
33. 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.
34. 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.
35. 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 pollution-free?
【短文大意】本文讲述了科学家已经进行了让植物发光的试验，并希望在未来取得更大进展，为人们带来益处。
【答案解析】
32. D 段落大意题。难度中等。根据第一段可知，本段通过举例绿化多的区域犯罪率低，绿植多的办公区域员工生产力更高来解释绿色植物给人们带来的益处，故选D。
33. A 细节理解题。难度较小。根据第二段第二句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. 可知，传感器可以检测植物是否缺水，故选A。
34. C 细节理解题。难度中等。根据末了一段可知，发光植物可以减少远间隔运送而产生的摧残浪费蹂躏，从而节省能源，故选C。
35. C 标题概括题。难度较大。阅读全文可知，本文讲述的是科学家进行的发光植物试验，未来发光植物有可能取代电灯，让人们得到更多益处，故选C。
深度解读
一、主题语境：人与社会——科学与技能
二、语篇类型：解释文（人类能用发光植物代替电灯吗？）
出处：http://www.designophy.com/newslog/article.php?UIN=1000003611&sec=newslog
三、宏不雅观剖析：（表格从略）
四、话题语块：
1. take sth. a step further 更进一步
2. create a faint light 发出微弱的光
3. one-thousandth of the amount 数量的千分之一
4. self-powered 自备动力的
5. be sprayed onto 被喷洒在…
6. one-off treatment 一次性的治疗
7. on and off “switch” 开关键
8. be often far removed from 与…大相径庭
五、措辞技能和学习策略：
32. 段落主旨大意题。根据第一段第二句话“Recent studies have found positive effects.”（最近的研究已经创造了积极的效果），以及后面的两个事例：绿植越多的城市犯罪率越低和在有绿植装饰的事情场所里职员的事情效率高更高，都是在描述绿植的好处，故选D。
33. 细节理解题。根据第二段“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.”可知被印在树叶上的传感器可以显示出什么时候植物的缺水的并且可以检测出地下水中的有害化学物质，故选A。
34. 细节理解题。根据末了一段提到在运输过程中许多能量被丢失，以及末了一句“Glowing plants could reduce this distance and therefore help save energy.”可知发光的植物可以减少这个运输间隔，因此能够帮助节约能源，故选C。
35. 文章标题题。文章第一段先容了绿植的好处，交代了背景；第二段先容MIT的工程师们更进一步的改变了指物的构造以使它们能够代替我们日常利用的东西的功能，引出话题。
第三段紧张先容MIT教授Michael Strano最新的一个项目之一便是制造发光的植物，在未来某一天可代替家用电灯和路灯；第四段先容了在未来这个技能的发展；第五段紧张先容发光的植物比普通的灯节能；由此可知本篇文章紧张先容的是发光植物的研发及它的替代浸染，故选C。
六、文化知识：
麻省理工学院的一个“植物纳米电子学”团队造就出这种发光植物。他们最近设计了能检测爆炸物的菠菜和可以在农作物短缺水分时向农人发出警报的叶片传感器。在这项研究中，科学家想要办理照明问题，这占环球能源花费的20％旁边。
为了使它们发光，科学家将特殊设计的纳米粒子嵌入到豆瓣菜植物的叶子中。发光效果须要三种不同的组分，每一种都放置在载体纳米颗粒内。萤火虫通过被称为萤光素酶和荧光素分子之间的相互浸染来发光，以是这两种都被加入。末了，它们的活性被称为辅酶A的分子所推动。这些组分被包装在纳米颗粒内并悬浮在溶液中。下一步是将植物浸泡在溶液中并加压，使颗粒通过称为气孔的小孔进入叶片。荧光素和辅酶A被包装在聚合物纳米颗粒内部，进入并堆积在叶的内层，而萤光素酶被包含在更小的二氧化硅纳米颗粒内部，许可它们进入植物细胞。由于荧光素从其颗粒中开释，它也进入细胞并与荧光素酶反应，产生发光效应。
目前，他们已经将发光持续韶光从45分钟提高到了三个半小时。空想情形下，未来的事情将会看到用喷涂油漆取代浸泡方法，使他们能够将光芒运用于街道上的树木。
张同冰 老师 2021-01-02 北京朝阳
