# Plant behaviour - 科目：雅思听力真题（Part 4） - 考频：中频 - 最近考试：2024.3.23/2022.1.8 - 题目数：10 - 来源页：https://www.yaquan.site/paper/73622e5a-a17d-4287-99b9-dc89f63410c3（在线机考练习与音频请访问该页面） - 数据更新：2026-10-29 ## 题目原文 00:00:00,380 Part four. 00:00:02,360 You will hear a lecturer talking to a group of biology students about recent plant studies. 00:00:09,600 First, you have some time to look at questions thirty-one to forty. 00:01:03,580 Now listen carefully and answer questions thirty-one to forty. 00:01:11,120 Good morning, everyone. In the last few weeks, we looked at ways in which different types of animals use their senses. 00:01:18,820 And today, I'm going to introduce the topic of plant behavior, and we'll look at the reasons why ideas about plants have been changing in the last few years. 00:01:30,800 So up until fairly recently, plants' lack of eyes or ears or noses or mouths made them less interesting to many members of the public compared to animal species. And even by scientists, they were generally regarded as organisms which were essentially passive. 00:01:51,720 However, in the last twenty years or so, evidence has started to emerge that plants can sense their surroundings in quite sophisticated ways. 00:02:03,600 But because scientific attitudes towards plants and their capabilities had been fixed for such a long time, this evidence has been met with some disbelief. 00:02:15,340 So let's look at some of these recent findings that are starting to change the way some scientists view plant life. 00:02:24,980 It all began with a Canadian study that looked at a species of plant known as the Great Lakes sea rocket. 00:02:34,080 This is a wild plant which grows on beaches. In appearance, it's perfectly ordinary, with little purple flowers and a long stalk. But actually, the plant is far from ordinary. 00:02:49,920 Normally, when the sea rocket detects other plants growing nearby, it quickly grows additional roots. 00:02:58,340 This is so it can compete with these other plants for the available nutrients in the soil by soaking up as many of them as possible. 00:03:07,520 But scientists found that the sea rocket doesn't do that when the surrounding plants are related to it. 00:03:15,860 And as even animals sometimes find this type of recognition difficult, such a finding was very unexpected. It was an ability that was previously unheard of in any other plant. 00:03:29,760 Since then, it's been suggested that two other plants may have a similar ability. These are sagebrush and thorn apple. It's been claimed that these plants can recognize the characteristics of their neighbors by sensing properties of the light that is reflected from them. 00:03:49,300 The reason they are able to do this is that all plant species are slightly different to each other in this respect. 00:03:56,920 So each plant species has what you could call its own signature. 00:04:03,100 Sagebrush and thorn apple are able to recognize these. 00:04:07,220 But scientists point out that this behavior is very different to the way that animals sense things. 00:04:18,920 Another type of plant which can sense things in its surroundings is the dodder plant. This plant is different to most other species because it doesn't have the ability to make sugar by converting nutrients from the soil. 00:04:33,300 This means that as soon as the dodder has sprouted from a seed, it needs to find another plant in order to survive. In other words, it's a parasite. Dodders infest a variety of food crops around the world as they wrap themselves like string around their target plants, and the effect can be devastating for farmers. It's particularly damaging to alfalfa, as well as to potatoes and different varieties of citrus. 00:05:04,020 At first, scientists were puzzled as to how the dodder knows which plants to prey on. 00:05:10,940 But now they found that the plant can identify a suitable host by sensing the chemicals that other plants release into the soil and air. 00:05:21,160 What really surprised researchers was how extremely quickly and accurately the dodder identifies a possible host. They used time-lapse videos to study the mechanism and saw from these that when the dodder is trying to check out its environment, it rotates in a circle, and then, without touching any other plants, it heads directly towards its selected host. 00:05:46,680 It could sense reliably which type of plant it would grow best on. Scientists who were working on the project reported that the dodder sprout resembled a worm as it moved towards the other plant. 00:06:01,760 Well, those are some examples of the new discoveries about plant characteristics. So which direction is plant science likely to go in next? Many of the phenomena related to plant behavior that I've just described are now quite easy to observe using up-to-date equipment. So gradually, scientists are accepting the fact that plants are more capable than we used to believe. 00:06:29,180 But although such plant behavior is often obvious to some scientists... 00:06:38,720 That is the end of part four. You now have one minute to check your answers to part four. ## 题目与答案 ### 31. Changing ideas · Scientists once thought of plants as being 31_____ . · Now there is evidence that this is not true. Changing ideas · Scientists once thought of plants as being 31_____ . · Now there is evidence that this is not true. **答案**：passive 原文定位：And even by scientists, they were generally regarded as organisms which were essentially passive ### 32. Recent studies Great Lakes sea rocket · found on 32_____ Recent studies Great Lakes sea rocket · found on 32_____ **答案**：beaches 原文定位：This is a wild plant which grows on beaches 同义替换：「found on」↔「grows on」 ### 33. · when near other plants, it normally produces extra 33_____ to compete for nutrients. · however, it behaves differently if it is related to the other plants. · when near other plants, it normally produces extra 33_____ to compete for nutrients. · however, it behaves differently if it is related to the other plants. **答案**：roots 原文定位：Normally, when the sea rocket detects other plants growing nearby, it quickly grows additional roots 同义替换：「produces extra」↔「grows additional」 ### 34. Sagebrush and thomapple · recognition of surrounding plants by the type of 34_____ that they reflect. Sagebrush and thomapple · recognition of surrounding plants by the type of 34_____ that they reflect. **答案**：light 原文定位：It's been claimed that these plants can recognize the characteristics of their neighbors by sensing properties of the light that is reflected from them 同义替换：「surrounding plants」↔「neighbors」 ### 35. · identification is possible because all plants have a particular 35_____ . · identification is possible because all plants have a particular 35_____ . **答案**：signature 原文定位：So each plant species has what you could call its own signature 同义替换：「identification」↔「recognize」；「particular」↔「own」 ### 36. Doddber plant · is unable to produce 36_____ Doddber plant · is unable to produce 36_____ **答案**：sugar 原文定位：This plant is different to most other species because it doesn't have the ability to make sugar by converting nutrients from the soil 同义替换：「is unable to produce」↔「doesn't have the ability to make」 ### 37. · needs to feed off another plant to survive. · affects farmers` crops, e.g. alhalfa, 37_____ and citrus. · needs to feed off another plant to survive. · affects farmers` crops, e.g. alhalfa, 37_____ and citrus. **答案**：potatoes 原文定位：It's particularly damaging to alfalfa, as well as to potatoes and different varieties of citrus 同义替换：「affects」↔「damaging to」 ### 38. · identifies suitable “hosts” by detecting the 38_____ they give off. · identifies suitable “hosts” by detecting the 38_____ they give off. **答案**：chemicals 原文定位：But now they found that the plant can identify a suitable host by sensing the chemicals that other plants release into the soil and air 同义替换：「detecting」↔「sensing」；「give off」↔「release」 ### 39. · move in a 39_____ to check the environment, then grows towards the most suitable host. · move in a 39_____ to check the environment, then grows towards the most suitable host. **答案**：circle 原文定位：when the dodder is trying to check out its environment, it rotates in a circle, and then, without touching any other plants, it heads directly towards its selected host 同义替换：「move in」↔「rotates in」 ### 40. Plant science use of modern 40_____ provides evidence of plant behaviour. Plant science use of modern 40_____ provides evidence of plant behaviour. **答案**：equipment 原文定位：Many of the phenomena related to plant behavior that I've just described are now quite easy to observe using up-to-date equipment 同义替换：「modern」↔「up-to-date」；「provides evidence of」↔「observe」 --- 以上内容由鸭圈雅思真题库（www.yaquan.site）提供，收录近期雅思考试真题回忆，支持在线机考模式免费练习。