What can drones (无人机) do? Their many uses include taking pictures from the sky, observing (观察) wild animals and delivering packages. Now these small flying robots are leading a new farming revolution (革命) according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. When equipped (装备) with cameras and other data-gathering devices, drones provide us with an eye in the sky. Here are a few of the farming-related jobs drones can do.

●Looking for sick crops

Drones can scan (扫描) crops using different kinds of light. Then, they produce multispectral images (多谱图像) that can help us find sickly yellow plants within fields of green. Drones can also detect bacteria (检测细菌) that are harmful to crops in the air from a few kilometers away. Farmers can check the drones’ air samples (样本) and try to find ways to protect their crops before the bacteria get to them.

●Counting cattle

When flying over cattle, drones can track the livestock and find out where fences need fixing. People can also equip drones with thermal imagers (热像仪) and night-vision cameras. This can help farmers look for animals that could harm their cattle.

●Water watch

Most fields aren’t perfectly flat (平坦的). After watering, some places may dry out faster than others. Other spots might not get water at all. Drones can scan the field and make a 3-D map. Using the map, farmers can figure out which parts of a field are dry or need improvement.

●Spraying pesticide (喷洒农药)

Different parts of a field might be uneven or have different heights. Drones can check for this when flying above the land. Then they change their height and therefore spray the correct amount of pesticide over each part of the field. This is more efficient than traditional pesticide spraying. Drones can finish spraying a field up to five times faster than with traditional machinery, according to a study from MIT.

【小题1】What can drones do to help farmers with their farming?

A．Take pictures.

B．Deliver packages.

C．Look for sick crops.

【小题2】What do drones need to help guard cattle at night?

A．Air samples.

B．Night-vision cameras.

C．3-D printers.

【小题3】What does the underlined word “uneven” probably mean?

A．不肥沃的

B．不相连的

C．不平坦的

【小题4】What can we know from the passage?

A．Drones can’t detect bacteria unless crops are sick.

B．Drones can help farmers make sure fields are properly watered.

C．Drones are better at spraying pesticide over flat land.

【小题5】What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Drones can do some jobs related to farming.

B．Drones are the most useful inventions.

C．Drones can help farmers protect crops and cattle.