Imagine this: you sit down and begin to eat a tasty tomato when, suddenly, it starts to scream (尖叫). While this thing will never really happen, a new study showed that plants can make sounds when they are stressed.
Researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel did the study. They used ultrasonic microphones (超声波麦克风) to record the sounds of tomato plants in boxes.
Three groups of plants were listened to : One group wasn’t watered for five days, another group had the stems (茎) cut off, and the third group, was untouched. It turned out that the first two groups made sounds 30 to 50 times per hour at a frequency(频率) of 40 to 80 kilohertz, while the untouched group only made the sound once per hour. “When tomatoes are not stressed at all, they are very quiet,” Lilach Hadany from the team told CNN.
The researchers don’t know how the sounds are made, but they believe the noise comes from the breaking of air bubbles in the plants. This means the noise produced by the plants is not intentional (故意的) or a form of active communication.
Although there’s no evidence(证据) that plants can intentionally communicate, animals and insects may be “listening in” to benefit from the sound. For example, the sound can tell moth that the plant is under stress and not suitable (合适的) to lay eggs on. An animal that wants to eat a plant could also use the sounds to make decisions, according to Science Focus.
After the experiment, the researchers listened to other plants such as wheat (小麦), corn and grapevine, and found they also made more sounds when stressed. Researchers said the study can benefit farmers in the future, as they can better take care of the crops(庄稼) by “hearing” how plants feel.
【小题1】What is the finding of the study by researchers from Tel Aviv University? ________| A．Plants often feel stressed. |
| B．Some plants can scream. |
| C．Plants can make sounds when stressed. |
| D．Plants can communicate with each other. |
| A．A group that is fully-grown. |
| B．A group which has its fruits picked. |
| C．A group that is watered regularly. |
| D．A group that has suitable temperature. |
| A．Plants make sounds on purpose. |
| B．Plants receive messages from animals. |
| C．Plants make noise in a high frequency. |
| D．Air bubbles in the plants can break. |
| A．It may help improve crop production. |
| B．It will help protect the environment. |
| C．It can help farmers predict weather. |
| D．It helps farmers decide what to plant. |
| A．Plants can also “scream” | B．Tasty vegetables |
| C．How can vegetables make sounds | D．Imagination about vegetables |
