Personality, just as among people, varies among trees. Some are anxious, some bold. On the author’s land, there are three oak trees growing close together. One of the oak trees always starts to shed its leaves two weeks earlier than the others. Since they all experience the same temperature, the same soil and the same length of day, such variables can’t be the explanation. So what’s happening? Well, this tree is simply more careful than the others. Whoever holds on to their leaves longer can do more photosynthesis(光合作用) and store more nutrients. However, the longer a tree keeps its leaves, the higher the risk of injury.

Not only do trees make their own decisions, they also learn from their mistakes. A tree, for example, keeping its leaves too long during one year will never make this mistake again. This leads to several other conclusions:trees must notice the temperature and the length of the day and be able to save their experiences somewhere. Obviously, trees don’t have brains, but it is thought that in the sensitive tips of their roots they keep track of information and experiences.

But trees aren’t only clever when it comes to caring for themselves. They also support each other whenever there’s trouble by giving warnings and even taking care of sick and weak conspecifics with nutrients. For example, one time the author found a very old tree stump. Its insides had rotted a long time ago to topsoil. But the wood on the outside of the stump was still living. How was this possible? Well, the stump was nourished by its neighbors with nutrients from the root system, and had been for at least 400 years!

Why do trees do such a thing？It’s simple: it’s better together. Trees need the forest; it protects them from storms, provides the right microclimate and warns them of attacks.

【1】Why does the author mention the three oak trees?

A.To illustrate trees can learn from experiences.

B.To show trees can make independent decisions.

C.To explain trees are quite supportive to each other.

D.To prove trees have the same personalities as humans.

【2】According to the text, which of the following best describes general features of trees?

A.Anxious and bold.

B.Smart and adventurous.

C.Helpful and wellbehaved.

D.Adaptable and supportive.

【3】What does the underlined phrase “do such a thing” mean?

A.Give warnings.B.Offer assistance.

C.Depend on others.D.Provide nutrients.

【4】Where does this text most probably come from?

A.A public lecture.B.A science book.

C.An experiment report.D.A travel journal.

【答案】

【1】B

【2】D

【3】B

【4】B

【解析】

这是一篇说明文，主要介绍了树的智慧：每棵树都有它不同的个性，遇到困难时它们也会互相帮助；研究发现，树不但能自己做决定，还能从自己的错误中吸取教训。

【1】

推理判断题。根据第二段“Well, this tree is simply more careful than the others.”（这颗树只是比其他两颗更小心而已）和根据第三段“Not only do trees make their own decisions,”（树不仅能自己做决定，）故推知，作者在此处举例是为了说明树能自己做决定。故选B。

【2】

推理判断题。根据“A tree, for example, keeping its leaves too long during one year will never make this mistake again.”（例如，一棵在一年中保留叶子太久的树将永远不会再犯这种错误。）可推知，树木的适应能力很强；根据“But trees aren’t only clever when it comes to caring for themselves. They also support each other”（但是树不仅在照顾自己的时候表现的很聪明，他们也互相支持）可知，树木之间会相互支持。故选D。

【3】

词句猜测题。根据“Why do trees do such a thing？”（树木们为什么会做这样的事呢？）可知，此处指的是上文“the stump was nourished by its neighbors with nutrients from the root system, and had been for at least 400 years!”（树桩是由它的邻居们用来自根系的养分来滋养的，而且已经有至少400年的历史了！）故猜测do such a thing意为“提供帮助”。B选项Offer assistance意为“提供援助”。故选B。

【4】

推理判断题。通读全文可知，本文主要介绍了树的智慧：每棵树都有它不同的个性，遇到困难时它们也会互相帮助；研究发现，树不但能自己做决定，还能从自己的错误中吸取教训；据此可推知，本文最可能选自科学书籍，故选B。