A
Vinegar is great. It makes salad, fries and dumplings taste better, and you can even clean your windows with it. And now, according to scientists, it may even help the planet's population to ease hunger.
Researchers from the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) in Japan found that growing plants in vinegar makes them more resistant to droughts.
This could mean that in the future, worries about climate change affecting the world's supply of food will be much lower.
The discovery was made after the researchers studied the Arabidopsis, a plant known for its ability to survive in dry weather. It was found that when the plant was placed in droughtlike conditions, it produced a chemical called acetate(醋酸盐) — the main component of vinegar.
After discovering this, the scientists experimented further by adding acetate to the soil of other plants, before they stopped giving them water completely. After leaving the plants for 14 days, they found that the ones treated with acetate had survived, while the untreated plants had dried up and died. It's hoped that this simple method of survival could soon be used to help farmers in dry countries keep their crops alive.
Jong Myong Kim, coauthor of the study, told Popular Science magazine that he's already been in touch with people all over the world who are interested in trying this simple and costeffective method out for themselves from flower growing companies to amateur gardeners.
Although at this point keeping thirsty plants alive isn't as easy as just pouring vinegar over them, Kim said he and his team are working on making the process as simple as possible. “Now we are trying to cooperate with some farmers, and also some companies, to make a method to apply this system.” he said.
And for those of us who always forget to ask our neighbors to water our plants when we go away, hopefully this means the end of returning home from a trip to find our favorite flowers have died.
语篇解读：本文是一篇说明文，主要讲了醋可以使植物在干旱的环境中生存，从而解决因粮食而造成的饥饿问题。
1. What is mentioned as a feature of the Arabidopsis?
A．It produces acetate in wet conditions.
B．It is mainly composed of acetate.
C．It can survive in nowhere but desert.
D．It can be tolerant of drought.
解析：选D 细节理解题。由第四段可知，Arabidopsis的特点是可以忍受干旱，选D。
2. The scientists experimented further in order to .
A．find a simple way of keeping the crops of farmers alive
B．add acetate to the soils of other plants to stop watering
C．check the effectiveness of the acetate to resist drought
D．treat the driedup plants by adding acetate to them
解析：选C 推理判断题。根据文章第四段的理解，可以得知进一步实验的目的是检验把醋酸盐添加到植物中就能增加植物耐旱能力的有效性，选C。
3. What is the author's attitude to the discovery?
A．Objective. B．Unsupportive.
C．Indifferent. D．Optimistic.
解析：选D 观点态度题。由最后一段可知，作者持乐观态度。objective “客观的”；unsupportive“不支持的”；indifferent “冷漠的”；optimistic“乐观的”，选D。
4. What may be the best title for the text?
A．Vinegar could end hunger
B．Vinegar keeps plants living forever
C．How to survive climate change
D．Advantages and functions of vinegar
解析：选A 标题归纳题。由全文的主题句“And now, according to scientists, it may even help the planet's population to ease hunger.”可知，这篇文章主要讲了醋可以使植物在干旱的环境中生存，从而解决因粮食而造成的饥饿问题，选A。
