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专题限时训练(三十) [科普知识型阅读理解(二)]

(限时：每篇7分钟) (一)

Schools of robotic fish could be sent into the Thames to produce a 3D pollution map of the river.

Researchers at the University of Essex in Colchester are working on the robotic fish as part of a ￡2.5million EU-funded project to find new ways of monitoring water waste.

Each fish will be about 50cm long, 15cm high and 12cm wide.They will be packed with pollution sensors(传感器)that can electronically “smell” harmful chemicals in the water.

Scientists have developed “swarm(群)intelligence techniques” which allow the fish to work as a team without humans.

The robotic fish will communicate with each other using wi-fi as they seek out areas of pollution.They work out where they are with inbuilt GPS systems and artificial intelligence software will enable them to move without the need for a human operator: they will only warn staff if areas of pollution are found.

A fish that finds pollution sends the data of the location to others. “Each school will contain five fish, and they will constantly monitor for pollutants，” said Dr.Dongbing Gu, who is leading the research.

“When they find something, they will send a message to the rest of the school, who will then gather in the area to take readings.”

The fish move their bodies up and down like waves—driven by motors—and use fins and a tail to change direction.It is hoped they will travel at speeds

of up to half a metre per second.

Working models could be available within 18 months.Different sensors will be fitted to hunt for different pollutants.The data could be used to build a “real time” 3D map of areas of pollution in the water, allowing operators to determine the best way to clean up the area.

The fish will initially be used in ports to monitor leaks from large ships, but Dr Gu said the same system could be used in the Thames.Researchers hope the robotic fish will be able to spend up to 24 hours in the water before needing to be recharged.

( )1.The purpose of the robotic fish project is to ________. A.find out whether inbuilt GPS systems are useful B.find new ways to monitor water waste

C.prove that robotic fish can be sent into the Thames D.test the speed of the robotic fish

A. change direction immediately

D.The robotic fish cannot change direction in water. ( )5.The passage mainly tells us about ________. A.the robotic fish to smell out pollutants B．a ￡2.5 million EU-funded project

C.researchers working on robotic fish D．a 3D pollution map of the Thames (二)

Plants have family values, too, it seems, with new research suggesting they can recognize close relatives in order to work together.

An ability to tell family from strangers is well known in animals, allowing them to cooperate and share resources, but plants may possess similar social skills, scientists believe.

Susan Dudley and Amanda File of McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, report they have demonstrated for the first time that plants can recognize their kin.

This suggests that plants, though lacking recognition and memory, are capable of complex social interactions.

“Plants have this kind of hidden but complicated social life，” Dudley said.

The study found plants from the same species of beach-dwelling wildflower grew aggressively alongside unrelated neighbors but were less competitive when they shared soil with their families.

Sea rocket, a North American species, showed stronger and healthier root growth when planted in pots with strangers than when raised with relatives from the same maternal(母系的) family, the study found.

This is an example of kin selection, a behavior common in animals in which closely related individuals take a group approach to succeeding in their environment, the researchers said.

Kin selection also applies to competition, because if family members compete less with each other, the group will do better overall. “Everywhere you look, plants are growing right up next to other plants，” Dudley said，“ Usually it’s a case of each plant for itself. But sometimes those plants