Seed banks

文章大意

文章介绍全球近2000家种子银行，追溯至公元前8000年美索不达米亚农业起源，古人将种子与灰烬混合埋藏以防动物啃食。现代种子库用于应对气候变化、极端天气、作物病害，并帮助科学家研究植物药用价值，每份样本需编码记录。

题目与答案

1. Mesopotamia

   8000 BC crops were gathered to prepare food produce 31_____ and to provide seeds.

   答案：clothing

   原文定位：Every year, they would harvest their crops for food, but they also used some of these crops to make clothing. As well as this, they also collected the seeds

   同义替换：「produce」↔「make 」，「provide」↔「collected」

2. Archaeologists discovered that seeds were placed in baskets and buried underground.

   Seeds were mixed with 32_____ before being buried.

   答案：ash

   原文定位：After much examination, they concluded that in order to protect the seeds, they were combined with large quantities of ash from old fires before being buried

   同义替换：「mixed」↔「combined」

3. Strong seeds underground meant that no 33_____ could eat them.

   答案：animals

   原文定位：Archaeologists wanted to establish why seeds were buried underground and concluded the most likely threat was posed by animals who might have found them a good food source

   同义替换：「eat」↔「food source」

4. Seed banks today

   They protect seeds from natural disasters such as 34_____ .

   答案：floods

   原文定位：Extreme weather events like floods can wipe out entire crops

   同义替换：「natural disasters」↔「Extreme weather events」，「such as」↔「like」

5. They protect certain plant crops

   They allow for research into 35_____ that can be made from plants.

   答案：medicine

   原文定位：Importantly too, seed banks allow scientists to discover how different plants can be used in the production of medicine

   同义替换：「research into」↔「scientists to discover 」，「that can be made from plants 」↔「production of medicine」

6. The samples:

   - are given an individual 36_____ for identification purpose

   答案：code

   原文定位：For this reason, each sample collected is then assigned a special code, which scientists around the world can recognize

   同义替换：「individual」↔「special」，「identification purpose」↔「scientists can recognize」

7. - are cleaned in a room with controlled temperature and 37_____

   答案：humidity

   原文定位：This process occurs in an environmentally controlled room in which the temperature is kept constant. Furthermore, the humidity is strictly monitored to make sure it doesn't change too much

   同义替换：「controlled temperature」↔「temperature is kept constant」，「and」↔「Furthermore」

8. - are frozen and stored in containers to prevent 38_____

   答案：contamination

   原文定位：Then the scientists place these frozen seeds in specially designed airtight canisters, and they do this in order to protect the seeds from contamination, something we really don't want

   同义替换：「containers」↔「canisters」，「prevent」↔「protect」

9. - even include species of plant that are 39_____ to people

   答案：poisonous

   原文定位：Scientists also include plants that are known to be poisonous and which can cause sickness, as these plants might one day be useful

10. - 40_____ from individuals are often needed to maintain seed banks.

    答案：donations

    原文定位：Although governments have financed the setting up of some of these seed banks, they're expensive to run, and many require ongoing donations from the public to help support them

    同义替换：「individuals」↔「public」，「often needed 」↔「require ongoing」，「maintain」↔「help support」