Despite the large, heavy-duty(耐用的) waterproof(防水的) boots he wore, Scott Sherwood stepped through a meadow(草地), trying to avoid hurting the tiny yellow wildflowers blooming all around him. After all, this flower grows only in this location in New Jersey — and no place else on Earth.
It was a challenge not stepping on the wildflowers, known as Hammond’s yellow spring beauties. That wet meadow provides a unique habitat that allows this flower to proliferate. To protect these rare little flowers, the group has bought up about 100 acres of land surrounding the meadow.
The five-petaled yellow flower of Hammond’s yellow spring beauty is smaller than a coin. “This flower is an amazing thing, and not found anywhere but here,” said Barbara Brummer, the Nature’s Conservancy’s New Jersey director. The wildflower blooms in May, mixed in with white and purple violets, New Jersey’s state flower. The wildflowers were discovered by local naturalist Emilie K. Hammond more than 50 years ago. She thought they looked like native wildflowers in eastern North America, the common spring beauty. The plant has a white flower with pink stripes on the petals(花瓣).
Hammond contacted the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, which researched the flower and decided it was merely a color variant(变体) of the common spring beauty. That changed in the mid-1980s, when a friend of Hammond’s saw a house being built near the meadow. Worried that the flowers could be destroyed by development, she told David, a Nature Conservancy botanist, about it. Snyder took a closer look. He noticed that the yellow spring beauties were in an odd spot. And every one of the flowers was yellow—not a single common spring beauty was in sight.
Snyder conducted genetic testing, though this was before they had access to DNA testing. “We still could conclude that this was definitely different from every other race of spring beauty,” Snyder said.
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1.What is the best title of the passage?
A Scott Sherwood steps through a meadow.
B The yellow wildflowers are around Scott.
C The rare wildflowers bloom in New Jersey.
D The strange shape of the wildflowers.
解析:选C。主旨大意题。根据文章第一段第二句的After all, this flower grows only in this location in New Jersey — and no place else on Earth并结合文章的主要内容可以得知,该文讲述的是只有在新泽西才有的一种黄花。故选C。
2.What does the underlined word“proliferate” mean?
A Walk.
B Step.
C Give.
D Grow.
解析:选D。词义猜测题。根据文章第二段第二句的That wet meadow provides a unique habitat可以得知潮湿的草地提供了“生长”的地方,所以该词的意思为grow。故选D。
3.What do people know about the flower?
A It has six yellow-red petals.
B It is once considered as a common flower.
C It was first grown by Emilie.
D It is the red flower with blue stripes.
解析:选B。推理判断题。根据第三段倒数第二句的She thought they looked like native wildflowers in eastern North America, the common spring beauty可以得知,这种花曾被认为是一种普通的花。故选B。
4.Why did Hammond feel worried after see a house being built near the meadow?
A She could not take a close look.
B The flowers may face the danger.
C She concluded the flower was good.
D Snyder didn’t conduct genetic testing.
解析:选B。推理判断题。 根据第四段第三句的Worried that the flowers could be destroyed by development可以得知她担心由于发展会把这种花推向危险的境地:由于建筑而没有生长的地方。故选B。