2017 年全国高考 I 卷 D 篇 When a leafy plant is under attack, it doesn’t sitquietly. Back in 1983, two scientists, Jack Schultz and Ian Baldwin, reportedthat young maple trees getting bitten by insects send out a particular smellthat neighboring plants can get. These chemicals come from the injured parts ofthe plant and seem to be an alarm. What the plants pump through the air is amixture of chemicals known as volatile organic compounds, VOCs for short. Scientists have found that all kinds of plants give outVOCs when being attacked. It’s a plant’s way of crying out. But is anyonelistening? Apparently. Because we can watch the neighbors react. Some plants pump out smelly chemicals to keep insectsaway. But others do double duty. They pump out perfumes designed to attractdifferent insects who are natural enemies to the attackers. Once they arrive,the tables are turned. The attacker who was lunching now becomes lunch. In study after study, it appears that these chemicalconversations help the neighbors. The damage is usually more serious on thefirst plant, but the neighbors, relatively speaking, stay safer because theyheard the alarm and knew what to do. Does this mean that plants talk to each other? Scientistsdon’t know. Maybe the first plant just made a cry of pain or was sending amessage to its own branches, and so, in effect, was talking to itself. Perhapsthe neighbors just happened to “overhear” the cry. So information wasexchanged, but it wasn’t a true, intentional back and forth. Charles Darwin, over 150 years ago, imagined a world farbusier, noisier and more intimate( 亲密的 )than the world we can see and hear. Our senses are weak.There’s a whole lot going on. 32. What does a plant dowhen it is under attack? A. It makes noises. B. It gets help from other plants. C. It stands quietly. D. It sends out certain chemicals. 33. What does the authormean by “the tables are turned” in paragraph 3? A. The attackers getattacked. B. The insects gather under the table. C. The plants get readyto fight back. D. The perfumes attract natural enemies. 34. Scientists find fromtheir studies that plants can. A. predict naturaldisasters B. protect themselves against insects C. talk to one anotherintentionally D. help their neighbors when necessary 35. What can we inferfrom the last paragraph? A. The world is changingfaster than ever. B. People havestronger senses than before. C. The world is morecomplex than it seems. D. People inDarwin’s time were more imaginative.