《2025年一本英语五合一必刷题高中人教版》

For over 50 years, ecologists have studied the secret of the Namib Desert’s “fairy circles”, round spots, mostly barren of grass (寸草不生), which stretched 1, 100 miles across the grasslands of Southern Africa. A new study offers what may finally be evidence for a clear explanation.
What makes the fairy circles distinctive are the barren areas within them, but the growth of grasses around them is notable as well. For the past three years, Stephan Getzin and his team tracked the growth of the grasses during rainfall seasons. They placed sensors that could record the water in the soil at around 20 centimeters deep and monitored the grasses’ water uptake.
By analyzing the data, Getzin’s team found water from within the circles was depleting fast, despite not having any grass to use it, while the grasses on the outside were as strong as ever. Under the strong heat in the desert, these well - established grasses had created a system around their roots that drew any water toward them. The grasses from within the circles, which attempt to grow right after rainfall, were unable to receive enough water to live.
The study called this an example of “ecohydrological feedback(生态水文反馈)”, in which the barren circles become reservoirs(蓄水池) that help sustain grasses at the edges—though at the expense of grasses in the middle. “ This self - organization is used to protect themselves from the negative effects of drought,” Getzin said.
Getzin and his team also found the roots of young plants within the circles should be longer than those on the outside. This suggests, according to Getzin, that the grasses had created longer routes to compete with the outside ring’s grasses in the desert for water.
While the evidence brought forth from the study is a step forward, scientists believe there is still more research that could be done. “Plants do make intelligent patterns, and I will continue to work in this direction,” Getzin said.
8. What is special about “fairy circles”?
A. They are water pools in the desert.
B. There are many strong plants inside.
C. The land is mostly bare within the circles.
D. Many sensors are placed inside the circles.
9. What does the underlined word “depleting” in paragraph 3 mean?
A. Heating.
B. Decreasing.
C. Flowing.
D. Gathering.
10. Why do young plants within the circles develop longer roots?
A. To reach for water.
B. To hold on to the ground.
C. To protect the soil inside the ring.
D. To fight against natural disasters.
11. What is the text mainly about?
A. A natural reservoir in Africa.
B. Ecohydrological feedback effect.
C. Plant growth patterns in Southern Africa.
D. Mysterious “fairy circles” in the Namib Desert.

答案： 8.C 细节理解题。根据第一段中的“ecologists have studied the secret of the Namib Desert’s ‘fairy circles’, round spots, mostly barren of grass”和第二段中的“What makes the fairy circles distinctive are the barren areas within them”可知，“精灵怪圈”里面的土地大多是光秃秃的。
9.B 词义猜测题。despite前后是转折关系，此处指尽管没有草使用水，但是圆圈内部的水却正在迅速减少，故decrease“减少”与画线词意思接近。
10.A 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段最后一句“This suggests, according to Getzin, that the grasses had created longer routes to compete with the outside ring’s grasses in the desert for water.”可知，这些草长出更长的根是为了获得水以求生存。
11.D 主旨大意题。通读全文可知，本文主要介绍了非洲纳米布沙漠里的神秘的“精灵怪圈”，一项新研究对“精灵怪圈”的独特之处作出了解释。由此可知，D项“纳米布沙漠神秘的‘精灵怪圈’”符合题意。