A
It used to be mostly the military(军队) that used small, unpiloted aircraft, called “drones”.The little planes were very costly.But as they have dropped in price more people have begun to use them.Rescue workers and farmers are among the new users.Moviemakers are using drones to film from the sky.Historians use them when they explore ancient buildings.Rescue workers use them to look for people.And now farmers are using them to watch over their crops.
Romain Faroux is a French businessman who starts companies.His father was a farmer.He believed drones could help farmers.He helped create a company that developed a small drone that could be controlled by people on the ground.They called it “Agridrone”.It uses a special “optical sensor” to examine crops.He says the technology used is similar to that used by smartphones — except it has wings.
A computer program directs the drone to fly over the crops.The sensor on the drone records four differentcolored “bands” of sunlight that are reflected off the crops.
JeanBaptiste Bruggeman is a farmer.He says the drone flies over his crops at different times of the season.And this provides a lot of information about his crops.The drone pictures show him the exact amount of fertilizer the crops need.It also shows exactly where the fertilizer is needed.Some areas of a field may need more than others.
As a result, Mr Bruggeman says there is reduced nitrogen from the fertilizer after the harvest.This helps nature.Romain Faroux says farmers use information gathered by the Agridrone to place fertilizer only in areas where it is needed.Before they used the drones, farmers would put the same amount of fertilizer everywhere.
Drones also save time because farmers can examine up to three hectares in about a minute.
语篇解读:本文是一篇说明文。现在无人机在生活中使用的范围越来越广。法国的农民们已经开始使用无人机来监控农作物。
1.The first paragraph is mainly about .
A.the expensive cost of drones
B.the fast development of drones
C.the wide use of drones
D.the urgent need of drones
解析:选C 段落大意题。通读第一段内容可知,过去价格昂贵的无人机仅用于军事,但是随着其价格的下降,更多的人开始使用无人机,搜救人员和农民是无人机新的用户群体等,说明了无人机的广泛应用。
2.What do we know about Agridrone?
A.It records differentcolored bands of sunlight.
B.It flies over the crops with a computer.
C.It absorbs the sunlight reflected off the crops.
D.It is like a smartphone with wings.
解析:选D 细节理解题。根据第二段的最后一句“He says the technology used is similar to that used by smartphones — except it has wings.”可知,它像一个有翅膀的智能手机。
3.What Mr Bruggeman said implied that by using drones .
A.he saved money and reduced pollution
B.he could gather his crops easily
C.he could fly over his crops at different times
D.he knew exactly the ingredients of his fertilizer
解析:选A 推理判断题。根据倒数第二段的“As a result, Mr Bruggeman says there is reduced nitrogen ...place fertilizer only in areas where it was needed.”可知,他使用了这种无人机之后,减少了化肥的使用量,这样既节省了钱,同时也保护了环境。
4.What is the main idea of the passage?
A.Drones will be widely used in different fields.
B.French farmers use drones to examine their crops.
C.Crops will be harvested by drones soon.
D.Farmers develop special drones for their crops.
解析:选B 主旨大意题。本文主要讲述了法国的农民们开始利用无人机来监控他们的农作物,这样可以限制肥料的使用量,同时也起到保护环境的作用。