SóProvas


ID
4007815
Banca
VUNESP
Órgão
FAMERP
Ano
2017
Provas
Disciplina
Inglês
Assuntos

Leia o texto para responder à questão.

Can plants hear?
Flora may be able to detect the sounds of flowing water or munching insects

    Pseudoscientific claims that music helps plants grow have been made for decades, despite evidence that is shaky at best. Yet new research suggests some flora may be capable of sensing sounds, such as the gurgle of water through a pipe or the buzzing of insects.
    In a recent study, Monica Gagliano, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Western Australia, and her colleagues placed pea seedlings in pots shaped like an upside-down Y. One arm of each pot was placed in either a tray of water or a coiled plastic tube through which water flowed; the other arm had dry soil. The roots grew toward the arm of the pipe with the fluid, regardless of whether it was easily accessible or hidden inside the tubing. “They just knew the water was there, even if the only thing to detect was the sound of it flowing inside the pipe,” Gagliano says. Yet when the seedlings were given a choice between the water tube and some moistened soil, their roots favored the latter. She hypothesizes that these plants use sound waves to detect water at a distance but follow moisture gradients to home in on their target when it is closer.
    The research, reported earlier this year in Oecologia, is not the first to suggest flora can detect and interpret sounds. A 2014 study showed the rock cress Arabidopsis can distinguish between caterpillar chewing sounds and wind vibrations – the plant produced more chemical toxins after “hearing” a recording of feeding insects. “We tend to underestimate plants because their responses are usually less visible to us. But leaves turn out to be extremely sensitive vibration detectors,” says lead study author Heidi M. Appel, an environmental scientist now at the University of Toledo.
(Marta Zaraska. www.scientificamerican.com, 17.05.2017.)

No trecho do terceiro parágrafo “The research, reported earlier”, o termo em destaque indica

Alternativas
Comentários
  • A questão cobra conhecimento gramatical, especificamente sobre advérbios e comparativos.


    Vejamos o trecho em questão:

    The research, reported earlier this year in Oecologia, is not the first to suggest flora can detect and interpret sounds.
    Tradução - A pesquisa, relatada no início deste ano em Oecologia, não é a primeira a sugerir que a flora pode detectar e interpretar sons.


    O advérbio "early" significa "cedo" e indica tempo. "Earlier" é a forma comparativa e significa "mais cedo". Apenas com essa informação, já é possível resolver a questão.
    Gostaria, porém, de chamar sua atenção para a tradução que foi feita: "earlier this year" foi traduzido como "no início deste ano". É uma outra forma de se usar esse advérbio, que também pode assumir a função de adjetivo, dependendo da oração. Veja alguns exemplos da versatilidade desta palavra:

    • It's too early to say what will happen. = É muito cedo para dizer o que vai acontecer.
    • Early detection of cancer improves the chances of survival. = A detecção precoce do câncer aumenta as chances de sobrevivência.
    • Hey, you're early! It's only five o'clock. = Ei, você chegou cedo! São apenas cinco horas.
    • The building should be finished early next year. = A obra deve ser concluída no início do próximo ano.


    Gabarito do Professor: Letra D.