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When most people think of giant pandas, the pictures of the cute, black-and-white bears from China that
eat bamboo will immediately jump into their mind. Scientists from Mississippi State University, however, are
interested in what the bears leave behind; their poop (排泄物). At a recent meeting in Denver, Professor Brown
at the university presented her research showing how panda poop could inspire a new way to obtain energy
from plants, which are a renewable energy source. Usually, plants can be called biomass (有機(jī)燃料) when
they are used as an energy source.
Burning biomass is one way to capture its energy, but Brown hopes panda poop can teach scientists
something about breaking down biomass. Pandas - or at least the bacteria in their stomachs - are very good at
getting energy out of bamboo. Unlike cows, which use 4 stomachs to digest large amounts of grass, a panda
has only one stomach. Bamboo comes in, and poop goes out.
Every day for 14 months, Brown and her team on this project, counted the bacteria in the poop of the two
pandas. Ya Ya and Le Le living at the Memphis Zoo. Her studies turned up 12 species of bacteria that break
down biomass, including one that had never been found in pandas. Brown says that because the poop contains
bacteria that break down biomass, it could also be used to break down other types of biomass.
Now the scientists hope to identify the chemicals that help with the process of breaking down biomass and
then figure out how the bacteria work. If those chemicals can be made in the lab, they could be used to turn
biomass - like grass or other plants - into fuel.
Brown says she doesn't mind handling panda poop."It's probably the most pleasant material to work with,"
she says,"My colleagues and I have been working with other poop for a long time, and we can assure you it
has a fairly pleasant smell associated with it."
1. The importance of studying panda poop is _______.
A. to explore a new way to get energy from plants
B. to create a renewable energy from plants
C. to learn a lesson of energy from panda poop
D. to figure out how the bacteria work for us mankind
2. The process of the panda poop project can be described as ______.
a. Identify the chemicals helpful to break down biomass.
b. Find the bacteria in panda poop which break down bamboo.
c. Reproduce the chemicals in the lab to turn biomass into energy.
d. Analyze how the bacteria in panda poop work in panda's stomach.
A. a, b, d, e
B. a, d, c, b
C. b, d, a, c
D. b, a, d, c
3. What does the author mainly want to express in the 2nd paragraph?
A. Pandas don't digest bamboo the same way as cows.
B. Pandas are capable of getting energy using stomachs.
C. Scientists have learn something new from panda poop.
D. Pandas can get energy from bamboo more efficiently.
4. What does Professor Brown think of working with panda poop?
A. Enjoyable.
B. Challenging.
C. Inspiring.
D. Sick.
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