KUDZU

The American Southeast is famous for its beautiful rural areas that are home to a wide array of flora, including several species of trees and flowering plants. One particular plant that became dominant in this region within the past century// is kudzu. Kudzu is a distinctive plant, immediately recognizable by its hairy vines, big leaves, and purple flowers blooming from long stems. ① Kudzu is not n_________ to the United States, though; its origins can actually be traced to East Asia, particularly China and Japan,(= originally from _____________) ② where /which its starchy roots were often eaten and its stems were used to produce fiber for ropes.(= Kudzu was used there  as f_____ and a s_______ of making tools) However, since its introduction into the American Southeast, it has spread out over most of the area and become a threat that must be constantly and closely watched.

Kudzu first became popular among people in the United States during the 1880s.  Q02(B)   Q02(C)  The pleasant appearance of the plant, as well as its rapid growth, made it an attractive provider of shade in the warm, sunny climate of the Southeast.(= it was a pretty d_________) Fifty years later, beginning in the 1930s, farmers found other uses for kudzu. Due to its high protein content,  Q02(D)  it served as a convenient food source for livestock(=useful in f______ cattle), and  Q02(A)  its deep roots helped anchor soil in order to prevent erosion.(= helped p_______ soil)  Q03  It became so popular that people would grow millions of seeds at a time and planted kudzu almost anywhere that they could, particularly in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and other such southeastern states. (At first Americans used kudzu for a variety of a____________ and d___________ purposes.)

However, such  avid(=    )  promotion of kudzu proved to have harmful consequences. Kudzu’s quick rate of growth — up to a foot a day — soon became a major problem. It grew over open fields, up the trunks of trees, along sides of highways, and anywhere else, quickly overtaking land, vegetation, and infrastructure. (= After its introduction, kudzu quickly grew out over a large area, h__________ land, plants and infrastructure.) Q04  By the 1950s, kudzu was hated by most farmers as an invasive plant species that could not be contained, and the U.S. government subsequently removed its status as an unacceptable / acceptable cover crop. Studies have shown that kudzu has c____ agricultural and lumber industries several millions of dollars each year. The primary threat it poses is by blocking out sunlight other plants need, thus interfering with crop and timber production. (= to give e_______ that damage caused by kudzu is very serious)

Fortunately, there are a few ways to c__________ kudzu’s spread. The most effective way of removing, or at least controlling, an infestation is the removal of the plant’s root crown(관근). These are knobs of plant tissue at the top of the root. By closely cutting this knob away from the root system, people can slow down the plant’s growth. The leftover root system, which runs very deep, is then normally treated with herbicide. While this helps control the spread, it cannot /can stop it. Another proposed method would include using natural agents like bacteria or animals to destroy the plant, but currently this is not feasible, and kudzu remains a p________ pest.

(The most e________ way of killing kudzu  is r_________ the root’s upper part and p________ the roots.)

1. dominant = main

constantly = continuously

avid = eager

invasive species = introduced species

counteract = reduce its effect by doing something that produces an opposite     effect.

infest = When creatures such as insects or rats infest plants or a place, they    are present in large numbers and cause damage

knob = a round handle on a door or drawer

herbicide = weedkiller

feasible = practicable

prevalent = widespread

어휘 |  rural 시골의, 전원의    dominant 장악한    recognizable 알아볼 수 있는    hairy 털이 많은    livestock 가축    avid 열렬한 promotion 장려    consequence 결과    overtake 덮치다    infrastructure 사회 기반 시설    invasive 침입성의, 침략적인 contain 억제하다    subsequently 그에 따라    lumber 목재    infestation 횡행, 퍼짐    leftover 남은    herbicide 제초제 feasible 실현 가능한    prevalent 만연한, 일반적인    pest 골칫거리