Final answer:
Glucose must pass through the cell membrane for cellular respiration to occur, using GLUT proteins for facilitated diffusion into cells where energy is then extracted from glucose during glycolysis and aerobic respiration if oxygen is available.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that glucose molecules must pass through the cell membrane in order for cell respiration to take place is True. In the process of cellular respiration, glucose is a key molecule that begins the process of energy extraction. Glucose enters the cell through the cell membrane using specialised proteins called GLUT proteins, which are responsible for the facilitated diffusion of glucose into cells. Once inside, glucose undergoes glycolysis in the cytoplasm, which is the first step in breaking down glucose to extract energy for cellular metabolism. Glycolysis does not require oxygen and hence is termed anaerobic. Following glycolysis, if oxygen is present, the process of aerobic respiration continues in the mitochondria where the majority of ATP, the cell's energy currency, is produced, particularly during the electron transport chain.