The future of agriculture must achieve several goals at the same time.
First, it now appears that we will have to double world food production in the next 40 years due to population growth, increasing meat consumption and pressure from biofuels (生物燃料). We will also have to reduce the environmental impacts from our farming practices, which have caused widespread damage to soils, ecosystems, waters and even the atmosphere. In fact, agriculture’s impacts are as bad as climate change as an environmental concern. Besides, we will have to improve food security for the world’s poor. While the Green Revolution of the 1960s made it possible to feed hundreds of millions more people than in earlier eras, the number of the under-nourished in the world has started to rise again. Finally, we will have to increase the recovering ability of agriculture from shocks. Today, our high-efficiency, globalized world has many benefits, but it is vulnerable (易受伤的) to destruction, whether from droughts, diseases or sudden price rises. We must start building better food systems to better keep us away from future shocks.
Currently, there are two models of agriculture: local and organic agriculture vs. globalized and industrialized agriculture. Each has been strongly supported and severely criticized, but neither of these models, standing alone, can fully meet our needs.
Organic agriculture teaches us important lessons about soils, nutrition and pest management. Unfortunately, organic food provides less than 1% of the world’s calories, mostly to the wealthy. It is hard to imagine organic farming developing to feed 9 billion. Globalized and industrialized agriculture has benefits of high output and low labor demands. Without it, billions of people would have starved. However, it has come with enormous environmental and social costs, which cannot be sustained.
Rather than voting for just one solution, we need a third way to solve the crisis. Let’s take ideas from both sides, creating new, hybrid solutions that increase production, save resources and build a more sustainable agriculture.
There are many promising avenues to pursue. A new “third way” for agriculture is not only possible but also necessary. Our problems are huge, and they will require everyone at the table, working together toward solutions.
1. How many goals of agriculture are mentioned in the passage?
A. Three B. Four C. Five D. Six
2. Which is true according to the passage?
A. Organic agriculture can feed most people in the world now.
B. Industrialized agriculture does no harm to our environment.
C. Modern farming is criticized while organic farming is not.
D. The future agriculture can’t only depend on organic agriculture.
3. We can learn from the passage that _______.
A. everyone can afford to enjoy organic food at will
B. we will vote to decide which farming system to take
C. the writer is quite optimistic about future agriculture
D. only experts can find a better agricultural solution
4. What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Organic Agriculture Vs. Industrialized Agriculture.
B. The Goals of Future Agriculture and Its Way Out.
C. A Third Possible and Necessary Way for Agriculture.
D. Modern Globalized and Industrialized Agriculture.
The Louvre Museum is one of the largest, oldest, most important and famous museum in the world. It is famous for holding several of the world’s most valuable works of art. Its collections’ number is over 380,000 objects, though not one of the world’s largest collections, arguably one of the finest. The art treasures of the Louvre Museum cover 5,000 years and are displayed in over 10 kilometers of galleries. The oldest artifact in the museum is 9,000 years old. Mona Lisa(1503-1506), painted by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. The artist’s use of very deep space in the background with a half-length portrait is typical of Renaissance painting style. This painting hangs in the Louvre, Paris. It is one of the most famous collections in the Louvre.
On November 8th, 1793, the Louvre was opened as a public museum.
It is open from 9 am to 6 pm all days except Tuesdays. The entrance fee is 7.5 before 3 pm. It is free under 18 years old. The Louvre Museum in Paris had a record number of visitors in 2005. About 7.3 million people visited the art museum in 2005. After reading the first paragraph, we can come to the conclusion that ____.
| A．The Louvre Museum is the only largest, oldest, most important and famous museum in the world |
| B．The Louvre Museum has the world’s largest collections |
| C．The oldest artifact is over 9,000 years old |
| D．The Louvre Museum is priceless |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．Mona Lisa is typical of Renaissance painting. |
| B．Mona Lisa is painted by a Canadian. |
| C．Light space in the background is used in Mona Lisa. |
| D．All the above. |
Which of the following statements leads us to the conclusion that The Louvre Museum is popular?
| A．The art treasures of the Louvre Museum cover 5,000 years. |
| B．It is famous for holding several of the world’s most valuable works of art. |
| C．The Louvre Museum in Paris had a record number of visitors in 2005. |
| D．The entrance fee is 7.5 before 3 pm. |
Holidaymakers who are bored with baking beaches and overheated hotel rooms head for a big igloo. Swedish businessman Nile Bergqvist is delighted with his new hotel, the world’s first igloo hotel. Built in a small town in Lapland, it has been attracting lots of visitors, but soon the fun will be over.
In two weeks’ time Bergqvist’s ice creation(作品) will be nothing more than a pool of water. “We don’t see it as a big problem,” he says. “We just look forward to replacing it.”
Bergqvist built his first igloo in 1991 for an art exhibition. It was so successful that he designed the present one, which measures roughly 200 square meters. Six workmen spent more than eight weeks piling 1,000 tons of snow onto a wooden base; when the snow froze, the base was removed. “The only wooden thing we have left in the igloo is the front door,” he says.
After their stay, all visitors receive a survival certificate recording their success. With no windows, nowhere to hang clothes and temperatures below 0℃, it may seem more like a survival test than a relaxing(轻松的) hotel break. “It’s great fun,” Bergqvist explains, “As well as a good start in survival training.”
The popularity of the igloo is beyond doubt: it is now attracting tourists from all over the world. At least 800 people have stayed at the igloo this season even though there are only 10 rooms. “You can get a lot of people in,” explains Bergqvist. “The beds are three meters wide by two meters long, and can fit at least four at one time.” Bergqvist designed and built the world’s first igloo hotel because ________.
| A．an art exhibition was about to open |
| B．he wanted to make a name for the small town |
| C．he believed people would enjoy trying something new |
| D．more hotel rooms were needed |
When the writer says “the fun will be over,” he refers to the fact that ________.
| A．hotel guests will be frightened at the thought of the hard test |
| B．a bigger igloo will replace the present one |
| C．holidaymakers will soon get tired of the big igloo |
| D．Bergqvist’s hotel will soon become a pool of water |
According to the text, the first thing to do in building an igloo is ________.
| A．to gather a pool of water |
| B．to prepare a wooden base |
| C．to cover the ground with ice |
| D．to pile a large amount of snow |
When guests leave the igloo hotel they will receive a paper stating that ________.
| A．they have had a taste of adventure |
| B．they have had an ice-snow holiday |
| C．they have had great fun sleeping on ice |
| D．they have visited Lapland |
Which of the following pictures below is closest to the igloo hotel as described in the text?
An allowance(零花钱) is an important tool for teaching kids how to make plans for the use of money, save and make their own decisions. Children remember and learn from mistakes when their own dollars are lost or spent foolishly.
How large an allowance is suitable? Experts say there is not right amount. Actual amounts differ from region to region, and from family to family.
To set an suitable allowance for your child, work up a weekly plan. Allow for entertainment costs such as movies and snacks. Next, include everyday expenses such as lunch money, bus fare, school supplies. "If you make the child responsible for these bills’," says Josephine Swanson, a consumer specialist, " he or she will learn to plan for necessary costs."
Finally, add some extra money to make saving possible. If you can keep your child’s allowance in line with that of his friends. A child whose buying power falls away below his peers’ can feel left out.
It can be tough, but don’t excuse your children when they make a mistake with their allowance. When Brooke Stephens was ten and growing up in Jacksonville, her mother gave her $5 a week, $1.75 of which was for bus fare and lunch." If you lose your money," Brooke’s mother told her, "you walk home."
One week the girl spent all her allowance in a candy store, then she called home for a ride. " Mom made me walk home," recalls Stephens, now a financial planner in Brooklyn. " At first I was angry. But I finally realized that she was trying to teach me an important lesson. "
Experts advise that an allowance should not be tied directly to a child’s daily housework at home. Kids should help around the house not because they get paid for it but because they share responsibilities as members of a family. You might, however, pay a child for doing extra jobs at home, which can develop his or her early habits.Which of the following is the possible title of the passage?
| A．How to develop a child’s early habits. |
| B．How to work up an amount of pocket money. |
| C．How to teach a child about money. |
| D．How to teach a child to save money. |
It can be inferred from the passage that if a child is given an allowance, he or she may ________.
| A．spend all the money very soon |
| B．fall into the bad habit of wasting money |
| C．feel responsible and careful about money |
| D．lose the money and can not return home |
In Paragraph 4, the words “his peers” refer to ________.
| A．his parents | B．his friends |
| C．his financial experts | D．his teachers |
Why does the writer mention Brooke Stephens?
| A．To question the opinion about pocket money. |
| B．To compare Stephens with other financial experts. |
| C．To explain that parents should be strict when children are developing good habits about money. |
| D．To suggest pocket money is useless in developing a child’s sense of responsibility. |
The writer implies in the passage that ________.
| A．children may feel lonely if they have no pocket money |
| B．a child’s early good habits can be developed if he or she is paid for all the housework |
| C．paying children for their housework is no good |
| D．children may learn to put aside some money if they are given a great amount of pocket money |
I began working in journalism(新闻工作) when I was eight. It was my mother’s idea. She wanted me to “make something” of myself, and decided I had better start young if I was to have any chance of keeping up with the competition.
With my load of magazines I headed toward Belleville Avenue. The crowds were there. There were two gas stations on the corner of Belleville and Union. For several hours I made myself highly visible, making sure everyone could see me and the heavy black letters on the bag that said THE SATURDAY EVENING POST. When it was supper time, I walked back home.
“How many did you sell, my boy?” my mother asked.
“None.”
“Where did you go?”
“The corner of Belleville and Union Avenues.”
“What did you do?”
“Stood on the corner waiting for somebody to buy a Saturday Evening Post.”
“You just stood there?”
“Didn’t sell a single one.”
“My God, Russell!”
Uncle Allen put in, “Well, I’ve decided to take the Post.” I handed him a copy and he paid me a nickel(五分镍币). It was the first nickel I earned.
Afterwards my mother taught me how to be a salesman. I would have to ring doorbells, address adults with self-confidence, and persuade them by saying that no one, no matter how poor, could afford to be without the Saturday Evening Post in the home.
One day, I told my mother I’d changed my mind. I didn’t want to make a success in the magazine business.
“If you think you can change your mind like this,” she replied, “you’ll become a good-for-nothing.” She insisted that, as soon as school was over, I should start ringing doorbells, selling magazines. Whenever I said no, she would scold me.
My mother and I had fought this battle almost as long as I could remember. My mother, dissatisfied with my father’s plain workman’s life, determined that I would not grow up like him and his people. But never did she expect that, forty years later, such a successful journalist as me would go back to her husband’s people for true life and love. Why did the boy start his job young?
| A．He wanted to be famous in the future. |
| B．The job was quite easy for him. |
| C．His mother had high hopes for him. |
| D．The competition for the job was fierce. |
From the dialogue between the boy and his mother, we learn that the mother was _______.
| A．excited | B．interested |
| C．ashamed | D．disappointed |
What did the mother do when the boy wanted to give up?
| A．She forced him to continue. |
| B．She punished him. |
| C．She gave him some money. |
| D．She changed her plan. |
What does the underlined phrase “this battle” refer to?
| A．The war between the boy’s parents. |
| B．The arguing between the boy and his mother. |
| C．The quarrel between the boy and his customers. |
| D．The fight between the boy and his father. |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．The early life of a journalist. |
| B．The early success of a journalist. |
| C．The happy childhood of the writer. |
| D．The important role of the writer in his family. |
Nickname: Hawaii’s Island of Adventure
Size: 4,028 square miles(平方英里)
Population: 148,677. The most heavily populated areas are Hilo on the east side and Kailua-Kona on the west.
Temperature: Averages between 71°F and 77°F year around (expect the mercury (水银柱) to drop at higher heights).
Beaches: 47 Golf Courses: 20 Highest Peak: Mauna Kea, 13,796 feet.
Agriculture: The bulk (主体) of Hawaii’s farming products are grown and processed on the Big Island, including coffee, macadamia nuts and papaya.
Lodging: 9,655 rooms total; Nightly rates range from$ 35—$ 5,000.
Airports: Hilo International Airport on the east side and Kona International Airport on the west side.
Rental Cars: All of the nationally known rental car companies have locations at Hilo International and Kona International Airports as well as many resorts(度假胜地). In addition, Hilo, Kona and the major resort areas are serviced by taxis.
Resources: Call (800) 648—2441 to order a video, poster, brochures and maps from the Big Island Visitors Bureau. See www.bigisland.org for Updated information.
Shopping: The large shopping centers are in Hilo, Kona, Waimea and the Kohala Coast.The passage is intended to be read by _______.
| A．tourists | B．businessmen |
| C．students | D．immigrants(移民) |
The average population per square mile on the island is about _________.
| A．28 | B．32 | C．44 | D．37 |
What does the underlined part “expect the mercury to drop at higher heights” mean?
| A．Things are easy to lose weight at higher places. |
| B．Dropping things from higher places is expected. |
| C．Temperature is expected to be higher at higher places. |
| D．Temperature is expected to be lower at higher places. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a traffic means(交通工具) to get around the Big Island?
| A．By rental car. | B．By air. |
| C．By train. | D．By taxi. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．You may pay a high price for spending one night on the island. |
| B．You can call (800) 648 – 2441 to order some food. |
| C．You can find some courses to play tennis on the island. |
| D．You can see www.bigisland.org for updated information. |