III. 阅读理解
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从文后所给各题的四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
Millions of people die of hunger in Southern Africa every year, but when Zambia was offered thousands of tons of free maize by the US, the government politely said no.
“We don’t know whether the food is safe,” said Zambia’s Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Dipak Patel.
His worries are shared by countries around the world that are in two minds about America’s genetically modified (GM) crops. Just last week, EU member nations were discussing whether or not to import GM sweet corn from the US.
Ever since people started farming, they have tried to crossbreed (杂交) plants to make them stronger or better tasting. At one time, only related plants could be crossed with each other.
But when GM techniques were developed in the 1970s, scientists were able to put a single gene from a living creature into an unrelated creature.
This means they can make crops more productive and resistant to disease by adding genes from other species. They can also create food with special characteristics, such as “golden rice”, which is enriched with vitamin A. But many people believe GM foods are a health risk.
“If left to me, I would certainly not eat GM foods,” said Scottish scientist Arpad Pusztai. “We are putting new things into food which haven’t been eaten before. The effects on the immune system are not easy to predict.”
At the moment, the official argument is that GM foods “are not likely to present risks for human health”. But there are still many questions to be answered as the foods are produced in different ways.
Some experts believe the genetic material added to plants can transfer to humans and give damage to our bodies. Further harm could be caused by the genes from GM plants crossbreeding with naturally produced crops.
1. We learn from the passage __________.
A. people have discovered that GM foods will do harm to human health
B. millions of Zambia people die of eating too much GM foods
C. people are still not sure if GM foods will do harm to human health
D. genetic material added to plants will damage our bodies sooner or later
2. What does “in two minds” in the third paragraph mean?
A. Unsure. B. Worried. C. Likely. D. Careless.
3. Which of the following statements is NOT true about GM foods?
A. It is produced from plants added genes from other species.
B. GM foods can have special characteristics.
C. GM foods will affect people’s immune system.
D. GM foods have been produced since 1970s.
4. What’s the author’s attitude?
A. Supportive. B. Neutral. C. Doubtful. D. Critical.
Sydney—A shark savaged a schoolboy’s leg while he was surfing with his father at a beach in Sydney on February 23. It was the third shark attack along the coast of Australia’s largest city in a month.
The 15-year-old boy and his father were in the water off Avalon, on Sydney’s northern beaches, around dawn when he was attacked. The city’s beaches are packed with locals and tourists during the summer months.
“The father heard a scream and turned to see his son trashing (扭动) about in the water,” police said. “Fortunately, the shark swam away and the boy was helped to shore by his father.”
Lifesaving Club spokesman Nick Miller said, “It got him around the top of his left leg and the father came and dragged his out of water.” He said the boy was bleeding heavily when he was brought to the shore. “There was a lot of pain, as you can imagine.” The teenager was airlifted to hospital for treatment for leg injuries.
Police said the bites “cut through to the bone”, but the boy did not appear to have sustained any fractures (骨折). He was in a stable condition now.
Several beaches were closed after the attack. Water police and lifeguards were searching for the shark, while police hoped to identify its species by the shape of the bite marks. But they said it was too early to say what type of shark attacked the boy. “I don’t even know if he saw it,” Miller said.
Many shark species live in the waters off Sydney’s beaches, but attacks on humans are still relatively rare. However, there were two attacks on successive days earlier this month, one on a navy diver in Sydney harbor, not far from the famous Opera House, and the other on a surfer at the city’s world-famous Bondi beach.
Fishermen say shark numbers are on the rise. There is a ban on commercial fishing in the harbor, which has increased fish stocks. Marine experts also claim environmental protection has created a cleaner environment, attracting sharks closer to the shore as they chase fish. Many shark species, including the Great White—the man-eaters made famous in Steven Spielberg’s Jaws—are protected in Australian waters.What do we know about the city of Sydney from the passage?
| A．It is one of the largest cities in Australia. |
| B．Sydney harbor is not far from the famous Opera House. |
| C．There are many locals and tourists on its coast all the year round. |
| D．There are few shark species in the waters off Sydney’s beaches. |
The underlined word “savaged” in the first paragraph probably means “_______”.
| A．attracted | B．dragged | C．bit | D．packed |
About the injury of the boy we know that _______.
| A．he was losing much blood when he was dragged out |
| B．he was very nervous when he was sent to hospital |
| C．he may be in danger of losing his leg |
| D．he was injured in the right leg |
All the following are the causes of Australia’s sharks increasing EXCEPT that _______.
| A．environmental protection has created a cleaner environment |
| B．a ban on commercial fishing has increased fish numbers |
| C．many shark species are protected in Australian waters |
| D．the film Jaws has made the Great White famous |
Ever felt like destroying the car in front of you when you’re stuck in an endless traffic jam?
Well, the Spanish company StopStress is offering clients the possibility of doing just that－but in controlled, safe conditions.
Clients can also destroy computers, mobile phones and TV sets in what the company calls“destructotherapy”.
“We target the machines that cause the most stress in modern life,” company co-founder Jorge Arribas said in a telephone interview.“People get rid of stress by screaming and beating the machines until they are tired out,”he explained.
The company, based in the northern Spanish city of Sofia, uses deserted cars that still work. Heavy-metal music is used to excite the clients. They are given protective suits and glasses, helmets and huge hammers.
Most people’s rage only lasts for 5 to 10 minutes. But some go on for hours: they beat cars on which they’ve put the names of people or ideas they would like to get rid of.
“Some even get together to turn the car over,”Arribas says. A session costs 60 euros (US＄80) per person.
Arribas says the idea came to him when he was having trouble parking his car.
Dozens of people have used the therapy, which helps people become aware of their stress level and helps them to slow down, Arribas explained.
“It’s better to channel violence in a controlled way than to get it out on one’s wife or in a traffic husband and jam,”he added.
StopStress already has branches in three Spanish cities, and is planning to extend its market beyond Spain’s borders.The Spanish company StopStress offers people the chance to _______.
| A．calm down when they are angry |
| B．destroy things they no longer need |
| C．get rid of stress by destroying things |
| D．get rid of stress by screaming and shouting |
Which of the following is NOT a means used directly to help people get less stressful in StopStress?
| A．Heavy-metal music. | B．Mobile phones. |
| C．Deserted cars. | D．Protective suits and glasses. |
The passage is mainly intended to tell you _______.
| A．how to attract potential customers | B．a special way to get rid of stress |
| C．a new and expanding business | D．how to deal with stress in Spain |
The underlined word“destructotherapy”in paragraph 3 refers to _______.
| A．a stress-relief remedy | B．a destructive behavior |
| C．a violent movement | D．a mental disorder |
Soccer
star David Beckham will be there with his pop star wife Victoria. Elton John is attending with partner David Furnish.
The guest list for the April 29 union of Prince William and Kate Middleton is still being kept secret, but details have begun to leak out, with some coming forward to say they are attending and the Mail on Sunday newspaper claiming to have the official invitation roster (名单).
The palace dismissed the newspaper's list as speculation (猜测) Sunday.
It won't be clear until the day how the royal couple has balanced the protocol demands (王室规则) that they invite statesmen, diplomats, religious leaders, politicians and the like with invitations to the people they really want to see, particularly the crowd they made friends with when they met and fell in love at St. Andrews University in Scotland.
Kate Reardon, editor of high-society magazine Tatler, said many prominent Britons acted as if they didn't really care about receiving an invitation while secretly checking the mail every day to see if the invitation had arrived.
"Everyone's been hoping," she said.
William and Middleton have showed their modern side by inviting a number of close friends, including some former sweethearts, the newspaper said.
The wedding is not technically a state event, which somewhat limits the protocol requirements applied to the guest list. But royal obligations (职责) still order that a large number of the 1,900 or so seats go to guests from the world of politics, not actual friends of the couple.
The couple have also invited many guests from the charities they work with, and Middleton has used her influence to invite the butcher, shopkeeper and pub owner from her home village of Bucklebury.
President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle were not invited and many other international leaders are also expected to be watching on TV, not from a seat at Westminster Abbey.
It is not clear if treasured Brits from the world of stage and screen and pop music will be on the list. Who were not invited to Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding?
| A．David Beckham and his wife. |
| B．Elton John and his partner David Furnish. |
| C．People from the charities they work with. |
| D．President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．The guest list for the wedding is officially announced. |
| B．The wedding is technically a state event. |
| C．Only the actual friends of the couple will be invited to the wedding. |
| D．A large number of guests from the world of politics will be invited. |
The word "prominent" in paragraph 5 probably means .
| A．honest | B．modern |
| C．well known and important | D．busy and hardworking |
It can be inferred from the passage that .
| A．their wedding will be held at Westminster Abbey on April 29th. |
| B．Kate Reardon was invited to the wedding. |
| C．journalists will not be allowed to attend the wedding. |
| D．their former sweethearts are sure to attend their wedding. |
The best title for the passage might be .
| A．Prince William and Middleton fall in love at St. Andrews University |
| B．British royal wedding guest list details leaks out |
| C．Prince William and Middleton prepares for their grand wedding |
| D．British singers and movie stars invited to the wedding |
Today's Britain is full of TV shows like Fame Academy, which claim to offer young hopefuls an instant passport to fame and riches. But a very different kind of academy may provide a new generation of Brits with a slower, steadier path to wealth.
A 'pig academy' in the east of England is aiming to train up new pig farmers to help promote local agriculture and meet the UK's growing demand for pork. Last year consumption of pork products increased by 6,000 tonnes. But British farmers have not benefited from this rise in demand. A combination of increasing feed prices, competition from cheaper imports and an outbreak of foot and mouth disease have all eaten into their profits. Pig numbers in the UK have actually almost halved in the last decade.
Now, Fresh Start Pig Academy in Lincolnshire is launching a course which intends to redress (修复) the balance. They say pig husbandry (养猪业) is a growth industry and newcomers are welcome. For those of you who fancy getting your hands dirty, the course will teach you everything you need to know, from keeping pigs healthy to raising the capital needed to start up.
Pig farmer Anne Longthorp followed her father into the industry and believes that farming pigs is very rewarding work: "They're great, curious animals to work with. Just watching their behaviour – it's really interesting work. There is a lot more to pig farming than people give us credit for. It's very scientific."
So, while most of Britain's young people may continue to dream of overnight stardom, others will hope a more traditional career will help them bring home the bacon.The second paragraph is mainly about the pig academy come into being.
| A．why | B．how | C．when | D．where |
Which is not the contribution to the decrease in pig farmers' enthusiasm?
| A．growing demand for pork |
| B．increasing feed prices |
| C．competition from cheaper imports |
| D．outbreak of foot and mouth disease |
From the passage we can infer that the Pig Academy will .
| A．lead the youth to riches faster than the Fame Academy |
| B．provide geilivable help for whoever attends the course |
| C．be more popular with young people than other academies |
| D．make some young people overnight star |
What does the underlined phrase "getting your hands dirty" probably mean?
| A．making your hands dirty by raising pigs |
| B．taking up the job as a pig farmer |
| C．avoiding the pig bed dirty to keep them fit |
| D．collecting enough money to raise pigs |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．Anne Longthorp loves the job of farming pigs. |
| B．Anne Longthorp’s family all like raising pigs. |
| C．Most young people in Britain will like the career of farming pigs. |
| D．People who farm pigs are allowed to bring home many bacons. |
Even a small reduction in salt in the diet can be a big help to the heart. A new study used a computer model to predict how just t
hree grams less a day would af
fect heart disease in the United States.
The result: thirteen percent fewer heart attacks. Eight percent fewer strokes. Four percent fewer deaths. Eleven percent fewer new cases of heart disease. And two hundred forty billion dollars in health care savings.
Researchers found it could prevent one hundred thousand heart attacks and ninety-two thousand deaths every year.
The study is in the New England Journal of Medicine. Kirsten, at the University of California, was the lead author. She says people would not even notice a difference in taste with three grams, or one-half teaspoon, less salt per day. The team also included researchers at Stanford and Columbia University.
Each gram of salt contains four hundred milligrams of sodium, which is how foods may list their salt content.
The government says the average American man eats ten grams of salt a day. The American Heart Association advises no more than three grams for healthy people. It says salt in the American diet has increased fifty percent since the nineteen seventies, while blood pressures have also risen. Less salt can mean a lower blood pressure.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is leading an effort called the National Salt Reduction Initiative. The idea is to put pressure on food companies and restaurants.
Mayor Bloomberg has already succeeded in other areas, like requiring fast food places in the city to list calorie information. Now a study by the Seattle Children's Research Institute shows how that idea can influence what parents order for their children.
Ninety-nine parents of three to six year olds took part. Half had McDonald's menus clearly showing how many calories were in each food. The other half got menus without the calorie information. How many heart attacks will occur in the US every year？
| A．nearly 800,000. | B．24,000. |
| C．100,000. | D．92,000. |
We can learn from the passage that .
| A．Americans ate no more than 5 grams of salt per day in the 1970s |
| B．the American Heart Association suggest less than 3 grams of salt every day |
| C．a reduction in salt in the diet helps lower blood pressure |
| D．all the heart diseases result from eating more salt |
The National Salt Reduction Initiative aims to .
| A．advise Americans to eat less salt |
| B．put pressure on food companies and restaurants |
| C．require fast food places to list calorie information |
| D．attract the public attention to the problem |
All the following are related to the salt in diet except .
| A．strokes | B．heart attacks |
| C．blood pressures | D．stomach diseases |
The best title of the passage of the passage is .
| A．Less salt can mean more life |
| B．Prevent heart attacks and deaths |
| C．The National Salt Reduction Initiative |
| D．Americans should eat less salt |