Farming is moving indoors, where the sun never shines, where rainfall is irrele
题型：不详难度：来源：
Farming is moving indoors, where the sun never shines, where rainfall is irrelevant (无关的) and where the climate is always right. The perfect crop field could be inside a windowless building with controlled light, temperature，humidity，air quality and nutrition. It could be in a New York high- rise or a complex （建筑群） in the Saudi desert. It may be an answer to the world’s food problems.
The world already is having trouble feeding itself. Half the people on Earth live in cities, and nearly half of those – about 3 billion – are hungry or ill–fed. Food prices, currently increasing, are badly affected by dryness, floods and the cost of energy required to plant, harvest and transport it. And prices will only get more unstable. Climate change makes long-term crop planning uncertain. Farmers in many parts of the world already are using water available to the last drop. And the world is getting more crowded: by mid-century, the global population will grow from 6.8 billion to 9 billion.
To feed so many people may require expanding farmland at the expense of forests and wilderness, or finding ways to greatly increase crop output.
Gertjan Meeuws and three other Dutch bioengineers grow vegetables and house plants in closed and regulated environments. In their research station, water flows into the pans when needed, and the temperature is kept constant. Lights go on and off, creating “day” and “night”, but according to the rhythm of the plant.
Meeuws says a building of 100 square meters and layers of plants could provide a daily diet of 200 grams of fresh fruit and vegetables for the entire population of Ken Bosch, about 140,000 people. Their idea isn’t to grow foods that require much space, like corn or potatoes.
Sunlight is not only unnecessary but can be harmful. Plants need only specific wavelengths of light to grow. Their growth rate is three times faster than under greenhouse conditions. They use about 90 percent less water than outdoor agriculture. And city farming means producing food near the consumer, so there’s on need to transport it long distances.
小题1:According to the text, Gertjan Meeuws’ farming _______.| A．can be used for corn production | | B．is much like greenhouse farming | | C．is adaptable to any environment | | D．uses more water than outdoor farming |
小题2:What is the second paragraph mainly about ?| A．The effect of climate | B．The hungry people in cities. | | C．The world’s food problem. | D．The world’s increasing population. |
小题3:What is the purpose of the text ?| A．To compare traditional and indoor farming. | | B．To discuss the influence of climate change. | | C．To explain the world’s food problem. | | D．To introduce a new model of farming. |
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答案
小题1:C
小题2:C
小题3:D |
解析
文章主要是向读者介绍了一种新型的农种模式，不受外界环境的影响，自己可以提供各种所需的环境。
小题1:推理判断题，根据第一段 Farming is moving indoors, where the sun never shines, where rainfall is irrelevant (无关的) and where the climate is always right. The perfect crop field could be inside a windowless building with controlled light, temperature，humidity，air quality and nutrition可知，这种农田不受外界环境的影响，
小题2:推理判断题，根据第二段中心句第一句The world already is having trouble feeding itself可知，该段主要讲述的就是世界粮食的问题。
小题3:推理判断题，文章主要是向读者介绍了一种新型的农种模式 |
举一反三
More Americans are Googling themselves ------ and many are checking out their friends, co-workers and romantic interests, too.
In a report Sunday, the Pew Internet and American Life Project said 47 percent of U.S. adult Internet users have looked for information about themselves through Google or another search engine.
That is more than twice the 22 percent of users who did in 2002, but Pew senior research specialist Mary Madden was surprised the growth wasn"t higher.
"Yes it"s doubled, but many Internet users have never done this simple act of plugging their name with search engines," she said.
Americans under 50 and those with more education and income were more likely to self-Google because their jobs demand a certain online persona.
Meanwhile, Pew found that 53 percent of adult Internet users admit looking up information about someone else, not including celebrities.
Often, it"s to find someone they have lost touch with. But looking up information about friends, relatives, colleagues and neighbors also was common.
Although men and women equally searched for online information about themselves, women were slightly more likely to look up information about someone they are dating.
In many cases, the search is done to find someone"s contact information. But a third of those who have conducted searches on others have looked for public records, such as bankruptcies(***) and divorce （离婚）proceedings. A similar number have searched for someone else"s photo.
Few Internet users say they Google themselves regularly —— about three-quarters of self-searchers say they have done so only once or twice. And most who have done so consider what they find accurate.
Pew also found that teens were more likely than adults to restrict who can see their information at an online hangout(常去之处) like Facebook or News Corp"s MySpace.
小题1:The number of American adult Internet users______ Mary Madden.| A．frightened | B．pleased | C．disappointed | D．annoyed |
小题2:What does “ they” refer to in the seventh paragraph?| A．common people | B．scientists | | C．adults | D．53 percent adult Internet users |
小题3:How many people have checked others’ photos?| A．One- fifth | B．One-fourth | C．One- third | D．A half |
小题4:What is the best title of the passage?| A．Learn to Google Yourself | B．Googling Oneself Is Popular | | C．New Performance Online | D．Don’t Google Yourself Online |
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The flying fox is not a fox at all. It is an extra large bat that has got a fox’s head, and that feeds on fruit. Like all bats, flying foxes hang themselves by their toes (趾) when at rest, and travel in great crowds when out flying. A group will live in one place for years. Sometimes several hundreds of them occupy a single tree. As they return to the tree towards sunrise, they quarrel among themselves and fight for the best places until long after daylight.
Flying foxes have babies once a year, giving birth to only one at a time. At first the mother has to carry the baby on her chest wherever she goes. Later she leaves it hanging up, and brings back food for it to eat. Sometimes a baby bat falls to the ground. Then the older ones fly down and try to pick it up. If they fail to do so, it will die. Often hundreds of baby bats can be found lying on the ground at the foot of the tree.
小题1:The passage tells us that there is no difference between the flying fox and the ordinary bat in ______. | A．their size | B．their appearance | | C．the kind of food they eat | D．the way they rest |
小题2:Flying foxes ______. | A．double their number every year | | B．fight and kill a lot of themselves | | C．move from place to place very often | | D．lose a lot of their young |
小题3:At daybreak every day flying foxes begin to ______. | A．fly out toward the sun | | B．look for a new resting place | | C．come back to their home | | D．go out and look for food |
小题4:Flying foxes have fights ______. | A．to occupy the best resting places | | B．only when it is dark | | C．to protect their homes from outsiders | | D．when there is not enough food |
小题5:How do flying foxes care for their young? | A．They only care for their own babies. | | B．They share the feeding of their young. | | C．They help when a baby bat is in danger. | | D．They often leave home and forget their young. |
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Researchers in over 80 nations are taking part in a project to conduct a decade-long census(统计) of sea life. Scientists presented some of their findings at a recent conference as the project neared its completion.
In deep icy waters under Antarctica, scientists found bulbous tunicates, an underground animal, and many newly-discovered creatures believed to be related to starfish (海星) and other marine(海洋的）creatures.
Elsewhere in the world’s oceans, they have recently discovered many kinds of underwater life forms new to science. It is all part of a research effort called the Census of Marine Life.
“There are about 2,000 scientists worldwide involved,” said Bob Gagosian, President, CEO of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. Gagosian helps manage the project. “Everywhere they’ve gone they’ve found new things,” he says. “The ocean basically is unexplored from the point of view of marine living things.”
Researchers have placed small markers on hundreds of fish and marine animals to track by satellite their migration(迁移）routes and to discover places where sea life gathers.
According to Ron O’Dor, a senior scientist with the Census of Marine Life, knowledge of life on the ocean floor is especially limited. “90% of all the information we have is from the top hundred meters of the ocean,” O’Dor states.
And he says the sea floor is, on average, at a depth of 4, 000 meters. And so, as some machines dive far below what people have previously seen, scientists are discovering new species of plants, animals and living things.
Since the census project began, more than 5,300 new marine animals have been found. Ocean researchers say they hope to catalogue 230,000 species during the census —which some say is only a small part of all the creatures living in the sea.
小题1:Why do the researchers place small markers on many marine creatures?| A．To catch them. | B．To research them. | | C．To kill them. | D．To protect them. |
小题2:From what Ron O’Dor says, we can conclude that .| A．human beings only know a little about marine life | | B．the oceans don’t need to be further explored | | C．he considers exploring the ocean a dangerous thing | | D．the marine creatures mainly live on the top of the ocean |
小题3:What can we learn from the passage?| A．About 2,000 scientists from America are involved in the project. | | B．The census of sea life will last for ten years. | | C．230,000 new marine animals have been found. | | D．The sea floor is at a depth of 400 meters. |
小题4:Why does the author write the passage?| A．To tell the news that new marine creatures are being discovered | | B．To encourage people to find new marine creatures | | C．To prove the importance of marine creatures | | D．To introduce the newly-discovered creatures. |
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An increase in students applying to study economics (经济学) at university is being attributed to （归因于）the global economic crisis (危机) awakening a public thirst for knowledge about how the financial system works.
Applications for degree courses beginning this autumn were up by 15% this January, according to UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. A spokesman for the Royal Economic Society said applications to do economics at A-level were also up.
Professor John Beath, the president of the society and a leading lecture at St Andrews University, said his first-year lectures which are open to students from all departments—were drawing crowds of 400, rather than the usual 250.
“There are a large number of students who are not economics majors, who would like to learn something about it. One of the things I have done this year is to relate my teaching to contemporary events in a way that one hasn’t traditionally done. ” He added.
University applications rose 70% last year. But there were rises above average in several subjects. Nursing saw a 15% jump, with people’s renewed interest in careers in the pubic sector（部门）, which are seen as more secure in economic crisis.
A recent study showed almost two thirds of parents believed schools should do more to teach pupils about financial matters, and almost half said their children had asked them what was going on, although a minority of parents felt they did not understand it themselves well enough to explain.
Zack Hocking, the head of Child Trust Funds, said: “It’s possible that one good thing to arise from the downturn will be a generation that’s financially wiser and better equipped (使…有能力) to manage their money through times of economic uncertainty.”
小题1:Professor John Beath’s lectures are . | A．given in a traditional way | | B．connected with the present situation | | C．open to both students and their parents | | D．warmly received by economics |
小题2: Careers in the public sector are more attractive because of their .| A．greater stability | B．higher pay | | C．fewer applications | D．better reputation |
小题3:In the opinion of most parents , . | A．economics should be the focus of school teaching | | B．more students should be admitted to universities | | C．the teaching of financial matters should be strengthened. | | D．children should solve financial problems themselves |
小题4:According to Hocking , the global economic crisis might make the youngsters_____. | A．wiser in money management | | B．have access to better equipment | | C．confident about their future careers | | D．get jobs in Child Trust Funds |
小题5:What’s the main idea of the text? | A．Universities have received more applications. | | B．Economics is attracting an increasing number of students | | C．college students benefit a lot from economic uncertainty | | D．parents are concerned with children’s subject selection. |
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What would you do if Martians (火星人) kidnapped (绑架) your mom? In the 3-D animated movie Mars Needs Moms, a young boy named Milo finds himself in this exact difficult situation. The aliens want to steal Milo’s mother’s “momness” for their own young. Now it’s up to the 9-year-old to get his mom back before she is lost forever.
Every good action movie has a bad guy. The villain (反派角色) in this film is the Martian Supervisor, played by Mindy Sterling. The Supervisor has an icy cold heart. Remarkably, Sterling acted out almost all of her scenes in a special Martian language created just for the movie. “Learning Martian was a piece of cake,” Sterling said. “There wasn’t too much to learn; sometimes, I just made it up!”
Anyone who has a mother will be moved by this movie. In fact, anyone who loves someone will be moved by this movie. Maybe it is because the story was inspired by a real-life event. The movie is based on a novel by prize-winning cartoonist Berkeley Breathed. He wrote the book after a dinner-table incident between his wife and son, who was then 4 years old. That night, Breathed’s son had thrown his broccoli into the air and rushed out of the room angrily, yelling at his mother on the way out. Breathed told his son, “You might think differently about your mom if she were kidnapped by Martians.” He wrote the novel that same evening.
All kids get into arguments with their parents. The fights may be about homework, chores or eating vegetables. Mars Needs Moms tells us to look past these silly disagreements and to remember the importance of family and the things that really matter.
小题1:In the movie Mars Needs Moms the aliens want to _____.| A．kill Milo’s mother | | B．take Milo as their kid | | C．make Milo’s mother their kids’ mom | | D．send their kids to Milo’s family |
小题2:To Mindy Sterling, learning Martian language is _____.| A．simple | B．difficult | C．interesting | D．unacceptable |
小题3:What made Breathed write the novel?| A．The movie producer’s idea. | | B．His wife’s inspiration and help. | | C．His good relationship with his mother. | | D．His son’s bad behavior toward his mother. |
小题4:In the last paragraph the author wants to _____.| A．advise children to help with the housework | | B．encourage readers to learn something from the movie | | C．stress the importance of doing something different | | D．ask parents to be good teachers of their children |
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