Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan sees an epidemic (流行病) sweeping a
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Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan sees an epidemic (流行病) sweeping across America’s farmland. It has little to do with the usual challenges, such as flood, rising fuel prices and crop-eating insects. The country’s farmers are getting older, and there are fewer people standing in line to take their place. National agricultural census (普查) figures show that the fastest-growing group of farmers is the part over 65. Merrigan is afraid the average age will be even higher when the 2012 statistics are completed.
Merrigan, a former college professor, is making stops at universities across the country in hopes of encouraging more students to think about careers in agriculture. Aside from trying to stop the graying of America’s farmers, her work is made tougher by a recent blog posting that put agriculture at No. 1 on a list of “useless” college degrees. Top federal agriculture officials are talking about the posting, and it has the attention of agricultural organizations across the country.
“There couldn’t be anything that’s more incorrect,” Merrigan said. “We know that there aren’t enough qualified graduates to fill the jobs that are out there in American agriculture.”
In addition, a growing world population that some experts predict will require 70% more food production by 2050, she said.
“I truly believe we’re at a golden age of agriculture. Global demand is at an all-time record high, and global supplies are at all-time record lows,” said Matt Rush, director of the Texas Farm Bureau. “Production costs are going to be valuable enough that younger people are going to have the opportunity to be involved in agriculture.”
The Department of Agriculture has programs aimed at developing more farmers and at increasing interest in locally grown food. The National Young Farmers’ Coalition has also been pushing for state and federal policy changes to make it easier for new farmers.
Ryan Best, president of Future Farmers of America, has been living out of a suitcase, traveling the country and visiting with high school students about careers in agriculture. The 21-year-old Best hopes his message—that this is a new time in agriculture—will motivate the next generation to turn around the statistics. “Never before have we had the innovations (创新) in technology which have led to agriculture in this country being the most efficient it has ever been,” he said. “There’s really a place for everybody to fit in.”
小题1:What is the new challenge to American agriculture?| A．Fewer and older farmers. | B．Higher fuel prices. | | C．More natural disasters. | D．Lower agricultural output. |
小题2:Why is Merrigan visiting universities across the country?| A．To draw federal agriculture officials’ attention. | | B．To select qualified agriculture graduates. | | C．To clarify a recent blog posting. | | D．To talk more students into farming careers. |
小题3:According to Matt Rush, American agriculture will provide opportunities for younger people
because__________..| A．the government will cover production costs | | B．global food supplies will be even lower | | C．investment in agriculture will be profitable | | D．America will increase its food export |
小题4:What do the underlined words “to turn around the statistics” in the last paragraph mean?| A．To re-analyze the result of the national census. | | B．To increase agricultural production. | | C．To bring down the average age of farmers. | | D．To invest more in agriculture. |
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答案
小题1:A
小题2:D
小题3:C
小题4:C |
解析
这是一篇新闻报道，报道了“美国农业缺少专业大学生从事农业生产”的问题。
小题1:细节理解题。根据首段第二、三句“It has little to do with…The country’s farmers are getting older, and there are fewer people standing in line to take their place.”可知答案是A。
小题2:细节理解题。根据第二段首句“Merrigan, …is making stops at universities across the country in hopes of encouraging more students to think about careers in agriculture.”可知答案是D。
小题3:细节理解题。根据第五段最后一句“Production costs are going to be valuable enough that younger people are going to have the opportunity to be invloved in agriculture.”可知答案是C。
小题4:短语意思猜测题。根据尾段关键词“a new time in agriculture”“innovations in technology”“for everybody to fit in”结合目前美国农业现状“fewer and older farmers”可知答案是C（降低农民平均年龄）。 |
举一反三
As the Internet’s influence grows, the potential for danger also escalates (逐步上升). One of these dangers is from cyber-bullying. Cyber-bullying (网络欺凌) is repeatedly hurting someone else through the use of technology. It consists of sending or posting cruel messages, photos, or videos on the Internet or other electronic media with the intent of damaging the reputation of the target. Imagine being a 13-year-old girl discovering a cell phone picture of her changing clothes for gym class has been sent to all her classmates. Or imagine being an 11-year-old boy who is scared to go to school because an unknown bully sent him an instant message saying that he is so fat that he should kill himself. Cases such as these are happening every day, leading kids to be depressed and unable to concentrate.
Worse yet, parents are oblivious (忽视的) to what is happening. Only 15 percent of parents even know what cyber-bullying is. And anyone who thinks that their child is not a victim or a bully is probably wrong. 90 percent of middle school students have had their feelings hurt online and 75 percent have admitted to visiting a website attacking another student.
Unlike traditional schoolyard bullying, where a bully has a name and a face, cyber-bullying gets much of its power from anonymity (匿名). A cyber bully might design a website posting cruel remarks about a classmate and never tell anyone that he or she was the creator. The cyber-bullying also gets its power from the scope (范围) of its audience. Within seconds, a cyber bully can send an e-mail to everyone he or she knows, inviting them to take part in an online poll (民意测验) of who is the ugliest kid in their class. Victims can be picked on day and night from any place.
The good news is that you can help stop cyber-bullying. By making parents and educators aware of what is going on and encouraging them to take quick and strong action when cyber-bullying cases happen, you can help make technology constructive, not destructive, for young people.
小题1:What can we learn from the second paragraph?| A．Not many students have known of cyber-bullying. | | B．Parents may not know their child is a victim of cyber-bullying. | | C．Parents know a lot of cyber-bullying. | | D．Most of the students have not been hurt by cyber-bullying. |
小题2:What does the author think of the cyber-bullying?| A．It is not as harmful as people think. | | B．It is too complex a problem to settle. | | C．It will not affect the relationship between classmates. | | D．It can be stopped through our efforts. |
小题3:What will probably be discussed in the following passage?| A．How to prevent cyber-bullying. | | B．What parents and educators think of cyber-bullying. | | C．How to make parents aware of cyber-bullying. | | D．How to make good use of technology. |
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There are four types of persons who go to work part-time. These include retirees who want a bit more income or socialization, parents who want to spend more time with their children, college and high school students and temporary agency workers who want more experience. Many people enjoy the advantages of working part-time, but benefits are rarely offered to part-time employees.
Most people are hoping for health insurance and retirement benefits when taking a job. Traditionally, companies only offer benefits to employees who work 30 hours or more a week. This is only a 25% reduction in hours, so it doesn’t free up a lot of time for the employee who needs part-time hours. Even when a part-timer is offered health benefits, he is rarely offered paid time off and retirement benefits. Dental benefits are almost never offered to part-time employees.
Many businesses hire part-time employees for the simple reason of saving money. If they work less than a certain number of hours, the employers don’t need to pay for benefits. There are companies, however, that are beginning to offer benefits to part-time employees. This includes benefits for health, paid time off and retirement plans. Some companies have begun to offer this in order to take in high quality, trained professionals who just want part-time hours. If a company wants a qualified employee, it will have to compete with other companies. People who may only want to work part-time may be forced to take a full-time job to get the benefits. Companies who offer benefits to part-timers have an advantage by offering more choices to their employees in terms of hours.
Conducting an Internet search is probably the quickest way to find companies that provide benefits for part-time employees. Many large corporations like Starbucks, Barnes & Noble and Whole Foods offer benefits to part-time employees among other things. Look for companies that offer a team approach to their employees. Employees are given choices and part of decision-making in the business. Businesses that allow employee input are more likely to offer benefits to part-timers.
小题1:People prefer to work part-time mainly because they __________.| A．don’t want to spend more time on work | | B．have so many household and social affairs | | C．hope to have more money, time and experience | | D．only expect to make more friends |
小题2:From the second paragraph we can learn that part-timers _______.| A．can enjoy as many benefits as full-timers | | B．prefer retirement benefits to health insurance | | C．often retire without enjoying any benefit | | D．often enjoy fewer benefits than full-timers |
小题3:What’s the advantage of hiring part-time employees?| A．They don’t need the insurance. | | B．They can save employers some money. | | C．They have no choice but to work hard. | | D．They can be also changed into full-timers. |
小题4:We can infer from the last paragraph that _________.| A．it’s easy to find companies providing benefits | | B．companies not allowing employee input don’t offer any benefit to part-timers | | C．Starbucks in England doesn’t provide benefits to full-timers | | D．employees are often forced to choose their jobs |
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The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place. Now it is an ecological disaster area. Nauru’s heartbreaking story could have one good consequence — other countries might learn from its mistakes.
For thousands of years, Polynesian people lived the remote island of Nauru, far from western civilization. The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798. He was the British captain of the Hunter, a whaling ship. He called the island Pleasant Island.
However, because it was very remote, Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first. The whaling ships and other traders began to visit, bringing guns and alcohol. These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island. A ten-year civil war started, which reduced the population from 1,400 to 900.
Nauru’s real troubles began in 1899 when a British mining company discovered phosphate (磷酸盐)on the island. In fact, it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate, which a very important fertilizer for farming. The company began mining the phosphate.
A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground; it is a strip mine. When a company strip-mines, it removes the top layer of soil. Then it takes away the material it wants. Strip mining totally destroys the land. Gradually, the lovely island of Nauru started to look like the moon.
In 1968, Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world. Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate.
Unfortunately, the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars. In addition, they used millions more dollars for personal expenses. Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem — their phosphate was running out. Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing. By 2000, Nauru was financially ruined. Experts say that it would take approximately $433,600,000 and more than 20 years to repair the island. This will probably never happen.
小题1:What might be the author’s purpose in writing the text?| A．To seek help for Nauru’s problems. | | B．To give a warning to other countries | | C．To show the importance of money | | D．To tell a heartbreaking story of a war. |
小题2:What was Nauru like before the Europeans came?| A．Rich and powerful | B．Modern and open | | C．Peaceful and attractive | D．Greedy and aggressive |
小题3:The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted from _______. | A．soil pollution | B．phosphate overmining | | C．farming activity | D．whale hunting |
小题4:Which of the following was a cause of Nauru’s financial problem?| A．Its leaders misused the money | | B．It spent too much repairing the island | | C．Its phosphate mining cost much money | | D．It lost millions of dollars in the civil war. |
小题5:What can we learn about Nauru from the last paragraph?| A．The ecological damage is difficult to repair. | | B．The leaders will take the experts’ words seriously. | | C．The island was abandoned by the Nauruans | | D．The phosphate mines were destroyed |
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Big Brothers Big Sisters is based on the simplicity and power of friendship．It is a program which provides friendship and fun by matching vulnerable young people (ages 7-17) with a volunteer adult who can be both a role model and a supportive friend.
Volunteer tutors come from all walks of life—married, single, with or without children. Big Brothers and Big Sisters are not replacement parents or social workers. They are tutors: someone to trust, to have fun with, to talk and go to when needed.
A Big Sister and Little Sister will generally spend between one and four hours together three or four times each month for at least twelve months. They enjoy simple activities such as a picnic at a park, cooking, playing sport or going to a football match. These activities improve the friendship and help the young person develop positive self-respect, confidence and life direction.
Big Brothers Big Sisters organizations exist throughout the world. It is the largest and most well-known provider of tutor services internationally and has been operating for 25 years.
Emily and Sarah have been matched since 2008. Emily is a 10-year-old girl who has experienced some difficulties being accepted by her schoolmates at school. “ I was pretty sure there was something wrong with me.”
Emily’s mum came across Big Brothers Big Sisters and thought it would be of benefit to Emily by “providing different feedback (反馈) about herself other than just relying on schoolmates to measure her self-worth.
Sarah wanted to get involved in a volunteer program. “I googled it and found out how to be a part of it. I thought it would be fun for me to get involved in making time to do something because sometimes it is all work and no play.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters has been of great benefit and enjoyment to both Emily and Sarah. They love and look forward to their time together and the partnership has certainly helped Emily be more comfortable in being the wonderful, happy and unique girl she is!
小题1:What is the aim of Big Brothers Big Sisters?| A．To offer students public services． | | B．To help students improve their grades． | | C．To organize sport activities for young people． | | D．To provide partnership and fun for young people． |
小题2:A volunteer is usually expected to work within a year for at least______．| A．24 hours | B．36 hours | C．48 hours | D．72 hours |
小题3:According to Emily’s mother, this program may provide Emily with______．| A．advice from her teachers | | B．a new way to assess herself | | C．a new way to judge her schoolmates | | D．more comments from her schoolmates |
小题4:Why did Sarah want to get involved in the program?| A．She used to be a volunteer. | | B．She needed a part-time job. | | C．She felt a bit bored with her life. | | D．She wanted to get a challenging job. |
小题5:According to the passage, “vulnerable young people” are probably those who are _________.| A．popular at school | B．rather weak physically | | C．easily hurt emotionally | D．confident in themselves |
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If Confucius（孔子）were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It’s nothing personal. Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy（哲学）. Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.
小题1:The opening paragraph is mainly intended to ________| A． provide some key facts about Confucius | | B．attract the readers’ interest in the subject | | C．show great respect for the ancient thinker | | D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
小题2:We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students______| A． have a great interest in studying Chinese | | B．take an active part in Chinese competitions | | C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams | | D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese |
小题3:What is the best title for the passge?| A．Forgotten Wisdom in America | | B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language | | C．Chinese Culture for Westerners | | D．Old Thinker with a Big Future |
小题4:The passage is likely to appear in ___________. | A．a biography | | B．a history paper | | C．a newspaper | | D．a philosophy textbook |
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