Studies show farmland in Africa is often lacking in important nutrients. But researchers say combining different farming methods may help.
Since the world food crisis several years ago, researchers have directed more of their attention to small farms. Most farms in areas south of the Sahara Desert are only about one or two hectares. One of the goals is to increase production without necessarily clearing more land to grow additional crops.
American researchers say that can happen with greater use of an agricultural system called perennation. It mixes food crops with trees and perennial plants – those that return year after year.
Mr. Reganold, who is with Washington State University, says poor soil may have resulted from years of weathering that washed away many nutrients. He says some farmers may have done more harm than good.
He estimates that up to two billion dollars worth of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium is lost from African soil each year.
The scientist says the word perennation defines three systems that are already used in Africa. The oldest of the three is called evergreen agriculture. This is where farmers plant trees with their crops. John Reganold says farmers in Africa have been doing this for sixty years, but it seems to be growing in popularity.
The method is gaining widespread use in countries such as Niger, Burkina Faso, Malawi and Zambia. The trees are planted among maize, millet or sorghum crops. They not only add nitrogen to the soil through their roots, but also through their leaves when they fall off and break down. At other times of the year, the trees can protect plants from strong sunlight.
Mr. Reganold was one of three researchers who wrote a report about perennation. It was published in the journal Nature.
【小題1】Farmland in Africa ________.
A.is often small in size |
B.can produce more than enough crops for Africans |
C.is short of important nutrients |
D.has got the attention of scientists around the world |
A.Africa was going through a food crisis |
B.most farms in areas south of the Sahara Desert are small |
C.there are not enough farmlands |
D.farmers may grow additional crops on farmland |
A.is a farming method of planting food crops with trees |
B.is a new farming method |
C.can help African people produce more food than they need |
D.is gaining widespread use around the world |
A.perennation will be widely used by farmers in Africa |
B.American government will help African countries increase food production |
C.African countries is short of farmland |
D.some farmers are destroying their farmland in Africa on purpose |
A.food | B.environment | C.a(chǎn)griculture | D.gardening |
【小題1】C
【小題2】B
【小題3】A
【小題4】A
【小題5】C
解析試題分析:文章主要介紹非洲的農(nóng)田大多缺乏營養(yǎng),為了解決這個問題,科學(xué)家提出perennation 的方法,就是將食物莊稼和樹一起種植的農(nóng)業(yè)方法,這種方法可以有效解決農(nóng)田缺少營養(yǎng)的問題。
【小題1】細節(jié)題:從第一段的句子:Studies show farmland in Africa is often lacking in important nutrients.可知非洲的農(nóng)田缺乏重要的營養(yǎng)。選C
【小題2】細節(jié)題:從文章第二段的句子:Most farms in areas south of the Sahara Desert are only about one or two hectares.可知研究人員將注意力放在小農(nóng)場上是因為撒哈拉沙漠的大部分農(nóng)場是小的,選B
【小題3】猜詞題:從文章第六段的句子:The scientist says the word perennation defines three systems that are already used in Africa. The oldest of the three is called evergreen agriculture. This is where farmers plant trees with their crops.可知“perennation”是將食物莊稼和樹一起種植的農(nóng)業(yè)方法,選A
【小題4】推理題:從第六段的句子:John Reganold says farmers in Africa have been doing this for sixty years, but it seems to be growing in popularity.可以推斷出perennation 將在非洲被農(nóng)民廣泛使用,選A
【小題5】文章出處題:文章主要介紹非洲的農(nóng)田大多缺乏營養(yǎng),為了解決這個問題,科學(xué)家提出perennation 的方法,就是將食物莊稼和樹一起種植的農(nóng)業(yè)方法,這種方法可以有效解決農(nóng)田缺少營養(yǎng)的問題。所以是關(guān)于農(nóng)業(yè)的新聞報道,選C
考點:考查新聞報道類短文
科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
News that Microsoft made a $44.6 billion bid to buy Yahoo resulted in heated discussions made by many Internet users. Here are some responses:
Diane Burke of Weeks bury, Kentucky
I think it would definitely be an interesting combination. Everyone recognizes the names Yahoo and Microsoft, but everyone also says, “Did you Google it?” Such a catchphrase (時髦話) is going to be hard to beat.
Shaun Carney of Laurelville, Ohio
I think the merger (合并) will provide more competitions for Google. I don’t think the merger will allow Microsoft to develop faster than Google, though. I believe the increased competition this merger brings will force Google to stay on top of its game by offering more fresh and original Internet tools and expanding on the tools it already offers.
Toni Suarez of Hacienda Heights, California
I view the merger as a necessary element in preventing a monopolization (壟斷). Perhaps it would bring better high technology innovations to e-mail and help in researching and developing a better Internet!
Rick R. of Edgewater, Florida
It sounds like a disaster to me. If this were to happen, I would stop using my Yahoo e-mail account because I don’t like the feeling of Microsoft spying upon my business. I will sign up for Google.
Antonio Glosser of Kansas City, Missouri
Right now, Yahoo offers a lot of features and tools at no cost for all different levels of Internet users. Microsoft seeks nothing but profit. Undoubtedly, they’ll do nothing other than find ways to start removing Yahoo’s formerly non-priced features. Microsoft’s greed will ruin the great thing that Yahoo currently is.
【小題1】How many companies are mentioned in the passage?
A.One. | B.Two. | C.Three. | D.Four. |
A.Shaun’s attitude towards Google is passive. |
B.Toni believes the Internet will have a promising future. |
C.Rick will support Google after the merger. |
D.Antonio is afraid that the merger will cost Yahoo’s free features. |
A.opinions on the merger of Yahoo and Microsoft |
B.the strengths of Yahoo and Microsoft |
C.the strengths and weaknesses of large companies |
D.the future of Yahoo and Microsoft |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
The Norwegian Government is doing its best to keep the oil industry under control. A new law limits exploration to an area south of the southern end of the long coastline; production limits have been laid down (though these have already been raised); and oil companies have not been allowed to employ more than a limited number of foreign workers. But the oil industry has a way of getting over such problems, and few people believe that the Government will be able to hold things back for long. As one Norwegian politician said last week: “ We will soon be changed beyond all recognition.”
Ever since the war, the Government has been carrying out a program of development in the area north of the Arctic Circle. During the past few years this program has had a great deal of success. Tromso has been built up into a local capital with a university, a large hospital and a healthy industry. But the oil industry has already started to draw people south, and within a few years the whole northern policy could be in ruins.
The effects of the oil industry would not be limited to the north, however. With nearly 100 percent employment, everyone can see a situation developing in which the service industries and the tourist industry will lose more of their workers to the oil industry. Some smaller industries might even disappear altogether when it becomes cheaper to buy goods from abroad.
The real argument over oil is its threat to the Norwegian way of life. Farmers and fishermen do not make up most of the population, but they are an important part of it, because Norwegians see in them many of the qualities that they regard with pride as essentially Norwegian. And it is the farmers and the fishermen who are most critical of the oil industry because of the damage that it might cause to the countryside and to the sea.
【小題1】The Norwegian Government would prefer the oil industry to ______.
A.provide more jobs for foreign workers |
B.slow down the rate of its development |
C.sell the oil it is producing abroad |
D.develop more quickly than at present |
A.encourage the oil companies to discover new oil sources |
B.prevent oil companies employing people from northern Norway |
C.help the oil companies solve many of their problems |
D.keep the oil industry to something near its present size |
A.the development of industry |
B.a(chǎn) growth in population |
C.the failure of the development program |
D.the development of new towns |
A.a(chǎn) large reduction on unemployment |
B.a(chǎn) growth in the tourist industry |
C.a(chǎn) reduction in the number of existing industries |
D.the development of a number of service industries |
A.they form such a large part of Norwegian ideal |
B.their lives and values represent the Norwegian ideal |
C.their work is so useful to the rest of Norwegian society |
D.they regard oil as a threat to the Norwegian way of life |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Some young Cambodians are learning a new sport — skateboarding. The country’s first skateboard park is located on the grounds of a local charity group at the edge of Phnom Penh, the capital.
Sports like Khmer boxing and soccer are wildly popular in Cambodia. But Chea ,who has been skating for 6 months ,says skating has already become his favorite sport.
The skaters are learning tricks like launching off a jump or half-pipe and flying through the air on their narrow wooden boards.
A non-governmental organization called Skateistan Cambodia organizes weekly programs at the park. Skateistan started its work in Afghanistan years ago. Rory Burke is working with the group which expanded to Cambodia last year.
Rory Burke points out, “Yeah, it’s definitely not a typical Cambodian pastime (消遣).And I think the idea of ‘why skateboarding’is that it’s not been done before here. We want to use skateboarding as something saying, ‘Hey,this is new ,this is something different.,And that kind of itself becomes a little bit of hook. People see it and they think and they say, ‘Wow, what is that?,and they want to get involved. ”
Skateistan partners with local groups that work with young people. The park is on the grounds of the group known as PSE, where children attend school and learn a trade. There are almost one hundred twenty participants. They all come from troubled lives.
Seventeen-year-old Sang Rotha is a student at PSE. “Sometimes I don’t do well on subjects like math,”he says, “I feel bad when I find it hard to keep up with my lessons. So that is why I skateboard -to improve my bad feelings. ’,
He says he began skateboarding more than a year ago. Before he started training, it seemed very easy. But it was very difficult to learn tricks, and he got hurt a lot from falling off.
Rory Burke says learning to deal with the difficulties is part of the lesson for these young skateboarders.
【小題1】According to the passage, PSE is a group ______.
A. that works with Cambodian students |
B. for young Cambodians to learn a trade |
C. for young Cambodians in troubled lives |
D. for young Cambodians taking skateboarding |
A. It is easy for young Cambodians to learn. |
B. It is a good sport to help regain good feeling. |
C. It originated in Afghanistan years ago. |
D. It is as popular as Khmer boxing in Cambodia. |
A. something strange | B.something quite new |
C. something different | D.something attractive |
A. a sport liked by most young Cambodians |
B. an increasingly popular sport in Cambodia |
C. a sport used to better young Cambodians’ life |
D. a good way to train young Cambodians’ learning skills |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
For their nick-of-time acts, Toby, a 2-year-old dog, and Winnie, a cute cat, were named Dog and Cat of the Year by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
As Amy Paul choked(哽住) on a piece of apple at her home, her dog jumped up, landing hard on her chest and forcing the piece in her throat out. When the Keesling family of Indiana was about to be killed by carbon monoxide, their cat clawed at the wife Cathy’s hair until she woke up and called for help.
No one could explain their timely heroics.
Both pets were rescued by their owners in infancy—Toby as a 4-week-old thrown into a garbage bin to die, and Winnie as a week-old orphan hiding under a barn, so helpless that Cathy’s husband, Eric, had to feed her milk with an eyedropper.
As the Keeslings recalled it, a gas-driven pump being used broke down, spreading carbon monoxide through the house. By the time Winnie went to rescue, the couple’s 14-year-old son was already unconscious. “Winnie jumped on the bed and was clawing at me, with a kind of angry sound,” Cathy Keesling said. The state police responding to her 911 call said the family was only minutes from death, judging by the amount of poisonous gas in the house.
Amy Paul’s husband was at his job when she took a midday break from making jewelry and bit into an apple. “Normally I peel them, but I read in Good Housekeeping Magazine that the skin has all the nutrients, so I ate the skin, and that’s what caused me to choke,” she recalled. “I couldn’t breathe and I was in panic when Toby jumped on me. He never does that, but he did, and saved my life.”
Both Toby and Winnie accompanied their owners to the awards luncheon.
【小題1】Why did Amy Paul choke on a piece of apple?
A.She was too young to care for herself. |
B.She had a big bite. |
C.The apple was too hard. |
D.She didn’t peel the skin as usual. |
A.jumping onto its owner | B.calling for help |
C.clawing at Cathy’s hair | D.making some strange noises |
A.middle age | B.youth | C.babyhood | D.a(chǎn)gedness |
A.So Smart Animals Are |
B.Dog and Cat Honored for Saving Their Masters |
C.Unforgettable Experiences |
D.Great Honors for Cat and Dog |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Four million children are caught up in the war in Syria. Thirteen-year-old Rabia is one of them. Tall and thin, she sits shaking in a yellow T-shirt at the Al Marj settlement, close to the Lebanese-Syrian border.
Home for Rabia was once a two-story house near Damascus. Now it is a tent shared with her nine family members.
Rabia’s face is covered with dirt, and she is tired and cold. She has just finished work, picking up potatoes that fell from a truck. Her typical day starts at 4 a.m., and she works a double shift that lasts about 16 hours, putting potatoes into bags. The only choice for her is that she can choose the first eight hours or the second eight hours. For this, she gets paid about $8 a day.
Working means Rabia misses school. Back in her village, she was the best in her class and good at everything. Her favorite subjects were Arabic literature and math. But, like many children now living in the settlements—there are no official refugee (難民)camps in Lebanon —that was Rabia’s old life. Life before war, before her family moved five times to escape the bombs, before leaving behind her bedroom, her toys and her friends without packing a bag, before “half the people I know”were dead.
The old life was full of laughter with her sister, Wala. But Wala, 14, got married two days ago to an 18-year-old Lebanese. Rabia is happy for her sister. Life in the settlement is tough— the children have nowhere to play, the bathing is poor and sexual abuse is out of control. You can’t blame parents —often confused, illiterate (不識字的)and poor—who want to marry off their daughters. They fear for their safety.
Increasing numbers of Rabia’s girlfriends are getting married. Once in rural Syria, a girl got married at 16. According to UNICEF, the age is now dropping to 12 or 13. It is no secret that Lebanese men want to marry Syrian refugee girls, who work hard and don’t ask for anything.
【小題1】Where is the passage most likely to have been taken from?
A.A news report. | B.A book review. |
C.A history book. | D.A travel magazine. |
A.the extra task | B.the low pay |
C.the potato factory. | D.the working period |
A.present the dream of Rabia | B.show the damage of the war |
C.predict the future of Syrian girls | D.compare the life before war and now |
A.They have no good friends to play with. |
B.They want money from the husband family. |
C.Their parents are worried about their safety. |
D.Their parents are confused,illiterate and poor. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
XI’AN – China has introduced various emergency responses and long-term measures against air pollution in the central and eastern regions.
The air quality index (AQI) for Xi’an reached 500 on Wednesday afternoon, at the top of the AQI scale, according to the national air quality monitoring website. Xi’an weather forecasters predict the smog (霧霾) will continue for the next week and air pollution may worsen.
“I have to keep buying masks for my family,” said Liu, buying masks at a pharmacy (藥店) near her home in downtown Xi’an. “This is the only thing we can do to protect ourselves.”
On Wednesday, a city government emergency response plan was put into action, suspending all construction and taking at least 50 percent of government vehicles off the road. Power plants must limit their output and reduce emissions.
Nearly half the country, more than 100 cities in 20 provinces, has suffered from smog since last December. Many have taken action, including experimenting with artificial methods to reduce smog, limiting vehicle use and fining polluters.
Assessments based on GDP alone were abandoned last month and more emphasis has been put on public well-being and the environment. Whether the move will be effective in forcing local governments consider environmental issues over economic growth remains to be seen. Environmental protection professionals are doubtful about the immediacy of the effects of these measures.
Xiao Hang, an urban researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said it took London 50 years to lose the moniker (綽號) “foggy London town”, and Los Angeles still struggles to control its photochemical (光化學(xué)) smog. “We can’t ignore environmental problems during the development process and China has a long way to go,” he said.
【小題1】What would be the best title for the article?
A.AQI for Xi’an reached 500 |
B.Smog crisis tries the limits of people’s patience |
C.Smoggy Chinese cities to clear the air |
D.Dust masks become hot sellers |
A.encouraging | B.stopping | C.continuing | D.expanding |
A.China is the only country suffering from smog |
B.environmental professionals believe the air quality will soon be improved with these measures |
C.a(chǎn)ssessments based on GDP alone were harmful to environmental protection |
D.Xi’an was the most polluted city in China |
A.London still has serious air pollution after 50 years of effort |
B.the development of China is more important |
C.solving environmental problems requires great effort |
D.it’s normal for China to have environmental problems |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
The only survivor of one of the two Sandy Hook Elementary School first-grade classrooms where Adam Lanza shot and killed 20 children tricked the gunman by playing dead,the girl’s pastor(牧師)said.
“She ran out of the school building covered from head to toe with blood and the first thing she said to her mom was,“Mommy,I’m OK but all my friends are dead” Pastor Jim Solomon told ABC News’ Lara Spencer this weekend
“Somehow,at that moment, by God’s grace,she was able to act as she was already dead.”he said.
The girl, a 6-year-old whose name is not being announced for privacy(隱私)reasons,was the first student to appear from the lockdown(封鎖)at Sandy Hook,Solomon said.He said the young girl described the shooter to her mom in a way that only a young child can.
“Well, she saw someone who she felt was angry and someone she felt was very mad,”Solomon said. “I think it's impossible without the help of God. She has wisdom beyond her years, for sure’’
Of the 20 children killed on Friday in the Newtown,Conn., school, eight were boys and l2 were girls Six staff members,all female, were also killed. The gunman,whose mother was also killed by him before he went to the schoo1 classrooms, was found dead at the present spot.
“The mom told me—and I thought this was very insightful(有深刻見解的)—that she was suffering from what she felt was survivor’s guilt because so many of her friends no longer have their children but she has hers,” Solomon said how the girl’s mother and father are handling the trauma(傷害).“I don’t know whether l would have the type of faith that they have if the same thing happened to me.”
【小題1】How did the girl manage to avoid being shot?
A.She pretended to be dead |
B.She hid herself under the desk |
C.She rushed out of the school building in time |
D.She persuaded the shooter into not shooting her. |
A.Talented and innocent | B.Serious and insightful |
C.Active and happy | D.Clever and brave |
A.ended up with the shooter being killed |
B.was a shooting by a group of people |
C.was due to the gunman getting angry with the pupils |
D.was not open to the public for the moment |
A.She was disappointed with the pastor |
B.She felt very dissatisfied with other parents |
C.She felt terribly sorry for those who had lost their children |
D.She strongly condemned the police. |
A.It is not difficult for the parents to handle the trauma. |
B.The girl’s parents have asked for help from their pastor. |
C.The girl has helped the police in catching the gunman. |
D.The gunman has worked in the school. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
A South African farmer is receiving phone calls from his sheep after equipping them with cell phones to keep tabs on the flock amid recent livestock thefts, according to local press Wednesday.
When the sheep call, it is always bad news for farmer Erard Louw of the Cape Town suburbs, as the phones around their necks are only set to switch on when the sheep start running, a sign that thieves have cut through the fences.
"As they run it gives me a phone call and says 'Sheep One' or 'Sheep Two' and so on, so at least I know where to start looking because the farm is 750 hectares (1,850 acres)," Louw told the Cape Times daily.
Louw attached the phone-like security device to the collars of four sheep in separate flocks after thieves sneaked in and stole 27 sheep and 13 lambs a couple of weeks ago, driving Louw to rack his brains for ways to protect his animals.
He said there was no use calling nearby police, as they were stationed too far away and in his experience they either lacked an available car or the vehicle was out of fuel or missing tyres -- also the work of thieves.
According to Louw, the cell phones have already proved their worth, with one sheep-snatcher caught thanks to the device.
Still, with theft attempts currently at their peak, given long winter nights and early nightfall, a few sheep-robbers managed to get away in spite of the device.
"The phone did start ringing that night and I went out," he said, but added that he was too late.
【小題1】Why did Erard Louw attach the phone-like device to the sheep he raises?
A.Because he thought it was fun to do. |
B.Because the police there didn’t care about animals. |
C.Because he liked hi-tech very much. |
D.Because he wanted to protect them against thieves. |
A.Try very hard to remember or think of something. |
B.Have a headache. |
C.Make the brain bigger. |
D.Shake the brain from side to side. |
A.in a book |
B.in a dictionary |
C.in a newspaper |
D.in a novel |
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