Airtight plastic bags can help farmers protect their harvests without the use of harmful chemicals. These bags are designed to keep air out of crops in storage. Using them is a simple way to fight insects and keep crops fresh.
Ten countries in West and Central Africa are involved in a project to improve the storage of cowpeas, also
known as black-eyed peas. Farmers can lose much of the harvest to insects called bruchids (豆象), which grow from egg to adult in a few weeks and then lay forty to sixty eggs. They can destroy the whole harvest within months.
Farmers can sell their crops immediately. But selling at harvest time means more competition and lower prices.Or they can use pesticides (殺蟲劑) to kill the bugs. But a crop scientist Dieudonne Baributsa says, “They end up misusing or overusing the pesticide. In Nigeria, they have reported a lot of cases of death. They usually call cowpeas ‘killer beans’ in Nigeria.”
Mr. Baributsa is a researcher at Purdue University in Indiana, America. The project is called PICS---Purdue Improved Cowpea Storage. He says the storage bags are thick enough that any insects already in the cowpeas willdie from a lack of oxygen. The lack of air will also help prevent the growth of bacteria that can ruin the harvest. The bags cost about two dollars each. Mr. Baributsa says that is not much, especially if it means farmers can wait long enough to get a better price for their crops. The bags are produced locally. Donors currently support the project, but the groups involved are working to build a lasting market for the bags because donation for the project will not lastforever.
A company based in the United States called GrainPro makes another kind of airtight bags. These are called SuperGrainbags. Phil Villers, the company’s president, says storing a harvest safely not only helps farmers earn more money, but also reduces the amount of the harvest loss to insects, spoilage and mishandling. “What does not get wasted and eaten means it is possible to feed a hungry world,” said Phil Villers.
61. What is the best title for this passage?
A.Simple bags save the harvest. B.Plastic bags kill the insects.
C.Bruchids do harm to the harvest. D.Pesticides threaten food safety..
62.It can be inferred that bruchids_______.
A.steal the stored crops for their future. B.survive in airtight plastic bags.
C.grow slowly. D.breed fast.
63.How does the name of “killer beans” come out?
A.The beans are poisonous by nature. B.People eat beans that are infected by bugs.
C.Farmers use chemicals to kill bugs improperly. D.Bugs ruin beans within a short time.
64.Which statement of the following is NOT true?
A.Any insects in the bags will soon use up the air and then die.
B.The airtight plastic bags currently sold on the market do not last long.
C.The project provides the farmers with the bags for free at present.
D.What farmers can earn from the use of the bags is more than they have to pay.
65.According to the passage, the storage bags can do the following EXCEPT______.
A.double the total harvest B.raise farmers’ income
C.help fight world hunger D.help project crops from being spoiled
科目:高中英語 來源:八大名校高考全真模擬試題 題型:050
閱讀下面短文,從每題所給的四個選項A、B、C、D中選出最佳選項。
When the wind blows, many things move. Things and people are moved whichever. way the wind blows. They may go over water, on the water, over land, or on land. History is filled with stories of people who used wind and air for fun and travel. One story that goes back about 3 000 years tells of two Greek men who escaped from prison by using wings made of feathers and wax(蠟) The story says the wax wings melted when one man flew too near the sun. His feathers fell off and he crashed into the sea. If those Greeks had used hang-glider or self-soaring wings for their prison escape, there wouldn't have been any wax for the sun to melt. Of course no one believes they got near the sun anyway.
For self-soaring or hang-gliding there should be wind, and plenty of it. A wind of 20 miles per hour or more is good for flying. Before flying, a rider sets up his hang-glider at the top of a hill. The hang-glider must be unfolded and set up facing into the wind. If the front or point isn't facing the wind, the hang-glider may go flying without the rider.
Hang-gliders are made of tightly woven cloth, lightweight metal rods(桿), and strong wires. The cloth is so tightly woven that it's almost airtight. The rods and wires should be made of very strong material. If something should break during a flight-well remember the Greeks.
People have always wanted to fly, and people have always wanted to add beauty to their lives. Beauty can come from colors, shapes, and forms. Self-soaring people add beauty to their hang-gliders with colors and decorations(裝飾). Quite often a person may have a hang-glider specially made by a professional hang-glider builder. The hang-glider builder can let the buyer pick the cloth for color and decoration. But when it comes to the shape, the professional builder doesn't let the buyer have much to say. A hang-glider has to be built to fly. That's why the shape is important. People who build their own hang-gliders can decorate them any way they like, but if the shape isn't right, they wouldn't do much flying.
After being strapped(綁扎) in, a hang-glider is ready to go. The flight starts with a downhill run into the wind. The wind catches the hang-glider and gives the rider the lift needed to fly. For the first part of the ride, the rider tries for speed and altitude(高度). Without these, a flight may be over before it even starts. As soon as the hang-glider gains speed and altitude, a flier can start to control the direction of flight. For a right turn, the rider leans to the right and moves the steering bar(操縱桿) to the left. This tips the hang-glider to the right and it makes a turn. For a left turn, the rider leans left.
1.Who decides on the shape of a hang-glider?
[ ]
A.The buyer.
B.The hang-glider builder.
C.The government
D.The rider.
2.The fact that history is filled with stories of how people used air for travel shows that people ________.
[ ]
A.have never wanted to fly until the 20th century
B.have never even thought about flying until recently
C.have always been interested in flying
D.thought flying was only a funny story
3.When the hang-glider begins traveling high enough and fast enough, the hang-glider flier should ________.
[ ]
A.end the flight right away
B.pay more attention to the shape of the hang-glider than the color and decoration
C.fly higher not to fall into the sea
D.control the direction of the flight
4.The underlined word “self-soaring” in the second paragraph means ________.
[ ]
A.a(chǎn) way of flying without power
B.something out of the ordinary
C.moving the bar
D.running downhill into the wind
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科目:高中英語 來源:101網(wǎng)校同步練習 高一英語 外語教學與研究出版社 題型:050
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科目:高中英語 來源:2008年普通高等學校招生全國統(tǒng)一考試(福建卷)、英語 題型:050
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