Some of the world’s most significant problems never hit headlines. One example comes from agriculture. Food riots (暴动)and hunger make news. But the trend lying behind these matters is rarely talked about. This is the decrease in the growth in production of some of the world’s major crops. A new study by the University of Minnesota and McGill University in Montreal looks at where, and how far, this decline is occurring.
The authors take a vast number of data points for the four most important crops: rice, wheat, corn and soyabeans. They find that on between 24% and 39% of all harvested areas, the improvement in production that took place before the 1980s slowed down in the 1990s and 2000s.
There are two worrying features of the slowdown. One is that it has been particularly sharp in the world’s most populous countries, India and China. Their ability to feed themselves has been an important source of relative stability both within the countries and on world food markets. That self-sufficiency (自给自足) cannot be taken for granted if productions continue to slow down.
Second, production growth has been lower in wheat and rice than in corn and soyabeans. This is problematic because wheat and rice are more important as foods, accounting for around half of all calories consumed. Corn and soyabeans are more important as feed grains. The authors note that “we have preferentially focused our crop improvement efforts on feeding animals and cars rather than on crops that feed people and are the basis of food security in much of the world.”
The report also states the more optimistic findings of another new paper which suggests that the world will not have to dig up a lot more land for farming in order to feed 9 billion people in 2050, as the Food and Agriculture Organisation has argued.
Instead, it says, thanks to slowing population growth, land currently ploughed(犁)up for crops might be able to revert (回返) to forest or wilderness. This could happen. The trouble is that the prediction assumes continued improvements in productions, which may not actually happen.
1.What significant problem does the writer think we should pay more attention to?
A. The decline of the grain production growth
B. News headlines in the leading media.
C. Food riots and hunger.
D. The food supply in populous countries.
2.Why does the author mention India and China in particular?
A. Their big populations are causing worldwide concerns.
B. Their food yields have begun to decrease sharply in recent years.
C. Their self-sufficiency is vital to the stability of world food markets.
D. Their food self-sufficiency has been taken for granted.
3.What does the new study by the two universities say about recent crop improvement efforts?
A. They fail to produce the same remarkable results as before the 1980s.
B. They contribute a lot to the improvement of human food production.
C. They play a major role in guaranteeing the food security of the world.
D. They focus more on the increase of animal feed than human food grains.
4.What does the Food and Agriculture Organisation say about world food production in the coming decades?
A. The growing population will greatly increase the pressure on world food supplies.
B. The optimistic prediction about food production should be viewed with caution.
C. The slowdown of the growth in yields of major food crops will be reversed.
D. The world will be able to feed its population without expanding the area of farmland.
5.How does the author view the argument of the Food and Agriculture Organisation?
A. It is built on the findings of a new study.
B. It is based on a doubtful assumption.
C. It is backed by strong evidence.
D. It is open to further discussion.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
Some of the world’s most significant problems never hit headlines. One example comes from agriculture. Food riots (暴动)and hunger make news. But the trend lying behind these matters is rarely talked about. This is the decrease in the growth in production of some of the world’s major crops. A new study by the University of Minnesota and McGill University in Montreal looks at where, and how far, this decline is occurring.
The authors take a vast number of data points for the four most important crops: rice, wheat, corn and soyabeans. They find that on between 24% and 39% of all harvested areas, the improvement in production that took place before the 1980s slowed down in the 1990s and 2000s.
There are two worrying features of the slowdown. One is that it has been particularly sharp in the world’s most populous countries, India and China. Their ability to feed themselves has been an important source of relative stability both within the countries and on world food markets. That self-sufficiency (自给自足) cannot be taken for granted if productions continue to slow down.
Second, production growth has been lower in wheat and rice than in corn and soyabeans. This is problematic because wheat and rice are more important as foods, accounting for around half of all calories consumed. Corn and soyabeans are more important as feed grains. The authors note that “we have preferentially focused our crop improvement efforts on feeding animals and cars rather than on crops that feed people and are the basis of food security in much of the world.”
The report also states the more optimistic findings of another new paper which suggests that the world will not have to dig up a lot more land for farming in order to feed 9 billion people in 2050, as the Food and Agriculture Organisation has argued.
Instead, it says, thanks to slowing population growth, land currently ploughed(犁)up for crops might be able to revert (回返) to forest or wilderness. This could happen. The trouble is that the prediction assumes continued improvements in productions, which may not actually happen.
1.What significant problem does the writer think we should pay more attention to?
A. The decline of the grain production growth
B. News headlines in the leading media.
C. Food riots and hunger.
D. The food supply in populous countries.
2.Why does the author mention India and China in particular?
A. Their big populations are causing worldwide concerns.
B. Their food yields have begun to decrease sharply in recent years.
C. Their self-sufficiency is vital to the stability of world food markets.
D. Their food self-sufficiency has been taken for granted.
3.What does the new study by the two universities say about recent crop improvement efforts?
A. They fail to produce the same remarkable results as before the 1980s.
B. They contribute a lot to the improvement of human food production.
C. They play a major role in guaranteeing the food security of the world.
D. They focus more on the increase of animal feed than human food grains.
4.What does the Food and Agriculture Organisation say about world food production in the coming decades?
A. The growing population will greatly increase the pressure on world food supplies.
B. The optimistic prediction about food production should be viewed with caution.
C. The slowdown of the growth in yields of major food crops will be reversed.
D. The world will be able to feed its population without expanding the area of farmland.
5.How does the author view the argument of the Food and Agriculture Organisation?
A. It is built on the findings of a new study.
B. It is based on a doubtful assumption.
C. It is backed by strong evidence.
D. It is open to further discussion.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Climate change,pollution,overuse of water and development are killing some of the world’s most famous rivers including China’s Yangtze.India’s Ganges and Africa’s Nile.WWF said on Tuesday.At the global launch of its report “World’s Top 10 Rivers at Risk”,the group said many rivers could dry out, affecting hundreds of millions of people and killing unique aquatic(水生的)life.
“If these rivers die,millions will lose their livelihoods,biodiversity(生物多样性)will be destroyed on a massive scale,there will be less fresh water and agriculture,resulting in less food security,”said.Rayi Singh,secretary—general of WWF—India.The report launched ahead of “World Water Day” today,also cited the Rio Grande in the United States,the Mekong and Indus in Asia,Europe’s Danube, La Plata in South America and Australia’s Murray—Darling as in need of greater protection.
Rivers are the world’s main source of fresh water and WWF says about half of the available supply is already being used up.Dams have destroyed habitats and cut rivers off from their flood plains.while climate change could affect the seasonal water flows that feed them,the report said.Fish populations,the top source of protein and overall life support for hundreds of thousands of communities worldwide,are also being threatened, it found..The Yangtze basin is one of the most polluted rivers in the world because of decades of heavy industrialization,damming and huge influxes(流入)of sediment(积淀)from land conversion.
Climate change,including higher temperatures,also means serious consequences for fishery productivity,water supply and political security in Africa’s arid Nile basin.Tributaries(支流)flowing into the Ganges are drying up because of irrigation,WWF said.
1.hat is the text mainly about?
A.Saving fresh water in our life. B.How to protect our rivers.
C.An important discovery. D.World’s top 10 rivers are at risk.
2.We can infer from the text that _____.
A.rivers’ dying out could affect food security
B.there are four Asian rivers mentioned in the passage
C.the Yangtze is polluted thanks to the lack of enough tributaries
D.higher temperatures couldn’t affect fishery productivity
3.The top 10 rivers are fast dying as a result of the following EXCEPT _____.
A.climate change B.wasting water C.pollution D.dams
4.WWF is probably a name of _____.
A.an organization B.a newspaper C.a magazine D.a report
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
He has never got a ___ job because he travels around the world most of his time.
A.positive B.perfect C.permanent D.punctual
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Are you a volcano lover? Here is a list of some of the world's most beautiful volcanoes
that our travel agency can offer you to visit. Don't miss them!
Mount Mayon, the Philippines
Located about 450 km southeast of Manila on the island of Luzon, Mount Mayon is the
most active volcano in the Philippines; a September 2014 eruption forced thousands to flee the
area. Those who hike the volcano are rewarded with views of the towns in the Albay province
and the Pacific Ocean. But even those who prefer the view from a distance have a historical
good point at the Cagsawa Ruins, once an 18th Century Franciscan church that was destroyed
by an 1814 eruption.
Kilauea and Marina Kea, Hawaii
Hawaii's volcanoes are known for their active eruptions and extraordinary scenes. Mauna Kea is around one million years old, while Kilauea is the youngest volcano in Hawaii and has
been erupting continuously since 1983. The lava falls straight into the sea, creating fantastic
forms of black rocks and smoke clouds.
Mount Kelimutu, Indonesia
Kelimutu's three mysterious crater lakes attract both scientists and tourists to the island
of Flores in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province. One is emerald green (翡翠绿), another
dark red, and the third pitch black. Scientists say the lakes take on such colors because the
volcanic gases met the lakes' minerals centuries ago.
1.People who hike Mount Mayon can enjoy the following EXCEPT ______.
A. views of the towns in the Albay province
B. views of the Pacific Ocean
C. views of the Cagsawa Ruins
D. views of Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province
2.According to the text, Kilauea_____________________.
A. is an active volcano
B. stopped erupting in 1983
C. is the youngest volcano in the world
D. forced thousands to flee in 2014
3.The colors of Kelimutu's three mysterious crater lakes are due to_______________.
A. water pollution B. different environments
C. chemical reaction D. different temperatures
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
One of the most difficult problems a young person faces is deciding what to do.Some people,however, from the time they are six years old“know”that they want to be doctors or teachers or firefighters.but most of us do not get around to making a decision about a job until someone or something forces us to face the problem.
Choosing a job takes time,and there are a lot of things you have to think about as you try to decide what you would like to do.You may find that you will have to take special courses for a particular kind of work,or you may find out that you will need to get enough knowledge for a particular job.
Fortunately,there are a lot of people you can turn to for advice and help in making your decision.At most schools,there are teachers to give you information about jobs.And you can talk over your ideas with family members and friends who are always ready to listen and to offer suggestions.
1.In the first paragraph“get round to”means ________.
A.consider B.go all the way
C.arrive at D.remain he same
2.The passage tells you that ________ for a particular job.
A.you should have ideas when you are a child
B.it’s impossible for you to get enough knowledge
C.you have to face the problem
D.you may enter a class to study
3.Making a decision about your job ________.
A.needs friends B.needs time
C.cost money D.cost your ability
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Are you a volcano lover? Here is a list of some of the world's most beautiful volcanoes that our travel agency can offer you to visit. Don't miss them!
Mount Mayon, the Philippines
Located about 450 km southeast of Manila on the island of Luzon, Mount Mayon is the most active volcano in the Philippines; a September 2014 eruption forced thousands to flee the area. Those who hike the volcano are rewarded with views of the towns in the Albay province and the Pacific Ocean. But even those who prefer the view from a distance have a historical good point at the Cagsawa Ruins, once an 18th Century Franciscan church that was destroyed by an 1814 eruption.
Kilauea and Marina Kea, Hawaii
Hawaii's volcanoes are known for their active eruptions and extraordinary scenes. Mauna Kea is around one million years old, while Kilauea is the youngest volcano in Hawaii and has been erupting continuously since 1983. The lava falls straight into the sea, creating fantastic forms of black rocks and smoke clouds.
Mount Kelimutu, Indonesia
Kelimutu's three mysterious crater lakes attract both scientists and tourists to the island of Flores in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province. One is emerald green, another dark red, and the third pitch black. Scientists say the lakes take on such colors because the volcanic gases met the lakes' minerals centuries ago.
1.People who hike Mount Mayon can enjoy the following EXCEPT ______.
A. views of the towns in the Albay province
B. views of the Pacific Ocean
C. views of the Cagsawa Ruins
D. views of Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province
2.According to the text, Kilauea_____________________.
A. is an active volcano
B. stopped erupting in 1983
C. is the youngest volcano in the world
D. forced thousands to flee in 2014
3.The colors of Kelimutu's three mysterious crater lakes are due to_________.
A. water pollution B. different environments
C. chemical reaction D. different temperatures
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Some of the world’s most famous musicians recently gathered in Paris and New Orleans to celebrate the first annual International Jazz Day. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) recently set April 30 as a day to raise awareness of jazz music, its significance, and its potential as a unifying voice across cultures.
Despite the celebrations, though, in the U.S. the jazz audience continues to shrink and grow older, and the music has failed to connect with younger generations.
It’s Jason Moran’s job to help change that. As the Kennedy Center’s artistic adviser for jazz, Moran hopes to widen the audience for jazz, make the music more accessible, and preserve its history and culture.
“Jazz seems like it’s not really a part of the American appetite.”Moran tells National Public Radio’s reporter Neal Conan “What I’m hoping to accomplish is that my generation and younger start to reconsider and understand that jazz is not black and white anymore. It’s actually color, and it’s actually digital.”
Moran says one of the problems with jazz today is that the entertainment aspect of the music has been lost. “The music can’t be presented today the way it was in 1908 or 1958. It has to continue to move, because the way the world works is not the same.” says Moran.
Last year, Moran worked on a project that arranged Fats Waller’s music for a dance party. “just to kind of put it back in the mind that Waller is dance music as much as it is concert music.” says Moran. “For me, it’s the recontextualization.”
In music, where does the emotion lie? Are we, as humans, gaining any insight (感悟) on how to talk about ourselves and how something as abstract as a Charlie Parker record gets us into a dialogue about our emotions and our thoughts? Sometimes we lose sight that the music has a wider context,” says Moran, “so I want to continue those dialogues. Those are the things I want to foster.”
1.What is the purpose of UNESCO to set April 30 as International Jazz Day?
A. To emphasize the significance of jazz.
B. To protect musical diversity.
C. To remember the birth of jazz.
D. To encourage people to study music.
2.What does the underlined word “that” in paragraph 3 refer to?
A. The production of jazz growing faster.
B. Jazz losing its appeal for the young.
C. The jazz audience becoming larger.
D. Jazz becoming more accessible.
3.What does Moran’s opinion on jazz imply?
A. It remains black and white.
B. It will disappear gradually.
C. It changes every 50 years.
D. It should keep up with the times.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Some of the world’s most famous persons had suffered from a similar disability, such as Albert Einstein, the mathematician; Thomas Edison, the inventor; Auguste Rodin, the artist. What disabled these three famous men? Strange as it may seem, they all suffered from learning disabilities. They had great difficulty learning to read, write or use numbers. Almost always, there is a problem with one of the mental processes needed to understand or use written signs or spoken language. Yet he or she is unable to recognize difference in sizes, shapes or sounds that are easy for others to recognize. Learning disabilities are very common. They affect perhaps 10 percent of all children. Four times as many boys as girls have learning disabilities.
Since about 1970, new research has helped brain scientists understand these problems better. Scientists now know there are many different kinds of learning disabilities and that they are caused by many different things. There is no longer any question that all learning disabilities result from differences in the way the brain is organized.
You can not look at a child and tell if he or she has a learning disability. There is no outward (外部的) signs of disorder (混乱). So some researchers began looking at the brain itself to learn what might be wrong. In one study, researchers examined the brain of a learning-disabled person who had died in an accident. They found two unusual things. One involved cells in the left side of the brain, which control language. These cells normally are white. In the learning-disabled person’s brain, however, these cells were gray . The researchers also found that many of the nerve cells were not in a line the way they should have been. The nerve cells were mixed together.
60. How can we learn whether a person has suffered from a learning disability or not?
A. By judging whether she or he sees or hears perfectly well.
B. By checking whether he or she is of normal or great intelligence.
C. By judging whether he or she is the world’s most famous person or not.
D. By judging whether he or she has any difficulty in recognizing the difference in sizes, shapes or sounds.
61. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Among the children suffering from learning disabilities, girls are fewer than boys.
B. It is reported that many more girls have learning disabilities than boys.
C. All the world’s most famous persons have the chance to get the similar disorder.
D. All the world’s most famous persons have suffered from learning disabilities.
62. Why did researchers examine the brain of a learning-disabled person who had died in an accident?
A. To try to look at the brain itself to find out the cause of learning disabilities.
B. To see if the person had any outward signs of disorder.
C. To check if the person is of normal or great intelligence.
D. To find out if the person suffered from a learning disability.
63. If someone has a learning disability, _______.
A. his or her nerve cells are in a line
B. he or she is able to recognize difference in sizes, shapes or sounds
C. he or she has no difficulty in learning to read, write or use numbers
D. his or her nerve cells in the left side of the brain are gray and are not in a line
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Butterflies are some of the most fascinating and beautiful insects in the world. Adult butterflies will live about 2 to 4 weeks. They use their senses of sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste to survive in the world, find food and mates, lay eggs in an appropriate place, migrate, and avoid hungry enemies.
Butterflies have large compound eyes(复眼), which allow them to see in all directions without turning their heads. Like most insects, butterflies are very nearsighted, so they are more attracted to a sea of flowers than individual plants. Butterflies do not “see” colors such as red, green, and yellow, but they can sense sunlight, which indicates the direction the sun is shining, as well as ultraviolet light(紫外线), which is present on many flowers and guides butterflies to honey sources.
Butterflies have a very well-developed sense of smell, but it is not in their nose, since they don't have one. Sense receptors are located in their antennae(触角), feet, and many other parts of the body. They can help butterflies find their favorite flower honey food, and mates.
Butterflies' feet have sense organs that can taste the sugar in flower honey, letting the butterflies know if something is good to eat or not. Some females also carefully choose host plants by tasting to find appropriate places to lay their eggs. Adult butterflies feed their babies using a long tube. Butterflies force blood into the tube to straighten it out, allowing them to feed. Butterflies get all their food from this tube.
Butterflies don't have ears. Instead they “hear” sounds through their wings by sensing changes in sound vibrations(振动).
Butterflies may possess senses we don't even know about yet, because their body structure is very different from ours, and therefore difficult to understand, when observed through our own human senses.
1.What can we learn from the 2nd paragraph?
A. Butterflies have good eyesight.
B. Butterflies can see in all directions and don't need to turn heads.
C. Butterflies are sensitive to bright colors including red and yellow.
D. Butterflies cannot sense the ultraviolet light.
2.How do butterflies hear sounds?
A. Using their feet to sense the vibration of things
B. Using their ears to listen directly
C. Using their wings to sense the sound vibrations
D. Using their antennae to judge the sound
3.Why do female adult butterflies carefully choose the host plants?
A. To find high-qualified honey.
B. To have a good place for living.
C. To make it easier for them to hide from the enemies.
D. To find a proper place for their eggs.
4.What does the last paragraph imply?
A. There’s a long way to understand butterflies well
B. Butterflies give great help to human beings
C. Butterflies are the most beautiful insects in the world
D. Butterflies possess more senses than humans
5.The text mainly focuses on ________.
A. butterflies' living habits B. butterflies' beauty
C. butterflies' daily activities D. butterflies' senses
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Butterflies are some of the most fascinating and beautiful insects in the world. Adult butterflies will live about 2 to 4 weeks. They use their senses of sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste to survive in the world, find food and mates, lay eggs in an appropriate place, migrate, and avoid hungry enemies.
Butterflies have large compound eyes, which allow them to see in all directions without turning their heads. Like most insects, butterflies are very nearsighted, so they are more attracted to a sea of flowers than individual plants. Butterflies do not “see” colors such as red, green, and yellow, but they can sense sunlight, which indicates the direction the sun is shining, as well as ultraviolet light, which is present on many flowers and guides butterflies to honey sources.
Butterflies have a very well-developed sense of smell, but it is not in their nose, since they don't have one. Sense receptors are located in their antennae, feet, and many other parts of the body. They can help butterflies find their favorite flower honey food, and mates.
Butterflies' feet have sense organs that can taste the sugar in flower honey, letting the butterflies know if something is good to eat or not. Some females also carefully choose host plants by tasting to find appropriate places to lay their eggs. Adult butterflies feed their babies using a long tube. Butterflies force blood into the tube to straighten it out, allowing them to feed. Butterflies get all their food from this tube.
Butterflies don't have ears. Instead they “hear” sounds through their wings by sensing changes in sound vibrations.
Butterflies may possess senses we don't even know about yet, because their body structure is very different from ours, and therefore difficult to understand, when observed through our own human senses.
1.The text mainly focuses on ________.
A.butterflies' living habits B.butterflies' beauty
C.butterflies' senses D.butterflies' daily activities
2.What can we learn from the 2nd paragraph?
A.Butterflies can see in all directions and don't need to turn heads.
B.Butterflies have good eyesight.
C.Butterflies are sensitive to bright colors including red and yellow.
D.Butterflies cannot sense the ultraviolet light.
3.Why do female adult butterflies carefully choose the host plants?
A.To find highqualified honey.
B.To have a good place for living.
C.To make it easier for them to hide from the enemies.
D.To find a proper place for their eggs.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析