Some of the world’s most significant problems never hit headlines. One example comes from agriculture. Food unrest and hunger make news. But the trend lying behind these matters is rarely talked about. This is the decline 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 study the four most important crops: rice, wheat, corn and soybeans. They find that the improvement in yields 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 (人口多的) 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 cannot be taken for granted if yields continue to slow down.
Second, production growth has been lower in wheat and rice than in corn and soybeans. This is problematic because wheat and rice are more important as foods, accounting for around half of all calories consumed. Corn and soybeans 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 qualifies 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 up for crops might be able to revert (回返) to forest or wilderness. This could happen. The trouble is that the forecast assumes continued improvements in production, which may not actually happen.
1.What does the author try to draw attention to?
A.Food riots and hunger in the world.
B.News headlines in the leading media.
C.The decline of the grain production growth.
D.The food supply in populous countries.
2.Why does the author mention India and China in particular?
A.Their self-sufficiency is vital to the stability of world food markets.
B.Their food yields have begun to decrease sharply in recent years.
C.Their big populations are causing worldwide concerns.
D.Their food self-sufficiency has been taken for granted.
3.What does the Food and Agriculture Organization 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 increasing farmland.
4.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.
高三英语阅读理解困难题
Some of the world’s most significant problems never hit headlines. One example comes from agriculture. Food unrest and hunger make news. But the trend lying behind these matters is rarely talked about. This is the decline 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 study the four most important crops: rice, wheat, corn and soybeans. They find that the improvement in yields 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 (人口多的) 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 cannot be taken for granted if yields continue to slow down.
Second, production growth has been lower in wheat and rice than in corn and soybeans. This is problematic because wheat and rice are more important as foods, accounting for around half of all calories consumed. Corn and soybeans 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 qualifies 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 up for crops might be able to revert (回返) to forest or wilderness. This could happen. The trouble is that the forecast assumes continued improvements in production, which may not actually happen.
1.What does the author try to draw attention to?
A.Food riots and hunger in the world.
B.News headlines in the leading media.
C.The decline of the grain production growth.
D.The food supply in populous countries.
2.Why does the author mention India and China in particular?
A.Their self-sufficiency is vital to the stability of world food markets.
B.Their food yields have begun to decrease sharply in recent years.
C.Their big populations are causing worldwide concerns.
D.Their food self-sufficiency has been taken for granted.
3.What does the Food and Agriculture Organization 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 increasing farmland.
4.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.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Some of the world’s most significant problems never hit headlines. One example comes from agriculture. Food riots(暴乱) and hunger make news, but the trend lying behind these matters is rarely talked about. This is the decline in the growth in yields 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 pointing for the four most important crops； rice, wheat, corn and soybeans. They find that on between 24 and 39% of all harvested areas, the improvement in yields 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(人口多的) 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 cannot be taken for granted if yields continue to slow down or reverse.
Second, yield growth has been lower in wheat and rice than in corn and soybeans. This is problematic because wheat and rice are more important as foods’ accounting for around half of all calories consumed. Corn and soybeans 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 qualifies 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 Organization has argued. Instead, it says, thanks to slowing population growth, land currently ploughed (耕）up for crops might be able to revert to forest or wilderness. This could happen. The trouble is that the forecast assumes continued improvements in yields, which may not actually happen.
1.Which crops are mentioned in the text?
A. Rice，corn，soybeans and wheat.
B. Rice，corn, wheat and peas.
C. Wheat，corn，soybean and potatoes.
D. Corn，wheat, tomatoes and soybeans.
2.What does the author try to draw attention to?
A. Food riots and hunger in the world.
B. The decline of the grain yield growth.
C. News headlines in the leading media*
D. The food supply in populous countries.
3.Why does the author mention India and China in particular?
A. Their self-sufficiency is vital to the stability of world food markets.
B. Their food yields have begun to decrease sharply in recent years.
C. Their big populations are causing worldwide concerns.
D. Their food self-sufficiency has been taken for granted.
4.What does the underlined word “revert” mean in the last paragraph?
A. grow worse
B. put in the place of another
C. gain through experience
D. go back to a previous state
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Owls(猫头鹰) are some of the world’s greatest hunters. From head to feet, owls’ bodies are built to hunt. Scientists are studying all the things that make owls such great hunters.
Most owls hunt at night. The birds have excellent hearing, which helps them find their next meal in the dark.
Owls have one ear that is larger and set higher than the other. When an owl hears a sound, it listens closely. Is the sound lounder in its right ear or left ear? Does the upper or lower ear detect the sound first? The information helps the owl find the location of its prey without ever seeing it.
Owls don’t depend just on their hearing to hunt. After a sound draws an owl’s attention, it zeroes in with sight.
Many birds have eyes on either side of their heads. But an owl’s eyes face forward, like a person’s. Images from each eye combine to form a 3-D picture, similar to how we see. That helps owls better judge a prey’s size, distance, and speed.
An owl’s eyes are so large that they can gather lots of light. That helps the owl see better when hunting at night. An owl’s eyes are also fixed in their sockets(眼窝). It can’t roll them like we can. Instead, an owl keeps prey in its sight by turning its head.
Owls can move their beads nearly upside down and turn them 270 degrees around. Their necks have 14 vertebrae(椎骨). That’s twice as many neck bones as a person has.
The blood vessels(血管) thread through holes in an owl’s vertebrae. The researchers found that these holes are very large so that the extra space provides an air cushion that protects the vessels.
Detecting prey is only the first step for owls. Next they must catch their meals. An owl can fly inches over your head and you can’t hear anything. The secret to owls’ silent flight is their feathers. Fine “hairs” cover the surface of an owl’s wing feathers. And the feathers’ edges have soft barbs(羽支). Together, they make the sound of air rushing over the owl’s wings quieter and less clear.
1. While hunting at night, owls first get a prey’s information by .
A. seeing the shape B. hearing the sound
C. detecting the smell D. feeling the air move
2.According to text, an owl’s eyes .
A. are small but sharp
B. can function like a person’s
C. are on either side of its head
D. can tell how fast a prey is moving
3.The shortcoming of an owl’s fixed eyes can be made up by its .
A. large head B. strong legs
C. body size D. flexible neck
4.What is the last paragraph mainly about?
A. How owls find their prey.
B. Why owls can fly noiselessly.
C. The advantages of owls’ hearing
D. The secret of owls’ high-speed flight.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
In the modern world more and more people meet the problem of identity．The most interesting example is that of a so – called “banana”, which refers to an American who has an Asian face but holds Western values．
In Shanghai, there now live a group of people from abroad．They look no different from the locals and speak fluent Chinese or even Shanghai dialect, but when it comes to writing Chinese characters, they are almost illiterate（文盲）．Jack is such an example．He never learned to read or write Chinese characters, which he finds mysterious and difficult．From time to time, he files to the US as he does not feel Shanghai is where he comes from．“But when I am in the States, I feel that’s not my home either,” he said．
At De Gaulle Airport in France, there is a Swiss man who has been living in the waiting – room for a long time because he lost h is passport during his travels．He was refused entry into several countries．But when he was eventually allowed to return to Swizerland, he refused to leave the airport．His reason was very simple—“I am sure who I am．I need no acknowledgement from others,” he said during an interview．For th is reason he was honored by the Western media as “the Hero of identity．”
As the Internet becomes more and more popular, the problem of identity becomes more serious．In a virtual world, people can have different addresses registered with different names．In the Internet chat room, even one’s gender（性别） is hard to determine．It seems that in the glohal village, people are saying hello every day to each other without knowing whom they are talking to．
What will be the next crisis（危机） of identity? With the development of cloning technology, it might be: who is the real “I”?
1.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A．The importance of identity．
B．The crisis of identity．
C．Differences between Eastern and Western cultures．
D．Difficulty in living in foreign counties．
2.The Swiss man had to live in De Gaulle Airport in France because________．
A．he needed to board a plane at any time
B．he couldn’t afford to live in a hotel
C．he needed others acknowledgement
D．he couldn’t prove who he was
65．A “banana” in the passage is in fact an________．
A．American traveling to Asia B．American keeping Eastern culture
C．American born in Asia D．America – born Asian
3.We can infer from the passage that the author believes________．
A．there will be more problems relating to identity in the future
B．Internet technology helps solve problems of identity
C．only people traveling abroad have problems of identity
D．people don’t need to worry about identity
高三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 life．
“If these rivers die, millions will lose their livelihoods, biodiversity 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 of sediment 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 flowing into the Ganges are drying up because of irrigation, WWF said．
1.What does the text mainly talk 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
高三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.We can infer from the text that _____.
A. higher temperatures couldn’t affect fishery productivity
B. rivers’dying out could affect food security
C. there are four Asian rivers mentioned in the passage
D. the Yangtze is polluted thanks to the lack of enough tributaries
2.The top 10 rivers are fast dying as a result of the following EXCEPT _____.
A. climate change B. pollution
C. wasting water D. dams
3.WWF is probably a name of _____.
A. a magazine B. a newspaper
C. an organization D. a report
高三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 life．
“If these rivers die, millions will lose their livelihoods, biodiversity 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 of sediment 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 flowing into the Ganges are drying up because of irrigation, WWF said．
1.What does the text mainly talk 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
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Bamboo chopsticks are some of the world's most popular utensils, but create their fair share of waste. A company in Vancouver, Canada, is giving them a new life.
Felix Bock, ChopValue founder says, "Sometimes a good idea starts with frustration"---when you understand how resource inefficient we are in our cities. I want to make sure to set an example of using chopsticks and create a viable business out of it."
ChopValue collects used chopsticks from local restaurants. The sticks are cleaned, infused （灌输，注入）with resin （树脂）and pressed into tiles （片板）."Our limitation was the size of the chopstick at the beginning — so I wanted to keep it very, very modular （组件的）and very micro, and that's how we developed the first hydraulic hot press （液压热压缩机）that presses 8 by 8 inch （20 by 20 centimetre） tile. It's very highly densified" he says. The tiles are used to make new products, including home decor （装饰）,kitchenware and table tops.
The company has recycled more than 25 million chopsticks to date. They hope to expand by taking their business model abroad. “Think of mass manufacturing today like Ikea would do it We're kind of the anti-Ikea and anti-Amazon. We don't want to ship products. We don't want to mass-produce in one location. We want to produce locally wherever you are — but to scale （按比例）,with a global design and a global brand of support in the back."
Some of the chopsticks have even been found a new life as decor in the restaurants where they were sourced from.
1.Why does Felix Bock start the company according to the text?
A.He wants to set an example of making chopsticks.
B.He wants to make a fortune out of used chopsticks.
C.He intends to compete against Ikea and Amazon.
D.He finds city resources fail to be used efficiently.
2.What is paragraph 3 mainly about?
A.Why the first hydraulic hot press was invented.
B.What the chopstick-tiles are probably used for.
C.How used chopsticks are processed and recycled.
D.When densified tiles are made from used chopsticks.
3.Which of the following is probably true about Amazon?
A.It sometimes deliver products from afar.
B.It expects to have global support.
C.It will shrink their business overseas.
D.It hardly mass-produces in a single place.
4.What can we learn about the chopsticks?
A.They can decorate whatever you want.
B.They can be recycled in restaurants.
C.They can take on a brand new life.
D.They are responsible for too much waste.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Here are some of the world’s most impressive subways．
| The Tokyo Metro and Toei Lines | Features: The Tokyo Metro and Toei lines that compose Tokyo’s massive subway system carry almost 8 million people each day, making it the busiest system in the world. The system is famous for its oshiya--- literally, “pusher”--- who shove passengers into crowded subway cars so the doors can close. And you think your commute is hell． |
| The Moscow Metro | Features: The Moscow Metro has some of the most beautiful stations in the world. The best of them were built during the Stalinist era and feature chandeliers, marble moldings and elaborate murals. With more than 7 million riders a day, keeping all that marble clean has got to be a burden. |
| The Hong Kong Metro | Features: The Hong Kong MTR has the distinction of being one of the few subway systems in the world that actually turns a profit. It’s privately owned and uses real estate development along its tracks to increase income and ridership. It also introduced “Octopus cards” that allow people to not only pay their fares electronically, but buy stuff at convenience stores, supermarkets, restaurants and even parking meters. It’s estimated that 95 % of all adults in Hong Kong own an Octopus card. |
| Shanghai Metro | Features: Shanghai is the third city in China to build a metro system, and it has become the country’s largest in the 12 years since it opened. Shanghai Metro has 142 miles of track and plans to add another 180 miles within five years. By that point, it would be three times larger than Chicago “L”. The system carries about 2.18 million people a day. |
| The London Metro | Features: Londoners call their subway the Underground, even though 55 percent of it lies above ground．No matter when you’ve got the oldest mass-transit system in the world, you can call it anything you like. Trains started in1863 and they’ve been running ever since. Some 3 million people ride each day, every one of them remembering to “Mind the gap”. |
1. Which one can provide the riders some wonderful decorations at the stations?
A. The Tokyo Metro and Toei Lines B. The Moscow Metro
C. The London Metro D. The Hong Kong MTR
2.We can learn from the passage that Shanghai Metro ________．
A. carries the most people each day
B. is the world’s largest
C. may be larger than the Chicago “L” in the future
D. is the busiest in the world
3.How many subways carry more than 5 million people per day?
A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Here are some of the world’s most impressive subways
| The Tokyo Metro and Toei Lines | Features: The Tokyo Metro and Toei lines that compose Tokyo’s massive(庞大的)subway system carry almost 8 million people each day, making it the busiest system in the world. The system is famous for its oshiya— literally, “pusher”— who pushes passengers into crowded subway cars so the doors can close. And you think your commute (上下班路程) is hell. |
| The Moscow Metro | Features: The Moscow Metro has some of the most beautiful stations in the world. The best of them were built during the Stalinist era and feature chandeliers(枝形吊灯), marble moldings and elaborate murals(精美的壁画). With more than 7 million riders a day, keeping all that marble clean has got to be a burden. |
| The Hong Kong MTR | Features: The Hong Kong MTR has the distinction of being one of the few subway systems in the world that actually turns a profit. It’s privately owned and uses real estate development along its tracks to increase income and ridership. It also introduced “Octopus cards” that allow people to not only pay their fares electronically, but buy stuff at convenience stores, supermarkets, restaurants and even parking meters. It’s estimated that 95 % of all adults in Hong Kong own an Octopus card. |
| Shanghai Metro | Features: Shanghai is the third city in China to build a metro system, and it has become the country’s largest in the 12 years since it opened．Shanghai Metro has 142 miles of track and plans to add another 180 miles within five years. By that .point, it would be three times larger than Chicago “L”. The system carries about 2.18 million people a day. |
| The London Metro | Features: Londoners call their subway the Underground, even though 55 percent of it lies above ground. No matter when you’ve got the oldest mass-transit system in the world, you can call it anything you like．Trains started in1863 and they’ve been running ever since. Some 3 million people ride each day, every one of them remembering to “Mind the gap”. |
1.Which one can provide the riders some wonderful decorations at the stations?
| A．The Tokyo Metro and Toei Lines | B．The Moscow Metro |
| C．The London Metro | D．The Hong Kong MTR |
2.________ is done with the purpose of making money．
| A．The Tokyo Metro and Toei Lines |
| B．The Moscow Metro |
| C．The London Metro |
| D．The Hong Kong MTR |
3.We can learn from the passage that Shanghai Metro____________．
| A．carries the most people each day |
| B．is the world’s largest |
| C．may be larger than the Chicago “L” in the future |
| D．is the busiest in the world |
4.What do we know about the Hong Kong MTR?
| A．It is not owned by state. |
| B．It has become the country’s largest subway since it opened. |
| C．It carries the most people every day. |
| D．It is the busiest system in the world. |
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析