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Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic growth, and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumptions behind it or the way the concept is put to use. This is especially true in agriculture, where sustainable development is often taken as the measure of progress without a proper appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives.
To start with, it is important to remember that the nature of agriculture has changed markedly throughout history, and will continue to do so. Medieval agriculture in northern Europe fed, clothed and sheltered a mainly rural society with a much lower population density than it is today. It had minimal effect on biodiversity, and any pollution it caused was typically localized. In terms of energy use and the nutrients captured in the product it was relatively inefficient.
Contrast this with farming since the start of the industrial revolution. Competition from overseas led farmers to specialize and increase yields. Throughout this period food became cheaper, safer and more reliable. However, these changes have also led to habitat loss and to reducing biodiversity.
All this means that agriculture in the 21st century will have to be very different from how it was in the 20th. This will require thorough thinking. For example, we need to move away from the idea that traditional practices are certainly more sustainable than new ones. We also need to abandon the notion that agriculture can be “zero impact”. The key will be to abandon the rather simple and static(稳定的)measures of sustainability, which centre on the need to maintain production without increasing damage. Instead we need a more dynamic interpretation, one that looks at the pros and cons of all the various way land is used. There are many different ways to measure agricultural performance besides food yield: energy use, environmental costs, water purity, carbon footprint and biodiversity. It is clear, for example, that the carbon of transporting tomatoes from Spain to the UK is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting. But we do not know whether lower carbon footprints will always be better for biodiversity.
What is important is recognizing that sustainable agriculture is not just about sustainable food production.
1.How do people often measure progress in agriculture?
A. By its impact on the environment B. By its contribution to economic growth
C. By its productivity D. By its sustainability
2.Specialization and the effort to increase yields have resulted in________.
A. Localized pollution B. The shrinking of farmland
C. the decrease of biodiversity D. competition from overseas3. What does the author think of traditional farming practices?
A. They are not necessarily sustainable B. They have not kept pace with population growth
C. They have remained the same over the centuries D. They are environmentally friendly
4.What will agriculture be like in the 21st century?
A. It will abandon traditional farming practices B. It will mainly keep traditional farming
C. It will go through complete changes D. It will cause zero damage to the environment
5.What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
A. To remind people of the need of sustainable development.
B. To urge people to rethink what sustainable agriculture is.
C. To advance new criteria for measuring farming progress.
D. To suggest ways of ensuring sustainable food production.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic growth, and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumptions behind it or the way the concept is put to use. This is especially true in agriculture, where sustainable development is often taken as the only measure of progress without a proper appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives.
To start with, it is important to remember that the nature of agriculture has changed markedly throughout history, and will continue to do so. Medieval agriculture in northern Europe fed, clothed and sheltered a popularly rural society with a much lower population density than it is today. It had smallest effect on biodiversity, and any pollution it caused was typically localized. In terms of energy use and the nutrients captured in the product it was relatively inefficient.
Contrast this with farming since the start of the industrial revolution. Competition from overseas led farmers to specialize and increase yields. Throughout this period food became cheaper, safer and more reliable. However, these changes have also led to habitat loss and to decreasing biodiversity.
What’s more, demand for animal products in developing countries is growing so fast that meeting it will require an extra 300 million tons of grain a year by 2050.yet the growth of cities and industry is reducing the amount of water available for agriculture in many regions.
All this means that agriculture in the 21st century will have to be very different from how it was in the 20th. This will require complete thinking. For example, we need to move away from the idea that traditional practices are unavoidably more sustainable than new ones. We also need to abandon the idea that agriculture can be “zero impact”. The key will be to abandon the rather simple and unchangeable measures of sustainability, which centre on the need to maintain production without increasing damage.
Instead we need a more dynamic explanation, one that looks at the pros and cons of all the various way land is used. There are many different ways to measure agricultural performance besides food yield: energy use, environmental costs, water purity, carbon footprint and biodiversity. It is clear, for example, that the carbon of transporting tomatoes from Spain to the UK is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting. But we do not know whether lower carbon footprints will always be better for biodiversity.
What is critical is recognizing that sustainable agriculture is not just about sustainable food production.
1.How do people often measure progress in agriculture?
A．By its productivity.
B．By its impact on the environment.
C．By its sustainability.
D．By its contribution to economic growth.
2.What does the author think of traditional farming practices?
A．They have remained the same over the centuries.
B．They have not kept pace with population growth.
C．They are not necessarily sustainable.
D．They are environmentally friendly.
3.What will agriculture be like in the 21st century?
A．It will go through thorough changes.
B．It will supply more animal products.
C．It will abandon traditional farming practices.
D．It will cause zero damage to the environment.
4.What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
A．To remind people of the need of sustainable development.
B．To suggest ways of ensuring sustainable food production.
C．To advance new criteria for measuring farming progress.
D．To urge people to rethink what sustainable agriculture is.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic growth, and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumptions behind it or the way the concept is put to use．This is especially true in agriculture, where sustainable development is often taken as the sole measure of progress without a proper appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives．
To start with, it is important to remember that the nature of agriculture has changed markedly throughout history, and will continue to do so ．Medieval agriculture in northern Europe fed, clothed and sheltered a predominantly rural society with a much lower population density than it is today．It had minimal effect on biodiversity, and any pollution it brought about was typically localized．In terms of energy use and the nutrients captured in the product it was relatively inefficient．
Contrast this with farming since the start of the industrial revolution．Competition from overseas led farmers to specialize and increase yields．Throughout this period food became cheaper, safe and more reliable．However, these changes have also led to habitat loss and to diminishing biodiversity．
What’s more, demand for animal products in developing countries is growing so fast that meeting it will require an extra 300 million tons of grain a year by 2050，yet the growth of cities and industry is reducing the amount of water available for agriculture in many regions．
All this means that agriculture in the 21st century will have to be very different from how it was in the 20th．This will require radical（激进的）thinking．For example, we need to move away from the idea that traditional practices are inevitably more sustainable than new ones．We also need to abandon the notion that agriculture can be “zero impact”．The key will be to abandon the rather simple and static measures of sustainability, which centre on the need to maintain production without increasing damage．Instead we need a more dynamic interpretation, one that looks at the pros and cons of all the various way land is used．There are many different ways to measure agricultural performance besides food yield: energy use, environmental costs, water purity, carbon footprint and biodiversity．It is clear, for example, that the carbon of transporting tomatoes from Spain to the UK is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting, but we do not know whether lower carbon footprints will always be better for biodiversity．
What is crucial is recognizing that sustainable agriculture is not just about sustainable food production．
72．How do people often measure progress in agriculture?
A．By its productivity B． By its impact on the environment
C．By its sustainability D．By its contribution to economic growth
73．What does the author think of traditional farming practices?
A．They have remained the same over the centuries
B．They have not kept pace with population growth
C．They are not necessarily sustainable
D．They are environmentally friendly
74．What will agriculture be like in the 21st century?
A．It will go through radical changes
B．It will supply more animal products
C．It will abandon traditional farming practices
D．It will cause zero damage to the environment
75．What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
A．To remind people of the need of sustainable development
B．To suggest ways of ensuring sustainable food production
C．To advance new criteria for measuring farming progress
D．To urge people to rethink what sustainable agriculture is．
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
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Sustainable development is all about creating better health care, education, housing and
improved standard of live for everyone, which is a simple idea, is hard to put into practice.
A. one B. the one C. one that D. that
高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析
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One solution to this problem now is sustainable development.
A. discussed B. discussing
C. to be discussed D. being discussed
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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The slogan for the Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development Fund is"In Love With China"-and this special message has bcen shown in its own logo.The logo uses the characters for"wind"and"phoenix"(风凰）in ancient oracle bone script(甲骨文）on a circular Chinese fan.
Madam Kang Jiaqi,the executive director of CHSDF, IN LOVE WITH CHINA explains the many layers of meaning behind the logo:“The logo adopts the writing style of oracle bone script-dating back over 3,000 years-carved onto either turtle shell or ox bones.
＂The Chinese character for*wind' and the character for"phoenix' are almost the same,with just one stroke difference.In China's ancient past,the character for＂phoenix' was widely considered to bring peace and happiness and represents good fortune.The character"wind' has a long history and is also known as a name representing culture and spiritual power."
＂Both the characters"wind' and 'phoenix 'share the same component in their characters,which is also used in the slogan 'In Love With China'.This extraordinary combination represents how experts lead fashion,which in tum leads culture-and that culture is the basis of creativity.Therefore,it represents the importance of traditional Chinese culture in global creativity.
＂Taking the Chinese oracle bone character of"wind 'and' phoenix' as our logo represents the beginning of Chinese civilization,which suggests that it can pass on Chinese culture through the cooperation between the CHSDF and the cooperative platform of global designers,"explains Jiaqi.
Logo artist Sam Chung similarly explains her design process,"The decision of the oracle bone script of' wind' comes from the root of the character itself.Originated from the character shape of 'phoenix,''wind's 'oracle bone script still presents wonder, despite its more circular shape.The three tassels(流苏）at the end of the moon-shaped fan further give a feeling of lightness while hinting at both Eastern and Western flavors."
1.What do we know about the logo?
A.It's carved on turtle shells.
B.It's drawn on circular Chinese fans.
C.It's designed in a new writing style.
D.It's a combination of two similar characters.
2.Why are' wind' and 'phoenix' chosen?
A.They are easily written.
B.They symbolize good fortune.
C.They represent Chinese cultural and spiritual power.
D.They promote global creativity based on Chinese culture.
3.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A.Sam Chung is the actual designer of the logo.
B.The idea for the logo comes from abroad.
C.The director has little say in the decision.
D.Tassels are symbol of western culture.
4.What's the passage mainly about?
A.Chinese influence on the world.
B.The making of the logo for CHSDF.
C.Chinese culture and civilization.
D.Chinese characters 'wind' and' phoenix'.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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For sustainable development, the government has decided to give __________ to those energy conserving and environmental-- friendly business in many aspects.
A．profit B．interest C．advantage D．preference
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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For sustainable development, the government has decided to give________to those energy conserving and environment-friendly business in many aspects.
A. profit B. interest C. advantage D. preference
高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析
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For sustainable development, the government has decided to give __________ to those energy-conserving and environment-friendly businesses in many aspects.
A. profit B. interest
C. preference D. advantage
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Sustainable development is long-term ________which focuses on the environment and ________ natural resources.
A. plan; preserve B. plan; preserving
C. planning; preserving D. planning ;preserve
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析