15．Lindsay Renwick，the mayor of Deniliquin，a country town in New South Wales，misses the constant whir （嗡嗡声） of the rice mill whose giant fans dried the rice．The Deniliquin mill，the largest rice mill in the Southern Hemisphere （南半球），once processed enough grain to meet the needs of 20million people globally．But six years of drought have had a destructive effect，reducing Australia's rice crop by 98percent and leading to the mothballing of the mill last December．
Drought affects every agriculture industry based in Australia，not just rice-from sheep farming，the country's other backbone，to the cultivation of grapes for wine，the fastest-growing crop there，with that expansion often coming at the expense of rice．The drought's effect on rice has produced the greatest impact on the rest of the world，so far．It is one factor contributing to skyrocketing prices，and many scientists believe it is among the earliest signs that a warming planet is starting to affect food production．
Researchers are looking for solutions to global rice shortages-for example，rice that blooms earlier in the day，when it is cooler，to fight against global warming．Rice plants that happen to bloom on hot days are less likely to produce grains of rice，a difficulty that is already starting to emerge in inland areas of China and other Asian countries as temperatures begin to climb．"There will be problems very soon unless we have new varieties of rice in place，"said Reiner Wassmann，climate change director at the International Rice Research Institute （IRRI）．The recent reports on climate change carried a warning that could make the news even worse：that existing models for the effects of climate change on agriculture did not yet include newer findings that global warming could reduce rainfall and make it more variable．
Yet the effects of climate change are not uniformly bad for rice．Rising concentrations （浓度） of carbon dioxide，the main greenhouse gas，can actually help rice-although the effect reduces or disappears if the plants face unnecessary heat，inadequate water，severe pollution or other stresses．Still，the flexibility of farmers here has persuaded some climate experts that，particularly in developed countries，the effects of climate change may be relieved，if not completely avoided．"I'm not as negative as most people，"said Will Steffen，director of the Fenner School of Environment and Society at Australian National University．"Farmers are learning how to do things differently．"
Meanwhile，changes like the use of water to grow wine grapes instead of rice carry their own costs，as the developing world is discovering．"Rice is an essential food，"said Graeme Haley，the general manager of the town of Deniliquin．"Wine is not．"
73．By"the mothballing of the mill"（in Paragraph 1）the author most probably means the mill isB．
A．kept unprocessed
B．left unused
C．being entirely restored
D．being pushed round
74．To find the ways to cope with the global rice shortage，researchers areA．
A．seeking new types of rice which could bloom at a lower temperature
B．building greenhouses which could provide more heat for rice to grow
C．studying climate changes in China which may affect rice growing in Asia
D．looking for alternative agriculture industries which may take the place of rice
75．Which of the following can be learned from the passage？D
A．Rice plants are fond of higher temperature in the process of growing．
B．Global warming has shown few signs of influence on agriculture．
C．Rice prices are rising steadily owing to the crop failure in Australia．
D．Global warming may contribute to more complicated weather conditions．
76．It can be inferred from the passage thatD．
A．Australia is the largest rice producing country around the world
B．most people look on the bright side of the flexibility of farmers
C．climate changes have simply brought negative effects to people's lives
D．wine grape cultivation has threatened the rice production in Australia
77．Which of the following best serves as the title of the passage？C
A．Rice shortage and wine boom
B．Drought，the enemy of rice production
C．Rice crisis and its solution
D．Rice issue，a focus of the public attention．
分析 本文属于说明文阅读，作者通过这篇文章主要向我们介绍了如今的水稻的危机，全球变暖影响了水稻的生长，导致全球大米短缺，文中提到研究人员正在寻找这一问题的解决方案，同时作者通过这篇文章告诉我们不能浪费粮食．
解答 73．B 细节理解题，根据第一段But six years of drought have had a destructive effect，reducing Australia's rice crop by 98percent and leading to the mothballing of the mill last December．可知这个工厂在去年十二月停产了，因此意味着磨坊被闲置，故选B．
74．A 推理判断题，根据第三段Rice plants that happen to bloom on hot days are less likely to produce grains of rice在炎热的日子里开花的水稻植株不太可能生产谷物，因此研究人员寻找能在较低温度下开花的水稻新品种来应对全球大米短缺，故选A．
75．D 细节理解题，根据第三段The recent reports on climate change carried a warning that could make the news even worse：that existing models for the effects of climate change on agriculture did not yet include newer findings that global warming could reduce rainfall and make it more variable．可知全球变暖可能导致天气更多的变化，如减少降雨，因此我们可以知道全球变暖可能导致更复杂的天气条件，故选D．
76．D 推理判断题，根据最后一段Meanwhile，changes like the use of water to grow wine grapes instead of rice carry their own costs，as the developing world is discovering．可知酿造葡萄酒所用葡萄的栽培已威胁到澳大利亚的水稻生产，故选D．
77．C 主旨大意题，通读全文可知本文介绍了水稻的危机以及其解决方法，故选C．
点评 考查学生的细节理解和推理判断能力．做细节理解题时一定要找到文章中的原句，和题干进行比较，再做出正确选择．在做推理判断题时不要以个人的主观想象代替文章的事实，要根据文章事实进行合乎逻辑的推理判断．
