The world economy has run into a brick wall. Despite countless warnings in recent years about the need to address a potential hunger crisis in poor countries and an energy crisis worldwide, world leaders failed to think ahead. The result is a global food crisis. Wheat, corn and rice prices have more than doubled in the past two years. And oil prices have increased more than three times since the start of 2004. These food-price increases, combined with increasing energy costs, will slow if not stop economic growth in many parts of the world and will even affect political stability. Practical solutions to these problems do exist, but we'll have to start thinking ahead and acting globally.
Here are three steps to ease the current food crisis and avoid the potential for a global crisis. The first is to promote the dramatic success of Malawi, a country in southern Africa, which three years ago established a special fund to help its farmers get fertilizer and seeds with high productivity. Malawi’s harvest doubled after just one year. An international fund based on the Malawi model would cost a mere $10 per person annually in the rich world, or $10 billion altogether.
Second, the U.S. and Europe should abandon their policies of paying partly for the change of food into biofuels (生物燃料). The U.S. government gives farmers a taxpayer-financed payment of 51 cents per gallon of ethanol (乙醇) changed from corn. There may be a case for biofuels produced on lands that do not produce foods — tree crops, grasses and wood products — but there’s no case for the government to pay to put the world’s dinner into the gas tank.
Third, we urgently need to weather-proof the world’s crops as soon and as effectively as possible. For a poor farmer, sometimes something as simple as a farm pond — which collects rainwater to be used in dry weather — can make the difference between a good harvest and a bad one. The world has already committed to establishing a Climate Adaptation Fund to help poor regions climate-proof vital economic activities such as food production and health care but has not yet acted upon the promise.
【小题1】 An international fund based on the Malawi model would______.
| A．cost each of the developed countries $10 billion per year |
| B．give poor farmers access to fertilizer and highly productive seeds |
| C．decrease the food prices as well as the energy prices |
| D．aim to double the harvest in southern African countries in a year |
| A．we should get alternative forms of fuel in any way |
| B．it is misleading to put tree crops into the gas tank |
| C．it is not wise to change food crops into gas |
| D．biofuels should be developed on a large scale |
| A．The world has made a serious promise to build farm ponds. |
| B．A Climate Adaptation Fund has been established to help poor. |
| C．A rain-collecting pond is a simple safeguard against dry weather. |
| D．It makes a great difference whether we develop wood products or not. |
| A．slow down but not to stop economy |
| B．act now so as to relieve the global food shortage |
| C．achieve economic growth and political stability |
| D．develop tree crops, grasses and wood products |
名校课堂系列答案科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
I had an experience some years ago, which taught me something about the ways in which people make a bad situation worse by blaming themselves. One January, I had to hold two funerals on successive days for two elderly women in my community. Both had died “full of years”, as the Bible would say. Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid condolence (吊唁) calls on the two families on the same afternoon.
At the first home, the son of the deceased (已故的) woman said to me, “If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow , she would be alive today. It’s my fault that she died.” At the second home, the son of the other deceased woman said, “If only I hadn’t insisted on my mother’s going to Florida, she would be alive today. That long airplane ride, the sudden change of climate, was more than she could take. It’s my fault that she’s dead.”
You see that any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out badly, they believe that the opposite course — keeping Mother at home, putting off the operation — would have turned out better. After all, how could it have turned out any worse?
There seem to be two elements involved in our willingness to feel guilty. The first is our pressing need to believe that the world makes sense, that there is a cause for every effect and a reason for everything that happens. That leads us to find patterns and connections both where they really exist and where they exist only in our minds.
The second element is the view that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad things that happen. It seems to be a short step from believing that every event has a cause to believing that every disaster is our fault. The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood.
A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it. He wakes up in the morning and summons the rest of the world to its tasks. He cries, and someone comes to attend to him. When he is hungry, people feed him, and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we do not completely outgrow that childish view that our wishes cause things to happen.
The author had to hold the two women’s funerals probably because .
A. he wanted to comfort the two families B. he was an official from the community
C. he had great pity for the deceased D. he was priest of the local church
People feel guilty for the deaths of their loved ones because .
A. they couldn’t find a better way to express their sorrow
B. they believe that they were responsible
C. they had neglected the natural course of events
D. they didn’t know things often turn out in the opposite direction
According to the passage, the underlined part in paragraph 4 probably means that .
A. everything in the world is predetermined
B. the world can be interpreted in different ways
C. there’s an explanation for everything in the world
D. we have to be sensible in order to understand the world
What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Life and death is an unsolved mystery.
B. Every story should have a happy ending.
C. Never feel guilty all the time because not every disaster is our fault.
D. In general, the survivors will feel guilty about the people who passed away .
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Surfing-the art of riding a wave on a pointed board-is the wildest, fastest natural water sport known to man. In recent years, it has developed into a major sport around the world, from Australia to South Africa. Australians challenge man-eating sharks to ride the green waves in Australia; Hawaiian experts risk their lives on huge, thirty-foot swells(巨浪)against the wind of Oahu; Californians of all ages go out all the year round. In the winter, surf-riders put on life-suits to ride grave waves so cold that their flesh turns blue.
Surfing is no sport for weak persons. Swimming a quarter of a mile or more, and pushing a surfboard out to where the swells are just right for riding, can be real work. Then, at exactly the right moment, you climb up the wave and go fast across the face of a powerful swell with the white water jumping at your feet. The huge wave bites at your shoulder, threatening (威胁)at any moment to smash you flat. In the next several seconds, a cool head and lightning-quick action back to the pressure of the attacking wave will bring your board under control for that great ride down the back of the great, green mountain of water. Once on the beach, you know why surfing is growing in popularity as an international sport, and you're glad to be a member of this new water world.
The first paragraph mainly tells us ________ .
A. people around the world go surfing all the year round
B. the definition (定义) of the sport
C. how to surf in the sea
D. where to surf around the would
The author believes that surfing________.
A. is not an easy sport
B. can be done by anyone
C. should be done by everyone
D. does not require courage
In order to experience what real surfing is, ________.
A. you must first swim a quarter of a mile to warm your body
B. you will first ride on a board to reach the beach
C. you must first put on warm clothes before doing surfing
D. you must first swim to the swells with your board
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
The West began to take more notice of the East.The fifth volume of an enormous work reassessing the Chinese contribution to science and technology is to be published next year.The first volume,which was published twenty years ago,set the tone for the whole work.In it,evidence was given to show that many inventions which,until then,western historians had claimed forEurope,were made first in China.The attempt to rewrite the intellectual history of the world was not received without protest by some reputable historians.However,the evidence that has been presented so far in the first four volumes has persuaded many historians who were skeptical at first.China’s invention of paper,printing,the magnetic compass and gunpowder has never been disputed,but this new history has added advanced bridge design,mechanical clocks,paddle boats and many other inventions to the list.
In the four volumes published so far no attempt has been made to explain why China has not kept up with the West in science and technology in modern times.It is probable that the answer is to be found in the social and economic history of China,where a static(稳定的) society under a relatively kind regime(政权) of scholar-gentry(贵族) contrasts with the potentially revolutionary and dynamic(有活力的) society of the West at the end of the Middle Ages.In recent years,the Chinese government has been making every effort to catch up with the West again,and there is little doubt that the gap is being reduced year by year.But will China avoid the West’s mistakes?
The first volume was published__________.
A.ten years ago B.last year C.five years ago D.twenty years ago
In Line 7,the word “skeptical” means _________.
A.doubtful B.worried C.sad D.angry
Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage?
A.Gunpowder. B.Needle. C.Paddle boats. D.Bridge design.
The best title for this passage is _________.
A.China’s Inventions
B.Comparisons Between the East and the West
C.China Is Catching Up
D.Situations in China
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Leif Erickson reached North America around the year 1000, but the attempt to explore was started slowly. It would be five centuries __1__ other Europeans landed on that continent.
Why were Europeans the ones to __2__ to the American? The Chinese and Arabs had the __3__ and technology to sail across the seas. __4__ of them tool regular voyages in the Indian Ocean and the Asian Pacific for trade. But exploration? By the mid-15th century China had followed the closed-door policy to __5__ itself from the rest of the world. The Arabs, with access to the minerals and spices (香料) of Africa and the Far East, saw no __6__ to journey into the unknown.
Europe, on the other hand, needed gold and silver; its mines could not __7__ the demand for coinage (铸币). Ottoman Turks blocked the routes across the land to Asia. Only the sea held the promise of new wealth.
__8__ the return of Magellan’s ships in 1522 from its voyage around the world, the belief was __9__ that the oceans were interconnected, promising the age of discovery. The English, as well as the Spanish, Portuguese and French, __10__ themselves to finding the “river of the west” through North America to the east.
A. after B. since C. before D. when
A. push B. pull C. draw D. drive
A. sources B. resources C. substances D. matters
A. Neither B. Both C. Any D. None
A. prevent B. protect C. isolate D. differ
A. need B. chance C. choice D. regret
A. create B. meet C. raise D. develop
A. As B. For C. With D. At
A. extended B. estimated C. accepted D. made
A. contributed B. referred C. devoted D. connected
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Ⅲ.阅读（共两节，满分40分）
阅读理解（共15小题；每小2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother’s Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks,
And at restaurants did not take her seriously ,did not give her good service ,pretended not to
Understand her ,or even acted as if they did not hear her .
My mother has realized the limitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on phone to pretend I was she . I was forced to ask for information or even to yell at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker (股票经纪人).I said in an adolescent voice that was not very convincing, “This is Mrs.Tan..”
And my mother was standing beside me ,whispering loudly, “Why he don’t send me cheek already two week lone.”
And then , in perfect English I said : “I’m getting rather concerned .You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived.”
Then she talked more loudly. “What he want? I come to New York tell him front of his boss.” And so I turned to the stockbroker again, “I can’t tolerate any more excuse. If I don’t receive the check immediately , I am going to have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week.”
The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs.Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English.
When I was a teenager, my mother’s broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, and full of observation and wisdom. It was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world.
1.Why was the author’s mother poorly served?
A.She was unable to speak good English.
B.She was often misunderstood.
C.She was not clearly heard.
D.She was not very polite.
2.From Paragorph 2, we know that the author was____________.
A.good a pretending
B.rude to the stockbroker
C.ready to help her mother
D.unwilling to phone for her mother
3.After the author made the phone call, __________
A.they forgave the stockbroker
B.they failed to get the check
C.they went to New York immediately
D.they spoke to their boss at once
4.What does the author think of her mother’s English now?
A.It confuses her.
B.It embarrasses her.
C.It helps her understand the world.
D.It helps her tolerate rude people.
5.We can inter from the passage that Chinese English__________.
A.is clear and natural to non-native speakers
B.is vivid and direct to non-native speakers
C.has a verv bad reputation in America
D.may bring inconvenience in America
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