Food prices have risen sharply over the past few years. The good news is that the rate of increase has slowed. The bad news is that prices will not go down anytime soon.
Also，the rate of global agricultural production is slowing. Yet it needs to increase 60% over the next 40 years to feed a growing world population.
These are among the findings from the OECDFAO(the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development & the Food and Agriculture Organization)Agricultural Outlook(展望)2012－2021.
FAO DirectorGeneral Jose Graziano da Silva spoke at a news conference in Rome when the report was released. Mr.Da Silva said that，not surprisingly，the world's poorest people will feel the greatest effects of higher prices.
“For the millions and millions of extremely poor people， the effects of high food prices are clear—they might have to change their diets，usually to ones with poorer nutrition quality， ”he said.
In middleincome countries， people are gaining weight as they eat fewer fruits and vegetables and more of the cheaper but less nutritious foods.
The report also shows that farmers in poorer countries will be leading efforts to feed an expected 9,000,000,000 people by 2050.The outlook predicts that farmers in Latin America，the Caribbean and subSaharan Africa will drive agricultural production in the future.
Angel Gurria，SecretaryGeneral of the OECD，said：“We can feed 9,000,000,000 people by 2050 on this planet. But we have to organize ourselves better.” But there are plenty of challenges.Onefourth of all agricultural land is damaged. Many countries face water shortages(短缺)．And experts believe climate change is driving increasingly unusual weather patterns.
The report says farmers need to use more growing methods that can't cause damage to the environment.At the same time，it says governments should end economically harmful supports and spend more money to increase agricultural production.Mr.Gurria says rich and poor nations need to treat agriculture more like a business.
“In many cases，agriculture is related in people's minds to the poorest. It's related to aid. It's related to very poor living conditions，etc. We have got to shake that image away，”he said.
【小题1】Why are people gaining weight in countries with average incomes?
| A．They eat more food. | B．They eat less nutritious foods. |
| C．They eat cheaper fruits. | D．They eat cheaper vegetables. |
| A．are damaging a great part of their agricultural land |
| B．will play a great role in feeding the growing world population |
| C．are spending lots of money increasing agricultural production |
| D．will not be so seriously affected by food prices as rich nations |
| A．Improving the growing methods. |
| B．Finding more agricultural land. |
| C．Preventing governments' involvement. |
| D．Improving farmers' living conditions. |
| A．Agriculture means difficulty and sadness. |
| B．Food prices will go down in the near future. |
| C．It's almost impossible to feed 9,000,000,000 people by 2050. |
| D．Both rich and poor countries should take agriculture seriously. |
【小题1】B
【小题2】B
【小题3】A
【小题4】D
解析试题分析 本文是说明文。农业一直不受人重视，增长的人口给农业带来巨大的压力，所以农产品价格一直在上涨，虽然现在速度有所缓慢但不会下降多少。对农民和政府提出很多的要求，更重要的是转变思想，当做生意的角度来进行大力的发展。
【小题1】B 细节题。根据第六段In middleincome countries， people are gaining weight as they eat fewer fruits and vegetables and more of the cheaper but less nutritious foods，人们发胖是因为很少吃水果和蔬菜，吃得更多的是便宜而没有营养的食物。故选 B项。
【小题2】B 推断题。根据第四段the world's poorest people will feel the greatest effects of higher prices贫穷的国家会影响粮食的价格，故选B 项。.
【小题3】A 细节题。根据倒数第二段The report says farmers need to use more growing methods that can't cause damage to the environment.At the same time，it says governments should end economically harmful supports and spend more money to increase agricultural production。文中 提出农民应采取一些不破坏环境的方法。政府应花费更多的金钱在增加农业产量上。故选 A项。
【小题4】 D细节题。根据最后一段In many cases，agriculture is related in people's minds to the poorest. It's related to aid. It's related to very poor living conditions，etc. We have got to shake that image away。在某种程度上，农业与落后的思想联系在一块，农业会联想到救济，与贫穷的生活条件有关等待。我们应该改变这种景象。故排除ABC三个选项。选D项。
考点 农业类阅读。
阅读快车系列答案科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
All across California, honeybees are flying away from their hives(蜂箱) and dying. Empty hives are causing a lot of worry about some important food crops.
Bees give us a lot more than delicious honey. They are pollinators（授粉者）—they enable plants to produce the fruits and nuts we enjoy by carrying pollen from one plant or flower to the next. The wind pollinates oats, corn, and wheat, but many other plants (like apple and cherry trees and melon vines) depend on insects, bats, and birds. In the U.S., millions and millions of bees kept by human beekeepers fly around doing a lot of this important work for food crops. “Bees are worth protecting because their work adds so much to our diet,” says Dr. Jeff Pettis of the Bee Research Laboratory.
California’s almond (杏仁) crop alone depends on about half the bees in the country. But now the almond crop and many others could be in trouble with so many bees dying.
Researchers at government and university labs all over the country are trying to figure out why so many bees are dying. However, bees are hard to study. Most die away from the hive, so researchers don’t have dead bodies to examine. And when researchers return to a hive after two weeks, about half the bees they studied on their first visit will be dead, replaced by new ones in the natural life cycle of bees. “It isn’t like studying a large animal like a cow that doesn’t move around much and is easy to find out in the cow field,” says Pettis.
Researchers have some ideas about what could be affecting bee health. They could be sick from poisons widely used to kill insects, or they might not be getting enough good food to stay strong. Also, tiny insects called mites feed on bees. “A virus or bacteria could also be doing the killing.” explains Pettis.
【小题1】What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
| A．The wind helps pollinate. |
| B．Bees are important in food crops. |
| C．Bees give us a lot of delicious honey. |
| D．Cherry trees are pollinated by bees. |
| A．they move around too much |
| B．new bees soon replace all the bees studied by researchers |
| C．they are too tiny |
| D．they never return to hives |
| A．Poisons to kill birds. | B．Eating too much. |
| C．Large insects. | D．Some virus. |
| A．A large number of bees have died in the hive. |
| B．Without bees, some foods would disappear from our diet. |
| C．Only researchers in California want to know what kills bees. |
| D．Large animals are easier to study than tiny insects. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
The Segway Human Transporter was invented by Dean Kamen．It is a two-wheeled vehicle designed for a single rider standing upright over its single axle（轴） and navigate using a set of handlebars resembling those on a bicycle．Electrically powered, it could travel over 15 miles on a single charge and reach speeds up to twelve miles per hour．Its speed and direction can be controlled by riders' changing their weights．
A college dropout and self-taught engineer, Kamen already held over 100 patents for his inventions when he developed the one he hoped would revolutionize short-distance travel．While still in college, Kamen started developing the medical devices （设备） that made his name．Later, he changed focus to the challenges faced by wheelchair users．His robotic wheelchair known as IBOT could climb stairs．This robot ended up paving the way for the Segway．
Before showing his most recent invention, Kamen had kept it a top secret for months．When it turned out to be little more than a motor scooter, many publicly expressed their disappointment．On closer examination, however, even his critics（批评家） had to admit that the vehicle was an engineering achievement．It answered the prayers of anyone who is worn out when walking downtown．Not everyone welcomed the Segway's arrival, though．Some complained it was too expensive, while others said it would further weaken the average American ' s fitness．A Japanese inventor even accused Kamen of stealing the idea for the Segway from him．
Despite the controversy, the U．S．postal service began using Kamen's invention a month after its appearance, and a factory was built with plans to produce about 40,000 Segways every month．The argument is still on whether the Segway will be remembered as the greatest invention since the light bulb, or just another forgettable electronic device．Anyway, trips to the local supermarket will never be the same again．
【小题1】Which statement best describes the critics' reaction to the Segway?
| A．Nothing but an electrical device． |
| B．A disappointing engineering mistake． |
| C．An expensive and disappointing invention． |
| D．Disappointing, but still a successful device． |
| A．One person at a time can ride on it． |
| B．It has two wheels with a single axle． |
| C．It is powered by electricity and can go up to 12mph． |
| D．Riders increase the speed by moving the handlebars |
| A．high cost | B．danger to traffic |
| C．being difficult to use | D．contribution to laziness |
| A．hopes for a larger model of it |
| B．no plans to do anything more with it |
| C．some discussions on the unforgettable device |
| D．plans to make tens of thousands of them a month |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Can dogs and cats live in peace in the same home? People who are thinking about adopting a dog as a friend for their cat are worried that they will fight. A recent research has found a new way for success. According to the study, if the cat is adopted before the dog, and if they are introduced when still young (less than 6 months for cats, a year for dogs), it is highly probable that the two pets will get along swimmingly. Twothirds of the homes interviewed reported a positive relationship between their cat and dog.
However, it wasn't all sweetness and light. There was a reported coldness between the cat and dog in 25% of the homes, while attacking and fighting were observed in 10% of the homes. One reason for this is probably that some of their body signals are just opposite. For example, when a cat turns its head away it signals attack, while a dog doing the same signals admitting defeat.
In homes with cats and dogs living peacefully, researchers observed a surprising behaviour. They are learning how to talk each other's language. It is a surprise that cats can learn how to talk “dog”, and dogs can learn how to talk “cat”.
What's interesting is that both cats and dogs have appeared to develop their intelligence. They can learn to read each other's body signals, suggesting that the two may have more in common than was previously thought. Once familiar with each other's presence and body language, cats and dogs can play together, greet each other nose to nose, and enjoy sleeping together on the sofa. They can easily share the same water bowl and in some cases groom (梳理) each other.
The advantage of this research on cats and dogs may not only about pets — to people who don't get along, including neighbors, colleagues at work, and even world superpowers. If cats and dogs can learn to get along, surely people have a good chance.
【小题1】The underlined word “swimmingly” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to .
| A．early | B．sweetly |
| C．quickly | D．suprisingly |
| A．they are cold to each other |
| B．they look away from each other |
| C．they understand each other's signals in a wrong way |
| D．they are introduced at an early age |
| A．They eat and sleep together. |
| B．They observe each other's behaviors. |
| C．They learn to speak each other's language. |
| D．They know something from each other's voices. |
| A．We should learn to live in peace. |
| B．We should know more about animals. |
| C．We should live in peace with animals. |
| D．We should learn more body languages. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
The scientists observed that the more junk food the rats ate, the more they wanted to eat – a behavior very similar to that of rats addicted(上了瘾的) to heroin, a dangerous drug. Johnson said the experiment shows that the brain chemistry of obesity(肥胖) and drug addiction may be quite similar.
In their experiment, Johnson and his team studied the “pleasure center” of rats’ brains. The pleasure center is a complicated network of nerve cells. If the animal exercises or eats, the cells reward the animal by releasing chemicals into the body that make it feel good. And when the body feels good, the animal – or person – will want to do the behavior again.
For the experiment, Johnson fed foods like cheesecake to one group of rats. Food like this is high in calories and fat. Another group of rats got a regular diet. The rats that ate junk food started to eat more and more.
“They’re taking in twice the amount of calories as the control rats,” says Paul Kenny, one of Johnson’s colleagues.
Kenny and Johnson wanted to know what was going on in the brains of these rats. They first designed a way to deliver a small electrical charge to the rats’ brains. This electrical charge would stimulate the pleasure centers to release pleasure-causing chemicals. The rats could control how much stimulation – and how much pleasure – they received by running on a wheel. The more the rat ran, the more pleasure it received.
The rats that had been eating junk food started running more and more. This behavior suggested that the junk-food-eating rats needed more brain stimulation to feel good compared with rats on a normal diet. In other words, their pleasure centers were becoming less sensitive and the junk food didn’t make them feel good unless they ate more and more.
Experiments like this one could help scientists understand how chemicals in the brain contribute to obesity. With that information, they may be able to help people avoid obesity in the first place.
(Note: Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN TEN WORDS.)
【小题1】 The scientists suggested it was actually ___________________ that made the rats feel good.
【小题2】 How did the scientist know what was happening in the brains of the junk-food-eating rats?
【小题3】What was the purpose of the experiment mentioned in the article?
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Is your family interested in buying a dog? A dog can be a pleasant companion（伙伴） to your family, but if you choose the wrong kind of dog，you will have a lot of troubles.
Families should sit down and thoroughly discuss the possible problems before buying a dog. Even if the children in your family are the ones who want the dog, the parents are the ones who are really responsible for seeing that the animal is properly cared for. If you don’t know much about dogs, it is a good idea to go to the library for books about different kinds of dogs, as well as books about how to train a young dog. In reading about the different breeds(种类)you should know that a dog described(描述)as very alert(机敏灵活的)may be too active. When a book describes a dog as an excellent hunting dog, it probably means that the dog won’t be happy living in a small house. Dog breeds vary(变化)in popularity as the years go by. One of the most popular dogs these days is the German shepherd（牧羊犬）. This is because it provides protection as well as companionship（陪伴）. The family should be warned that these dogs grow up to be very big, and may be too powerful for children to control. If space is limited, a toy dog may be a good choice. These dogs are very small and easy to train. They don’t need to be walked daily, since they can exercise in the home.
【小题1】According to the passage, one can get information about different kinds of dogs .
| A．by going to the library |
| B．by asking someone who has enough experience about different kinds of dogs |
| C．by buying a dog and training it |
| D．by reading books about dogs |
| A．because it is easy to train |
| B．because it is big and strong |
| C．because it is powerful and friendly |
| D．because it is alert and active |
| A．The care and proper selection of dogs for families. |
| B．Different breeds of dogs. |
| C．Responsibility for seeing that dogs are properly cared for. |
| D．Different kinds of books about dogs. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
One of my China Dialogue colleagues in Beijing recently bought a Philips energy-saving light bulb to replace a standard one．He was happy with his choice．It may have cost 30 yuan （just under US$4．50） - ten times the price of a filament （灯丝） bulb - but he wanted to save energy as part of his low-carbon lifestyle．And according to the shopkeeper, he would save, in the long run, much more than the 30 yuan he was spending．
Yet only one month later, his expensive light bulb blew up, before he had saved even a small part of the purchase price．Will he stick to his high-cost, low-carbon lifestyle?
China's environmental organizations have started to advocate low-carbon lifestyles and the decrease of carbon footprints to help fight against climate change．But they have overlooked one fact: in China, low-carbon living comes at a high cost．It means buying energy-saving bulbs and appliances, and environmentally friendly building materials and daily goods．Cost can no longer be the only standard for purchases．An energy-saving and environmentally friendly product is more expensive than a standard alternative - whether it's a simple light bulb or the house it shines．For average consumers, even buying an ordinary bulb is a huge burden．How can we persuade ordinary people to choose an energy-saving residence? This is not a trend they can afford to follow; perhaps this fashion is only for the rich．
Most consumers today do not cause huge carbon dioxide （CO2） emissions．Their responsibility lies not in choosing a low-carbon lifestyle today, but in avoiding a high-carbon life in the future．The principle of "common but differentiated responsibility" - a basis of sustainable development - can be applied here as well．
In China, low-carbon living still is resisted by a lack of social infrastructure（基础设施）. Even if your salary allows you to make that choice, nobody is there to help you accomplish it．
Consider energy-saving homes. You need to find out whether or not the developer has used natural materials wherever possible; how effective the insulation（绝缘物、隔热物） is; and what the green credentials of installed equipment are．You can read up a little, but you'll still be lucky to avoid being puzzled by the developers' marketing．Many so-called energy-saving buildings are nothing of the sort, and some are even more energy-hungry than the average home - as Li Taige warned in his article "Energy-efficient buildings? Not always", on China Dialogue last August．
【小题1】What may probably be the best title of this passage?
| A．To purchase a cheap bulb - your wise alternative． |
| B．To choose an energy-saving residence - a must of your life |
| C．To learn a low-carbon lifestyle - each citizen's responsibility |
| D．To learn a low-carbon lifestyle - a promising but difficult purpose |
| A．Because the cost is a very important standard for purchases. |
| B．Because buying an ordinary bulb is very expensive. |
| C．Because energy-saving products are more expensive than the common alternatives. |
| D．Because rich people like to follow this trend. |
| A．Most of them are environmentally friendly. |
| B．They are musts of low-carbon lifestyle of Chinese. |
| C．They are huge burdens for Chinese people. |
| D．Many of them are more in name than in reality. |
| A．Using energy-saving bulbs and appliances is a fashion． |
| B．It's easy for most Chinese to try to learn a low-carbon lifestyle． |
| C．All citizens in China don’t have the same responsibility in living a low-carbon lifestyle． |
| D．Most Chinese families cannot afford to purchase an energy-saving residence. |
| A．informative and entertaining | B．supportive but cautious |
| C．negative but wise | D．positive and active |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
What will people die of 100 years from now？ If you think that is not a simple question， you have not been paying attention to the revolution that is taking place in biotechnology(生物技术). With the help of new medicine， the human body will last a very long time. Death will come mainly from accidents， murder and war. Today's leading killers， such as heart disease， cancer， and aging itself， will become distant memories.
In discussion of technological changes， the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live？ Human brains were known to decide the final death. Cells are the basic units of all living things， and until recently， scientists were sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond 120 years because the basic materials of cells， such as those of brain cells， would not last forever. But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime between 2050 and 2100， medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so， people will be able to take medicine to repair their organs. The medicine， made up of the basic building materials of life， will build new brain cells， heart cells，and so on－in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones.
It is exciting to imaging that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic condition of human existence， but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future.
【小题1】According to the passage， human death is now mainly caused by____
| A．diseases and aging | B．accidents and war |
| C．accidents and aging | D．heart disease and war |
| A．heart disease will be far away from us |
| B．human brains can decide the final death |
| C．the basic materials of cells will last forever |
| D．human organs can be repaired by new medicine |
| A．human life will not last more than 120 years in the future |
| B．humans have to take medicine to build new skin cells now |
| C．much needs to be done before humans can have a longer life |
| D．we have already solved the technical problems in building new cells |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Eating too much fatty food, exercising too little and smoking can raise your future risk of heart disease. But there is another factor that can cause your heart problems more immediately: the air you breathe.
Previous studies have linked high exposure (暴露）to environmental pollution to an increased risk of heart problem, but two analyses now show that poor air quality can lead to heart attack or stroke (中风）within as little as a few hours after exposure. In one review of the research, scientists found that people exposed to high levels of pollutants (污染物）were up to 5% more likely to suffer a heart attack within days of exposure than those with lower exposure. A separate study of stroke patients showed that even air that the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers to be of “moderate” (良好）quality and relatively safe for our health can raise the risk of stroke as much as 34% within 12 to 14 hours of exposure.
The authors of both studies stress that these risks are relatively small for healthy people and certainly modest compared with other risk factors such as smoking and high blood pressure. However, it is important to be aware of these dangers because everyone is exposed to air pollution regardless of lifestyle choices. So stricter regulation by the EPA of pollutants may not only improve environmental air quality but could also become necessary to protect public health.
【小题1】The text mainly discusses the relationship between ______ .
| A．heart problems and air quality | B．heart problems and exercising |
| C．heart problems and smoking | D．heart problems and fatty food |
| A．relatively high | B．extremely low |
| C．relatively low | D．extremely high |
| A．Eating fatty food has immediate effects on your heart. |
| B．The EPA conducted many studies on air quality. |
| C．Moderate air quality is more harmful than smoking. |
| D．Stricter regulations on pollutants should be made. |
| A．inform | B．persuade | C．describe | D．entertain |
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