Nowadays, the food that you buy comes from many different countries.Have a look in your fridge, cupboard, and fruit bowl and check the origins(来源) of the food.Perhaps there are apples from California, lamb from New Zealand, or potatoes from Egypt? You will probably be surprised how far food travels to get to your plate.This journey, from “field to plate”, is called “food miles”.A food mile is the distance that food travels from the farmer’s field to the person who buys the food.Nowadays, food often travels thousands of miles to get to the consumer(消费者).Why is this, and what are the effects(影响) of these long distances?

Traditionally, farmers sold their food in the local market so the food didn’t have to travel very far.The consumers also did not travel very far, because they went to their local market to buy the food.This was a good system for farmers and consumers.However, there were some disadvantages.For example, consumers could only buy food that farmers produced locally.In addition, they could only get food that was in season.Now, because of modern technology, food comes from all over the world.We do not have to wait for spring or summer to buy strawberries or tomatoes.They are available in winter if we want.

Some countries have to import(进口) most of their food.This is because they have difficult climates.The United Arab Emirates(UAE), for example, gets 85% of its food from other countries.Even food made in the UAE often uses imported materials.

What’s wrong with “food miles”? Is this not a good way of increasing international trade? I believe these miles are worrying for a number of reasons.First of all, because food travels such long distances.we need more planes, lorries, and ships to move the food.This means we use more oil or petrol, so there is more pollution and more global(全球的) warming.In addition, food that travels a long way is not fresh and usually not very tasty.Tomatoes, for example, are picked early and stored for their long journey.For this reason, they are usually tasteless when they get to the consumer.Local food has a better taste, and it also reduces the amount of global pollution.We need to buy more local food.

1.What is called “food miles” according to this passage?

A. The origins of the food. B. The effects of long distances.

C. The journey from field to plate. D. The disadvantages of imported food.

2.The underlined word “available” in Paragraph 2 most probably means “______”.

A. easy to get B. not busy C. willing to talk D. impossible to get

3.Some countries like the United Arab Emirates have to import most of their food because of ____.

A. long distances B. difficult climates C. fresh and tasty food D. modern technology

4.The writer uses the LAST paragraph mostly to encourage readers to ______.

A. buy more local food B. increase international trade

C. travel long distances D. use imported materials

5.This passage is mainly about ______.

A. how local food travels from field to plate B. what “food miles” is and its effects

C. how some countries import their food D. where different kinds of food come from

Ⅲ.完形填空

Jim,a successful businessman,told the experience of his childhood.

When he was 12,his parents_______.He was alone and didn’t get on well with others.People always laughed_______him No one showed kindness(友善)to him.His only friend was a dog named Tige.

One day as he walked down the street,a young lady was walking in front of him.Suddenly one of her bags dropped from her arms.As she stopped_______,she dropped other bags.He came to help her.“Thank you,dear!You are a nice little boy!”she said kindly,smiling.

A special feeling came to him.These were_______kind words he had ever heard.He watched her_______she went far away,and he whistled(吹口哨)to his dog and went directly to the river nearby.

“Thank you,dear!You are a nice little boy!”he repeated the woman’s words.Then in a low_______he said to his dog,“You are a nice little dog!”Tige raised_______ears as if(似乎)it understood.

“Uh!Even a dog likes it!”he said.“Well,Tige,I won’t say unkind words to you any more.”Tige waved its tail happily.

The boy thought and thought.Finally he looked at himself in the river.He saw_______but a dirty boy.He washed his face_______.Again he looked.He saw a clean nice boy.He was amazed(震惊).From then on,he had a new life.

After telling this,the businessman stopped for a while,and then he said,“Ladies and gentlemen,this is the very place where that kind woman planted in me the first seed(种子)of kindness.All of us should learn about kindness.________a great power it has!”If you show kindness to others,you will be an able man.

1.A. dead B. dying C. died D. die

2.A. at B. to C. / D. of

3.A. picking it up B. picking up it C. to pick up it D. to pick it up

4.A. the first B. first C. the last D. the first time

5.A. until B. before C. when D. while

6.A. sound B. noise C. noisy D. voice

7.A. it B. it’s C. one’s D. its

8.A. something B. nothing C. anything D. somebody

9.A. carefully B. careful C. careless D. carelessly

10.A. What B. How C. Where D. Why

请阅读下面这篇文章,根据所提供的信息,完成信息卡。

If you lose 12 times, will you just give up? Dale Carnegie, a pioneer in public speaking and self-development, kept trying. And he became famous by showing people how to be successful.

Carnegie was born in 1888 in the central United States. As a son of a farmer, the boy had to get up at 4 a.m. every day to milk the cows. When Carnegie first entered college, he felt hopeless because of his clothes and ordinary (普通的) looks. His mother encouraged him, “Why not try to be better in other things instead of just dress and good looks?”

Carnegie tried to be more active in college. He joined the debate (辩论) team. But one after another, he lost 12 times. The young man was so disappointed in himself that he even thought of ending his own life for so many failures.

But soon Carnegie was seen practicing public speaking on the riverside. His hard work brought good results at last. In 1906, Carnegie won a famous speech match and became widely famous.

The young man made his own words come true: “Believe that you will succeed, and you will.” In order to share his success, Carnegie started schools and wrote books. More than 50 million copies of his books have been printed in 38 languages. They are still helping people on the road to success.

Information Card

Carnegie’s father’s job

1..

The person who gave Carnegie courage

2..

The group Carnegie joined in college

3..

The place where Carnegie did the practice

4..

The age when Carnegie became famous

5..

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网