Even plant can run a fever, especially when they’re under attack by insects or disease.But unlike human, plants can have their temperature taken from 3, 000 feet away- straight up.A decade ago, adopting the infrared(红外线)scanning technology developed for military purposes and other satellites, physicist Stephen Paley came up with a quick way to take the temperature of crops to determine which ones are under stress.The goal was to let farmers precisely target pesticide(杀虫剂)spraying rather than rain poison on a whole field, which invariably includes plants that don’t have pest(害虫)problems.
Even better, Paley’s Remote Scanning Services Company could detect crop problems before they became visible to the eye.Mounted on a plane flown at 3, 000 feet at night, an infrared scanner measured the heat emitted(发出)by crops.The data were transformed into a color- coded map showing where plants were running”fevers”.Farmers could then spot-spray, using 50 to 70 percent less pesticide than they otherwise would.
The bad news is that Paley’s company closed down in 1984, after only three years.Farmers resisted the new technology and long-term backers(支持者)were hard to find.But with the renewed concern about pesticides on produce, and refinements in infrared scanning, Paley hopes to get back into operation.Agriculture experts have no doubt the technology works.“This technique can be used on 75 percent of agricultural land in the United States,”says George Oerther of Texas A & M.Ray Jackson, who recently retired from the Department of Agriculture, thinks remote infrared crop scanning could be adopted by the end of the decade.But only if Paley finds the financial backing which he failed to obtain 10 years ago.
(1)
In order to apply pesticide spraying precisely, we can use infrared scanning to ________.
[ ]
A.
estimate the damage to the crops
B.
measure the size of the affected area
C.
draw a color-coded map
D.
locate the problem area
(2)
Farmers can save a considerable amount of pesticide by ________.
[ ]
A.
resorting to spot-spraying
B.
consulting infrared scanning experts
C.
transforming poisoned rain
D.
detecting crop problems at an early stage
(3)
The application of infrared scanning technology to agriculture met with some difficulties ________.
[ ]
A.
the lack of official support
B.
its high cost
C.
the lack of financial support
D.
its failure to help increase production
(4)
Infrared scanning technology may be brought back into operation because of ________.
[ ]
A.
the desire of farmers to improve the quality of their produce
B.
growing concern about the excessive use of pesticides on crops
C.
the forceful promotion by the Department of Agriculture
Night after night, my mother came to my bed, even long after my childhood years.She would 1 down and push my long hair out of the way, and then kiss my forehead.
I don't remember when it first started 2 me-her hands pushing my hair that way, for they felt work-worn and rough 3 my young skin.Finally, one night, I shouted out at her, “Don't do that any more-your hands are too rough!” she made no 4 and left quietly.
But never again did my mother do it with that familiar expression of her 5 .
With the passing years, my 6 returned to that night time after time.By then I 7 my mother's hands and her goodnight kiss.Sometimes the incident seemed very 8 , sometimes far away, but always it was 9 in the back of my mind.
The years have passed, and I'm not a little girl any more.Mom is in her seventies, and those hands I once 10 to be so rough are still doing things for me and my family.
Now, Mom no longer has Dad and lives 11 .One night on Thanksgiving Eve, I found myself 12 to her house to spend the night with her.As I slept in the bedroom of my youth, a familiar hand hesitantly ran across my face to 13 the hair from my forehead.Then a 14 , ever so gently, touched my forehead.I burst into tears.
In my memory, thousands of times, I 15 the night my young voice complained.Catching Mom's hand in hand, I told her how 16 I was for that night.I thought she'd remember 17 I did.But Mom didn't know what I was talking about.She had already forgotten and 18 long ago.
That night, I fell asleep with a new 19 for my gentle mother and her caring hands.And the guilt that I had carried around for so long was 20 to be found.
(1)
[ ]
A.
lie
B.
bend
C.
look
D.
fall
(2)
[ ]
A.
annoying
B.
astonishing
C.
delighting
D.
disappointing
(3)
[ ]
A.
along
B.
above
C.
against
D.
aside
(4)
[ ]
A.
reply
B.
promise
C.
request
D.
agreement
(5)
[ ]
A.
pity
B.
sadness
C.
apology
D.
love
(6)
[ ]
A.
feelings
B.
opinions
C.
spirits
D.
thoughts
(7)
[ ]
A.
missed
B.
forgot
C.
held
D.
shook
(8)
[ ]
A.
strange
B.
close
C.
serious
D.
common
(9)
[ ]
A.
stressed
B.
existed
C.
hidden
D.
exposed
(10)
[ ]
A.
expected
B.
changed
C.
reminded
D.
complained
(11)
[ ]
A.
yet
B.
away
C.
alone
D.
long
(12)
[ ]
A.
drawn
B.
carried
C.
moved
D.
stayed
(13)
[ ]
A.
cut
B.
wash
C.
brush
D.
take
(14)
[ ]
A.
tear
B.
kiss
C.
press
D.
hand
(15)
[ ]
A.
returned
B.
remembered
C.
realized
D.
recalled
(16)
[ ]
A.
sorry
B.
happy
C.
angry
D.
nervous
(17)
[ ]
A.
when
B.
how
C.
why
D.
as
(18)
[ ]
A.
disappeared
B.
forgiven
C.
apologized
D.
abandoned
(19)
[ ]
A.
imagination
B.
inspiration
C.
decoration
D.
appreciation
(20)
[ ]
A.
still
B.
soon
C.
nowhere
D.
anyhow
完形填空
Carmen's mother Maria had just survived a serious heart attack.But without a heart transplant her life was in constant 1
Both the mother and the daughter knew that the chances were 2 finding a donor heart that 3 Maria's blood type takes years.4 , Carmen was determined to save her mother.She kept 5 hospitals all over the country.
Days stretched out.By Christmas, Maria had trouble 6 from one end of the room to the other.Carmen lost all hope.She fell into a 7 of the hospital, crying.
"Are you okay?"a man asked.
Carmen sobbed as she told the stranger her 8 .This middle aged man was named Frank, whose wife, Cheryl, a tender and devoted mother of four lovely children, had been in hospital with a brain disease and wouldn't 9 it through the night.Suddenly, an idea came to Frank's mind.He knew Cheryl had always wanted to 10 something from herself.Could her 11 go to Carmen's mother?
After reviewing the data, doctors 12 Fank that his wife's heart was by some miracle a perfect 13 for Carmen's mother.They were able to 14 the transplant.
That cold night,when Cheryl was 15 dead,Frank came to knock at Maria's door.She was 16 for Frank's family as she had been doing every day recently.Though Maria had never met Frank before,they both felt a strange 17 as they hugged and cried, On New Year's Eve, Carmen attended Cheryl's 18 with Frank's family, who were singing their favorite song" My heart will go on”.
One day late, on New Year's Day, Maria 19 with Cheryl's heart.
Yes , Cheryl's loving heart would go on for it was 20 in another loving mother's chest.
(1)
[ ]
A.
change
B.
danger
C.
disorder
D.
pain
(2)
[ ]
A.
small
B.
distant
C.
hard
D.
precious
(3)
[ ]
A.
matched
B.
replaced
C.
controlled
D.
cooperated
(4)
[ ]
A.
Certainly
B.
Otherwise
C.
However
D.
So
(5)
[ ]
A.
finding
B.
phoning
C.
touring
D.
interrupting
(6)
[ ]
A.
rolling
B.
running
C.
walking
D.
jumping
(7)
[ ]
A.
corner
B.
bed
C.
man
D.
nurse
(8)
[ ]
A.
family
B.
story
C.
error
D.
fault
(9)
[ ]
A.
put
B.
support
C.
pass
D.
make
(10)
[ ]
A.
save
B.
offer
C.
donate
D.
separate
(11)
[ ]
A.
heart
B.
brain
C.
husband
D.
spirit
(12)
[ ]
A.
informed
B.
warned
C.
celebrated
D.
reminded
(13)
[ ]
A.
copy
B.
fit
C.
variation
D.
baby
(14)
[ ]
A.
give up
B.
carry out
C.
search after
D.
put off
(15)
[ ]
A.
noticed
B.
predicted
C.
founded
D.
declared
(16)
[ ]
A.
praying
B.
begging
C.
decorating
D.
singing
(17)
[ ]
A.
belief
B.
love
C.
bond
D.
relief
(18)
[ ]
A.
funeral
B.
operation
C.
performance
D.
anniversary
(19)
[ ]
A.
passed away
B.
woke up
C.
left behind
D.
dressed up
(20)
[ ]
A.
active
B.
alive
C.
necessary
D.
changeable
完形填空
Zigfried, a little mouse, blew his breath on the frosty window of the farmhouse and rubbed it to see the outside.Still nobody came.Maybe today, he thought 1 .It was only a few days before Christmas and he was watching for a miracle(奇迹).
This farmhouse had been 2 too long.It needed a family.Zigfried's 3 made a noise.He realized that he hadn't eaten anything since yesterday.He jumped from the windowsill(窗沿), grabbed a 4 from his home, and went next door to Farmer Mike's.
Farmer Mike's house had been a great place for the little mouse 5 the farmer married a wife who had a cat.Zigfried 6 when he thought of it.He looked around cautiously as he 7 into the room where grain was stored and was quite 8 as he filled his bag with wheat.He was turning to leave when suddenly he 9 a hot breath about his ear.His heart beat 10 , and without thinking he started to run and luckily 11 the cat's paws(爪子).
The next afternoon Zigfried heard some good news:a 12 family would be moving into the farmhouse soon.Zigfried's granny would arrive on Christmas Eve to 13 with him.He hoped that the family would come before his granny came.Before long, a car came 14 the road leading to the house, with butter sandwiches, cheese and chocolate.
Zigfried's Christmas miracle did arrive!
The house came 15 the next few days.Zigfried 16 every single hour of them. 17 , the day before Christmas when he was drinking hot chocolate with a 18 smile at the door of his home, he heard the 19 of the children of the family about what they might get for Christmas.What? A cat? The 20 froze on his face; his mouth fell wide open.After a long while, he at last found his voice:“Hey! Whose Christmas miracle is this?”