Every October, over 1,400 hunters hit the woods in the Pacific Northwest. They’ re looking for something worth millions. The hunt isn’t for gold, it’s for mushrooms. To some people, mushrooms are more valuable than gold. The mushrooms are called “matsutake” in Japanese. They have a wonderful scent and are highly prized in Japan. In the same way that North Americans associate Thanksgiving with eating turkey, people in Japan associate autumn with matsutake mushrooms. They often wrap single perfect matsutake mushrooms with green leaves and give them as gifts. People use the mushrooms in soups and special dishes.

Matsutake mushrooms grow all over, in China, Turkey, South Korea, Bhutan, and Mexico. But the best place to find them is in the United States, in the Pacific Northwest on the border of Oregon and California. There, the mushrooms grow abundantly and the quality is excellent. They can sell for $300 a pound and have even gone up to $ 600 a pound.

The mushroom hunt is a multi – million – dollar business, and it has its risks. “There are a lot of people out in the woods, and they’re all looking for the same thing. The first week in October, there were more than 1,400 pickers,” says a forestry official. “The harvest can produce 1.2 million pounds of the mushrooms. That’s worth about $18 million. It’s no wonder there are holdups.” Jack Spencer, a mushroom picker, agrees. “You have to be careful,” he says. “A guy with a gun can run out of the woods and say ‘Hand over your mushrooms!’” But most seasons are trouble – free. Hunters must buy permits, and the number of hunters in the area is restricted.

“The challenge is finding these matsutake mushrooms,” Jack says. Hunters go out into the woods with maps and suggestions from friends. They look for places where certain trees grow together. Mushroom hunters can walk for hours and find only a few mushrooms. But then suddenly , they may hit the jackpot – a huge patch of mushrooms.

1.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

       A.Mushrooms grow best in some Asian countries.

       B.Mushroom hunters cause great damage to the woods.

       C.In North America, mushrooms are worth much more than gold.

       D.It takes a lot of work and patience to get a good harvest of the mushrooms.

2.What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?

       A.Matsutake mushrooms are highly valued in Japan.

       B.North Americans celebrate Thanksgiving by eating turkey.

       C.Mushrooms wrapped with green leaves are perfect gifts.

       D.Mushrooms are often used to cook special soups and dishes.

3.The underlined word “holdups” is closest in meaning to            .

      A.delays                 B.adventures           C.robberies             D.challenges

4.It can be inferred from the passage that           .

       A.mushroom hunters are free from trouble if they are careful

       B.those hunting for the mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest are mostly Japanese

       C.hunters are not free to hunt for mushrooms in the woods

       D.mushrooms are of good quality where they grow abundantly

5.Which is the best title for the passage?

       A.How to Find Matsutake Mushrooms      B.Hand Over Your Mushrooms!

       C.Where to Find Matsutake Mushrooms    D.Food Culture in Japan

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