Ever since they were first put on the market in the early 1990s, genetically modified (GM, 转基因) foods have been increasingly developed and marketed in many countries in the world, mainly on the basis of their promise to end the worldwide food crisis. But can GM technology solve world hunger problems? Even if it would, is it the best solution?
Despite what it promises, GM technology actually has not increased the production potential of any crop. In fact, studies show that the most widely grown GM crop, GM soybeans, has suffered reduced productivity. For instance, a report that analysed nearly two decades of research on major GM food crops shows that GM engineering has failed to significantly increase US crop production.
Something else, however, has been on the rise, While GM seeds are expensive, GM companies tell farmers that they will make good profits by saving money on pesticides(杀虫剂). On the contrary, US government data show that GM crops in the US have produced an overall increase in pesticide use compared to traditional crops. “The promise was that you could use less chemicals and boost production. But neither is true,” said Bill Christison, President of the US National Farm Coalition.
At the same time, the authors of the book World Hunger: Twelve Myths argue that there actually is more than enough food in the world and that the hunger crisis is not caused by production, but by problems in food distribution and politics. These indeed deserve our efforts and money. Meanwhile, the rise in food prices results from the increased use of crops for fuel rather than food, according to a 2008 World Bank report.
As a matter of fact, scientists see better ways to feed the world. Another World Bank report concluded that GM crops have little to offer to the challenges of worldwide poverty and hunger, because better ways out are available, among which “green” farming is supposed to be the first choice.
【小题1】The author develops the second paragraph mainly      .

A.by classificationB.by comparison
C.by exampleD.by process
【小题2】What does the underlined word “boost” in the third paragraph probably mean?
A.Control.B.EvaluateC.Obtain.D.Increase.
【小题3】GM companies promise farmers that they will benefit from ______________.
A.practicing “green” farming
B.use of less chemicals
C.fair distribution of their crops
D.using more crops for fuel
【小题4】Which of the following best describes the attitude of the author towards GM technology?
A.OptimisticB.DefensiveC.DisapprovingD.Casual

One of Lewis Gordon Pugh’s first big attempts to put his cold-water skills to the test nearly ended in disaster. On a one-mile swim in Antarctica in December 2005, just yards from the finish, his body began to give in. The temperature inside his thigh muscle dropped to 87.8 degrees, the lowest ever measured in him. He was completely at the limits of his ability.
Despite what he called the “grueling (折磨人的)” Antarctic swim, Pugh scheduled an even more fearsome test for himself at the North Pole. Stepping off the way of the Russian icebreaker that had crunched(咯吱作响的穿过) through floating sea ice for five days to take him to the North Pole, Pugh walked across the ice to a pool of open water over one mile long and two and a half miles deep. The sea temperature was 29 degrees, only a little above the freezing point of salt water.
Pugh quickly took off his padded clothes. In only his bathing suit and cap, his skin already pink, he walked to the water’s edge. “The only place I’m getting out is at the end,” he told himself. Then he removed his earphones and dived in.
The pain was immediate. His entire body felt on fire. The doctor kept pace with him in a boat. Through iced-up goggles(护目镜), Pugh could see the armed guards keeping watch for bears.
His friend Becker had broken down the huge task into manageable parts, each one marked by a flag planted in the ice that represented a friend, family member, or teammate. Fog started to roll in as Pugh headed for the final marker, the flag of Great Britain. He imagined his late father standing beside it--- the man who had done so much to give him an interest in adventure. Then Pugh drove himself to the finish. After 18 minutes 50 seconds in the water, his body was not even hypothermic(体温过低的).
【小题1】.
Why did Lewis Gordon Pugh swim in Antarctica in December 2005?

A.To train his determination.
B.To end a disaster.
C.To test his cold-water skills.
D.To check the temperature in Antarctica.
【小题2】.
. It can be inferred that in the pool at the North Pole Lewis Gordon Pugh __________.
A.had to suffer from the cold water with his goal to achieve
B.dived to the depth of two and a half miles
C.broke the records that the Russian kept
D.spent nearly 19 minutes walking over one mile
【小题3】.
. To make sure of the successful test in the pool at the North Pole, __________.
A.Lewis Gordon Pugh had to carry flags
B.Lewis Gordon Pugh was accompanied by his father
C.Pugh took measures to keep his body temperature
D.Pugh’s task was separated into several parts

What separates me from everyone else? The difference is not what clothes I wear or the music I listen to, but what I feel inside.

Ever since I was young, I have loved professional wrestling(摔跤). I woke up every Saturday to watch my favorite "Superstars." As I grew older, I got a lot of flak for watching this "fake" sport. My peers(同龄人) would laugh at me for following what was called a "man's soap opera." So, I put my love for wrestling on the shelf. Like everyone else, I wanted to be associated with the cool clique. I yearned to be invited to the parties of the in-crowd and hang out with the popular kids. I became pretty successful. Although my Friday evenings were busy with parties, I would still wake up early Saturdays to watch wrestling. It wasn't until freshman year that I realized I wasn't being myself.

That year, I tried many new things and activities and made new friends. In my town, football was the sport, so I decided to play football, thinking it might give me a head start in popularity. The team started with 48 athletes. At the end, there were 14 of us left. I stuck it out not because I liked it, but because I am not a quitter. That long season taught me a lesson: I wasn't a football player. More importantly, it taught me to be myself.

After that season, I went back to being a wrestling fan. I watched it religiously, no matter what insults were thrown my way. I came across a quote: "Don't Dream It, Be It." When I read this, my friend Dan had the same idea I had.

"What if we build a wrestling ring(拳击场)?" we asked. We acquired the necessary wood and equipment for its construction. The following weekend, we met at his house. We saw our dream in a pile in his backyard. We worked from dawn to dusk to build our great establishment. By Sunday night, our mission was complete. Our hard work (combined with a little creativity) had paid off. We had a real ring. We decided to hold an "event." We practiced for hours, trying to improve every aspect of our wrestling ability. The date was May 24th. Our show had a start time of 9: 00 p.m. To our surprise, about one hundred family, friends and fans showed up to support us. It was the most important night of my life and a complete success. Since that time, we have held five shows with as many as two hundred and fifty people turning out. We continue to live this dream. We accomplished what we set out to do. We are now well known throughout school. When I walk down the halls, I am respected by my peers. Some are the same peers who ridiculed me for watching wrestling when I was younger. When they approach me, they often say, "Good match, Chris." I humbly say, "Thank you," knowing I did something I believed in.

As my senior year winds down, I'll remember all of my high school memories. But what will stick out most is the memory that I did something I loved, despite what everyone said or thought. I accomplished my goal. I lived my dream.

1.What makes the writer different from the others is __________.

A.the different sports he loves

B.the different clothes he wears and the different music he listens to

C.that he is younger than the others.

D.the different ideas he has

2.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?

A.I practiced wrestling secretly in my spare time.

B.I put the clothes for wrestling on the shelf.

C.I decided to quit following wrestling.

D.I began not to watch wrestling on TV.

3.When the writer was a freshman, he ___________.

A.knew he couldn’t be a good football player  B.realized he was being himself

C.was still sociable                        D.built a wrestling ring

4.The writer built the wrestling ring in order to ________.

A.play football there                      B.make his dream realized

C.be a professional player                  D.have parties there.

5.What is the writer’s attitude towards his experience in high school?

A.Optimistic         B.Pessimistic         C.Doubtful          D.Surprised

 

Today I was at the mall waiting for friends, when a lady wearing a knit hat and a sweater came up to me and, shivering, said, “I’m homeless. Would you mind buying me some food?”

    In that split second, everything I’d learned since kindergarten flashed through my mind. Don’t talk to strangers … Be a good citizen … People will take ­advantage of you … Treat others as you wish to be treated … The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return … I guess love won the debate. “Sure,” I said. “What would you like?”

    She thought and then said, “I’d like to get Chinese food.” We headed upstairs. On the way she told me about when she was a teenager. She remembers taking pictures for the yearbook with her best friend. She was in the band and played basketball. She got good grades and was a good student.

    She ordered soup, an egg roll, white rice, and pepper chicken. I would normally think that was a lot, but she had probably barely eaten in the last few days. I got my usual – lo mein and General Tso’s chicken.

    As we ate, we got to know each other. She asked if I played any instruments. I replied that I played the violin, cello, and guitar. She told me she played the flute, piano, guitar, and violin. In the middle of our meal, I realized something. And she thought of it at exactly the same time.

    “So, what’s your name?” she asked.

    “I’m Claire,” I said, startled at our exact same thought. “What’s yours?”

    “Joyce,” she said with a smile.

    We continued talking, and she asked my favorite subjects in school and if I wanted to go to college. “Hopefully,” I replied. “I’m interested in nursing.”

    “I went to college for nursing,” she said.

    I was taken aback. How could we have so much in common? Was she pretending so I’d feel sympathy for her? But her eyes were genuine as she said this.

    Meanwhile I was eating my lo mein, picking around the cabbage and the other vegetables. Joyce said, “If you don’t like it you can take it back.” I told her that I liked it, but was not fond of the vegetables. She broke into a big grin. “You don’t like vegetables, huh? Neither did I. But now I do.” I immediately felt guilty. How could I be picking at my food across from someone who barely gets to eat at all?

    I tried my best to finish, but she seemed to sense my guilt and said, “You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want it.” How could she know what I was feeling? I told her the dish was my favorite, but I just eat slowly.

    She replied, “I used to like lo mein, but pepper chicken was my dad’s favorite, so I get that now.” Noticing that she used the word “was,” I assumed her dad had passed away. I found it sweet that she gave up her favorite in order to honor her dad.

    She asked why I was at the mall.

    “I’m waiting for friends. We’re going to see ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,’” I replied, stumbling over the words a bit.

    “‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,’” she echoed in awe. “What’s that about?” I realized that she didn’t see commercials for movies.

    I explained the basic plot and she chuckled. “A man who is born 80 years old and ages backwards! That sounds interesting.”

    She got up to get a to-go box. “Would you like one?” she asked, but I refused. I realized that this food would probably last her for a few days, and I was glad she had ordered a lot.

    “Would you like these?” I asked, gesturing at the food I had left untouched. “Oh, no, thank you,” she said. “This is enough.” I got up to throw my tray away, feeling guilty about wasting so much.

    “I need to meet my friends now,” I explained. “It was so nice to meet you, Joyce.”

    “You too, Claire,” she replied with a smile. “Thank you.”

    I headed to the theater, and she went back downstairs. It sounds like a perfect coincidence, but I can’t help but think that some force compelled us to meet. I kept puzzling, Why is Joyce homeless? It seems so unfair. She shouldn’t need people to buy her dinner. She was a nurse. She got good grades. She took pictures for her yearbook. She was the person I hope to be in the future. What went wrong? How could such a good life be rewarded with horrible luck?

    I feel lucky to have run into Joyce. She changed my outlook. She is still a wonderful person, despite what the world has done to her. I wish her the best, and can only hope that the force that brought us together will help her find what she deserves in life.

1.From the second paragraph we know that the writer _________.

   A. debated with the girl over moral issues

B. hates having to make a quick decision

   C. hesitated before she decided to reach out

D. fell in love with the girl at the first sight

2.The writer felt guilty for a moment because ________.

   A. she was particular about food and also wasted so much

   B. she was a strict vegetarian who ate very little

   C. she didn’t order enough food for the girl

   D. she urged the girl to take her share of food

3.Why did Joyce end up unemployed and homeless?

   A. She was a victim of high education

B. She actually had some kind of mental disorder

   C. She graduated with average grades

D. The reason is not yet given.

4.Which detail doesn’t show the coincidence in the story?

   A. They both took interest in nursing.

   B. They were about to ask names of each other at the same time.

   C. When Claire headed to the theater, Joyce went back downstairs.

   D. They were both musical lovers.

5.The writer was very happy to have met Joyce because______.

   A. she didn’t know what she was going to be until then.

   B. this chance meeting changed her attitudes towards life in a way.

   C. she was glad to be able to pay for someone in need.

   D. hopefully the force that brought them together may bring good luck to Joyce.

6.The passage is intended to _______.

   A. arouse readers’ curiosity

B. explore social problems

   C. teach readers a lesson

D. share a sweet personal story

 

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