Question

【题目】 Fruit farmers in Okayama, Japan, have managed to make peeling (去皮) a banana optional by developing a special variety with eatable skin. The peel of their “Mongee bananas” isn’t particularly tasty, but it’s much thinner and far less bitter than that of regular bananas, making it 100% eatable.

Scientists at D&T Farm in the country’s Okayama Prefecture released the social media-ready news following months of experimenting with a freezing-and-thawing (解冻) method, which keeps the banana tree at extremely cold temperatures followed by a dramatic heat increase. The result is soft and thin skin that hasn’t fully developed. They froze young banana trees to -60 degrees Celsius, planting them again as they began to thaw. This apparently activated an ancient part of their DNA, which not only allows the plant to grow in Japan’s cool climate, but also speeds up its development. While tropical varieties of bananas require two years to grow large enough for consumption (消费), the Mongee banana needs just four months.

The first bunch of Mongee bananas hit department stores’ shelves in the November of last year, but getting your hand on one of these incredible fruits remains a huge challenge. D&T Farm only produces 10 bananas per week, and they only deliver them to the Fruit Corner of Tenmanya Okayama, a local department store. But even if you happen to find one available, you’d probably be a bit put off by the price – 648 yen ($5.70) per fruit.

Banana peel is an excellent ingredient that can contain vitamin B6 and magnesium related to the production of serotonin (血清素). At the same time, it has a positive effect on both brain and sleep. Research results that ripe fruit peels have a good effect on treating prostatic hypertrophy (前列腺肥大) have also been published.

John Guterman, a botanist, says, “And what about shipping? For most of the fruit’s history, the peel has provided protection, allowing it to travel long distances. A softer, more bruise-prone banana would be a step back from hardy banana varieties that travel thousands of miles. In this sense, the day we all stop peeling bananas and instead bite straight through their skin may still be a long way away.

【1】Compared with regular bananas, Mongee bananas ________.

A.are far easier to peelB.have much sweeter flesh

C.are much more thin-skinnedD.have a longer growth period

【2】Why is it hard to buy a Mongee banana now?

A.It isn’t affordable at all.B.It hasn’t come into the market yet.

C.It is made for certain people.D.Its production ability is still limited.

【3】What does Paragraph 4 mainly talk about?

A.The medical value of banana peel.

B.The nutrition (营养) of banana peel.

C.The way of making banana peel sweeter.

D.The studies about how to make banana peel eatable.

【4】What does John think of the Mongee banana?

A.It should not be widely grown.

B.It won’t be spread widely soon.

C.It indicates the future of fruits with skin.

D.It has no advantage over regular bananas.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】D

【3】A

【4】B

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章介绍了一种香蕉皮可以吃的香蕉，Mongee香蕉的特点、产量、医学价值以及前景。

【1】细节理解题。根据第一段The peel of their “Mongee bananas” isn’t particularly tasty, but it’s much thinner and far less bitter than that of regular bananas, making it 100% eatable.（他们的“Mongee香蕉”的皮不是特别好吃，但它比普通的香蕉薄得多，也没有那么苦，所以100%可以吃。）由此可知，与普通香蕉相比，Mongee香蕉的皮更薄。故选C。

【2】推理判断题。根据第三段D&T Farm only produces 10 bananas per week, and they only deliver them to the Fruit Corner of Tenmanya Okayama, a local department store.（D&T Farm每周只生产10只香蕉，而且只把它们送到当地一家百货商店的水果角。）由此推断出，现在很难买到Mongee香蕉是因为其生产能力仍然有限。故选D。

【3】主旨大意题。根据第四段Banana peel is an excellent ingredient that can contain vitamin B6 and magnesium related to the production of serotonin (血清素). At the same time, it has a positive effect on both brain and sleep. Research results that ripe fruit peels have a good effect on treating prostatic hypertrophy (前列腺肥大) have also been published.（香蕉皮是一种很好的成分，它含有维生素B6和镁，与血清素的产生有关。同时，它对大脑和睡眠都有积极的影响。成熟果皮对前列腺肥大有良好治疗作用的研究结果也已发表。）由此推断出，第四段主要讲了香蕉皮的医学价值。故选A。

【4】推理判断题。根据最后一段In this sense, the day we all stop peeling bananas and instead bite straight through their skin may still be a long way away.（从这个意义上说，我们停止剥香蕉皮，而是直接咬香蕉皮的那一天可能还有很长的路要走。）由此可知，John 认为 Mongee 香蕉不会很快被广泛传播。故选B。

细节理解题大多是根据文章中的具体信息如事实、例证、原因、过程、论述等进行提问的。抓住文段中的事实和细节是做好该题型的关键，也是做好其它类型问题的基础。该题型几乎都可以在文章中直接找到与答案有关的信息，或是其变体。在一篇短文里大部分篇幅都属于这类围绕主体展开的细节。做这类题一般采用寻读法，即先读题，然后带着问题快速阅读短文，找出与问题和选项有关的词语或句子，再对相关部分进行分析对比，找出答案。正确选项虽然一般不是原文照搬，但是一般是原文的改写，意思不变。如换一个同义词，把否定改为肯定，把肯定改为否定等。如第1小题，根据第一段The peel of their “Mongee bananas” isn’t particularly tasty, but it’s much thinner and far less bitter than that of regular bananas, making it 100% eatable.（他们的“Mongee香蕉”的皮不是特别好吃，但它比普通的香蕉薄得多，也没有那么苦，所以100%可以吃。）由此可知，与普通香蕉相比，Mongee香蕉的皮更薄。故选C。