Scientists from China, Sweden and the United Stated have developed a high-producing rice that can reduce methane emission(甲烷排放), a major greenhouse gas blamed for global warming, from rice fields, according to a paper published on the latest issue of Nature.

By inserting a barley(大麦) gene into rice, Sun Chuanxin and his colleagues created SUSIBA2 Rice, which stores more starch(淀粉) in the section of the rice above ground, according to a paper published on the latest issue of Nature.This means the grains will have more starch while the root will exude less nutrients that will later be turned into methane by microbes(微生物) in the soil, Sun, who works with Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, told Xinhua.

"It solves two major problems mankind faces at one time: environmental degradation and the need for increased grain output," Wang Feng, another scientist, said, adding that the rice can cut methane discharge by more than 90 percent during summer and more than half during autumn, as "the rice displays a greater emission reduction effect in high temperatures." Meanwhile, small-scale trials have also suggested an increased output: a single plant of the new breed has 300 more grains with a starch content 10 percent higher. Wang said the team is working on applications for the rice in different areas, seasons and using different farming techniques. "It's still far away from mass application, but at least we see the light of hope."

Human-induced methane, though less abundant than carbon dioxide in the air, is responsible for 20 percent of the global warming effect. Rice paddies are the largest single source of methane linked to human activity. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, China produces 209 million tons of rice in 2014, or 28 percent of the world's total of 734 million.

1.SUSIBA2 Rice will be a major breakthrough because _______.

A. it tastes with a barley flavor

B. it well balances environmental protection and grains increase

C. it contains more starch than the ordinary rice

D. it gives off less methane in summer than in winter

2.What can we learn from the text?

A. Scientists will soon grow the new rice in large areas

B. Human-related methane contributes most to global warming

C. China may contribute greatly to global warming reduction

D. Rice fields will be reduced all over the world

3.The purpose of this writing is to ________.

A. ask people to cut down on their dependence on rice consumption

B. draw people’s attention to the serious consequences of global warming

C. introduce a new kind of genetically-modified rice and its possible benefits

D. indicate human-related methane alone is to blame for global warming effects

A LITTLE PRINCESS by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Price: $7.10 (Paperback Dec. 9, 1998)

The novel tells of the story of a wealthy young girl, Sara Crewe, who is sent to a boarding school during her father’s campaign in India. Thanks to Capt. Crewe’s money, Sara is treated as a little princess until, one day, word comes of her father’s tragic death. Miss Minchin, the school’s greedy headmistress, wastes no time in putting the now-penniless Sara to work for her room and board. It is only through the friendship of two other girls and some astonishing luck that Sara eventually finds her way back to happiness.

THE SECRET GARDEN by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Price:$3.95 (Paperback July 1, 2003)

Frances Hodgson Burnett was the highest paid and most widely read woman writer of her time, publishing more than fifty novels and thirteen plays. The Secret Garden is a beautiful tale of friendship, secrets and human spirits. A spoiled orphan named Mary returns to England from India when her parents die. She is sent to live in Yorkshire with her uncle. Miserable and lonely, she begins to explore the house’s gardens and discovers a key to a secret garden that the uncle sealed off when his wife died. There she discovered a secret so important, so enchanting, that it will change her life forever.

PETER PAN by J. M. Barrie and Scott Gustafson

Price: $16.95 (Hardcover Oct. 1, 1991)

It is a children’s story full of imagination and adventures. A boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with mermaids, Indians, fairies and pirates, and from time to time meeting ordinary children from the world outside.

Order online and you can now save 20% off your total purchase on orders over $25!

1.Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the three books?

A. The little princess refers to a girl named Sara Crewe.

B. The secret garden mentioned in the passage is located in India.

C. Peter Pan is a boy with magic powers who never grows up.

D. A Little Princess was written by a famous female writer.

2.How much does it cost to order these three books online?

A. $5.60 B. $25.00

C. $22.40 D. $ 28.00

3.What do these three books have in common?

A. They were published in the same year.

B. They all have a hard cover.

C. They are all stories with tragic endings.

D. They have children as their main characters.

4.In which part of a magazine can we read the text?

A. Family B. Literature

C. Technology D. Entertainment

Every morning Grandpa got up early sitting at the table, reading his book. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to copy him in every way he could.

One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa, I try to read the book just like you, but I don’t understand it, and I forget what I understand as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the book do?” The grandpa quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.”

The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandpa laughed and said, “You’ll have to move a little faster next time,” and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again.

This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned. Out of breath, he told his grandpa that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, so he went to get a bucket instead. The grandpa said, “I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You’re just not trying hard enough.”

The boy again dipped the basket into the river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandpa the basket was empty again. Out of breath, he said, “Grandpa, it’s useless !”“So, you think it is useless?” the grandpa said, “Look at the basket.”

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean.

“Grandson, that’s what happens when you read the book. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you’ll be changed, inside and out.”

1.What puzzled the grandson most was ________.

A. what kind of book he could understand

B. whether it was useful to read books

C. why he forgot what he read soon

D. how he could read books like his grandpa

2.Why did Grandpa ask his grandson to fetch a basket of water? _______

A. To punish him for not reading carefully.

B. To train him to run faster.

C. To get him to realize the use of reading books.

D. To clean the dirty basket in the river.

3.What lesson can we learn from the story? ________

A. It is foolish to carry water with a basket.

B. The old are always wiser than the young.

C. Reading books can change a person gradually.

D. You can’t expect to remember whatever you read.

4.What can be the best title for the text? _______

A. Grandpa and grandson B. Carrying water in a basket

C. Baskets and books D. Reading for total changing

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