第四部分阅读理解（共15个小题，每小题1分，满分15分）

In the western part of the United States where the Indians lived, a little mouse called the “bean mouse” became a guide to rich stores of good and tasty difficult-to-find food. Each season, the little animal would work very hard to search out the rare beans, and “cache” them away in its nest (窝). The Indians learned of this and found out the hiding place. They collected most of the beans for themselves. When the mouse returned to its home and found only a few of the tasty beans left, it set to work, harder than ever before, gathering more beans. This was a fine thing for the Indians, who had only to look for the nest, while the mouse had to look for the beans. But the Indians returned the favour (恩惠，善意) by always making sure that the animal had enough for the winter.

61. The Indians valued the bean mouse _________.

A. as a guide to food                                     B. as fertile (肥沃的) land

C. because it made a good pet                              D. because its fur was valuable

62. The underlined word “cache” means _______.

A. throw them in every place                      B. place them in a hiding place for later use

C. put them in its home                                 D. lay them under the mud

63. The passage says that the bean mouse was ________.

A. fearless               B. friendly                    C. rare                     D. hard-working

64. The Indians are shown to be ________.

A. clever                 B. hard-working        C. unkind                D. educated

65. The best title for this passage is _________.

A. Man’s Best Friend                                   B. Habits of the Bean Mouse

C. A Search of Rare Beans                              D. The Indians and the Mouse

Since I moved to Seattle, there’s no farm whose name has come up more than Quillisascut. Quillisascut is a cheese company,  36  what they call “traditional farmstead cheese’’, but it’s also a school.   37  completing a five-day “Introduction to Farming” workshop at Quillisascut, I understand why this farm school is so  38 . I hope that you can one day visit it, too.
At Quillisascut, mornings begin at 5:30 am with  39  and milking the goats. The morning’s  40  is made into cheese in the afternoon. Cheese making requires many steps. The process can take one day to several months,  41  the type of cheese being made.
During our workshop, we were lucky enough to have the farm’s chefs  42  meals of grains and beans from neighboring farms and herbs from the garden. All of the foods used for cooking are either grown there or  43  sourced.
Any  44  from meals is made into compost(堆肥). It is  45  onto the farm’s land, transforming Quillisascut’s soil  46  fertile salad bars for the goats. In addition to sunlight, rain, and compost, the goat farm  47  seeding and reseeding.
When I know where my food came from, who  48  it, and the complex process it took to get to my  49 , food does more than fuel my body. It also heats my  50 . I wonder how different our food and healthcare systems would look like if all people learnt firsthand about the  51  and tears involved in bringing food to the table.
If every food production operation  52  the public onto its ground, it is possible that our country’s food system would look very different; and our country’s connection with food could  53 . But for now, Quillisascut and other educational farms are making a(an)  54 , carrying out the goal “to make the world a more  55  place”.

Have you ever noticed the colour of the water in a river or stream after a heavy rainfall? What do you think caused this change in colour? It is soil that has been washed into the river from the riverbank or from t}le nearby fields．

Components of Soft

Soil is made up of a number of layers（层），each having its own distinctive colour and texture．The upper layer is known as the litter．It acts like a blanket．limiting temperature changes and reducing water loss．The topsoil layer is made up of small particles of rock mixed with rotten plant and animal matter called humus（腐殖质），which is black and gives the topsoil its dark colour．This layer is usually rich in nutrients，oxygen，and water．Below the topsoil is the subsoil，a layer that contains more stones mixed with only small amounts of organic matter．This layer is lighter in colour because of the lack of humus．Beneath the soil lies a layer of bedrock．

Soil forms from the bottom up．Over time bedrock is attacked by rain, wind，frost, and snow．It is gradually broken down into smaller particles in a process called weathering．Plants begin to grow，and rotten materials enrich the topsoil．Most of the soil in Eastern Canada．for example．Was formed from weathered rock that was exposed when the ice disappeared l2．000 years ag0．

Water Beneath the Soil

Surface water collects and flows above the ground in lakes．ponds．and rivers．Once in the soil or rock，it is called groundwater．Gravity pulls groundwater through the soil in a process called percolation（渗透）．Eventually the water reaches a layer called the water table．Under this is bedrock through which water cannot percolate．

As water percolates downward，it dissolves organic matter and minerals from the soil and carries them to deeper layers．This causes a serious problem because plants require these nutrients for growth.

Soil pH

Soil can be acidic．neutral．or basic．The pH of the soil is determined by the nature of the rock

from which it was formed．and by the nature of t}le plants that grow and rot in it．

The acidity of rain and snow can lower the pH of the groundwater that enters the soil．By burning fossil fuels such as coal，oil and gasoline，humans have been contributing to higher levels of acidity in many soils．When fossil fuels are burned．gases are released into the air and then fall back to earth as acid rain．Acid soil increases出e problem of carrying nutrients to lower soil levels．As nutrients are removed，soil is less fertile．Plants grow more slowly in acidic soil，and also become easily attacked by diseases．

1.The layer of soil that provides necessary nutrients for plant growth is called．

A．1itter    B．topsoil    C．humus D．subsoil

2.According to the text．which of the following is NOT true?

A．Soil forms from weathered rock on the earth surface．

B．The deeper layer of soil is darker in colour than t}le surface soil．

C．Air pollution is partially responsible for acid soil．

D．Groundwater tends to carry away nutrients for plant growth．

3.We can infer from the passage that the water table lies       ．

A．between the topsoil layer and the subsoil layer

B．in the subsoil layer above bedrock

C．between the subsoil layer and bedrock

D．in the bedrock layer beneath the subsoil

4.The underlined word “dissolve” is used to express the idea that organic matter and minerals from soil are          ．

A．rushed away into the river

B．cleaned and purified by water

C．destroyed and carried away by water

D．mixed with water and become part of it

第三部分 阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）

         请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该项涂黑。

John Davis doesn’t use his GPS system in his car. Instead of guiding the direction, the Delaware farmer uses it to determine where and how much fertilizer to use on the crops on his 4,000-acre family-owned farm. Technological advances like that last year helped Davis and other Ohio farmers set a record for corn product. Ohio's corn crop in 2009 totaled 546 million bushels(蒲式耳), despite a cooler and wetter than normal spring, a dry summer and a delayed, wet harvest. Davis said. “I knew it would be a good crop, but it was much better than we expected.”

A farmer can map his fields on GPS, spotting where soil turned out to be least fertile（肥沃的） and using more fertilizer the next year in those areas where corn didn’t grow as well.

Although Ohio farmers produced more corn, it was grown on less land than in past years. Total area used for corn in Ohio was 3.35 million acres, about the same as in 2008 but down from 3.85 million acres in 2007, said Dwayne Siekman, director of the Ohio Corn Growers Association. “When you look at the total number of acres in Ohio used for corn, it’s clear that farmers are able to do more with less,” he said. “American farmers can grow five times more corn on 20 percent less land than they did in the 1930s, saying that modern farming techniques are necessary for a growing demand in the world today.” That technology includes using improved seeds that can withstand(忍受) greater temperature extremes and pests, Siekman said.

Farmers aren't the only ones who benefit. Consumers(消费者) do, too, as food costs reduce in the face of “enough supplies of corn,” said Fred Yoder, who runs a 1,500-acre corn, soybean and wheat farm in Plain City. “This is the best, highest-producing corn crop that I've raised in 30 years,” he said.

1. Most people usually use the GPS system for ______.

    A. driving their cars    B. telling the position   C. mending the car   D. supplying the sunshine

2. The farmers in Ohio use GPS to ______.

    A. check if the soil is fertile in some areas                       B. control the rain of the place

    C. water the crops if the weather is dry                                            D. draw the map of all the crops

3. Why did Ohio farmers produce more corn?

    A. Because they expanded more land to grow corn

    B. Because they turned to technological advances

    C. Because they used more and more fertilizer.

    D. Because they supplies themselves with more money.

4. From the passage, we can know _____.

    A. John Davis hadn’t expected a good harvest.

    B. farmers grew less land than in the 1930s

    C. improved seeds cost much more money

    D. the output of corn in the same field is increased.