A Good Custodian

I know a woman who tries hard to be a good custodian．

I pass her every day after school as she pushes her cart down my

hallway．Of course, she is my building's cleaner,

One Tuesday morning I came into school and saw a 　36 on my

desk from my custodian,

It seemed that some unbearable first year students had damaged the bathroom in a particularly disgusting way and she had been 　37　 to clean it．This took　 38　 than she had expected． She had left the typewritten note on my desk to 　39 for not being able to clean my room as she was 　40　 to do．

At the beginning of the period, I shared her note with my first period　 41　 When I mentioned that our custodian had apologized to us, their first 　42 was to volunteer to seek out and beat up those first year students for making our custodian have to clean up their 　43　 . It turned out that just about all of my students also knew our custodian by name -all of them responded with smiles and 　44　 for a long time about this time or that time when she'd　 45 each of them in the hallway．That she felt she needed to apologize 　46　 a strong reaction from many of the kids．

As the class period was about to end, I asked them to　 47 the floor like I do every period and thanked them for picking up any garbage 　 48　 it wasn't theirs．My entire class disappeared; they each disappeared instantly　 49　 their desks to pick up those annoying tiny pieces of paper that 　50　 so easily from notebooks．One girl made a （an）　 51　 that I later used with my other classes:" Her job might be to clean the room, but she shouldn't have to clean up　 52 us．There's a difference．”

I believe that people know the difference between right and wrong．I believe that people appreciate it when others　 53　 take care of them．And I believe that people, even adolescents who are not quite yet mature, appreciate it when they see someone who takes 　54　 in her work． Sometimes we need a 　55　 of the things we take for granted ．．．things like a good custodian to take care of us．

36．A．paper　　　　　　　　 　 B．handbook　　　　 　　　 C．note　　　　　　 　　　　 D．letter

37．A．advised　　　　　　　 　 B．persuaded　　　 　　　 C．allowed　　　 　　　　 D．charged

38．A．shorter　　　　　　　 　 B．longer　　　　　　 　　　 C．mare　　　　　 　　　　 D．less

39．A．apologize　　　　　　 　 B．regret　　　　　　 　　　 C．appeal　　　　 　　　　 D．complain

40．A．recommended 　　　 B．believed　　　　　　　　 C．approved　　　　　　　 D．scheduled

41．A．class　　　　　　　　　　 B．colleagues　　　　　　　 C．staff　　　　　　　　　　　 D．members

42．A．answer　　　　　　　　　 B．reaction,　　　　　　　　 C．decision　　　　　　　　 D．behavior

43．A．room　　　　　　　　　　 B．desks　　　　　　　　　　 C．mess　　　　　　　　　　 D．chaos

44．A．talked　　　　　　　　　　 B．asked　　　　　　　　　　 C．quarreled　　　　　　　 D．discussed

45．A．visited　　　　　　　　　 B．called　　　　　　　　　　 C．praised　　　　　　　　　 D．greeted

46．A．made　　　　　　　　　　 B．showed　　　　　　　　　 C．earned　　　　　　　　　 D．accepted

47．A．sweep　　　　　　　　　 B．examine　　　　　　　　 C．check　　　　　　　　　　 D．mop

48．A．even if　　　　　　　　　 B．only if　　　　　　　　　　 C．if only　　　　　　　　　 D．if ever

49．A．above　　　　　　　　　　 B．under　　　　　　　　　　 C．beyond　　　　　　　　　 D．across

50．A．leave　　　　　　　　　　 B．fall　　　　　　　　　　　　 C．fly　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．miss

51．A．promise　　　　　　　　 B．agreement　　　　　　　 C．announcement 　　　 D．comment

52．A．after　　　　　　　　　　　 B．before　　　　　　　　　　 C．with　　　　　　　　　　　 D．for

53．A．freely　　　　　　　　　　 B．gently　　　　　　　　　　 C．hopefully　　　　　　　 D．sincerely

54．A．advantage　　　　　　　 B．pride　　　　　　　　　　　 C．action　　　　　　　　　　 D．chance

55．A．keeper　　　　　　　　 B．caretaker　　　　　　 C．reminder　　　　　　 D．observer

   Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic growth, and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumptions behind it or the way the concept is put to use. This is especially true in agriculture, where sustainable development is often taken as the only measure of progress without a proper appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives.

   To start with, it is important to remember that the nature of agriculture has changed markedly throughout history, and will continue to do so. Medieval agriculture in northern Europe fed, clothed and sheltered a popularly rural society with a much lower population density than it is today. It had smallest effect on biodiversity, and any pollution it caused was typically localized. In terms of energy use and the nutrients captured in the product it was relatively inefficient.

   Contrast this with farming since the start of the industrial revolution. Competition from overseas led farmers to specialize and increase yields. Throughout this period food became cheaper, safer and more reliable. However, these changes have also led to habitat loss and to decreasing biodiversity.

   What’s more, demand for animal products in developing countries is growing so fast that meeting it will require an extra 300 million tons of grain a year by 2050.yet the growth of cities and industry is reducing the amount of water available for agriculture in many regions.

   All this means that agriculture in the 21^st century will have to be very different from how it was in the 20th. This will require complete thinking. For example, we need to move away from the idea that traditional practices are unavoidably more sustainable than new ones. We also need to abandon the idea that agriculture can be “zero impact”. The key will be to abandon the rather simple and unchangeable measures of sustainability, which centre on the need to maintain production without increasing damage.

   Instead we need a more dynamic explanation, one that looks at the pros and cons of all the various way land is used. There are many different ways to measure agricultural performance besides food yield: energy use, environmental costs, water purity, carbon footprint and biodiversity. It is clear, for example, that the carbon of transporting tomatoes from Spain to the UK is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting. But we do not know whether lower carbon footprints will always be better for biodiversity.

   What is critical is recognizing that sustainable agriculture is not just about sustainable food production.

1.How do people often measure progress in agriculture?

A．By its productivity.               

B．By its impact on the environment.

C．By its sustainability.               

D．By its contribution to economic growth.

2.What does the author think of traditional farming practices?

　　A．They have remained the same over the centuries.

　　B．They have not kept pace with population growth.

　　C．They are not necessarily sustainable.

　　D．They are environmentally friendly.

3.What will agriculture be like in the 21st century?

　　A．It will go through thorough changes.

　　B．It will supply more animal products.

　　C．It will abandon traditional farming practices.

　　D．It will cause zero damage to the environment.

4.What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

　　A．To remind people of the need of sustainable development.

　　B．To suggest ways of ensuring sustainable food production.

　　C．To advance new criteria for measuring farming progress.

　　D．To urge people to rethink what sustainable agriculture is.

Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic growth, and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumptions behind it or the way the concept is put to use. This is especially true in agriculture, where sustainable development is often taken as the measure of progress without a proper appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives.
　　To start with, it is important to remember that the nature of agriculture has changed markedly throughout history, and will continue to do so. Medieval agriculture in northern Europe fed, clothed and sheltered a mainly rural society with a much lower population density than it is today. It had minimal effect on biodiversity, and any pollution it caused was typically localized. In terms of energy use and the nutrients captured in the product it was relatively inefficient.
　　Contrast this with farming since the start of the industrial revolution. Competition from overseas led farmers to specialize and increase yields. Throughout this period food became cheaper, safer and more reliable. However, these changes have also led to habitat loss and to reducing biodiversity.
　　All this means that agriculture in the 21st century will have to be very different from how it was in the 20th. This will require thorough thinking. For example, we need to move away from the idea that traditional practices are certainly more sustainable than new ones. We also need to abandon the notion that agriculture can be “zero impact”. The key will be to abandon the rather simple and static(稳定的)measures of sustainability, which centre on the need to maintain production without increasing damage. Instead we need a more dynamic interpretation, one that looks at the pros and cons of all the various way land is used. There are many different ways to measure agricultural performance besides food yield: energy use, environmental costs, water purity, carbon footprint and biodiversity. It is clear, for example, that the carbon of transporting tomatoes from Spain to the UK is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting. But we do not know whether lower carbon footprints will always be better for biodiversity.
　　What is important is recognizing that sustainable agriculture is not just about sustainable food production.
【小题1】How do people often measure progress in agriculture?

Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic growth, and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumptions behind it or the way the concept is put to use．This is especially true in agriculture, where sustainable development is often taken as the sole measure of progress without a proper appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives．

To start with, it is important to remember that the nature of agriculture has changed markedly throughout history, and will continue to do so ．Medieval agriculture in northern Europe fed, clothed and sheltered a predominantly rural society with a much lower population density than it is today．It had minimal effect on biodiversity, and any pollution it brought about was typically localized．In terms of energy use and the nutrients captured in the product it was relatively inefficient．

Contrast this with farming since the start of the industrial revolution．Competition from overseas led farmers to specialize and increase yields．Throughout this period food became cheaper, safe and more reliable．However, these changes have also led to habitat loss and to diminishing biodiversity．

What’s more, demand for animal products in developing countries is growing so fast that meeting it will require an extra 300 million tons of grain a year by 2050，yet the growth of cities and industry is reducing the amount of water available for agriculture in many regions．

All this means that agriculture in the 21st century will have to be very different from how it was in the 20th．This will require radical（激进的）thinking．For example, we need to move away from the idea that traditional practices are inevitably more sustainable than new ones．We also need to abandon the notion that agriculture can be “zero impact”．The key will be to abandon the rather simple and static measures of sustainability, which centre on the need to maintain production without increasing damage．Instead we need a more dynamic interpretation, one that looks at the pros and cons of all the various way land is used．There are many different ways to measure agricultural performance besides food yield: energy use, environmental costs, water purity, carbon footprint and biodiversity．It is clear, for example, that the carbon of transporting tomatoes from Spain to the UK is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting, but we do not know whether lower carbon footprints will always be better for biodiversity．

What is crucial is recognizing that sustainable agriculture is not just about sustainable food production．

72．How do people often measure progress in agriculture?

A．By its productivity                 B． By its impact on the environment　　

C．By its sustainability                D．By its contribution to economic growth

73．What does the author think of traditional farming practices?

　　A．They have remained the same over the centuries

　　B．They have not kept pace with population growth

　　C．They are not necessarily sustainable

　　D．They are environmentally friendly

74．What will agriculture be like in the 21st century?

　　A．It will go through radical changes

　　B．It will supply more animal products

　　C．It will abandon traditional farming practices

　　D．It will cause zero damage to the environment

75．What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

　　A．To remind people of the need of sustainable development

　　B．To suggest ways of ensuring sustainable food production

　　C．To advance new criteria for measuring farming progress

　　D．To urge people to rethink what sustainable agriculture is．