The cost of rice is expected to go up in the coming months, as an improving global economy raises demand, and drought（旱灾）cuts production in countries such as India．Some economists say prices for rice, the Precision Castingstaple food for much of the world's population, could be returning to levels that sparked inflation（通货膨胀）fears in much of Asia last year．

Charuk Singhapreecha is dean of the faculty（系）of economics at Thailand’s Kasetsart University．He says prices – especially for Thai rice – are being pushed higher by new customers coming into the market after the economic slowdown of the past year．They expect that the world demand will increase and Cast steel we expect that the price of rice will increase next year," Charuk said．"There are many new markets for the Thai rice and also we still have for our old customer - China, some Arab countries - they will increase the demand．"

Prices on the global market could again near the record above $1,000 a ton set in the middle of 2008．This month, export prices for Southeast Asian rice have jumped from about $550 a ton or less to more than $650．

Vichai Sriprasert, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, says further weakness in the US dollar and concerns over drought add to pressure on prices．Market experts say next year India is likely to try to import three million tons of rice – entering the world market for the first time in 21 years – because of a drought．

Vichai also warns that increasing demand for bio-fuels（生物燃料）from grain could reduce food crops, forcing the price of food grains higher．"This is very serious．That's why the price of rice will not go back to the level that we used to see," Vichai said．"It will have to be elevated at a higher level, but I don't know where．"

The Philippines this week said it is cutting rice imports because of high prices, even though the country lost more than a million tons of grain to typhoons this year．Officials from Vietnam, a leading export competitor with Thailand, predict prices will reach about $800 a ton by the middle of 2010．This week the Philippines' National Food Authority offered almost $665 a ton for 600,000 tons of Vietnamese rice．

Economists say higher food prices will only increase the problems faced by the region's poor, who are highly dependent on rice as a staple food．

1．Which of the following is NOT true according to paragraph 1?

       A．Drought reduces production of rice in India．

       B．Prices for rice were lower all the time in 2008．

       C．Rice is a major food for the world’s population．

       D．The improving global economy increases the need for rice．

2．How many reasons did Vichai mention about rice price’s going up?

       A．1．                     B．2．                     C．3．                     D．4．

3．Why does the Philippines plan to cut rice imports?

       A．Because of high prices．                      B．Because of typhoons．

       C．Because of civil war．                         D．Because of drought．

4．What’s the best title of the passage?

       A．Higher food prices will increase problems

       B．There are many new markets for the Thai rice

       C．The global economy is improving

       D．Prices for rice are expected to rise

While watching the Olympics the other night, I came across an unbelievable sight. It was not a gold medal, or a world record broken, but a show of courage.

The event was swimming and started with only three men on the blocks. For one reason or another, two of them false started, so they were disqualified. That left only one to compete. It would have been difficult enough, not having anyone to race against, even though the time on the clock is important.

I watched the man dive off the block and knew right away that something was wrong. I’m not an expert swimmer, but I can tell a good dive from a poor one, and this was not exactly medal quality. When he resurfaced, it was evident that the man was not out for gold – his arms were waving in an attempt at freestyle. The crowd started to laugh. Clearly this man was not a medal competitor.

I listened to the crowd begin to laugh at this poor man who was clearly having a hard time. Finally he made his turn to start back. It was pitiful. He made a few desperate strokes and you could tell he was worn out.

But in those few awful strokes, the crowd had changed.

No longer were they laughing, but beginning to cheer. Some even began to stand and shout “Come on, you can do it!” and he did.

A clear minute past the average swimmer, this young man finally finished his race. The crowd went wild. You would have thought that he had won the gold, and he should have. Even though he recorded one of the slowest times in Olympic history, this man gave more heart than any of the other competitors.

Just a short year ago, he had never even swum, let alone race. His country had been invited to Sydney.

From the passage we can learn that the young man         .

      A．made his turn to start back pitifully         B．was skillful in freestyle in the game

       C．swam faster than the average swimmer      D．was not capable enough to win the medal

The crowd changed their attitudes because          .

       A．they felt sorry for the young man        B．they were moved by the young man’s courage

       C．they wanted to show their sympathy     D．they meant to please the young man

What’s the best title for the passage?

       A．Compete for Gold!        B．Try again!   C．Break a Record!   D．Go for it!

While watching the Olympics the other night, I came across an unbelievable sight. It was not a gold medal, or a world record broken, but a show of courage.

       The event was swimming and started with only three men on the blocks. For one reason or another, two of them false started, so they were disqualified. That left only one to complete. It would have been difficult enough, not having anyone to race against, even though the time on the clock is important.

       I watched the man dive off the block and knew right away that something was wrong. I’m not an expert swimmer, but I can tell a good dive from a poor one, and this was not exactly medal quality. When he resurfaced, it was evident that the man was not out for gold — his arms were waving in an attempt at freestyle. The crowd started to laugh. Clearly this man was not a medal competitor.

       I listened to the crowd begin to laugh at this poor man who was clearly having a hard time. Finally he made his turn to start back. It was pitiful. He made a few desperate strokes and you could tell he was worn out.

       But in those few awful strokes, the crowd had changed.

       No longer were they laughing, but beginning to cheer. Some even began to stand and shout “Come on, you can do it!” and he did.

       A clear minute past the average swimmer, this young man finally finished his race. The crowd went wild. You would have thought that he had won the gold, and should have. Even though he recorded one of the slowest times in Olympic history, this man gave more heart than any of the other competitors.

       Just a short year ago, he had never even swum, let alone race. His country had been invited to the Olympics.

       In a competition where athletes remove their silver medals feeling they have somehow been cheated out of gold, or when they act so proudly in front of their competitors, it is nice to watch an underdog.

From the passage we can learn that the young man _______.

A. made his turn to start back pitifully                       B. was skillful in freestyle in the game

C. swam faster than the average swimmer                  D. was not capable enough to win the medal

The crowd changed their attitudes because _______.

       A. they felt sorry for the young man                         B. they wanted to show their sympathy

       C. they were moved by the young man                      D. they meant to please the young man

According to the passage, “it is nice to watch an underdog” probably means _______.

       A. it’s amusing to watch a man with awful swimming skills

       B. it’s amazing to watch an ordinary man challenging himself

       C. it’s cheerful for athletes to act proudly before their competitors

       D. it’s brave enough for some athletes to remove the silver medals

What’s the best title for the passage?

       A. Go for it!          B. Try again！              C. Compete for Gold!      D. Break a Record!

While watching the games the other night, I came across an unbelievable sight. It was not a gold medal, or a world record broken, but a show of courage.
The event was swimming and started with only three men on the blocks. For one reason or another, two of them false started, so they were disqualified. That left only one to complete. It would have been difficult enough, not having anyone to race against, even though the time on the clock is important.
I watched the man dive off the bock and knew right away that something was wrong. I’m not an expert swimmer, but I can tell a good dive from a poor one, and this was not exactly medal quality. When he resurfaced, it was evident that the man was not out for gold — his arms were waving in an attempt at freestyle. The crowd started to laugh. Clearly this man was not a medal competitor.
I listened to the crowd begin to laugh at this poor man who was clearly having a hard time. Finally he made his turn to start back. It was pitiful. He made a few desperate strokes and you could tell he was worn out.
But in those few awful strokes, the crowd had changed.
No longer were they laughing, but beginning to cheer. Some even began to stand and shout “Come on, you can do it!” and he did.
A clear minute past the average swimmer, this young man finally finished his race. The crowd went wild. You would have thought that he had won the gold, and should have. Even though he recorded one of the slowest times in Olympic history, this man gave more heart than any of the other competitors.
Just a short year ago, he had never even swum, let alone race. His country had been invited to Sydney.
In a competition where athletes remove their silver medals feeling they have somehow been cheated out of gold, or when they act so proudly in front of their competitors, it is nice to watch an underdog.
68.From the passage we can learn that the young man _______.
A. made his turn to start back pitifully    
B. was skillful in freestyle in the game
C. swam faster than the average swimmer   
D. was not capable enough to win the medal
69.   The crowd changed their attitudes because _______.
A. they felt sorry for the young man                 
B. they wanted to show their sympathy
C. they were moved by the young man              
D. they meant to please the young man
70.   According to the passage, “it is nice to watch an underdog” probably means _______.
A. it’s amusing to watch a man with awful swimming skills
B. it’s amazing to watch an ordinary man challenging himself
C. it’s cheerful for athletes to act proudly before their competitors
D. it’s brave enough for some athletes to remove the silver medals
71.   What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Go for it!                                      B. Try again！
C. Compete for Gold!                         D. Break a Record!