The world economy has run into a brick wall. Despite countless warnings in recen

The world economy has run into abrick wall. Despite countless warnings in recent years about the need toaddress a potential hunger crisis in poor countries and an energy crisisworldwide, world leaders failed to think ahead. The result is a global foodcrisis. Wheat, corn and rice prices have more thandoubled in the past two years. And oil prices have increased more than threetimes since the start of 2004. These food-price iricrcases. combined withincreasing energy costs, will slow if not stop economic growth in many parts ofthe world and will even affect political stability. Practical solutions tothese problems do exist, but we'll have to start thinking ahead and actingglobally.

Here are three steps to ease thecurrent food crisis and avoid the potential for a global crisis. The first is to promote the dramatic success of Malawi, a country in southern Africa, which three years ago established a special fund to help itsfarmers get fertilizer and seeds withhigh productivity. Malawi’sharvest doubled after just one year. An international fund based on the Malawi model would cost a mere $10 per person annually in the rich world, or S10 billionaltogether.

Second, the U.S. and Europe should abandon their policies of paying partly for the change of food into biofuels.The U.S. government gives farmers a taxpayer-financed payment of 51 cents pergallon of ethanol (乙醇) changed from corn. There may bea case for biofuels produced on lands that do not produce foods — tree crops,grasses and wood products — but there's no case for the government to pay toput the world's dinner into the gas tank.

Third, we urgently need toweather-proof die world's crops as soon and as effectively as possible. For apoor farmer, sometimes something as simple as a farm pond — which collectsrainwater to be used in dry weather — can make the difference between a goodharvest and a bad one. The world has already committed to establishing aClimate Adaptation hind to help poor regions climate-proof vital economicactivities such as food production and health care but has not yet acted uponthe promise.

1.An international fund based onthe Malawi model would______.

A. cost each of the developedcountries $10 billion per year

B. aim to double the harvest insouthern African countries In a year

C. decrease the food prices aswell as the energy prices

D. give poor farmers access tofertilizer and highly productive seeds

2.With the second step, theauthor expresses the idea that ______.

A. it is not wise to change foodcrops into gas

B. it is misleading to put tree crops into thegas tank

C. we should get alternativeforms of fuel in any way

D. biofuels should be developedon a large scale

3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. A rain-collecting pond is asimple safeguard against dry weal

B. A Climate Adaptation Fund hasbeen established to help poor

C. The world has made a serious promise to build farm ponds.

D. It makes a great differencewhether we develop wood products or not.

4.In the passage, the authorcalls on us to______.

A. slow down but not to stopeconomic.

B. develop tree crops,grasses'and wood products

C. achieve economic growth andpolitical stability

D. act now so as to relieve theglobal food shortage

试题答案

【答案】

1.D．细节理解题。此题可以从第二段的第二句话“to help its farmers getfertilizer and seeds with high productivity”里得到答案。

2.A.段落大意题。文章的第三段里说了第二个步骤，那么作者要表达的意思就是A项，“将粮食转化成汽油是不明智的”，第三段的第一句话中的“abandon”、“paying partly for the change offood into biofuels”也提示了答案。

3.A．细节推理题。根据文章意思知A项是正确的，“修建一个蓄雨水的水池是一个很简单的对付干季的措施”。而B项“一个气候适应基金已经建立起来，来帮助贫穷地区”是不对的，C项“整个世界对建立农场的池塘已经作出了郑重的承诺”没有提到，D项说“我们是否发展食品生产是没有什么多大区别的”很显然是错误的。

4.D．深层理解题。通过阅读文章，我们可以获悉作者的用意是来号召“我们立刻行动起来，来缓解全球的食物短缺”，所以D项为正确答案。