The farmers put specially built frames for silkworms to live in.

. the amount of; C. a number of} salt in fresh water used on coastal farms. As a result farmers are increasingly {A. unable; B. able; C. possible} to use fields close to the sea.

Scientists call this process “salinization” which means a mixture of salt and water. Salinization is reducing the world’s irrigated lands {A. to; B. by; C. at} 1 to 2 percent every year.

But a farmer in the Netherlands is now using a mixture of sea and fresh water to grow healthy and tasty vegetables. Marc Van started with an {A. investment; B. examination; C. experiment}. “We put in a lot of plants in the fields and then we put in, put them in fresh water and in sea water and all the varieties between it, and then we see which variety is surviving and which variety is {A. living; B. dead; C. dying}.”

Farmers&39; Markets

Charlotte Hollins knows she faces a battle. The 23-year-old British farmer and her 21-year-old brother Ben are fighting to save the farm from developers that their father worked on since he was14. __________ (46)

"You don&39;t often get a day off. Supermarkets put a lot of pressure on farmers to keep prices down. With fewer people working on farms it can be isolating," she said. "There is a high rate of suicide and farming will never make you rich!"

Oliver Robinson,25, grew up on a farm in Yorkshire. __________ (47) "I&39;m sure dad hoped I&39;d stay," he said. "I guess it&39;s a nice, straightforward life, but it doesn&39;t appeal. For young,ambitious people, farm life would be a hard world." For Robinson, farming doesn&39;t offer much "in terms of money or life style". Hollins agrees that economics stops people from pursuing farming rewards: "providing for a vital human need, while working outdoors with nature".

Farming is a big political issue in the UK. __________ (48) The 2001 foot and mouth crisis closed thousands of farms, stopped meat exports, and raised public consciousness of troubles in UK farming.

Jamie Oliver&39;s 2005 campaign to get children to eat healthily also highlighted the issue. This national concern spells (带来) hope for farmers competing with powerful supermarkets.__________ (49)

"I started going to Farmers&39; Markets in direct defiance (貌视) of the big supermarkets.__________ (50) It&39;s terrible," said Londoner Michael Samson.

第46题____________ 查看材料

A.But he never considered staying on his father and grandfather"s land.

B.While most people buy food from the big supermarkets， hundreds of independent Farmers" Markets are becoming popular.

C.While confident they will succeed， she lists farming"s many challenges

D.Young people prefer to live in cities.

E.I seriously objected to the super-sizing of everything——what exactly do they put on our apples to make them so big and red？

F."Buy British" campaigns urge （鼓励 ） consumers not to buy cheaper imported foods.

听力原文： Thousands of years ego, travelling was very hard. There were no roads and no cars. People travelled on rivers and lakes. They used logs, either one at a time or put them together.

People then began to use animals to pull very heavy loads. Some people put rollers under a load, and this was the first use of wheel. The wheel was tile most important invention in transportation.

The need to transport many people at one time led to the stagecoach. The stagecoach was pulled by' four or six horses. It often rode through the night with a change of a driver.

But people wanted a faster and all easier way of travelling. "The horseless carriage" or car was invented in 1892. Life became more pleasant. Roads were built. Farmers were able to travel to cities. City people were able to get fresh fruits and vegetables. People traveled to many places for fun.

(33)

A．On roads.

B．On rivers.

C．On lakes.

D．Both B and C.

恢复文章原貌。

Farmers' Markets

Charlotte Hollins knows she faces a battle.The 23-year-old British farmer and her 21-year-old brother Ben are fighting to save the farm from developers that their father worked on since he was 14.（46）

“You don't often get a day off.Supermarkets put a lot of pressure on farmers to keep prices down.With fewer people working on fams it can be isolating,”she said.“There is a high rate of suicide and farming will never make you rich!”

Oliver Robinson,25,grew up on a farm in Yorkshire.（47）“I'm sure dad hoped I'd stay,”he said.“I guess it's a nice,straightforward life,but it doesn't appeal.For young,ambitious people,farm life would be a hard world.”For Robinson,farming doesn't offer much“in terms of money or lifestyle.”Hollins agrees that economics stops people from pursuing farming rewards:“providing for a vital human need,while working outdoors with nature.”

Farming is a big political issue in the UK.（48）The 2001 foot and mouth crisis closed thousands of farms,stopped meat exports,and raised public consciousness of troubles in UK farming.

Jamie Oliver's 2005 campaign to get children to eat healthily also highlighted the issue.This national concern spells（带来）hope for farmers competing with powerful supermarkets.（49）

“I started going to Farmers' Markets in direct defiance（蔑视）of the big supermarkets.

（50）It's terrible,“said Londoner Michael Samson.

A But he never considered staying on his father and grandfather's land.

B While most people buy food from the big supermarkets,hundreds of independent Farmers' Markets are becoming popular.

C While confident they will succeed,she lists farming's many challenges:

D Young people prefer to live in cities.

E I seriously objected to the super-sizing of everything-what exactly DO they put on our apples to make them so big and red？

F "Buy British" campaigns urge（鼓励）consumers not to buy cheaper imported foods.

Farmers" Markets

Charlotte Hollins knows she faces a battle. The 23-year-old British farmer and her 21-year-old brother Ben are fighting to save the farm from developers that their father worked on since he was14. __________ (46)

"You don&39;t often get a day off. Supermarkets put a lot of pressure on farmers to keep prices down. With fewer people working on farms it can be isolating," she said. "There is a high rate of suicide and farming will never make you rich!"

Oliver Robinson,25, grew up on a farm in Yorkshire. __________ .(47) "I&39;m sure Dad hoped I&39;d stay," he said. "I guess it&39;s a nice, straightforward life, but it doesn&39;t appeal. For young,ambitious people, farm life would be a hard world." For Robinson, farming doesn&39;t offer much "in terms of money or life style". Hollins agrees that economics stops people from pursuing farming rewards: "Providing for a vital human need, while working outdoors with nature."

Farming is a big political issue in the UK. __________(48) The 2001 foot and mouth crisis closed thousands of farms, stopped meat exports, and raised public consciousness of troubles in UK farming.

Jamie Oliver&39;s 2005 campaign to get children to eat healthily also highlighted the issue. This national concern spells (带来) hope for farmers competing with powerful supermarkets. __________(49)

"I started going to Farmers&39; Markets in direct defiance (蔑视) of the big supermarkets.

__________(50)It&39;s terrible," said Londoner Michael Samson.

第46题__________ 查看材料

A.But he never considered staying on his father and grandfather"s land.

B.While most people buy food from the big supermarkets， hundreds of independent Farmers" Markets are becoming popular.

C.While confidently they will succeed， she lists farming"s many challenges.

D.Young people prefer to live in cities.

E.I seriously objected to the super-sizing of everything——what exactly do they put on our apples to make them so big and red？

F."Buy British" campaigns urge （鼓励 ） consumers not to buy cheaper imported foods.

听力原文： Almost all states in America have a state fair. They last for one, two or three weeks. The Indiana state fair is one of the largest and oldest state fairs in the United States. It is held every summer. It started in 1852. Its goals were to educate, share ideas, and present Indiana's best products. The cost of a single ticket to enter the fair was 20 cents.

During the early 1930's, officials of the fair ruled that the people could attend by paying with something other than money. For example, farmers brought a bag of grain in exchange for a ticket. With the passage of time, the fair has grown and changed a lot, but it is still one of Indiana's most celebrated events. People from all over Indiana and from many other states attend the fair. They can do many things at the fair.

They can watch the judging of the price cows, pigs, and other animals, they can see sheep getting their wool cut, and they can learn how that wool is made into clothing; they can watch cows giving birth. In fact, people can learn about the animals they would never see except at the fair. The fair provides a chance for the farming communities to show its skills and farm products. For example, visitors might see the world's largest apple, or the tallest sunflower plant.

Today, children and adults at the fair can play new computer games, or attend more traditional games of skill. They can watch performances put on by famous entertainers. Experts say such fairs are important, because people need to remember that they're connected to the earth and its products, and they depend on animals for many things.

(30)

A．For people to share ideas and show farm products.

B．For officials to educate the farming community.

C．For farmers to exchange their daily necessities.

D．For farmers to celebrate their harvests.

every' week day. Every morning, Monday through Friday, when the big clock strikes seven, old Bruce Hunt walks past the Farmers' Bookshop. He's on his way to work at the bus-station. And when Bruce walks past the book shop, Robert Brown opens his shop next door and waves to Bruce. When Robert waves to Bruce, you can set your watch and you know it's seven.

If you miss Bruce and Robert, you can set your watch when Miss Mary Smith opens the door of the post office. You know it's seven fifty-five. She has five minutes to get ready for work—to put away her raincoat

and take off her hat and coat. Rain or shine, Miss Mary Smith brings raincoat. "You never can tell what the weather will be like when it's time to go home," she always says.

One after another the shops along Main Street open for the day. The clothes shop and the fruit shop get open for business. When Mr. King opens the bookshop, the clock above the shop strides nine.

But every weekday, people go to bed early in Fairfield. The streets are quiet, and the houses are dark when the big clock over the Farmers' Bookshop strikes tell o'clock. The small town is getting ready for tomorrow.

The post office starts its business at ______ every weekday.

A．7:00

B．7:55

C．0.333333

D．0.375

vely than they cultivate someone else's soil. Again, a prime example comes from Japan, where, at the close of World War II, huge stretches of【C1】______ were in the hands of absentee landlords (在外地主),【C2】______ by tenants. Among the changes【C3】______ by the U. S. occupation was a land reform【C4】______ that put the farms in the hands of the individual farmers【C5】______ owners, not tenants; the landlords were expropriated (剥夺了地主的财产). Many of the farms thus assigned were small,【C6】______ production rose enormously. Today, Japanese【C7】______ , meticulous (细致的) in their care of the land and its【C8】______ , produce up to four times as【C9】______ grain per unit area as do other Asian farmers. Land reform. programs in other【C10】______ of the world have had similar, if not quite as dramatic,【C11】______ on yields. Mexico began major land【C12】______ after the revolution, Egypt after the defeat of King Farouk,【C13】______ Taiwan after World War II. On a most modest【C14】______ , land reform. programs have been【C15】______ in many other countries. Almost without exception, this has【C16】______ in increased productivity and much better【C17】______ of the soil. In the Soviet Union. workers on collective farms are【C18】______ a small parcel (一块) of land for their own use. Anyone【C19】______ has traveled through the U. S. S. R. has been struck by the intensive use made of these【C20】______ plots and their huge output, given their size.

【C1】

A．ground

B．land

C．earth

D．soil

mystery. Humans who make their livings hunting and gathering in the traditional way do not have to put much effort into it. Farmers who rely on rain to water their crops work significantly harder, and lead unhealthier lives. But the real back-breaking is that carried out by farmers who use irrigation. Yet it was the invention of irrigation, at first sight so harmful to its practitioners that actually produced a sufficient surplus to feed the priests, scholars, artists and so on whose activities are collectively thought of as "civilization".

In the past 10,000 years, the world's climate has become temporarily colder and drier on several occasions. The first of these, known as the Younger Dryas, after a tundra-loving plant that thrived during it, occurred at the same time as the beginning of agriculture in northern Mesopotamia. It is widely believed that this was not a coincidence. The drying and cooling of the Younger Dryas adversely affected the food supply of hunter-gatherers. That would have created an incentive for agriculture to spread once some bright spark invented it.

Why farmers then moved on to irrigation is, however, far from clear. But Harvey Weiss, of Yale University, thinks he knows. Dr. Weiss observes that the development of irrigation coincides with a second cool, dry period, some 8,200 years ago. His analysis of rainfall patterns in the area suggests that rainfall in agriculture's upper-Mesopotamian heartland would, at this time, have fallen below the level needed to sustain farming reliably. Farmers would thus have been forced out of the area in search of other opportunities.

Once again, an innovative spark was required. But it clearly occurred to some of these displaced farmers that the slow-moving waters of the lower Tigris and Euphrates, near sea level, could be diverted using canals and used to water crops. And the rest, as the cliché has it, is history.

So climate change helped to intensify agriculture, and thus start civilization. But an equally intriguing idea is that the spread of agriculture caused climate change. In this case, the presumed criminal is forest clearance. Most of the land cultivated by early farmers in the Middle East would have been forested. When the trees that grew there were cleared, the carbon they contained ended up in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Moreover, one form. of farming—the cultivation of rice in waterlogged fields—generates methane, in large quantities. William Ruddiman, of the University of Virginia, explained that, in combination, these two phenomena had warmed the atmosphere prior to the start of the industrial era. As environmentalists are wont to observe, mankind is part of nature. These studies show just how intimate the relationship is.

The invention of irrigation is meaningful because it could help to

A．alleviate farmers' workload.

B．increase agricultural production.

C．make planting much easier.

D．get rid of human laziness.

raveled on rivers and lakes. They used logs, either one at a time, or tied together.

People then began to use animals to pull very heavy loads. Some people put rollers under a load, and this was the first use of the wheel. The wheel was the most important invention in transportation.

The need to transport many people at one time led to the use of the stagecoach. It's a horse-drawn public vehicle carrying passengers along a regular route. The stagecoach was pulled by four to six horses. It often rode through the night with a change of a driver.

But people wanted a faster and easier way of traveling. The "horseless carriage" of automobile was invented in 1892. Life became more pleasant. Roads were built. Farmers were able to travel to cities. City people were able to get fresh fruits and vegetables. People traveled to many places for fun.

The main idea of the first paragraph is that ______.

A．people traveled on lakes thousands of years ago

B．people used logs thousands of years ago

C．traveling was hard thousands of years ago

D．there were no roads and cars thousands of years ago