1、Working the land 同步练习(六)阅读理解AToday as technology changes the face of industry, farms have experienced an agricultural revolution. On the farm of today, machines provide almost all the power.One of the most important benefits will be the farm computer. A few forward-looking fanners are already using
2、computers to help them run their farms more efficiently. The computers help them keep more accurate (准确的) records so they can make better decisions on what crops to plant, how much livestock (家畜) to buy, when to sell their products, and how much profit (利润) they can expect. Many computer companies h
3、ave been developing special computer programs just for farmers. Programs are being written for pig producers, grain farmers, potato farmers, and dairy farmers. In the future, farmers will be able to buy computer programs made to meet their needs. Because of the growing importance of computers on the
4、 farm, students at agricultural colleges are required to take computer classes besides their normal agricultural courses. There can be no doubt that farmers will depend on computers even more in the future. While the old-time farms depended on horse power, and modem farms depend on machine power, fa
5、rms of the future will depend on computer power.Another technological advance which is still in the experimental stage is the robot, a real mechanized (机械化) hired hand that will be able to move and, in some ways, think like a human being. Agricultural engineers believe that computer-aided robots wil
6、l make surprising changes in fanning before the end of the century. Unlike farmers of the present, farmers of the future will find that many day-today tasks will be done for them. Scientists are now developing robots that will be able to shear sheep, drive tractors, and harvest fruit. Even difficult
7、 jobs will be done by robots. For example, in order to milk their cows, farmers must first drive them into the barn, then connect them to the milking machines, watch the machines, and disconnect them when they are finished. In the future, these will all be done by robots. In addition, when the milki
8、ng is completed, the robots will automatically ( 自动地) check to make sure that the milk is pure. The complete automation of the farm is far in the future, but engineers expect that some robots will be used before long.51. Which sentence carried the main idea of the whole passage?A. The first sentence
9、 of the first paragraph.B. The first sentence of the second paragraph.C. The first sentence of the third paragraph.D. The last sentence of the second paragraph.52. According to the passage, computers can* t help farmers decide_.A. how much money they can earn from their productsB. whether to plant a
10、 certain kind of cropC. what livestock to raiseD. when to sell their products53. Which of the following statements is TRUE?A. Farmers in the future will depend totally on computers.B. Both computers and robots are in use on todays farms.C. Farmers mainly use machines on their farms at present.D. Stu
11、dents at agricultural colleges must take computer classes or they cant use computers on todays farms.54. According to the engineers, _will be done by robots in the near future.A. all farm workB. planting cropsC. raising animalsD. some farm workBDuring the early years of this century, wheat was seen
12、as the very life-blood of Western Canada. When the crops were good, the economy was good; when the crops failed, there was depression. People on city streets watched the yields and the price of wheat with almost as much feeling as if they were growers. The marketing of wheat became an increasingly f
13、avorite topic of conversation.War set the stage for the most dramatic events in marketing the western crop. For years, farmers mistrusted speculative grain selling as carried on through the Winnipeg Grain Exchange. Wheat prices were generally low in the autumn, but farmers could not wait for markets
14、 to improve. It had happened too often that they sold their wheat soon after harvest when farm debts were coming due, only to see prices rising and speculators getting rich. On various occasions, producer groups asked for firmer controls, but governments had no wish to become involved, at least not
15、until wartime wheat prices threatened to run wild.Anxious to check inflation and rising living costs, the federal government appointed a board of grain supervisors to handle deliveries from the crops of 1917 and 1918. Grain Exchange trading was suspended, and farmers sold at prices fixed by the boar
16、d. To handle the crop of 1919, the government appointed the first Canadian Wheat Board, with full authority to buy, sell and set prices.55. What is the main purpose of the passage?A. To explain how wheat is marketed today.B. To justify suspension of trading on the Grain Exchange.C. To describe the o
17、rigins of the Canadian Wheat Board.D. To argue for further reforms on the Canadian Wheat Board.56. According to the passage, most fanners debts had to be paid_.A. when the autumn harvest had just been completedB. because markets started to improveC. as soon as the Winnipeg Grain Exchange demanded pa
18、ymentD. unless crop failure caused depression57. According to the passage, wheat prices became unmanageable because of conditions caused byA. farmers B. supervisorsC. weather D. war58. In Paragraph 3, the word check could best be replaced by which of the following?A. Control. B. Investigate.C. Finan
19、ce. D. Reinforce.59. According to the passage, a preliminary (初步的) step in the creation of the Canadian Wheat Board was the appointment of_.A. the Winnipeg Grain ExchangeB. a board of supervisorsC. several producer groupsD. a new governmentCMany cities around the world today are heavily polluted. Ca
20、reless methods of production and lack of consumer demand for environment-friendly products have contributed to the pollution problem. One result is that millions of tons of glass, paper, plastic, and metal containers are produced, and these are difficult to get rid of.However, today, more and more c
21、onsumers are choosing green and demanding that the products they buy should be safe for the environment. Before they buy a product, they ask questions like these: Will this shampoo damage the environment? Can this metal container be reused or can it only be used once?A recent study showed that two o
22、ut of five adults now consider the environmental safety of a product before they buy it. This means that companies must now change the way they make and sell their products to make sure that they are green, that is, friendly to the environment.Only a few years ago, it was impossible to find green pr
23、oducts in supermarkets, but now there are hundreds. Some supermarket products carry labels to show that the product is green. Some companies have made the manufacturing (生产） of clean and safe products their main selling point and emphasize it in their advertising.The concern for a safer and cleaner
24、environment is making companies rethink how they do business. No longer will the public accept the old attitude of Buy it, use it, throw it away, and forget it. The public pressure is on, and gradually business is cleaning up its act.60. It becomes clear from the text that the driving force (动力) beh
25、ind green products is_.A. public caring for the environmentB. companies desire for bigger sales C. new ways of doing businessD. rapid growth of supermarkets61. What would be the best title for the text?A. Business and People.B. Business Goes Green.C. Shopping Habits Are Changing.D. Supermarkets and
26、Green Products. 62. The underlined word it in the fourth paragraph refers to_.A. a selling pointB. the company nameC. a great demand for health foodsD. the manufacturing of green productsDFanners can produce more by planting several different crops in the same field. But their success depends on whi
27、ch crops they plant together and how they mix (混合) them in the field. Until now, the only way the farmers could learn which crops grow best together is to plant them and wait for the results. Now however, a computer can give them answers. A new computer program written by Dr John Vanderwell of Michi
28、gan University can tell a fanner which plants grow well together and which do not. It can tell him how to plant the different crops; if he should plant each in a separate row, or mix the crops in the same row. It can tell the farmer how changes in planting each of the crops will affect the productio
29、n of all of them. And it can tell him which plants can help reduce losses (损失) from diseases.63. Which of the following best gives the main idea of the passage?A. Computer helps find the best program for mixing plants.B. Computer helps produce more crops.C. Computer helps protect against insects and
30、 diseases.D. Computer helps grow different plants.64. According to the passage, to get the best result, one needs to choose carefully_.A. the kinds of crops to be planted togetherB. the way for different crops to be mixedC. both A and BD. either A or B65. It seems the new computer program can NOT te
31、ll us_.A. whether we should grow cotton and tomato togetherB. how we should plant cotton and tomato togetherC. what will happen if we grow potato, instead of tomato, together with cottonD. how we grow rice in the tomato field66. Which of the following is NOT true?A. Computer can tell fanners how man
32、y plants can grow together.B. With the help of computers farmers dont have to do a lot of work.C. With the help of computers farmers can get better results.D. The change of one plant may cause a change in production. EIf you want your land to keep fertile, you must try to stop soil from being carrie
33、d away by water or winds. Ways have been found to stop soil erosion, and this is known as soil conservation. One way of stopping soil erosion is to grow small plants such as grasses. These plants are referred to as cover crops, whose roots hold the soil tightly together. The rain water cannot wash a
34、way the soil. When trees and tall bushes are planted at the edges of an open field, soil erosion by strong winds cannot take place. The trees and bushes, which act as a very big and firm wall, protect the open land from the winds. The way to stop soil erosion on slopes is to build terraces on the sl
35、ope of hillside and mountainside. When the slope of a hillside is cut into steps, water carrying soil cannot run straight down the terraces, which are used to slow down the speed of the flowing water containing much soil in it. In this way most of the soil in the water is left behind on the terraces
36、.67. What takes place in soil erosion?A. Flood happens to the fertile land.B. A large quantity of the earth wears away gradually.C. Terraces are built on the slope of hillside or mountainside.D. Plants are grown to protect the open land.68. Cover crops in this passage means_.A. grass rootsB. trees a
37、nd bushesC. plant life of an areaD. covering plants that produce grain or vegetables69. Besides afforestation, another method to fight against soil erosion is to_.A. build terracesB. build wallsC. plant trees D. plant tall bushes70. Trees and tall bushes are planted around an open field_.A. because their roots hold soil tightlyB. to stop soil from being blown away by windsC. because soil erosion causes terrible damage to cropsD. to stop soil from being carried away by water