土地耕种，生存之本（2）

第一部分 阅读（共两节，满分50分）

第一节 （共15小题；每小题2.5分，满分37.5分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。

A

Today， some 815 million people suffer from long⁃term hunger. And although this is significantly fewer people than the numbers we saw a decade ago， hunger still kills more people than AIDS， tuberculosis （结核病） and malaria （疟疾） combined.

Despite an adequate availability of food nearly everywhere， globally some 21，000 people die every day from hunger or malnutrition. People do go hungry because the world does not produce enough food for everyone. According to the World Hunger Education Service， over the past three decades， significant growth in food production， along with improved access to food， has helped reduce the percentage of chronically undernourished people in developing countries from 34 percent to 15 percent. The most important problem is that many people in the world still do not have resources to purchase or grow enough food.

Indeed， hunger is a consequence of poverty， and also one of its causes. Hunger exists because many countries lack social safety nets. In many countries， women， although they do most of the farming， do not have as much access as men to training， credit or land.

Conflict， governance systems that do not encourage investment in agriculture， poor management of land and natural resources， lack of educational opportunity， displacement of small farmers by natural disasters， and financial and economic difficulties that remove jobs at the lowest levels， all contribute to creating conditions that push the poorest into hunger.

Over the past decade， a global push to reduce hunger and extreme poverty has marked some significant successes， thanks in part to the efforts of numerous international and transnational institutions， foundations， NGOs and governments.

Let us not forget that with some 815 million people still living in daily food insecurity， we still have a long way to go before we can safely say that no child goes to bed hungrily most nights and that no parent skimps on （节省） their own dinner so the children can eat.

1. The three deadly diseases are mentioned in paragraph 1 to stress                .

A. hunger is as critical a problem as they are

B. disease is still the leading cause of death

C. hunger remains to be a rather serious problem

D. disease goes hand in hand with starvation

2. Paragraphs 3， 4 and 5 are intended to tell us                .

A. poor management in agriculture

B. reasons for low food production

C. consequences caused by hunger

D. various contributors to hunger

3. What is the authors attitude to the world starvation issue？

A. Pessimistic. B. Reserved.

C. Concerned. D. Ambiguous.

B

Have you ever heard of agritourism where you can experience farm life？ If not， Dr Cindy Ayers⁃Elliott will tell you the real story of Foot Print Farms.

The original concept of building Foot Print Farms was simple. When Ayers⁃Elliott returned to her hometown after graduation， she didnt have to look any further than her states alarming health statistics to find a mission. Everywhere she went， there were reports of high blood pressure， obesity and heart disease. “The problem was already identified，” explains Ayers⁃Elliott. “Too many Mississippians were seriously unhealthy and it didnt take research to see that. And many of the states greatest health challenges could directly result from poor diet.”

These days， Foot Print Farms， which started with a few raised beds of herbs and vegetables， is making fresh， naturally grown food. “Speaking of the key to my success， the cooperative model works because we share the work and rewards，” notes Ayers⁃Elliott. “A perfect example is the Wingfield High School football team. To earn the money for equipment and other items， players committed to working five hours a week on the farm， and by the end of the summer theyd produced 1，000 melons and the profits from their sales helped to buy weights， T⁃shirts， sweatsuits and pregame meals. But the lessons they learned about the rewards of hard work and working together to accomplish something were even more valuable products of their efforts.”

“Its a model that can easily be learned in other places and Im looking forward to seeing some of our current partners do just that—to take what they have learned here and spin it off in other communities，” remarks Ayers⁃Elliott. She is now looking forward to developing an agritourism area to the farm， where visitors can experience farm life， learn new skills and take with them seeds of inspiration they can sow in their own communities when they return home.

4. What made Ayers⁃Elliott set up Foot Print Farms？

A. The problems faced by local farmers.

B. Her further research into heart disease.

C. The failure of her career after graduation.

D. The health state of people in her hometown.