Most of us probably live without vegetables, but a world without chocolate? Now that would be hard! According to chocolate makers it could happen if we don’t act soon.
There are two main causes of the chocolate shortage --- chocolate’s growing popularity and less production of cocoa, the plant from which chocolate is made. With more and more people in India and China loving chocolate, not much can be done about the first cause.
Therefore, the only thing we can do is to increase cocoa production. However, new plant diseases and little rain in Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world’s largest producers, have reduced cocoa production by 40 percent in the past 10 years. What’s worse, many cocoa farmers in Africa and other cocoa-producing countries like Indonesia and Venezuela are changing to easier-to-grow crops such as corn or rubber. This way, the farmers can make more money.
To prevent more farmers from changing, researchers at the newly opened International Cocoa Control Centre, in the UK, are trying to create new cocoa plants that are stronger and faster growing. But first they must make sure the new plants are safe to grow. This takes a long time.
First, each new plant is stored at the Control Centre for six months to make sure it is healthy. It is then planted in the Centre’s fields, studied and tested for another two years. Only after scientists are certain that they’re disease-free, will the plants be sent to farmers in West Africa or wherever else they are needed.
To create new stronger types of cocoa, scientists at the Centre are combining the best parts from different cocoa plants. Though the world is facing a serious chocolate shortage, there is now hope!
1.The first paragraph tells us that______.
A. chocolate is healthier than vegetables
B. the world could soon be without chocolate
C. people love vegetables more than chocolate
D. it’s not necessary to eat so much chocolate
2.In which countries has chocolate become more popular in recent years?
A. Venezuela and Indonesia. B. Ivory Coast and Ghana.
C. Indonesia and China. D. China and India.
3.Cocoa farmers are choosing to grow rubber and corn because these crops______.
A. can make them more money
B. need less rain to grow
C. can be planted more times each year
D. are not damaged by plant diseases
4. How long does it take scientists at the Centre to make sure a cocoa plant is safe to grow?
A. 6 months. B. 12 months. C. 24 months. D. 30 months.
5.What is one of the purposes of the Cocoa Control Centre?
A. To introduce cocoa production to more countries.
B. To provide more chocolate for British people.
C. To produce stronger types of cocoa plants.
D. To make sure that cocoa is healthy to eat.
This is a tale of two friends --- one is blind, the other has no arms. On their own, the two are “disabled”. But together, they are a powerful team that has changed part of their village in North China’s Hebei Province into a rich, green forest. Meet 53-year-old Jia Haixia and Jia Wenqi!
Their story began in 2000, when Haixia, who was already blind in his right eye, lost his left one after an illness. Wenqi lost his arms in an accident when he was just three. Neither
could find a job, so the two decided to team up. They rented some poor land and began to plant trees. In return, the local officials paid them a small fee. Haixia and Wenqi never imagined that they would end up creating an environmental paradise. Their forest now has over 10,000 trees, hundreds of birds and many other wild animals. In addition, it saves the village from river flooding during the rainy season. When the friends work together, they focus on their strengths not their disabilities. Their day begins at 7 a.m. when the sightless Haixia carries Wenqi across the river to get to their worksite. Since they cannot afford to buy young trees to plant, the two use branches from existing trees. Haixia climbs to the tree-top and with Wenqi’s direction, selects the perfect branch. He then digs a hole and carefully plants it. Finally Wenqi waters the area.
Though hard-working, the men don’t make much money. But as Wenqi puts it, “We stand on our own feet, so the fruits of our work taste sweeter.”
Neither Haixia nor Wenqi cares about money. Together, they already have everything they need --- a perfect pair of eyes, two strong hands, and the best friendship in the world!
1.Why did Haixia and Wenqi start working together?
A. Haixia needed someone to help him.
B. They both needed a way to make money.
C. They wanted to improve the environment.
D. They were required to do so by local offcials.
2.Haixia and Wenqi’s forest has helped the village by______ .
A. stopping floods in the rainy season
B. increasing the number of tourists
C. making the villagers richer
D. providing more farmland
3.Why do Haixia and Wenqi plant tree branches?
A. They are easy to get.
B. They do not cost money.
C. They can grow very quickly.
D. They are preferred by animals.
4.In paragraph 5, when Wenqi says “We stand on our own feet, so the fruits of our work taste sweeter”, he means that “______”.
A. they hope to make the forest even better
B. the fruits from their trees are very sweet
C. they are proud not to depend on others
D. they are able to do any difficult work
5.What can we learn from this story?
A. Never give up and you will succeed.
B. We should help the disabled to work.
C. Try your best when facing difficulties.
D. We can achieve more with teamwork.
完形填空（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分） 阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36~45各题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Kierman was born in Sydney, Australia, and grew up near the sea. For more than 40 years, he raced in international sailing competitions.
In 1987, Kierman was competing in an around-the-world race when he began to the huge amount of rubbish in the world’s oceans. When he returned to Australia, he to do something about it.
He organized a community called “Clean Up Sydney Harbour.” On Sunday, January 8, 1989, more than 40,000 volunteers came out to away rubbish. The next year, Kierman made the clean-up a national event. It was a huge . Across Australia, about 300,000 people spent the day improving their local .
Since then, “Clean Up Australia” has got every year. In 2002, for example,800,000 people cleaned up almost 15,000 tons of rubbish from Australia’s beaches, parks and streets.
Kierman was with the success of his project. In 2003, he started an even bigger program. With the of the United Nations Environment Program, he introduced “Clean Up the World”, an international program that supports communities around the world in cleaning up and protecting the environment. “Clean Up the World” has grown and his wonderful idea has now spread from one city to the whole world.
1.A. save B. collect C. notice D. produce
2.A. refused B. decided C. pretended D. stopped
3.A. law B. party C. company D. event
4.A. clear B. send C. turn D. give
5.A. problem B. success C. surprise D. failure
6.A. culture B. project C. government D. environment
7.A. older B. smaller C. bigger D. faster
8.A. happy B. angry C. disappointed D. concerned
9.A. need B. help C. hope D. action
10.A. loudly B. gently C. rapidly D. busily
语法选择（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分） 阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，从1~20各题所给的A、B、C和D项中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Once, a king loved music so much that he searched the world for the best instrument. One day, a magic man the king a harp(竖琴).
The king took it to the palace, but he played it, the harp sounded terrible. Many people tried it. They agreed that the harp was and the king had been fooled. The harp was thrown out as rubbish.
A poor little girl found the harp, and even though she didn’t know how it, she decided to have a try. She played and played, the whole day through, for months and years. The music she produced was never perfect, each time it sounded a little better.
Then one day, suddenly, the harp started to play the most beautiful music. It was in fact magic harp, and could only be played well by someone who would put in the necessary effort.
The king heard the music from his window, and called the girl to the palace. When the king saw that she was playing his old harp, he was filled joy. At that moment he made the girl his own private , giving her and her family many riches.
1.A. offer B. offers C. offered D. has offered
2.A. when B. before C. if D. because
3.A. another B. other C. others D. the other
4.A. used B. using C. useless D. uselessness
5.A. late B. lately C. latest D. later
6.A. played B. to play C. playing D. to playing
7.A. so B. and C. or D. but
8.A. a B. an C. the D. /
9.A. in B. of C. by D. with
10.A. music B. musical C. musician D. musically
Could you tell me ______ a moment ago?
A. what were they talking about
B. what are they talking about
C. what they were talking about
D. what they are talking about
--- ______will the invitations be sent to our guests? --- In three days.
A. How often B. How soon C. How long D. How far
