Question

As people slowly learn to cure diseases, control floods, prevent hunger, and stop wars, fewer people die every year. As a result, the population of the world is becoming larger. In 1925 there were about 2 billion people in the world; today there are over 6 billion.

When the number rises, extra mouths must be fed. New lands must be brought under development, or land already farmed must be made to produce more crops. In some areas the land is so over-developed that it will be difficult to make it provide more crops. In some areas the population is so large that the land is divided into too tiny units to make improvement possible with farming methods. If a large part of this farming population went into industrial work, the land might be farmed much more productively (多产地) with modern methods.

There is now a race for science, technology, and industry to keep the output of food rising faster than the number of people to be fed. New types of crops, which will grow well in bad weather, are being developed, so there are now farms beyond the Arctic Circle in Siberia and North America. Irrigation (灌溉) and dry-farming methods bring poor lands under the plough. Dams hold back the waters of great rivers, which can provide water for the fields in all seasons and provide electric power for new industries. Industrial chemistry provides fertilizer to suit different soils. Every year, some new methods are made to increase or to protect the food of the world.

1.The author says that the world population is increasing because _____.

A．there are many rich valleys and large fields

B．farmers are producing more crops than before

C．people are living longer due to better living conditions

D．new lands are being made into farmlands

2.The author says that in areas with large populations, land might be more productively farmed if _____.

A．the land was divided into smaller pieces

B．people moved into the countryside

C．industrial methods were used in farming

D．the units of land were much larger

3.We are told that there are now farms beyond the Arctic Circle. This has been made possible by _____.

A．growing new types of crops               B．irrigation and dry-farming means

C．providing fertilizers                      D．destroying pests and diseases

4. Why do some people use dams to hold back waters from great rivers?

A．To develop a new kind of dry-farming methods.

B．To prevent crops from floods.

C．To provide water and electricity in all seasons.

D．To water poor lands in bad weather.

Answer

1.C

2.C

3.A

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：本文是一篇说明文，说明了随着人口的增长，新的土地必须得到发展或土地耕种必须产生更多的作物。科学、技术、产业保证粮食增长

1.细节题。由第一段第一句As people slowly learn to cure diseases, control floods, prevent hunger, and stop wars, fewer people die every year可以知道答案，故选C。

2.细节题。由第三段第一句There is now a race for science, technology, and industry to keep the output of food rising faster than the number of people to be fed可以知道答案，故选C。

3.细节题。由第三段第二行New types of crops, which will grow well in bad weather, are being developed, so there are now farms beyond the Arctic Circle in Siberia and North America.可以知道答案，故选A。

4.细节题。由最后一段倒数第四行which can provide water for the fields in all seasons and provide electric power for new industries.故选C。

考点：社会现象类阅读