Lindsay Renwick, the mayor of Deniliquin, a country town in New South Wales, misses the constant whir of the rice mill whose giant fans dried the rice. The Deniliquin mill, the largest rice mill in the Southern Hemisphere, once processed enough grain to meet the needs of 20 million people globally. But six years of drought have had a destructive effect, reducing Australia’s rice crop by 98 percent and leading to the mothballing of the mill last December.
Drought affects every agriculture industry based in Australia, not just rice – from sheep farming, the country’s other backbone, to the cultivation of grapes for wine, the fastest-growing crop there, with that expansion often coming at the expense of rice. The drought’s effect on rice has produced the greatest impact on the rest of the world, so far. It is one factor contributing to skyrocketing prices, and many scientists believe it is among the earliest signs that a warming planet is starting to affect food production.
Researchers are looking for solutions to global rice shortages – for example, rice that blooms earlier in the day, when it is cooler, to fight against global warming. Rice plants that happen to bloom on hot days are less likely to produce grains of rice, a difficulty that is already starting to emerge in inland areas of China and other Asian countries as temperatures begin to climb. “There will be problems very soon unless we have new varieties of rice in place,” said Reiner Wassmann, climate change director at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The recent reports on climate change carried a warning that could make the news even worse: that existing models for the effects of climate change on agriculture did not yet include newer findings that global warming could reduce rainfall and make it more variable.
Meanwhile, changes like the use of water to grow wine grapes instead of rice carry their own costs, as the developing world is discovering. "Rice is an essential food," sail Graeme Haley, the general manager of the town of Deniliquin. "Wine is not."
Yet the effects of climate change are not uniformly bad for rice. Rising concentrations (浓度) of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, can actually help rice – although the effect reduces or disappears if the plants face unnecessary heat, inadequate water, severe pollution or other stresses. Still, the flexibility of farmers here has persuaded some climate experts that, particularly in developed countries, the effects of climate change may be relieved, if not completely avoided. “I’m not as negative as most people,” said Will Steffen, director of the Fenner School of Environment and Society at Australian National University. “Farmers are learning how to do things differently.”
Phenomenon | Six years of drought has reduced Australia’s rice crop by 98%, leaving the largest rice mill 1. |
2.of climate change on agriculture | ◎Every Australian agriculture industry is affected, sheep farming 3. ◎The cultivation of grapes for wine may stop 4. owing to a shortage of rice. ◎Rice prices are rising 5. . ◎Food production will be reduced for a recent report reveals that global warming may reduce rainfall and cause it to 6. more often. |
7.to global rice shortages | ◎8. old types with a new variety of rice that blooms earlier when it is cooler. ◎Use water instead of rice to grow wine. |
Some good news | ◎Rice can actually 9. by the rising concentration of carbon dioxide and the main greenhouse gas. ◎Though the effects of climate change are 10., farmers are flexible and can do things differently . |
1.It was a good concert --- I enjoyed the last song in _______________. (尤其)
2.Some people think that cloning human beings is totally immoral. If we toy with nature, we will have to deal with the ___________.(后果)
3.There is no doubt that the smart phone has greatly t____________ our lives and society.
4.Friendships between girls are usually a ____________ in shared feelings and support, but friendships between boys are based on shared activities or interests.
5.I'll __________(确认) your reservation as soon as possible, Mr. White.
6.Two projects were set up and one of them was aimed at water and soil c__________.
7.We believe that the efforts of the Chinese government and the Chinese people to protect this much-loved river will be a___________ for years to come by our future generations.
8.The company lost its biggest customer and that was a c_____________ for its future.
9.Some children get a __________(内疚)conscience about not learning enough lessons.
10.It's impossible to predict the weather _____________. (精确地)
Gus Wenner runs Rollingstone.com; his father gave him the job. But Jann Wenner, the magazine's cofounder and publisher, was quick to assure critics of the appointment process that his son is terribly talented and had to prove himself before being given the post. Apparently Gus worked his way up from more junior positions with the company, and demonstrated, according to his father, the “drive and discipline and charm, and all the things that show leadership.” Gus Wenner is 22 years old.
He is certainly not the only kid out of college, or even out of high school, working at daddy's firm. Family contacts are a common way of finding both temporary internships and longtime careers. Opportunities for the children of top 1 percent are not the same as they are for the 99 percent.
This is hardly a shock, but it is precisely the type of inequality that reveals the hard to define promise of the “Just Do It” version of the American dream and deepens our cynicism(愤世嫉俗) about how people get ahead. As a consequence, it weakens support for public policies that could address the lack of upward mobility among children born at the bottom, who ought to be given priority. A strong tie between adult outcomes and family background annoys Americans. When an organization conducted a nationally representative survey asking about the meaning of “the American dream”， some typical answers included: “Being free to say or do what you want” and “Being free to accomplish almost anything you want with hard work.”but also “Being able to succeed regardless of the economic circumctances in which you were born.”
This is exactly the reason that “the American dream” is not only a defining metaphor for the country, but also why Americans have long been willing to tolerate a good deal more economic inequality than citizens of many other rich countries. A belief in the possibility of upward mobility not only morally justifies inequality as the expression of talents and energies, but also extends a promise to those with lower incomes. After all, why would you be a strong advocate for reducing inequality if you believe that you, or eventually your children, were likely to climb the income ladder?
Hard work and perseverance(毅力) will always be ingredients for success, but higher inequality has made having successful parents, if not essential, certainly a central part of the recipe.
The belief that talent is something you are born with, and that opportunities are open to anyone with ambition and energy, also has a dangerous consequence. When the public policy is focused on the difficult situation of the poor, this belief can help the concept resurface that the poor are “undeserving” and are the authors of their own situation. Yet we actually know a good deal about why children of the poor have a higher chance of being stuck on poverty as adults.
The recipes for breaking this intergenerational trap are clear: a nurturing(培养) environment in the early years combined with accessible and highquality health care and education promote the capacities of young children, heighten the development of their skills as they grow older, and eventually raise their chances of upward mobility.
Talent is nurtured and developed, and even genes are expressed differently depending upon environmental influences.
The 1 percent are the goal for these uppermiddleclass families, who after all have also experienced significant growth in their relative standing. The graduate and other higher degrees that they hold, for which they put in considerable effort, have put them on the upside of the wave of globalization and technical change that has transformed the American job market.
An age of higher inequality gives them both more resources to promote the capacities of their children, and more encouragement to make these investments since their children now have all the more to gain.
For them, an American dream based on effort and talent still lives, and as a result they are less likely, with their considerable cultural and political influence, to support the reshaping of American public policy to meet its most pressing need: the future of those at the bottom.
1.What do we know about Gus Wenner?
A. He will prove himself competent in the future.
B. He has some work experience in the company.
C. He is the cofounder and publisher of the magazine.
D. He is too young to be in charge of the company.
2.The phenomenon illustrated by the appointment of Gus Wenner ________.
A. stops people from dreaming the American dream
B. encourages the government to carry out public policies
C. reduces the level of people's tolerance of economic inequality
D. narrows the possibilities of people at the bottom moving upward
3.By saying “Being able to succeed regardless of the economic circumstances in which you were born，” the respondents of the survey ________.
A. showed their upset about the inequality
B. expressed their gratitude for the fairness
C. indicated their determination to succeed
D. gave their satisfaction with the circumstances
4.We can infer from the passage that the public policy for the poor faces opposition from ________.
A. the lower class B. all classes of society
C. the top one percent D. the upper middle class
5.What is the best title for the passage?
A. How old are you? B. What is your talent?
C. Who is your daddy? D. Where is your future?
If a diver surfaces too quickly, he may suffer the bends. Nitrogen(氮) dissolved(溶解) in his blood is suddenly liberated by the reduction of pressure. The consequence, if the bubbles (气泡)accumulate in a joint, is sharp pain and a bent body—thus the name. If the bubbles form in his lungs or his brain, the consequence can be death.
Other air-breathing animals also suffer this decompression(减压) sickness if they surface too fast: whales, for example. And so, long ago, did ichthyosaurs. That these ancient sea animals got the bends can be seen from their bones. If bubbles of nitrogen form inside the bone they can cut off its blood supply. This kills the cells in the bone, and consequently weakens it, sometimes to the point of collapse. Fossil (化石)bones that have caved in on them selves are thus a sign that the animal once had the bends.
Bruce Rothschild of the University of Kansas knew all this when he began a study of ichthyosaur bones to find out how widespread the problem was in the past. What he particularly wanted to investigate was how ichthyosaurs adapted to the problem of decompression over the 150 million years. To this end, he and his colleagues traveled the world’s natural-history museums, looking at hundreds of ichthyosaurs from the Triassic period and from the later Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.
When he started, he assumed that signs of the bends would be rarer in younger fossils, reflecting their gradual evolution of measures to deal with decompression. Instead, he was astonished to discover the opposite. More than 15% of Jurassic and Cretaceous ichthyosaurs had suffered the bends before they died, but not a single Triassic specimen(标本) showed evidence of that sort of injury.
If ichthyosaurs did evolve an anti-decompression means, they clearly did so quickly—and, most strangely, they lost it afterwards. But that is not what Dr Rothschild thinks happened. He suspects it was evolution in other animals that caused the change.
Whales that suffer the bends often do so because they have surfaced to escape a predator (捕食动物) such as a large shark. One of the features of Jurassic oceans was an abundance of large sharks and crocodiles, both of which were fond of ichthyosaur lunches. Triassic oceans, by contrast, were mercifully shark- and crocodile-free. In the Triassic, then, ichthyosaurs were top of the food chain. In the Jurassic and Cretaceous, they were prey(猎物) as well as predator—and often had to make a speedy exit as a result.
1.Which of the following is a typical symptom of the bends?
A. A twisted body. B. A gradual decrease in blood supply.
C. A sudden release of nitrogen in blood. D. A drop in blood pressure.
2.The purpose of Rothschild’s study is to see________ .
A. how often ichthyosaurs caught the bends B. how ichthyosaurs adapted to decompression
C. why ichthyosaurs bent their bodies D. when ichthyosaurs broke their bones
3.Rothschild’sfindingstatedinParagraph4 .
A. confirmed his assumption B. speeded up his research process
C. disagreed with his assumption D. changed his research objectives
4.Rothschild might have concluded that ichthyosaurs.
A. failed to evolve an anti decompression means
B. gradually developed measures against the bends
C. died out because of large sharks and crocodiles
D. evolved an anti decompression means but soon lost it
Why College Is Not Home
The college years are supposed to be a time for important growth in autonomy(自主性) and the development of adult identity. However, now they are becoming an extended period of adolescence, during which many of today’s students are not shouldered with adult responsibilities.
For previous generations, college was a decisive break from parental control; guidance and support needed to come from people of the same age and from within. In the past two decades, however, continued connection with and dependence on family, thanks to cell phones, email and social media, have increased significantly. Some parents go so far as to help with coursework. Instead of promoting the idea of college as a passage from the shelter of the family to autonomy and adult responsibility, universities have given in to the idea that they should provide the same environment as that of the home.
To prepare for increased autonomy and responsibility, college needs to be a time of exploration and experimentation. This process involves ＂trying on＂ new ways of thinking about oneself both intellectually(在思维方面)and personally. While we should provide ＂safe spaces＂ within colleges, we must also make it safe to express opinions and challenge majority views. Intellectual growth and flexibility are fostered by strict debate and questioning.
Learning to deal with the social world is equally important. Because a college community(群体) differs from the family, many students will struggle to find a sense of belonging. If students rely on administrators to regulate their social behavior and thinking pattern, they are not facing the challenge of finding an identity within a larger and complex community.
Moreover, the tendency for universities to monitor and shape student behavior runs up against another characteristic of young adults: the response to being controlled by their elders. If acceptable social behavior is too strictly defined(规定) and controlled, the insensitive or aggressive behavior that administrators are seeking to minimize may actually be encouraged.
It is not surprising that young people are likely to burst out, particularly when there are reasons to do so. Our generation once joined hands and stood firm at times of national emergency. What is lacking today is the conflict between adolescents’ desire for autonomy and their understanding of an unsafe world. Therefore, there is the desire for their dorms to be replacement homes and not places to experience intellectual growth.
Every college discussion about community values, social climate and behavior should include recognition of the developmental importance of student autonomy and self-regulation, of the necessary tension between safety and self-discovery.
1.What’s the author’s attitude toward continued parental guidance to college students?
A. Sympathetic. B. Disapproving.
C. Supportive. D. Neutral.
2.The underlined word ＂passage＂ in Paragraph 2 means___________.
A. change B. choice
C. text D. extension
3.According to the author, what role should college play?
A. To develop a shared identity among students.
B. To define and regulate students’ social behavior.
C. To provide a safe world without tension for students.
D. To foster students’ intellectual and personal development.
4.Which of the following shows the development of ideas in the passage?
A. 
B. 
C. 
D. 
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