Question

Seeds on Ice

Close to the North Pole，remote and rocky Plateau Mountain in the Norwegian archipelago of

Svalbard seems an unlikely spot for any global effort to safeguard agriculture. In this cold and deserted environment，no grains，no gardens，no trees can grow. Yet at the end of a 130-meter-long tunnel cut out of solid stone is a room filled with humanity’s most precious treasure, the largest and most diverse seed collection—more than a half-billion seeds.

A quiet rescue mission is under way. With growing evidence that unchecked climate change-will seriously affect food production and threaten the diversity （多样性） of crops around the world，the Svalbard Global Seed Vault （地窖） represents a major step towards ensuring the preservation （贮藏） of hundreds of thousands of crop varieties. This is a seed collection, but more importantly, it is a collection of the traits found within the seeds：the genes that give one variety resistance to a particular pest and another variety tolerance for hot，dry weather.

Few people will ever see or come into contact with the contents of this vault. In sealed boxes，behind multiple locked doors，monitored by electronic security systems, enveloped in below—zero temperatures, and surrounded by tons of rock, hundreds of millions of seeds are protected in their mountain fortress. Frozen in such conditions inside the mountain, seeds of most major crops will remain viable for hundreds of years, or longer. Seeds of some are capable of retaining （保留） their ability to grow for thousands of years.

Everyone can look back now and say that the Seed Vault was a good and obvious idea, and that of course the Norwegian government should have approved and funded it. But back in 2004, when the Seed Vault was proposed, it was viewed as a crazy，impractical, and expensive idea.

We knew that nothing would provide a definite guarantee. But we were tired，fed up，and frankly scared of the steady, greater losses of crop diversity. The Seed Vault was built by optimists who wanted to do something to preserve options so that humanity and its crops might be better prepared for change. If it simply resupplied seed gene banks with samples those gene banks had lost, this would repay our efforts.

The Seed Vault is about hope and commitrnent - about what can be done if countries come together and work cooperatively to accomplish something significant，long-lasting，and worthy of who we are and wish to be.

1.According to the passage, the Seed Vault is ___________.

A. a tunnel where the collected seeds are displayed

B. a stone room that contains the seeds of endangered crops

C. a seed gene bank that stores diverse seeds for future agriculture

D. a lab where researchers study how to maintain the diversity of crops

2.The underlined word“viable”in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.

A. mature    B. clean

C. alive    D. valuable

3.Paragraph 3 mainly tells us __________.

A. how the seeds are preserved    B. where people keep the seeds

C. why the seeds are protected    D. what people do to study the seeds

4.We can know from the passage that _________.

A. the Seed Vault offers a solution to climate change

B. most countries took part in rescuing the seed varieties

C. the Seed Vault guarantees to prevent the loss of crop diversity

D. many people originally considered building the Seed Vault unwise

Answer

1. C

2. C

3. A

4. D

【解析】

这是一篇科普类阅读。文章介绍了种子基因库，为未来的农业储存多种种子的地方。

1.推理判断题。答案定位在第三段Frozen in such conditions inside the mountain, seeds of most major crops will remain viable for hundreds of years, or longer. Seeds of some are capable of retaining （保留） their ability to grow for thousands of years.（在这样的条件下，大多数主要农作物的种子在山里被冻住，可以存活数百年，甚至更长时间。有些种子能够保持它们生长数千年的能力。）由此推断出Seed Vault是一个种子基因库，为未来的农业储存多种种子，故选C。

2.词义猜测题。下文Seeds of some are capable of retaining （保留） their ability to grow for thousands of years.说有些种子能够保持它们生长数千年的能力。由此推断出上文的意思是在这样的条件下，大多数主要农作物的种子都能在山中保存数百年。“viable”的意思是活着的，A. mature成熟的；B. clean干净的；C. alive活着的；D. valuable有价值的，故选C。

3.段落大意题。答案定位在第三段In sealed boxes，behind multiple locked doors，monitored by electronic security systems, enveloped in below—zero temperatures, and surrounded by tons of rock, hundreds of millions of seeds are protected in their mountain fortress.（在密封的盒子里,在多个锁着的门后面,由电子安全系统监控,笼罩在零下的温度,被许多岩石包围,数以百万计的种子被山中堡垒所保护。）由此可知，这一段主要讲了种子是如何被保存的，故选A。

4.推理判断题。答案定位在倒数第三段But back in 2004, when the Seed Vault was proposed, it was viewed as a crazy，impractical, and expensive idea.（但早在2004年,提出了种子库时,它被视为一个疯狂的,不切实际的,和昂贵的想法）由此推断出最初，许多人认为修建种子库是不明智的，故选D。