Question

    Some of the world’s most significant problems never hit headlines. One example comes from agriculture. Food unrest and hunger make news. But the trend lying behind these matters is rarely talked about. This is the decline in the growth in production of some of the world’s major crops. A new study by the University of Minnesota and McGill University in Montreal looks at where, and how far, this decline is occurring.

The authors study the four most important crops: rice, wheat, corn and soybeans. They find that the improvement in yields that took place before the 1980s slowed down in the 1990s and 2000s.

There are two worrying features of the slowdown. One is that it has been particularly sharp in the world’s most populous (人口多的) countries, India and China. Their ability to feed themselves has been an important source of relative stability both within the countries and on world food markets. That self-sufficiency cannot be taken for granted if yields continue to slow down.

Second, production growth has been lower in wheat and rice than in corn and soybeans. This is problematic because wheat and rice are more important as foods, accounting for around half of all calories consumed. Corn and soybeans are more important as feed grains. The authors note that “We have preferentially focused our crop improvement efforts on feeding animals and cars rather than on crops that feed people and are the basis of food security in much of the world.”

The report qualifies the more optimistic findings of another new paper which suggests that the world will not have to dig up a lot more land for farming in order to feed 9 billion people in 2050, as the Food and Agriculture Organisation has argued.

Instead, it says, thanks to slowing population growth, land currently ploughed up for crops might be able to revert (回返) to forest or wilderness. This could happen. The trouble is that the forecast assumes continued improvements in production, which may not actually happen.

1.What does the author try to draw attention to?

A.Food riots and hunger in the world.

B.News headlines in the leading media.

C.The decline of the grain production growth.

D.The food supply in populous countries.

2.Why does the author mention India and China in particular?

A.Their self-sufficiency is vital to the stability of world food markets.

B.Their food yields have begun to decrease sharply in recent years.

C.Their big populations are causing worldwide concerns.

D.Their food self-sufficiency has been taken for granted.

3.What does the Food and Agriculture Organization say about world food production in the coming decades?

A.The growing population will greatly increase the pressure on world food supplies.

B.The optimistic prediction about food production should be viewed with caution.

C.The slowdown of the growth in yields of major food crops will be reversed.

D.The world will be able to feed its population without increasing farmland.

4.How does the author view the argument of the Food and Agriculture Organisation?

A.It is built on the findings of a new study.

B.It is based on a doubtful assumption.

C.It is backed by strong evidence.

D.It is open to further discussion.

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.D

4.B

【解析】

这是一篇议论文。文章主要讲了世界上一些最重要的问题从未登上头条。一个例子来自农业。粮食动荡和饥饿成为新闻。但这些事情背后的趋势却很少被谈及，世界上一些主要农作物产量增长的下降是一个很紧迫的问题。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段This is the decline in the growth in production of some of the world’s major crops. A new study by the University of Minnesota and McGill University in Montreal looks at where, and how far, this decline is occurring.（这是世界上一些主要农作物产量增长的下降。明尼苏达大学和蒙特利尔麦吉尔大学的一项新研究着眼于这种下降是在何处、以及在多大程度上发生的）由此可知，作者试图引起人们注意粮食产量增长的下降。故选C。

2.推理判断题。根据第三段One is that it has been particularly sharp in the world’s most populous (人口多的) countries, India and China. Their ability to feed themselves has been an important source of relative stability both within the countries and on world food markets. That self-sufficiency cannot be taken for granted if yields continue to slow down.（一个是，在世界上人口最多的国家——印度和中国，这种趋势尤为明显。他们自给自足的能力一直是国家内部和世界粮食市场相对稳定的一个重要来源。如果产量继续下降，这种自给自足就不能被视为理所当然）由此推断出，作者特别提到了印度和中国是因为它们的自给自足对世界粮食市场的稳定至关重要。故选A。

3.细节理解题。根据倒数第二段The report qualifies the more optimistic findings of another new paper which suggests that the world will not have to dig up a lot more land for farming in order to feed 9 billion people in 2050, as the Food and Agriculture Organisation has argued.（该报告证实了另一篇新论文中较为乐观的发现，即如联合国粮农组织所言，到2050年，为了养活90亿人口，世界将不必开辟更多的耕地）由此可知，联合国粮农组织认为，在未来几十年，世界将能够在不增加耕地的情况下养活其人口。故选D。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段Instead, it says, thanks to slowing population growth, land currently ploughed up for crops might be able to revert (回返) to forest or wilderness. This could happen. The trouble is that the forecast assumes continued improvements in production, which may not actually happen.（相反，它说，由于人口增长放缓，目前用于种植作物的土地可能会恢复成森林或荒野。这可能发生。问题在于，该预测假定生产将持续改善，但实际情况可能并非如此）由此推断出，作者认为粮农组织的观点是基于一个可疑的假设。故选B。