Question

Bananas, always the fashion victims of the produce section, are wearing another new label this spring．Bananas with “Fair Trade Certified” stickers have been available in the United States since October．They represent the new front of an international effort to help first-world consumers improve the living standards of the third-world farmers who grow much of their food．

　　By expanding its reach to the produce section, Fair Trade is now trying to reach the American supermarket shopper．Fair Trade deals directly with farmer cooperatives (合作社)．It helps organize, avoiding brokers (代理人) and middlemen．It guarantees higher prices for the farmers' goods and helps them set up schools and health clinics．

　　The Fair Trade movement took root in Europe in the 1990's as a way of supporting coffee farmers as prices were collapsing．Since Fair Trade began, more than a million coffee growers and other farmers have joined cooperatives that sell their products through Fair Trade channels instead of directly to a commercial producer．

　　Not everyone is greeting the Fair Trade label with open arms．Several American coffee importers recently pulled out of Fair Trade, saying TransFair's “corporate friendly” policies that allow large companies to use the Fair Trade logo in their marketing even if only a small amount of the company's overall purchases are Fair Trade certified．

　　Edmund LaMacchia, the national produce coordinator(协调员) for Whole Foods, said Fair Trade is only one of many consumer choices．“Whole Foods has its own team of inspectors and has no plans to carry Fair Trade products”, Mr．LaMacchia said．“Our standards are higher than Fair Trade's, actually．” Fair Trade is only one of several labels your bananas might be wearing this year．Another is that of the Rainforest Alliance, which certifies the use of sustainable(可持续发展) agriculture methods．

　So far, though, Fair Trade is the biggest．A Fair Trade label by itself does not guarantee an organic product, but most Fair Trade bananas are also organic, Ms．Bourque said, because pesticides are usually too costly for the small farmers who grow them．If the bananas are organic, they will be labeled as such, and will probably be wearing a sticker to prove it．

1.Why are bananas wearing “Fair Trade Certified” stickers?

A. It represents an international effort to help the third-world farmers．

B. It means bananas have got a new label．

C. It means bananas with these stickers are available in the United States．

D. It means bananas are the fashion victims of the produce section．

2.What does Fair Trade do?

A. It appoints brokers and middlemen to deal with farmer cooperatives．

B. It brings down the price of farmers' goods．

C. It sets up schools and health clinics for American farmers．

D. It helps farmers sell their products for a higher profit．

3.What was the original purpose of the Fair trade movement?

A) To cooperate with coffee growers and other farmers.

B) To help coffee farmers as prices were collapsing.

C) To prevent farmers from selling their products to commercial producers.

D) To sell products through coffee growers and other farmers.

4.What can we infer from this passage?

A. American coffee importers will never buy their products through Fair Trade channels．

B. Fair Trade is the only label that bananas might be wearing this year．

C. Not every consumer considers Fair Trade products the only choice．

D. Whole Foods and the Rainforest Alliance are more influential than Fair Trade．

5.What is the best title for this passage?

A. Consumers Face More Choices

B. Fair Trade － the Best Sticker

C. The Fair Trade Movement

D. Helping the Third World：One Banana at a Time

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.B

4.C

5.D

【解析】这篇短文主要讲述了帮助第三世界—香蕉时代。帮助农民的利益。

1.细节理解 根据文中They represent the new front of an international effort to help first-world consumers improve the living standards of the third-world farmers who grow much of their food.可知，它代表了帮助第三世界农民。故选A。

2.细节理解 根据文中Fair Trade deals directly with farmer cooperatives (合作社)．It helps organize, avoiding brokers (代理人) and middlemen．It guarantees higher prices for the farmers' goods and helps them set up schools and health clinics.可知，它帮助农民销售他们的产品以获得更高的利润。故选D。

3.细节理解 根据文中Since Fair Trade began, more than a million coffee growers and other farmers have joined cooperatives that sell their products through Fair Trade channels instead of directly to a commercial producer.可知，在价格崩溃的时候，帮助种植咖啡的农民。故选B。

4.细节理解 通读整篇短文可知，不是每个消费者都认为公平贸易产品是唯一的选择。故选C。

5.标题归纳 通读整篇短文可知，这篇短文主要讲述了帮助第三世界的农民们。故选D。