Bananas are one of the world’ s most important food crops. They are also one of the most valuable exports. Bananas do not grow from seeds. Instead, they grow from existing plants. Bananas are threatened by disease because all the plants on a farm are copies of each other. They all share the same genetic weaknesses. For example, the Cavendish banana is most popular in North American and European markets. However,some kinds of fungus organisms easily infect the Cavendish. Black Sigatoka disease affects the leaves of Cavendish banana plants. The disease is controlled on large farms by putting chemicals on the plant’ s leaves. Farmers put anti-fungal chemicals on their crops up to once a week.
Another fungal disease is more serious. Panama disease attacks the roots of the banana plant. There is no chemical treatment for this disease. Infected plants must be destroyed. Panama disease has affected crops in Southeast Asia, Australia and South Africa. There is concern that it may spread to bananas grown in the Americas. This could threaten an important export product for Central and South America.
The International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain supports research on bananas. The group has headquarters in France and other offices in the major banana-growing areas of the world. The group says that more research must be done to develop improved kinds of bananas. The group says that fungal diseases mainly affect only one kind of banana. In fact, there are five hundred different kinds of bananas. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has said that the Cavendish banana represents only 10% of world production.
The U.N. agency says farmers should grow different kinds of bananas. This protects against diseases that affect only one kind. Experts warn that disease may cause the Cavendish banana to disappear. This happened earlier to another popular banana because of its genetic weakness against disease.
1.What does this passage mainly tell us?
A. Bananas are the world’ s most important food crops.
B. The risk to a popular banana shows need to grow other kinds.
C. There are five hundred different kinds of bananas.
D. How to grow bananas in different countries.
2.Bananas are threatened by disease because ________.
A. they grow from seeds
B. they are one of the most valuable exports
C. the only way to prevent it is to put chemicals on their leaves
D. they have genetic weaknesses against disease
3.Panama disease________.
A. doesn’t belong to fungal disease
B. affects the leaves of banana plants
C. destroys bananas more seriously than Black Sigatoka disease
D. has spread to bananas all over the world
4.We can infer from Paragraph 3 that ________.
A. the center of the group is in the US
B. the Cavendish banana covers only a small part of the yield of bananas
C. the key to solving the disease is to research all kinds of bananas
D. each fungal disease affects five hundred different kinds of bananas
5.According to the passage, which information is right?
A. The Cavendish banana can mainly be imported from North America and Europe.
B. Panama disease affects the leaves of Cavendish banana plants.
C. The Cavendish banana won’t die out in the future.
D. The Cavendish banana makes up only one tenth of world production.
Audrey Hepburn won an Academy Award as Best Actress for her first major American movie, Roman Holiday, which was released in 1953. But she is remembered as much for her aid work as for her acting.
Born in Belgium in 1929, Audrey’ s father was British and her mother was Dutch.
Audrey was sent to live at a British school for part of her childhood. During World War II , she lived and studied in the Netherlands. Her mother thought it would be safe from German attacks. Audrey studied dance as a teenager and during college when she returned to London after the war. But she realized she wasn’ t going to be a ballerina. So she began taking acting parts in stage shows. Later she began to get small parts in movies.
But it was Audrey Hepburn’ s move to America that brought her true fame. In 1951 she played the character “Gigi” in the Broadway play of the same name to great critical praise. Two years later, Roman Holiday made her a star at the age of 24.
Audrey made more than 25 movies. Among her most popular roles was Holly Go lightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s in 1961. Three years later she played Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady.
She was married two times and had one son by each husband. In 1989, the UN Children’ s Fund named Audrey a goodwill ambassador. She travelled all over the world in support of UNICEF projects. The UN agency said she was a tireless worker. She often gave 15 interviews a day to gain money and support for UNICEF projects.
Audrey Hepburn often said her loyalty to UNICEF was the result of her experiences as a child during World War Ⅱ. She said she knew what it was like to be starving and to be saved by international aid. She was a goodwill ambassador until her death in 1993 from colon cancer.
1.In Paragraph 1, “her aid work” means ________.
A. winning an Academy Award as Best Actress
B. taking acting parts in stage shows
C. making movies
D. acting as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF
2.The reason why Audrey lived and studied in the Netherlands was that ________.
A. she wanted to be a ballerina
B. her parents were from Britain
C. the education there was excellent
D. it was safe there
3.We can infer from the passage that ________.
A. Audrey’ s parents lived in Germany during World War Ⅱ
B. Audrey lived in America in the 1950s
C. Audrey was made to give up dancing
D. the character “Gigi” in the Broadway play was her most popular role
4.________is NOT mentioned in the passage about Audrey Hepburn.
A. Marriage B. Identity
C. Contribution D. Religion
5.________is the right order for Audrey’ s life.
①The first time she began to play in movies.
②She returned to London from the Netherlands.
③She won an Academy Award as Best Actress.
④She travelled all over the world in support of UNICEF projects.
⑤She played a part in My Fair Lady.
A.②①③⑤④ B. ①②③⑤④
C. ②①⑤③④ D. ①②⑤③④
完形填空(共20小题;每小题1.5分,满分30分)
All of us go through some difficult times as we approach teenage years. It’s the age when we have to deal with the most in our life. This transition from children to adulthood is for some, but rough for others. The most important thing about being a teenager is . When we are teenagers, we would get blamed or even punished for anything wrong we do.
It’s all not so about being a teenager though. We don’t have to have our take us to somewhere we want to go or we couldn’t go before. We can have with friends or even alone, which we couldn’t have because we were too to know what pleasure is! It’s a very enjoyable time of life. During this age, we are old enough to what is good for us, and make decisions without others.
But like the saying goes, “All good things must come to an end, but all bad things can continue .” During this period, we are having much for our studies. If we don’t pass, we won’t get jobs, and things will take a turn for the .With the present world economy in , we have to do really , really well in our for a job. Adults say that their is the hardest part of life. But I think the transition from a kid to an adult is much than being already an adult. What we do in our teenage years will what we become and how we lead our life in the future.
In conclusion, it is quite that parents put much pressure on an already stressed out teenager. If they realized that, living condition for teenagers would be much better. for the teens ourselves we should get to know what is best for us. What’s more, we should understand the right of life we choose at this age can make us happy for the rest of our existence.
1.A.chances B.changes C.feelings D.expectations
2.A.smooth B.practical C.demanding D.necessary
3.A.knowledge B.independence C.confidence D.responsibility
4.A.easy B.strange C.bad D.interesting
5.A.guides B.partners C.parents D.friends
6.A.fun B.trouble C.relation D.business
7.A.proud B.young C.smart D.mature
8.A.predict B.remember C.imagine D.understand
9.A.guiding B.helping C.inviting D.consulting
10.A.occasionally B.briefly C.forever D.naturally
11.A.pressure B.passion C.motivation D.panic
12.A.better B.worse C.fewer D.more
13.A.decline B.hope C.increase D.debt
14.A.contribution B.education C.application D.qualification
15.A.promotion B.work C.experience D.age
16.A.harder B.happier C.easier D.lighter
17.A.reflect B.confirm C.determine D.identify
18.A.vital B.urgent C.common D.unnecessary
19.A.Or B.Otherwise C.But D.Because
20.A.experience B.way C.condition D.power
Nowadays, how we can take good care of _______old is becoming _______hot and serious topic.
A. the; a B. a; the
C. a; a D. the; the
Don’t worry about the baby not wanting to leave you----it’s a stag _______they all go through.
A. where B. that C. when D. what
It was proposed by the board that our school _____ more advanced teaching methods.
A. would introduced B. introduced
C. introduce D. be introducing