Question

Farming is moving indoors，where the sun never shines，where rainfall is irrelevant and where the climate is always right.The perfect crop field could be inside a windowless building with controlled light，temperature，wetness，air quality and nutrition.It could be in a New York high­rise or a sprawling complex in the Saudi desert.It may be an answer to the world's food problems.

The world already is having trouble feeding itself.Half the people on Earth live in cities，and nearly half of those－ about 3 billion－are hungry or ill­fed.Foodprices，currently increasing，are buffeted by dryness，floods and the cost of energy required to plant，harvestand transport.And prices will only get more unstable.Climate change makes long­term crop planning uncertain.Farmers in many parts of the world already are using water available to the last drop.And the world is getting more crowded：by mid­century，the global population will grow from 6.8 billion to 9 billion.

To feed so many people may require expanding farmland  at the expense of forests and wilderness，or finding ways to completely increase crop output.

Gertjan Meeuws has taken the concept of a greenhouse a step further，growing vegetables and house plants in enclosed (封闭的) and regulated environments.In their  research station，water flows into the pans when needed，and the temperature is kept constant.Lights go on and off，creating similar day and night，but according to the rhythm of the plant.

A building of 100 square meters and layers (层) of plants could provide a daily diet of 200 grams of fresh fruit and vegetables to the entire population of Den Bosch，about 140,000 people.Their idea isn't to grow foods that require much space，like corn or potatoes.

Here sunlight is not only unnecessary but can be harmful.Plants need only specific wavelengths of light to grow.Their growth rate is three times faster than under greenhouse conditions.They use about 90 percent less water than outdoor agriculture.And city farming means producing food near the consumer，and there's no need to transport it long distances.

1.What can we mainly learn from Paragraph 2?

A. The climate is worse and worse.

B. The city people live a hard life.

C. The world has difficulty feeding its people.

D. The world's population is increasing fast.

2.Which of the following is true of the environments in  the research station?

A. The temperature is often changed.

B. Sunshine is in great need for plants.

C. Day and night depends on plants.

D. Air quality is controlled by plants.

3.It can be inferred from the text that Gertjan  Meeuws's farming________.

A. helps save sea water a lot

B. is highly adaptable

C. resembles greenhouse agriculture

D. suits the production of corn

4.What is the text mainly about?

A. Development of indoor farming.

B. Great Revolution in farming.

C. Advantages of indoor farming.

D. Sunless，rainless indoor farming.

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.B

4.D

【解析】试题分析：文章主要介绍了一种新的农业种植方式。农业即将转向不见阳光、没有雨水的室内。这种新型的农业方式也许能够解决全球性的食物短缺难题。

1.

2.buffetedby dryness, floods and the cost of energy required to plant, harvest and transport.”可知，由于受到干旱、洪涝和成本的影响，食物的价格正在上升，即食物价格受到自然条件和认为因素的影响，故选A。

3.

4.

考点：社会类短文阅读