Question

If you want to disturb the car industry, you'd better have a few billion dollars: Mom-and-pop carmakers are unlikely to beat the biggest car companies. But in agriculture, small farmers can get the best of the major players. By connecting directly with customers, and by responding quickly to changes in the markets as well as in the ecosystems(生态系统), small farmers can keep one step ahead of the big guys. As the co-founder of the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC, 美国青年农会) and a family farmer myself. I have a front-row seat to the innovations among small farmers that are transforming the industry.

For example, take the Quick Cut Greens Harvester, a tool developed just a couple of years ago by a young farmer, Jonathan Dysinger, in Tennessee, with a small loan from a local Slow Money group. It enables small-scale farmers to harvest 175 pounds of green vegetables per hour—a huge improvement over harvesting just a few dozen pounds by hand—suddenly making it possible for the little guys to compete with large farms of California. Before the tool came out, small farmers couldn't touch the price per pound offered by California farms. But now, with the combination of a better price point and a generally fresher product, they can stay in business.

The sustainable success of small farmers, though, won't happen without fundamental changes to the industry. One crucial factor is secure access to land. Competition from investors, developers, and established large farmers makes owning one's own land unattainable for many new farmers.

From 2004 to 2013, agricultural land values doubled, and they continue to rise in many regions.

Another challenge for more than a million of the most qualified farm workers and managers is a non-existent path to citizenship — the greatest barrier to building a farm of their own. With farmers over the age of 65 outnumbering(多于) farmers younger than 35 by six to one, and with two-thirds of the nation's farmland in need of a new farmer, we must clear the path for talented people willing to grow the nation's food.

There are solutions that could light a path toward a more sustainable and fair farm economy, but farmers can't clumsily put them together before us. We at the NYFC need broad support as we urge Congress to increase farmland conservation, as we push for immigration reform, and as we seek policies that will ensure the success of a diverse and ambitious next generation of farms from all backgrounds. With a new farm bill to be debated in Congress, consumers must take a stand with young farmers.

1.The author mentions car industry at the beginning of the passage to introduce ________.

A. the progress made in car industry

B. a special feature of agriculture

C. a trend of development in agriculture

D. the importance of investing in car industry

2.What does the author want to illustrate with the example in paragraph 2?

A. Loans to small local farmers are necessary.

B. Technology is vital for agricultural development.

C. Competition between small and big farms is fierce

D. Small farmers may gain some advantages over big ones.

3.What is the difficulty for those new famers?

A. To gain more financial aid.

B. To hire good farm managers.

C. To have farms of their own.

D. To win old farmers’ support.

4.What should farmers do for a more sustainable and fair farm economy?

A. Seek support beyond NYFC.

B. Expand farmland conservation.

C. Become members of NYFC.

D. Invest more to improve technology.

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.C

4.A

【解析】本文为说明文。文章作者作为全国青年农民联盟（NYFC）的联合创始人，分析了美国小农场的特点及目前美国小农场所面临的问题，督促国会对某些领域进行改革以支持美国国内小农场的发展

1.推理判断题。根据文章第一句话If you want to disturb the car industry, you'd better have a few billion dollars: Mom-and-pop carmakers are unlikely to beat the biggest car companies.可知，一般人不可能影响到汽车工业，而根据第二句话的but 可知，农业和工业是不同的，接下来就介绍了农业不同于工业的地方，故B正确。

2.推理判断题。根据文章第二段第二句It enables small-scale farmers to harvest 175 pounds of green vegetables per hour—a huge improvement over harvesting just a few dozen pounds by hand—suddenly making it possible for the little guys to compete with large farms of California.可以，推知新农具使小农场收获绿色蔬菜的效率提高，降低了收获成本，再根据最后一句But now, with the combination of a better price point and a generally fresher product, they can stay in business.，小农场价格与大农场价格接近和小农场产品更新鲜的特点，这使得小农场相对于大农场有了一些相对的优势，故选D。

3.细节理解题。根据文章第四段第一句话Another challenge for more than a million of the most qualified farm workers and managers is a non-existent path to citizenship — the greatest barrier to building a farm of their own.可知，新农民面临的最大挑战是无法获得公民身份，因此不能建设自己的农场，故选C。

4.细节理解题。根据文章最后一段第二句We at the NYFC need broad support as we urge Congress to increase farmland conservation, as we push for immigration reform, and as we seek policies that will ensure the success of a diverse and ambitious next generation of farms from all backgrounds.可知，NYFC需要广泛的支持，包括要求国会增加农田保护，推动移民改革，寻求确保不同背景的新农民的成功的政策等，所以为了保证农业经济的可持续发展农民需要寻求NYFC以外的很多方面的支持。故选A。