Farmers may not be able to prevent natural disasters, but they can at least try their best to reduce losses.

For example, they can plant crops that are more likely to survive extreme weather. In north-central Vietnam, people with small farms do not plant rice between September and December. Seasonal rains might destroy the rice. So instead, they plant lotus seeds on raised beds. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says the lotus seeds bring a good price in local markets.

Farmers in the Philippines are showing new interest in crops like winged beans, string beans, arrowroot and cassava. The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center says traditional crops like these can survive the fierce storms that often strike the islands.

The United Nations says some African farmers grow bambara groundnuts during long dry periods. The seeds of this drought-resistant plant can be boiled for eating or for making flour.

In some parts of the world, farmers grow vetiver grass. Researchers in Thailand wrote about vetiver in 2007 in the journal Science Asia. They noted that the grass can absorb and control the spread of harmful waste waters, like those from pig farms.

Agricultural expert and author William Rivera says vetiver resists difficult conditions. It reduces damage from heavy rains. And vetiver planted on earthen dams may strengthen them against breaks and flooding.

William Rivera also speaks approvingly of alfalfa. Its deep roots can find and take up groundwater. Those roots also help hold the soil against winds. And alfalfa can be a valuable food source for animals.

The deep and extensive roots of sunflowers make them another good candidate for resisting extreme conditions. The tall plants have brightly colored heads that provide seeds and oil.

North Dakota grows more hectares of sunflowers than any other American state. But North Dakota is better known as a top wheat producing state.

Hans Kandel works at the North Dakota State University Extension Service in Fargo. He says farmers in some parts of North Dakota plant wheat that is ready to harvest in only about one hundred days. That way it can grow before the hot, dry months of July through September.

63. The underlined part “bring a good price in local markets” in the 2nd paragraph implies that lotus seeds _________.

A. will satisfy the needs of the local people

B. are what the local farmers eat every day

C. can bring the local farmers some profit

D. don’t sell very well because of their high prices

64. Vetiver grass is planted because it can _________.

A. be a valuable food source for animals　　

B. survive the fierce storms in summer

C. provide seeds and oil　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

D. be useful in many aspects

65. From the last paragraph we can see that the farmers in North Dakota _________.

A. are good at taking advantage of the weather conditions

B. don’t have enough knowledge of weather and farming

C. are not hardworking so they are suffering from poverty

D. plant more sunflowers than wheat

66. From this passage we may safely conclude that _________.

A. weather conditions are always decisive factors in agriculture

B. some crops can help farmers to fight against extreme weather

C. agriculture is developing fast in the world

D. the species of the world are changing quickly

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：訓(xùn)練必修二英語(yǔ)北師版 北師版 題型：053

用下面短文中的信息完成簡(jiǎn)介。

　　Will crosstalk become extinct? Several years ago, people could switch on the TV and very often would find a crosstalk performance being broadcast．Today, a person could sit in front of the TV set for seven days a week,24 hours a day, and still have trouble finding a single crosstalk show．Many people who were born before the late 1970s can remember a long list of crosstalk performers：Ma Sanli, Feng Gong, Hou Yaowen, Jiang Kun, Li Jindou, Ma Ji, Niu Qun, Su Wenmao．In mid-1980s,many of these performers frequently appeared on television programmes in short comedy skits．But most of them have since disappeared from public view．Only a few－such as Feng Gong, Jiang Kun and Niu Qun－remain fresh in people’s memory thanks to their performances at China Central Television’s annual Spring Festival evening show．These performers, however, are unwilling to devote all their time to crosstalk．Feng has been trying his hand at movies, and Niu worked as a magazine editor for a while before taking up a job as deputy county magistrate in Anhui Province．

　　When the art form first made its appearance 150 years ago, performers would put on shows outside or at temple fairs．Its fans were mainly farmers, peddlers and artisans．Many old crosstalk artists performed in the Tianqiao area in old Beijing, where performances of folk art were concentrated．However, for that reason, crosstalk was looked down upon and the performances were regarded as shows for the lower classes at that time．Open-air performances also allowed interaction between artists and audiences, which helped keep the art form full of vitality．The humor of crosstalk is characterized by close observation of ordinary people’s lives．

　　While there were hundreds of full-time writers engaged in composing interesting comic routines in the 1950s, there are few professional writers of crosstalk nowadays．Almost all the former crosstalk writers have chosen to move into TV and film scripts, which makes more money and can be done more quickly as well．But there are also new crosstalk scripts, many created by amateur writers．But most of their work lacks appeal because, on the whole, it merely eulogizes what is good in Chinese society, rather than criticizing and satirizing problems, experts said．As a result, few modern crosstalk routines have become popular as the old ones．

　　Some experts have called for crosstalk to adapt to keep pace with the rapidly changing world．Crosstalk seems to have a long road ahead before it can prosper as it did in the past．

Information about Crosstalk

Time of first appearance：________

Famous performers：________

Changes to Crosstalk：

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2012-2013學(xué)年吉林省吉林一中高一上學(xué)期期末考試英語(yǔ)試卷（帶解析） 題型：閱讀理解

In some countries in which there is very little rain at any time, the farmers have to irrigate their fields. Irrigation is easy enough if there is a great river near the crops, and if there is plenty of water in it. Canals carry the river water to the fields when necessary. In some seasons there may be too much water in the river, and the water may flood all the land near it. At other times the river water may not be enough for all the farmers, and then it will be difficult to irrigate the fields.
To prevent these difficulties, a dam may be built across the river. This will store water for dry seasons, and in wet seasons it will prevent the flooding of the land. A great lake will, no doubt, be formed behind the dam, and this may mean that houses and fields will be covered with water. Most people will accept that and will be ready to move to other places. Then the country can have the right amount of water at all times; more crops will be grown, there will be more food for everyone, and there will be no more floods.
Dams have been built for centuries in different parts of the world. Modern dame are usually built of concrete（混凝土）but earth dams were used in India and Sri Lanka about 2500 years ago. There was another across the River Tigris very long ago, and large numbers of irrigation canals were made in Iraq to irrigate the land. The Romans were great dam-builders and there was also a famous dam at Ma’ rubin Arabia.
We cannot use sea water for irrigation; the salt will not allow the crops to grow. Fresh water is always needed, and it is very difficult and costly to make fresh water from sea water. This is done in a few countries, but the fresh water is for drinking. There is not enough at present for irrigation. Perhaps a scientist will one day invent a cheaper way of producing fresh water from the sea.
【小題1】The first paragraph mainly talks about         .

A．the problems caused by river water
B．the necessity to irrigate the field
C．the water shortage in some countries
D．the canals carrying water to fields
【小題2】A dam is usually built         .
A．to cover the houses and fields
B．for people to have the right amount of water at all times
C．to grow crops better
D．to form a large lake
【小題3】The underlined word“that”means        .
A．a(chǎn) dam will be built across the river
B．a(chǎn) dam will store water for dry seasons
C．in wet seasons a dam will prevent the flooding of the land
D．houses and fields will be covered will water
【小題4】The third paragraph suggests that        .
A．modern dams are made of concrete
B．Romans once built many great dams
C．there was too much water in 1rap in the past
D．modern dams are better than early dams

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

In some countries in which there is very little rain at any time, the farmers have to irrigate their fields. Irrigation is easy enough if there is a great river near the crops, and if there is plenty of water in it. Canals carry the river water to the fields when necessary. In some seasons there may be too much water in the river, and the water may flood all the land near it. At other times the river water may not be enough for all the farmers, and then it will be difficult to irrigate the fields.
To prevent these difficulties, a dam may be built across the river. This will store water for dry seasons, and in wet seasons it will prevent the flooding of the land. A great lake will, no doubt, be formed behind the dam, and this may mean that houses and fields will be covered with water. Most people will accept that and will be ready to move to other places. Then the country can have the right amount of water at all times; more crops will be grown, there will be more food for everyone, and there will be no more floods.
Dams have been built for centuries in different parts of the world. Modern dame are usually built of concrete（混凝土）but earth dams were used in India and Sri Lanka about 2500 years ago. There was another across the River Tigris very long ago, and large numbers of irrigation canals were made in Iraq to irrigate the land. The Romans were great dam-builders and there was also a famous dam at Ma’ rubin Arabia.
We cannot use sea water for irrigation; the salt will not allow the crops to grow. Fresh water is always needed, and it is very difficult and costly to make fresh water from sea water. This is done in a few countries, but the fresh water is for drinking. There is not enough at present for irrigation. Perhaps a scientist will one day invent a cheaper way of producing fresh water from the sea

  1. 1.

    The first paragraph mainly talks about         

    1. A.
      the problems caused by river water
    2. B.
      the necessity to irrigate the field
    3. C.
      the water shortage in some countries
    4. D.
      the canals carrying water to fields
  2. 2.

    A dam is usually built         

    1. A.
      to cover the houses and fields
    2. B.
      for people to have the right amount of water at all times
    3. C.
      to grow crops better
    4. D.
      to form a large lake
  3. 3.

    The underlined word“that”means        

    1. A.
      a dam will be built across the river
    2. B.
      a dam will store water for dry seasons
    3. C.
      in wet seasons a dam will prevent the flooding of the land
    4. D.
      houses and fields will be covered will water
  4. 4.

    The third paragraph suggests that        

    1. A.
      modern dams are made of concrete
    2. B.
      Romans once built many great dams
    3. C.
      there was too much water in 1rap in the past
    4. D.
      modern dams are better than early dams

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：0115 期末題 題型：閱讀理解

閱讀理解。
     Jack Ma is the founder and CEO of Alibaba Group. He was one of the 100 global "future leaders" of the
2001 World Economic Forum and the "commercial leader" of 2001 elected by US Commercial Association
of Asia.
     Born in the city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, Ma graduated from Hangzhou Teachers Institute in
1988 (he failed the entrance exam twice) and became a lecturer in English and International Trade.
     In 1985, a one-month visit to see an Australian pen pal he had met in Hangzhou changed his life.
"Everything I'd learned in China was that China was the richest country in the world," he said. "When I
arrived in Australia, I realized it's totally different. I started to think you have to use your own mind to judge,
to think." After his return, Ma became the chairman of the Students' Union of the whole city.
     Jack Ma founded Alibaba.com in 1999, a China based business to business marketplace site. In 2003,
Alibaba launched Taobao.com, a consumer to consumer auction (消費(fèi)者拍賣) website similar to eBay.
     Ma said that he got most of his ideas while taking very long, hot showers. He likes to spend time walking
his four dogs and playing chess and poker. He said,"I've learned a lot of business philosophy by playing
poker."
     Looking ahead, Ma said that he dreamed of using his group's resources to improve the lives of all Chinese
people, especially the 900 million farmers."There must be some way of using our experience, our know-how,
and make their life easier," he said.
1. We can know from this passage that Jack Ma is _______.

A. the number one of the 2001 global "future leaders"
B. a great success and very influential in economy
C. the chairman of the Students' Union of Hangzhou Teachers Institute
D. the founder and CEO of eBay

2. It was _______that changed his mind greatly.
A. his pen pal
B. his experience in China
C. his failure in the entrance exam
D. his experience in Australia
3. The underlined word "launched" in paragraph 4 probably means_______.
A. started
B. bought
C. sold
D. landed
4. We can infer from the third paragraph that _______.

A. Ma loves China very much
B. Ma knew about Australia well before his visit
C. Ma didn't know the differences between China and Australia before the visit
D. Ma used to judge things with his own mind

5. From the last paragraph, we can know that______.
A. Jack Ma will do what he can to make the farmers' life easier
B. Jack Ma will devote a lot of money to help the Chinese farmers
C. they will teach the farmers how to use their resources
D. Alibaba group's resources will be given away to the farmers

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

   In some countries in which there is very little rain at any time, the farmers have to irrigate their fields. Irrigation is easy enough if there is a great river near the crops, and if there is plenty of water in it. Canals carry the river water to the fields when necessary. In some seasons there may be too much water in the river, and the water may flood all the land near it. At other times the river water may not be enough for all the farmers, and then it will be difficult to irrigate the fields.

   To prevent these difficulties, a dam may be built across the river. This will store water for dry seasons, and in wet seasons it will prevent the flooding of the land. A great lake will, no doubt, be formed behind the dam, and this may mean that houses and fields will be covered with water. Most people will accept that and will be ready to move to other places. Then the country can have the right amount of water at all times; more crops will be grown, there will be more food for everyone, and there will be no more floods.

   Dams have been built for centuries in different parts of the world. Modern dame are usually built of concrete（混凝土）but earth dams were used in India and Sri Lanka about 2500 years ago. There was another across the River Tigris very long ago, and large numbers of irrigation canals were made in Iraq to irrigate the land. The Romans were great dam-builders and there was also a famous dam at Ma’ rubin Arabia.

   We cannot use sea water for irrigation; the salt will not allow the crops to grow. Fresh water is always needed, and it is very difficult and costly to make fresh water from sea water. This is done in a few countries, but the fresh water is for drinking. There is not enough at present for irrigation. Perhaps a scientist will one day invent a cheaper way of producing fresh water from the sea.

1．The first paragraph mainly talks about          .

      A．the problems caused by river water      

       B．the necessity to irrigate the field

      C．the water shortage in some countries    

       D．the canals carrying water to fields

2．A dam is usually built          .

      A．to cover the houses and fields              

B．for people to have the right amount of water at all times

      C．to grow crops better

      D．to form a large lake

3．The underlined word“that”means         .

      A．a(chǎn) dam will be built across the river        

       B．a(chǎn) dam will store water for dry seasons

      C．in wet seasons a dam will prevent the flooding of the land

      D．houses and fields will be covered will water

4．The third paragraph suggests that         .

      A．modern dams are made of concrete      

       B．Romans once built many great dams

      C．there was too much water in 1rap in the past

D．modern dams are better than early dams

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