Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic growth, and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumptions behind it or the way the concept is put to use. This is especially true in agriculture, where sustainable development is often taken as the measure of progress without a proper appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives.
　　To start with, it is important to remember that the nature of agriculture has changed markedly throughout history, and will continue to do so. Medieval agriculture in northern Europe fed, clothed and sheltered a mainly rural society with a much lower population density than it is today. It had minimal effect on biodiversity, and any pollution it caused was typically localized. In terms of energy use and the nutrients captured in the product it was relatively inefficient.
　　Contrast this with farming since the start of the industrial revolution. Competition from overseas led farmers to specialize and increase yields. Throughout this period food became cheaper, safer and more reliable. However, these changes have also led to habitat loss and to reducing biodiversity.
　　All this means that agriculture in the 21st century will have to be very different from how it was in the 20th. This will require thorough thinking. For example, we need to move away from the idea that traditional practices are certainly more sustainable than new ones. We also need to abandon the notion that agriculture can be “zero impact”. The key will be to abandon the rather simple and static(稳定的)measures of sustainability, which centre on the need to maintain production without increasing damage. Instead we need a more dynamic interpretation, one that looks at the pros and cons of all the various way land is used. There are many different ways to measure agricultural performance besides food yield: energy use, environmental costs, water purity, carbon footprint and biodiversity. It is clear, for example, that the carbon of transporting tomatoes from Spain to the UK is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting. But we do not know whether lower carbon footprints will always be better for biodiversity.
　　What is important is recognizing that sustainable agriculture is not just about sustainable food production.
【小题1】How do people often measure progress in agriculture?

A．By its impact on the environment	B．By its contribution to economic growth
C．By its productivity	D．By its sustainability

【小题2】Specialization and the effort to increase yields have resulted in              .

A．Localized pollution	B．The shrinking of farmland
C．the decrease of biodiversity	D．competition from overseas

【小题3】 What does the author think of traditional farming practices?

A．They are not necessarily sustainable	B．They have not kept pace with population growth
C．They have remained the same over the centuries	D．They are environmentally friendly

【小题4】What will agriculture be like in the 21st century?

A．It will abandon traditional farming practices	B．It will mainly keep traditional farming
C．It will go through complete changes	D．It will cause zero damage to the environment

【小题5】What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

A．To remind people of the need of sustainable development.

B．To urge people to rethink what sustainable agriculture is.

C．To advance new criteria for measuring farming progress.

D．To suggest ways of ensuring sustainable food production.

Tips on Making a Decision

Decision-making never ends. It is an important part of everyday life, and it is how we choose our path.   1. Sometimes we leave things to luck. Other times we take a more active role. Here are some of the ways we usually make decisions.

◆ Make a list of pros and cons（利与弊）. When you try to make a difficult decision, you can take out a piece of paper, and then list the pros and cons of each choice.   2. 

◆ Ask a friend.  3. While I don’t think this is always true, I can see how friends can point out certain things that we may be unaware of. By getting a choice from a third party who knows us well, we can get good ideas that we didn’t take into consideration before.

◆ 4. Some decisions require that we know more about the subject we are deciding on. Making a choice without first doing some research can turn things into a nightmare（噩梦）, so don’t hurry. Take your time to search Google or Wikipedia or find a forum（论坛）to ask a couple of questions. Be careful and check your sources.

◆ Go to an expert. Seldom are we the most knowledgeable person on a particular subject. Our friends can sometimes be no better.  5. Investing（投资）? Talk to a market analyst. Feeling depressed? Go to see a psychologist. Not sure how to write a book? Discuss tips with other authors.

A．Do your research.

B．Leave our choices to chance.

C．We make decisions in all kinds of ways.

D．These can be important questions to ask.

E.This can help provide a bigger picture of what you are working with.

F.In this case it may be better to get advice from an expert in the field.

G.Some studies have shown that others may know us better than ourselves.

 

Are you an optimist? Do you look at your glass and see it as half full? Do you believe that every cloud has a silver lining and that generally things turn out for the best? Do you believe that if something is meant to be, it will be? If you reply “yes” to all of these questions, then you are an optimist. You probably are enthusiastic, cheerful and outgoing. You may well be successful atwork and in love.
But you may be misguided because things don’t turn out for the best. You may believe that when one door closes another one opens (for example，you may fail to obtain a new job，another chance will come around soon), Wrong. When one door closes, another door slams in your face. That's bitter reality.
Now a book has been published which confirms what we pessimists(悲观者）have suspected all along. It's called The Positive Power of Defensive Pessimism. Its author argues that defensive pessimism can lead to positive results. Defensive pessimism is a strategy used to manage fear, anxiety and worry. Defensive pessimists prepare for things by setting low outcomes for themselves. They carefully consider everything that may go wrong and plan for ways to handle these problems. And this gives them a sense of control. Lawrence Sanno, a psychology professor, says, “What’s interesting about defensive pessimists is that they tend to be very successful people, so their low opinion of the situation’s outcomes is not realistic. They use it to motivate themselves to perform better. ”
So far, so good. This is not rocket science. Defensive pessimists prepare carefully and consider what might go wrong, whether at work, on a date or even in a sports game. It makes sense to have a back-up plan. There are many sayings in English urging caution. For example, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” and “ Don’t count your chickens until they hatch. “ To have a confident and optimistic approach to life’s problems is good. But listen to what Woody Alien，the American comedian says, ”Confidence is what you have before you understand the problem.”
There are pros and cons to being an optimist and a pessimist. Don’t feel bad if you see the glass half empty. You are a realist. But lighten up and hook up with someone who sees the same glass half full.
【小题1】What is the passage mainly about?

A．A book that has recently been published.

B．The dangers of being too optimistic.

C．The benefits of defensive pessimism.

D．How to become successful in life.

【小题2】The underlined sentence “This is not rocket science” in paragraph 4 means     .

A．he cost is not so high	B．there is no real proof
C．it’s not a dangerous thing to do	D．it is quite simple to understand

【小题3】The writer would probably describe himself as          .

A．an optimist

B．a realist

C．a defeatist

D．a scientist

【小题4】Which of the following English expressions would a defensive pessimist believe?

A．“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

B．“Every cloud has a silver lining.”

C．“Whatever will be, will be.”

D．“The glass is half full not half empty.”

   Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic growth, and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumptions behind it or the way the concept is put to use. This is especially true in agriculture, where sustainable development is often taken as the only measure of progress without a proper appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives.

   To start with, it is important to remember that the nature of agriculture has changed markedly throughout history, and will continue to do so. Medieval agriculture in northern Europe fed, clothed and sheltered a popularly rural society with a much lower population density than it is today. It had smallest effect on biodiversity, and any pollution it caused was typically localized. In terms of energy use and the nutrients captured in the product it was relatively inefficient.

   Contrast this with farming since the start of the industrial revolution. Competition from overseas led farmers to specialize and increase yields. Throughout this period food became cheaper, safer and more reliable. However, these changes have also led to habitat loss and to decreasing biodiversity.

   What’s more, demand for animal products in developing countries is growing so fast that meeting it will require an extra 300 million tons of grain a year by 2050.yet the growth of cities and industry is reducing the amount of water available for agriculture in many regions.

   All this means that agriculture in the 21^st century will have to be very different from how it was in the 20th. This will require complete thinking. For example, we need to move away from the idea that traditional practices are unavoidably more sustainable than new ones. We also need to abandon the idea that agriculture can be “zero impact”. The key will be to abandon the rather simple and unchangeable measures of sustainability, which centre on the need to maintain production without increasing damage.

   Instead we need a more dynamic explanation, one that looks at the pros and cons of all the various way land is used. There are many different ways to measure agricultural performance besides food yield: energy use, environmental costs, water purity, carbon footprint and biodiversity. It is clear, for example, that the carbon of transporting tomatoes from Spain to the UK is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting. But we do not know whether lower carbon footprints will always be better for biodiversity.

   What is critical is recognizing that sustainable agriculture is not just about sustainable food production.

1.How do people often measure progress in agriculture?

A．By its productivity.               

B．By its impact on the environment.

C．By its sustainability.               

D．By its contribution to economic growth.

2.What does the author think of traditional farming practices?

　　A．They have remained the same over the centuries.

　　B．They have not kept pace with population growth.

　　C．They are not necessarily sustainable.

　　D．They are environmentally friendly.

3.What will agriculture be like in the 21st century?

　　A．It will go through thorough changes.

　　B．It will supply more animal products.

　　C．It will abandon traditional farming practices.

　　D．It will cause zero damage to the environment.

4.What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

　　A．To remind people of the need of sustainable development.

　　B．To suggest ways of ensuring sustainable food production.

　　C．To advance new criteria for measuring farming progress.

　　D．To urge people to rethink what sustainable agriculture is.