Today there are 6 billion people on the earth. By the year 2050 there may be 12.5 billion. There will be a lot of people to feed. We need more food.
One way to produce more food is by growing stronger plants. For thousands of years, farmers have made plants better. Every season, they pick the best plants for the next season. It works very slowly. Since 1983, scientists have been able to change plants more quickly by changing their genetic material(遗传物质). Foods from plants grown in this way are called genetically modified foods(转基因食品), or GM foods.
By changing the genetic material of a plant, it is possible to make new plants. They make plants which are strong against plant diseases. They can also help in our diseases: a kind of rice is being prepared, for example, which stops people from becoming blind.
Rich countries produce GM foods because they are easy to grow and bring in more money. Poor countries are interested in them because they help produce more food.
GM plants are not natural. No one knows how good or bad they are. Making GM foods is only one way of feeding people in 2050. There are strong feelings against them, because they are unnatural. They may feed people, then hurt them or their children later. But, both rich and poor countries are very interested in their use, and they are not going to go away. In 2050 we may think differently about them.
【小题1】GM foods ________.

Air is all round us．It is around us___31____we walk and play．From the time we are born，air is around us on every side．When we sit down，it is around us．When we go to bed．air is  32 around us．We live  33 air．
All living things  34 air．Living things cannot live  35  air．We can live without any water for  36 days，but we cannot live for more   37 a few minutes without air．When we are working  38 running，we need more air．When we are asleep，we need less air
We live in air but we cannot see it．We can only feel it．We can feel it when it is  39 ．  Moving air  40 wind．  

Air is always around us. It is around us when we walk and play. From the time we are born, air is around us. When we sit down, it is around us. When we go to bed, air is also around us. We live in air.

All the animals and plants need air. Living things can’t live without air. We can live without food or water for a few days, but we can not live for more than a few minutes without air. We breathe in air. When we are walking or running, we need more air. When we are asleep, we need less air.

We live in air, but we can’t see it. We can only feel it. We can feel it when it is moving. Moving air is called wind. How can we make air move? Here is one way. Hold and open a book in you hand in front of your face. Close it quickly! What you feel is the air.

1._________ need air.

A. Some of the animals????????????? B. All the things

C. Some of the plants????????????? D. All the animals and plants

2.We can live for a few days __________.

A. without air????????????? B. without food or water

C. without food or air????????????? D. without air or water

3.We need _________ air when we are asleep.

A. less????????????? B. no????????????? C. most????????????? D. a lot of

4.Which of the following sentences is TRUE(对的)?

A. Sometimes we don’t live in air.????

B. Air is not around us when we go to bed.

C. We can live happily without air.???

D. We need more air when we are working or running.

5.We live in air, but we can’t ________ it.

A. look????????????? B. see????????????? C. get????????????? D. feel

Zhalong is a nature reserve in Heilongjiang in north-east China. It is one of the world’s most important wetlands. The reserve covers an area of 210,000 hectares. The area provides food and shelter for wildlife. It is an ideal home for different kinds of plants, fish and birds.

Many birds live comfortably in Zhalong Nature Reserve all year round, while some only stay there for a short time. There are many fish in the wetlands, and the birds can easily catch them for food. Zhalong has long been called “the home of the crane”. There are 15 crane species (物种) in the world. 8 of them are in China and there are 6 species in Zhalong area. It is an important living area for the rare red-crowned cranes. There are not many red-crowned cranes in the world. Every spring and summer, red-crowned cranes lay and hatch (孵化) their eggs in Zhalong.

Some people want to change the wetlands to make more space for farms and buildings. This means there will be less and less space for wildlife. More and more birds are in danger because they do not have enough living space. Many of them died. The Chinese government wants to protect these endangered birds, and they can be safe in Zhalong.

Every year, a lot of tourists go to Zhalong to watch birds. This year, members of our Bird-watching Club are going to study the different kinds of birds in Zhalong and the changes in their numbers. The study begins next month.

We _______ once a year. We are now inviting secondary school students to help. We need more people to help us count and do something to help the birds.

Many people do not understand the importance of the wetlands. We hope this information will help them understand and make them actively take action to protect wildlife.

1. What does the underlined word “ideal” mean?

   A. Perfect.          B. Dangerous.       C. Crowded.     D. Expensive.

2. What can we learn from the second paragraph?

   A. All birds stay in Zhalong Nature Reserve all year round.

   B. There are eight species of red-crowned cranes in Zhalong.

   C. The number of the world’s red-crowned cranes is small.

   D. Every winter red-crowned cranes hatch eggs in Zhalong.

3.Which of the following can we choose for the blank (空白) in the fifth paragraph?

   A. go birdwatching   B. do a bird count  C. go bird-hunting  D. hold a bird show

4.The purpose of the article is to _______.

   A. attract more visitors to pay a visit to Zhalong Nature Reserve

   B. ask people to take action to protect wetlands and wildlife

   C. prevent people from watching birds in Zhalong Nature Reserve

   D. make people around the world know the Birdwatchting Club

We need _________ more exercises every day.

A. to do      B. doing         C. do