Most of the world’s rice is grown in the tropical _______.

A. section        B. location        C. district          D. zone   

Most of the world’s rice is grown in the tropical _______.

1. A.
   section
2. B.
   location
3. C.
   district
4. D.
   zone

Our boat floated on between walls of forest. It was too thick to allow us a view of the land we were passing through, though we knew from the map that our river must from time to time be passing through chains of hills which crossed the jungle plains. Nowhere did we find a place where we could have landed: where the jungle did not actually spread right down into the river, banks of soft mud prevented us form going ashore. In any case, what would we have gained by landing? The country was full of snakes and other dangerous creatures and the jungle was so thick that one would be able to advance slowly, cutting one’s way with knives the whole way. So we stayed in the boat, hoping that when we reached the sea, a friendly fisherman would pick us up and take us to civilization.

As for water, there was a choice. We could drink the muddy river water, or die of thirst. We drank the water. Men who have just escaped from what appeared to be certain death lost all worries about such small things as diseases caused by dirty water. In fact, none of us suffered from any illness as a result.

One day we passed another village, but fortunately nobody saw us. We did not wish to risk being taken prisoners a second time: we might not be so lucky as to escape in a stolen boat again.

It can be inferred from the passage that the only thing they could see in a boat was _______.     

A. walls  B. chains of hills           C. tall trees            D. vast land

From the passage, we can learn that _______.

A. the country was a civilized society       B. the country was a tropical jungle country

C. they found a place where they could land  D. they were on a journey home

According to the passage, what happened to the people in the boat at last?

 A. They were arrested.                             B. They managed to escape to safety.

 C. They were saved by some villagers              D. The passage doesn’t mention it.

The best title for this passage might be _______.

 A. The Problem of Landing                    B. An Adventure

 C. An Entirely New Experience              D. Escape

Today, among people everywhere, there is an increasing awareness and worry about the steady growth in the world’s population．A recent survey conducted by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities （UNFPA） reported that this growth will continue until the end of the next century．For developing countries alone, the annual average population growth is, at present, 4．6% compared to 2．0% for developed countries．At this rate, the world’s population will reach 10．2 billion by the turn of the 21st century．With the growth in population is the problem of food security… the guarantee of a steady supply of food．The unstoppable growth in population justifies the Malthusian Doctrine that population of a region will continue to grow unless checked, and this is of course alarming since it will inevitably lead to food shortages of considerable proportions．
Our forests are an abundant source of food and fuel, two items essential in sustaining life．Above 30% of the world’s land surface is covered by such forests．In Asia alone, more than two billion people depend heavily on forest products for their subsistence and survival．To maintain a reasonable balance between population growth and food supply, this natural source of life — sustaining food and fuel must be conserved and protected from its worst enemy — man himself．It is appalling （令人震惊的） to note that in many developing countries, which are themselves heavily hit by population-food imbalance, governments approve the cutting down of forests to meet their immediate needs for saleable timber, and also for agricultural land．Often the cutting down and burning of forests is conducted with total abandon owing to the absence of sound forestry techniques and management．At the rate tropical forests are now being cleared each year, the world’s tropical forests will be completely destroyed within the next 100 years．
In order to maintain food security for the world’s population, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations （FAO） has launched a campaign aimed at ensuring food supply, maximizing stability in the flow of this supply and ensuring access to it by all．Forestry, according to the FAO, plays a vital role in making it possible to fulfill all its three objectives．Its most important role is that of conserving soil and water．Trees provide natural protection against soil erosion （侵蚀） by absorbing the excess water brought by heavy rains．
1．The first paragraph tells us that ____．
A．the flow of food supply is the result of population increase．
B．the world population has reached the 10-billion mark．
C．the problem of population growth has caused considerable alarm in a few countries．
D．the problem of food supply goes hand-in-hand with population increase．
2．The Malthusian Doctrine presents ____ as far as world population is concerned．
A．an optimistic view of the future     B．a pessimistic outlook for the future
C．an encouraging picture          D．an indifferent picture
3．In this context, “this natural source of life — sustaining food and fuel” （in Paragraph 2） refers to ____．
A．the flow of food supply           B．forests
C．woodland products               D．man’s worst enemy
4．The three objectives of the FAO can be replaced by ____．
A．stopping population growth       B．increasing food production
C．achieving food security          D．ensuring maximum utilization of forests

We now think of chocolate as sweet, but once it was bitter. We think of it as a candy, but once it was a medicine. Today, chocolate can be a hot drink, a frozen dessert, or just a snack. Sometimes it is an ingredient in the main course of a meal. Mexicans make a hot chocolate sauce called mole and pour it over chicken. The Mexicans also eat chocolate with spices like chili peppers.
Chocolate is a product of the tropical cacao tree. The beans taste so bitter that even the monkeys say “Ugh!” and run away. Workers must first dry and then roast the beans. This removes the bitter taste.
The word “chocolate” comes from a Mayan word. The Mayas were an ancient people who once lived in Mexico. They valued the cacao tree. Some used the beans for money, while others crushed them to make a drink.
When the Spaniards came to Mexico in the sixteenth century, they started drinking cacao too. Because the drink was strong and bitter, they thought it was a medicine. No one had the idea of adding sugar. The Spaniards took some beans back to Europe and opened cafes. Wealthy people drank cacao and said it was good for the digestion.
In the 1800s, the owner of a chocolate factory in England discovered that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao. It quickly became a cheap and popular drink. Soon afterwards, a factory made the first solid block of sweetened chocolate. Later on, another factory mixed milk and chocolate together. People liked the taste of milk chocolate even better.
Besides the chocolate candy bar, one of the most popular American snacks is the chocolate chip cookie. Favorite desserts are chocolate cream pie and of course an ice cream sundae with hot fudge sauce.
【小题1】It was ______that discovered sugar could remove the bitter taste of cacao.