阅读理解

　　During the early years of this century, wheat was seen as the very lifeblood of Western Canada. When the crops were good , the economy was good ; when the crops failed , there was depression. People on city streets watched the fields and the price of wheat with almost as much feeling as if they were growers. The marketing of wheat became an increasingly favorite topic of conversation.

　　War set the stage for the most dramatic events in marketing the western crop. For years, farmers mistrusted speculative grain selling as carried on through the Winnipeg Grain Exchange. Wheat prices were generally low in the autumn, but farmers could not wait for markets to improve. It had happened too often that they sold their wheat soon after harvest when farm debts were coming due, only to see prices rising and speculators getting rich. On various occasions, producer groups asked for firmer controls , but governments had no wish to become involved , at least not until wartime wheat prices threatened to run wild.

　　Anxious to check inflation and rising living costs, the federal government appointed a board of grain supervisors to handle deliveries from the crops of 1917 and 1918. Grain Exchange trading was suspended , and farmers sold at prices fixed by the board. To handle the crop of 1919 , the government appointed the first Canadian Wheat Board, with full authority to buy, sell and set prices.

1．What is the main purpose of the passage?

[　　]

A．To explain how wheat is marketed today.

B．To justify suspension of trading on the Grain Exchange.

C．To describe the origins of the Canadian Wheat Board.

D．To argue for further reforms on the Canadian Wheat Board.

2．According to the passage , most farmers debts had to be paid ________.

[　　]

A．when the autumn harvest had just been completed

B．because markets started to improve

C．as soon as the Winnipeg Grain Exchange demanded payment

D．unless crop failure caused depression

3．According to the passage, wheat prices became unmanageable because of conditions caused by ________.

[　　]

4．In Paragraph 3 , the word “check” could best be replaced by which of the following?

[　　]

5．According to the passage, a preliminary （初步的） step in the creation of the. Canadian Wheat Board was the appointment of ________.

[　　]

A．the Winnipeg Grain Exchange

B．a board of supervisors

C．several producer groups

D．a new government

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　During the early years of the 20th century，wheat was seen as the very lifeblood of Western Canada．When the crops were good，the economy was good； when the crops failed，there was depression．People on city streets watched the yields and the Price of wheat with almost as much feeling as if they were growers．The marketing of wheat became an increasingly favorite topic of conversation．

　　War set the stage for the most dramatic events in marketing the western crop．For years，farmers mistrusted speculative grain selling as carried on through the Winnipeg Grain Exchange．Wheat prices were generally low in the autumn，but farmers could not wait for markets to improve．It had happened too often that they sold their wheat soon after harvest when farm debts were coming due，only to see prices rising and speculators getting rich．On various occasions，producer groups asked for farmer controls，but governments had no wish to become involved，at least not until wartime wheat prices threatened to run wild．

　　Anxious to check inflation and rising living costs，the federal government appointed a board of grain supervisors to handle deliveries from the crops of 1917 and 1918 Grain Exchange trading was suspended，and farmers sold at prices fixed by the board．TO handle the crop of 1919，the government appointed the first Canadian Wheat Board，with full authority to buy，sell and set prices．

1．What is the main purpose of the passage？

[　　]

A．To explain how wheat is marketed today．

B．To justify suspension of trading on the Grain Exchange．

C．To describe the origins of the Canadian Wheat Board．

D．To argue for further reforms on the Canadian Wheat Board．

2．According to the passage，most farmers'debts had to be paid________．

[　　]

A．when the autumn harvest had just been completed

B．because markets started to improve

C．as soon as the Winnipeg Grain Exchange demanded payment

D．unless crop failure caused depression

3．According to the passage，wheat prices became unmanageable because of

conditions caused by________．

[　　]

阅读理解

　　Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday?

　　The history of Valentine's Day—and its patron saint(守护神)—is covered in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains signs of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition.

　　So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become connected with this ancient tradition? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were dead . One legend describes that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius Ⅱ decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed (使……不受法律保护) marriage for young men—his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice(不公正)of the rule, fought against Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape cruel Roman prisons where they were often beaten, even killed.

　　According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first “Valentine” greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl—who may have been his jailor's daughter—who visited him during his imprisonment. Before his death, it is said that he wrote her a letter, which he signed “From your Valentine”, an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is gloomy, the stories certainly emphasize his appearance as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

1．Why candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones every February?

[　　]

A．Mainly to show their love to their lovers.

B．Mainly to remember a person named Valentine.

C．Because they can't spend that day without these things.

D．Because February is a romantic month.

2．From this passage, why have people called that day Saint Valentine's Day?

[　　]

A．A priest called Valentine performed marriages for young lovers in secret.

B．A person called Valentine helped to save many Christians.

C．A person called Valentine wrote her lover a letter, which he signed “From your Valentine” .

D．It doesn't tell us exactly.

3．In the fourth paragraph, what's the meaning of the second “Valentine”?

[　　]

A．The person “Valentine”.

B．A thing as a gift in that day.

C．A signature in the lovers' day for the first time .

D．No real meaning.

4．What does the passage mainly talk about?

[　　]

A．How to spend Saint Valentine's Day.

B．The history of Saint Valentine's Day.

C．Why we should spend Saint Valentine's Day.

D．Why we should remember the person named Valentine.

Ireland has had a very difficult history. The problems started in the 16^th century when English rulers fried to conquer(征服) Ireland. For hundreds of years, the Irish people fought against the English. Finally, in 1921. The British government was forced to give independence to the south of Ireland. The result is that today there are two “Irelands”. Northern Ireland. In the north, is part of the united kingdom. The republic of Ireland. In the south. Is an independent country.

In the 1840s the main crop, potatoes ,was affected by disease and about 750,000 people died of bunger. This, and a shortage (短缺) of work , forced many people to leave Ireland and live in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. As a result of these problems, the population fell from 8.2 million in 1841 to 6.6 million in 1851.

For many years, the majority of Irish people earned their living as farmers. Today, many people still work on the land but more and more people are moving to the cities to work in factories and offices. Life in the cities is very different from life in the countryside, where things move at a quieter and slower pace.

The Irish are famous for being warm-hearted and friendly, Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, once said that the Irish were “the greatest talkers since the Greeks”, Since independence, Ireland has revived(复兴) its own culture of music, language, literature and singing. Different are as have different styles of old Irish song which are sung without instruments. Other kinds of Irish music use many different instruments such as the violin, whistles, etc.

1.what does the author tell us in paragraph 1 ?

A. how the Irish fought against the English.

B. how Ireland gained independence.

C. how English rulers tried to conquer Ireland.

D. how two ”Irelands” came into being.

2.we learn from the text that in Ireland____________.

A. food shortages in the 1840s led to a decline in population

B. people are moving to the cities for lack of work in the countryside

C. it is harder to make a living as a farmer than as a factory worker

D. different kinds of old Irish songs are all sung with instruments

3.the last paragraph is mainly about____________.

A. the Irish character

B. Irish culture

C. Irish musical instruments

D. a famous Irish writer

4.what can be the best title for the text?

A. Life in Ireland B. A very difficult history

C. Ireland, past and present    D. the independence of Ireland

Even plant can run a fever, especially when they’re under attack by insects or disease. But unlike human, plants can have their temperature taken from 3,000 feet away straight up. A decade ago, adopting the infrared （红外线）scanning technology developed for military purposes and other satellites, physicist Stephen Paley came up with a quick way to take the temperature of crops to determine which ones are under stress. The goal was to let farmers precisely target pesticide (杀虫剂)spraying rather than rain poison on a whole field, which invariably includes plants that don’t have pest(害虫)problems.

Even better, Paley’s Remote Scanning Services Company could detect crop problems before they became visible to the eye. Mounted on a plane flown at 3,000 feet at night, an infrared scanner measured the heat sent out by crops. The data were transformed into a color-coded map showing where plants were running “fevers”. Farmers could then spot-spray, using 50 to 70 percent less pesticide that they otherwise would.

The bad news is that Paley’s company closed down in 1984, after only three years. Farmers resisted the new technology and long-term backers were hard to find. But with the renewed concern about pesticides on produce, and refinements（改进）ininfrared scanning, Paley hopes to get back into operation. Agriculture experts have no doubt the technology works. “This technique can be used on 75 percent of agricultural land in the United States,” says George Oerther of Texas A& M, who recently retired from the Department of Agriculture, thinks remote infrared crop scanning could be adopted by the end of the decade. But only if Paley finds the financial backing which he failed to obtain 10 years ago.

1.In what situation will plants have a fever?(No more than 8 words)(2marks)

2.How can we apply pesticide spraying precisely?(No more than 10 words)(2 marks)

3.Why may infrared scanning technology by brought back into operation?(No more than 13 words)(3 marks)

4.What is the biggest problem that might prevent bringing infrared scanning technology back?(No more than 7 words)(3 marks)