Charlotte Hollins faces a battle. The 23-year-old British farmer and her 21-year-old brother Ben are fighting to save farm that their father worked on since he was 14. Although confident they will succeed, she is aware of farming’s many challenges.
“You don’t often get a day off. Supermarkets put a lot of pressure on farmers to keep prices low. With fewer people working on farms it can be isolating,” she said. “There is a high rate of suicide and farming will never make you rich!”
Like others around the world, Charlotte’s generation tend to leave the farm for cities.
Oliver Robinson, 25, grew up in Yorkshire. But he never considered staying on his father and grandfather’s land. “I’m sure Dad hoped I’d stay,” he said. “I guess it’s a nice, straightforward life, but it doesn’t appeal to me. For young, ambitious people, farm life is hard.”
For Robinson, farming doesn’t offer much “in terms of money or lifestyle”. Hollins agrees that economic factors stop people from enjoying the rewards of farming. He describes it as a career that provides “for a vital human need”, allowing people to work “outdoors with nature.”
Farming is a big political issue in the UK. The “Buy British” campaigns urge consumers not to purchase cheaper imported foods. The 2001 foot and mouth crisis closed thousands of farms, stopped meat exports, and raised public consciousness about the troubles on UK farms.
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s 2005 campaign to get children eating healthily also highlighted the issue.
This national concern gives hope to farmers competing with powerful supermarkets. While most people buy food from the big supermarkets, hundreds of independent Farmers’ Markets are becoming popular.
“I started going to Farmers’ Markets in direct defiance(違抗) of the big supermarkets. I seriously objected to the super-sizing of everything－what exactly do they put on our apples to make them so big and red? It’s terrible,” said Londoner Michaela Samson, 31.
1.What are the challenges that British farmers face according to Charlotte Hollins?
a. loneliness b. thin profits
c. a lack of good equipment d. long working hours but slow results
A．abc B．abd C．acd D．bcd
2.Why did Oliver Robinson refuse to stay on the farm?
A．He hoped for a simpler life
B．He was fed up with a hard farm life.
C．Farm life was too demanding though he liked it.
D．He hoped for something challenging and rewarding.
3.What happened in 2001 to the British beef farmers?
A．British people ate more British beef.
B．To be a beef farmer became profitable.
C．Diseaes dramatically reduced the amount of beef available.
D．Foreign farmers stopped selling beef to Britain.
4.Which of the following is an advantage of Farmers’ Markets?
A．Lower prices. B．Flexible sizes.
C．Convenient location. D．Healthier food.
5.What can we conclude from the last two paragraphs?
A．Things are improving for independent farms in the UK.
B．Farming in the UK can now match the powerful supermarkets.
C．Most British people are doubtful of food in supermarkets.
D．Most British people have realized the problems facing farms and begun to help save them.
1.B
2.D
3.C
4.D
5.A
【解析】
試題分析：本文講述的是英國的農場所面臨的困難情況導致很多的農民都不愿意繼續從事農業活動，在文章的后幾段繼續進一步說明現在的農場的情況有所好轉。
1.B 細節題。根據文章2,4段“You don’t often get a day off. Supermarkets put a lot of pressure on farmers to keep prices low. With fewer people working on farms it can be isolating,” she said. “There is a high rate of suicide and farming will never make you rich!”和For young, ambitious people, farm life is hard.”可知abd三項的內容都是現在的農民多面臨的挑戰。故B正確。
2.D 細節題。根據第五段1,2行For Robinson, farming doesn’t offer much “in terms of money or lifestyle”. Hollins agrees that economic factors stop people from enjoying the rewards of farming.可知農場生活缺乏挑戰并沒有回報。故D正確。
3.C 細節題。根據文章第6段The 2001 foot and mouth crisis closed thousands of farms, stopped meat exports, and raised public consciousness about the troubles on UK farms.
可知2001年的口蹄疫讓英國的牛肉出口減少，經濟受到影響。故C正確。
4.D 推理題。根據文章倒數第三段Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s 2005 campaign to get children eating healthily also highlighted the issue.可知農場里出產的產品往往是健康的。故D正確。
5.A 推理題。根據文章最后2段This national concern gives hope to farmers competing with powerful supermarkets. 和“I started going to Farmers’ Markets in direct defiance(違抗) of the big supermarkets. I seriously objected to the super-sizing of everything－what exactly do they put on our apples to make them so big and red?可知現在英國的農場的狀況有所好轉，人們意識到農場的重要性。故A正確。
考點：考察經濟類短文閱讀
點評：本文講述的是英國的農場所面臨的困難情況導致很多的農民都不愿意繼續從事農業活動，在文章的后幾段繼續進一步說明現在的農場的情況有所好轉。這篇文章比較難，先看問題，再帶著問題讀短文，找出各段落的主旨句，理解全文內容，總結全文中心，然后再回到問題上來，很容易選出正確答案。多了解一些常識性知識有利于閱讀理解。如果對文章的相關背景有所了解，讀起文章一定既省時又省力。因此，在學習過程中，了解各方面的背景知識是十分重要的。
科目：高中英語 來源：2012屆福建省漳州五中高三模擬考試英語試卷（帶解析） 題型：閱讀理解
This is the letter that Mr. White wrote before his death about his three books for children:
Dear Reader:
I receive many letters from children and can't answer them all -- there wouldn't be time enough in a day. That is why I am sending you this printed reply to your letter. I'll try to answer some of the questions that are commonly asked.
Where did I get the idea for Stuart Little and for Charlotte's Web? Well, many years ago I went to bed one night in a railway sleeping car, and during the night I dreamed about a tiny boy who acted rather like a mouse. That's how the story of Stuart Little got started.
As for Charlotte's Web, I like animals and my barn（谷倉） is a very pleasant place to be, at all hours. One day when I was on my way to feed the pig, I began feeling sorry for the pig because, like most pigs, he was doomed to die. This made me sad. So I started thinking of ways to save a pig's life. I had been watching a big grey spider at her work and was impressed by how clever she was at weaving. Gradually I worked the spider into the story that you know, a story of friendship and salvation（拯救） on a farm. Three years after I started writing it, it was published. (I am not a fast worker, as you can see.)
Sometimes I'm asked how old I was when I started to write, and what made me want to write. I started early -- as soon as I could spell. In fact, I can't remember any time in my life when I wasn't busy writing. I don't know what caused me to do it, or why I enjoyed it, but I think children often find pleasure and satisfaction is trying to set their thoughts down on paper, either in words or in pictures. I was no good at drawing, so I used words instead. As I grew older, I found that writing can be a way of earning a living.
Some of my readers want me to visit their school. Some want me to send a picture, or an autograph, or a book. And some ask questions about my family and my animals and my pets. Much as I'd like to, I can't go visiting. I can't send books, either -- you can find them in a bookstore or a library. Many children assume that a writer owns (or even makes) his own books. This is not true -- books are made by the publisher. If a writer wants a copy, he must buy it. That's why I can't send books. And I do not send autographs（親筆簽名，手稿） -- I leave that to the movie stars. I live most of the year in the country, in New England. From our windows we can look out at the sea and the mountains. I live near my married son and three grandchildren.
Are my stories true, you ask? No, they are imaginary tales, containing fantastic characters and events. In real life, a family doesn't have a child who looks like a mouse; in real life, a spider doesn't spin words in her web. In real life, a swan doesn't blow a trumpet（喇叭，小號） . But real life is only one kind of life -- there is also the life of the imagination. And although my stories are imaginary, I like to think that there is some truth in them, too -- truth about the way people and animals feel and think and act.
Yours sincerely,
E.B. White
【小題1】What does the author do?
| A． a writer | B．a reporter | C．a doctor | D．a teacher |
| A．His parents’ encuoragement |
| B．His talent in writing |
| C．Not mentioned in the passage |
| D．A writer in the early time |
| A．Because he thinks it should be dong by movie stars. |
| B．Because he thinks his writing is not good enough |
| C．Because he has no much time |
| D．Because he hates writing |
| A．3 minths | B．2 years | C．3 years | D．5 years |
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科目：高中英語 來源：2010年河北唐山一中高二下學期期末考試英語卷 題型：閱讀理解
LINDA MAYNARD
11 Windrift Circle
Methuen, MA
978 – 555 – 4539
JOB OBJECTIVE
Seek special education, primary school, or middle school math teaching position.
EDUCATION
Rivier College, Nashua, NH
Bachelor of Arts in Education – May, 2006
Major: Elementary Education
Have successfully completed PRAXIS I and PRAXIS II. Meet highly qualified testing requirements for Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
November, 2005 – January, 2006
Wilkins Elementary School, Amherst, NH
Student Teacher
· Developed and completed student – centered lessons in all subject areas for various groups of fifth grade special and regular education students.
·Adapted lessons to meet students’ needs by reviewing their backgrounds and learning needs through IEPs.
·Communicated with parents on a regular basis via newsletters, daily or weekly progress reports, phone calls, and email, resulting in increased parental participation at home.
September, 2005 – November, 2005
Charlotte Avenue Elementary School, Nashua, NH
Student Teacher
·Taught reading and writing through Language Experience Approach methods.
·Introduced a Writer’s Workshop appropriate for first grade students to help them to develop their writing skills.
·Developed learning stations in reading and science, enabling students to be more independent learners.
Spring, 2005
Wilkins Elementary School, Amherst, NH
Designed and taught a unit on Insects and Spiders, based on New Hampshire Standards to 23 self -contained, third and fourth grade students with disabilities.
Fall, 2004
Amherst Street Elementary School, Nashua, NH
Taught a class of 24 third grade students with a wide range of abilities.
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE
·After-School Aid, Amherst School District, Amherst, NH (2004 – 2005)
·Summer Camp advisor, YMCA, Nashua, NH (Summers, 2002 and 2003)
·Big Brother / Big Sister Volunteer, Nashua, NH (2002 – 2005)
【小題1】What kind of job does Linda want to get?
| A．A Big Brother / Big Sister Volunteer. | B．A middle school math teacher. |
| C．A special education advisor. | D．A summer camp advisor. |
| A．Rivier College, Nashua, NH |
| B．Wilkins Elementary School, Amherst, NH |
| C．Charlotte Avenue Elementary School, Nashua, NH |
| D．Amherst Street Elementary School, Nashua, NH |
| A．She was merely interested in developing student’s math abilities. |
| B．She was not active in participating in after – school activities. |
| C．She is permitted to teach in any high school of New York. |
| D．She has plenty of experience in teaching. |
| A．Newsletters. | B．Phone calls. |
| C．Face-to-face talks. | D．Daily or weekly progress reports. |
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科目：高中英語 來源：2010-2011學年河南省開封市高三上學期第一次模擬考試英語卷 題型：閱讀理解
A Charlotte, NC, lawyer bought a box of very rare and expensive cigars, and then insured them against fire among other things．Having smoked his entire great cigars within a month, the lawyer filed claim （索賠） against the insurance company．
In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars were lost "in a series of small fires"．Of course the insurance company refused to pay, giving the obvious reason that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal way．
The lawyer brought the case to the court and out of everybody's expectation, he actually won! At the end of the trial the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was crazy．But the judge said that the lawyer held a policy （保險單） from the company in which it had promised that the cigars were insured and that it would insure them against fire．Because the company didn't say what is considered to be unacceptable fire, it had to pay the claim．
Rather than put up with long and costly appeal process, the insurance company accepted the punishment and paid $ 15 ,000 to the lawyer for his loss of the rare cigars lost in the "fires．"
After the lawyer cashed the check, the insurance company had him arrested and accused him of arson （縱火罪）．With his own insurance claim from the previous case being used against him, the lawyer was charged with burning his insured possessions on purpose and was sentenced to 24 months in prison and a $ 24,000 fine．
1.The lawyer had smoked all the cigars ___．
|
A．by design |
B．by mistake |
C．by accident |
D．by contract |
2.The proper order of the lawyer's activities is ___．
a．having the company paying his claim
b．having himself put in prison and fined
c．having smoked all the cigars
d．bringing the company to the court
e．insuring the box of cigars
|
A．ecabd |
B．acebd |
C．ecdab |
D．cedba |
3.The underlined word "it" in the third paragraph refers to ___．
|
A．the box of cigars |
B．the insurance company |
|
C．the policy |
D．the claim |
4.Which of the following sayings is the best suitable for the lawyer?
|
A．Whoever sits against heaven, it falls in his face． |
|
B．A bad beginning makes a bad ending． |
|
C．Accidents will happen． |
|
D．Even the wise make mistakes sometimes． |
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科目：高中英語 來源：2014屆甘肅省高一上學期期中考試英語題 題型：閱讀理解
I got my first driver’s license (執照) in 1953 by taking driver education in my first year at Central High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Four years later when it was time to renew my license I was a married woman. Henry and I were living in Baltimore, Maryland. Two weeks before my 20th birthday, Henry drove me to the motor vehicle office on a hot July afternoon. When I got to the office and showed to the man behind the counter my North Carolina driver’s license，ready to renew, the man told me that I was under age by Maryland law since I was not yet 21. “Mr. Henry Smith, your husband, will have to sign for you,” he said.
I argued, pointing to a very large belly (肚子) of mine, “I am married. I am having a baby. Why should I have to have someone sign for me to drive?” He answered coldly, “It’s the law, madam.”
Henry encouraged me to calm down, just go ahead and get the license and be done with it. “No,” I said. I refused to have him sign for me. So I left without a Maryland license.
I called the North Carolina Motor Vehicle Office and renewed my NC license by mail — using my name Susan Brown. And thus it was for the next twelve years. Since Henry was in the army I could drive under my home state license. By the time Henry left the army we were once again living in Maryland, and I had to take the Maryland driver’s exam. Since then I just go in and renew every four years—sign the name Susan Brown, have my new picture taken, and walk out with a license to drive.
1.Susan got her first driver’s license _________.
A. before she got married to Henry
B. when she was twenty years old
C. after she finished high school
D. when she just moved to Maryland
2.We can infer from the text that in the U.S. _________.
A. American males should serve in the army
B. different states my have different laws
C. people have to renew their licenses in their home states
D. women should adopt their husbands’ family names after marriage
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科目：高中英語 來源：2013屆江西省高二上學期期中考試英語試題 題型：閱讀理解
Please help! I live in Germany with my wife and three kids. My parents live in the UK. I want my kids to have as much contact with their grandparents as possible. The kids all use e-mail, Skype and SMS but my parents won’t. I’ve bought them a laptop, paid for broadband, given them both mobile phones and a digital camera, but they won’t use them. My parents say they hate computers and new technology. What can I do with these “technophobes”?
Daniel, Buremburg, Germany
Actually, the original technophobes were the Luddites, a group of cloth workers in 19th century Britain during the Industrial Revolution. The Luddite cloth workers, who traditionally made cloth by hand, were worried that machines were going to take away their jobs and way of life. These machines could make cloth much faster and cheaper than humans. In 1811 and 1812 the Luddites destroyed the machines that they hated so much, but the British government supported the factory owners. Many Luddites were arrested. Charlotte Bronte’s novel Shirley will tell your parents all about it.
Laura, Valencia, Spain
Laura makes some interesting points, I think. Technophobes has been a common theme in science fiction. Frankenstein, one of the first science fiction, is a warning of what could happen if humans began to experiment with human life.
Freda, Copenhagen, Denmark
One thing you could try is to find hardware that is designed for older people to use. An example is the mobiles made by the US company, Jitterbug. Instead of icons and menus the Jitterbug phones ask users simple “yes/no” questions and have larger keypads. The company realized that there are potentially 100 million older users in the US alone.
Graham, Patras, Greece
1.The underlined part “the technophobes” in the passage refers to ______.
A. those who are ready to try new technology
B. those who are addicted to the Internet
C. those who refuse to use modern technology
D. those who are devoted to inventing new things
2.Which of the following is TRUE of the Luddites?
A. They called themselves the technophobes.
B. They got full support from their factory owners.
C. They preferred to keep their traditional working methods.
D. They were killed by the government.
3.Who has put forward a practical and useful suggestions?
A. Laura. B. Freda. C. Daniel. D. Graham.
4.The passage is probably taken from _____.
A. a personal blog B. a letter between friends
C. a personal diary D. a speech on new technology
5.What can we infer from the passage?
A. Daniel would buy her parents a novel written by Shirley.
B. Charlotte Bronte wrote about technophobes in her novel Shirley.
C. Daniel would buy her parents cell phones with icons and menus.
D. Daniel worried about her children using e-mails.
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