B

The world economy has run into a brick wall. Despite countless warnings in recent years about the need to address a looming(逼近) hunger crisis in poor countries and a looming energy crisis worldwide, world leaders failed to think ahead. The result is a global food crisis.

Wheat, corn and rice prices have more than doubled in the past two years. And oil prices have increased more than three times since the stavt of 2004. These food prices increases, combined with soaring energy costs, will slow if not stop economic growth in many parts of the world and will even undermine(破坏) political stability, as evidenced by the protest riots that have erupted in places like Haiti, Bangladesh and Burkina Faso. Practical solutions to these growing woes do exist, but we'll have to start thinking ahead and acting globally.

So, what should be done?Here are three steps to ease the current crisis and avert(防止, 避免) the potential for a global disaster. The first is to scaleup(按比例增加,扩大) the dramatic success of Malawi, a famine-prone(遭遇饥荒) country in southern Africa, which three years ago established a special fund to help its farmers get fertilizer and highyield seeds.

Malawi‘s harvest doubled after just one year. An international fund based on the Malawi model would cost a mere $10 per person annually in the rich world, or $10 billion in all.

Second, the US and Europe should abandon their policies of subsidizing(给补助金) the conversion of food into biofuels(生物燃料).

Third, we urgently need to weatherproof(使防风雨) the world's crops as soon and as effectively as possible. For a poor farmer, sometimes something as simple as a farm pond—which collects rainwater to be used for

emergency irrigation in a dry spell—can make the difference between a bountiful crop and a famine. The world has already committed to establishing a Climate Adaptation Fund to help poor regions, climate-proof vital economic activities such as food production and health care, but has not yet acted upon the promise.

The food crisis provides not only a warning but also an opportunity. We need to invest vastly more in sustainable development in order to achieve true global security and economic growth.

4. Which of the following is the best title?

A. How to End the Global Food Shortage.

B. How to End the Global Disaster.

C. How to Help the Farmers in the Poor Countries.

D. How to Subsidize the Farmers to Increase Food Products.

5. The word “woes” in paragraph one is most likely to mean ______.

A. hunger B. things

C. matters D. disasters

6. What does the author think of the global food shortage?

A. People in the world can do nothing.

B. The global food crisis will continue.

C. The food crisis provides not only a warning but also an opportunity.

D. We don' know.

7. What measures should be taken to ease the current crisis and avert the potential for a global disaster?

A. To scale-up the dramatic success of Malawi.

B. The U.S. and Europe should abandon their policies of subsidizing the conversion of food into biofuels.

C. To prevent the world's crops from being destroyed by weather as soon and as effectively as possible.

D. All above.

答案及解析:

4.A.主旨大意题。文章主要讲如何结束全球食物短缺,A能概括文章中的主要内容。B、C、D都是文章中的一部分。

5.D.词义猜测题。从下文中Here are three steps to ease the current crisis and avert(防止, 避免) the potential for a global disaster.可以猜出词义。

6.C.事实细节题,文中最后一段可知。

7.D.事实细节题,从文章中第二、三、四段可知。