Farmers may not be able to prevent natural disasters, but they can at least try their best to reduce losses. For example, they can plant crops that are more likely to survive extreme weather. In north-central Vietnam, people with small farms do not plant rice between September and December. Seasonal rains might destroy the rice. So instead, they plant lotus seeds on raised beds. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says the lotus seeds _ . Farmers in the Philippines are showing new interest in crops like winged beans, string beans, arrowroot and cassava. The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center says traditional crops like these can survive the fierce storms that often strike the islands. The United Nations says some African farmers grow bambara groundnuts during long dry periods. The seeds of this drought-resistant plant can be boiled for eating or for making flour. In some parts of the world, farmers grow vetiver grass. Researchers in Thailand wrote about vetiver in 2007 in the journal Science Asia. They noted that the grass can absorb and control the spread of harmful waste waters, like those from pig farms. Agricultural expert and author William Rivera says vetiver resists difficult conditions. It reduces damage from heavy rains. And vetiver planted on earthen dams may strengthen them against breaks and flooding. William Rivera also speaks approvingly of alfalfa. Its deep roots can find and take up groundwater. Those roots also help hold the soil against winds. And alfalfa can be a valuable food source for animals. The deep and extensive roots of sunflowers make them another good candidate for resisting extreme conditions. The tall plants have brightly color1ed heads that provide seeds and oil. North Dakota grows more hectares of sunflowers than any other American state. But North Dakota is better known as a top wheat producing state. Hans Kandel works at the North Dakota State University Extension Service in Fargo. He says farmers in some parts of North Dakota plant wheat that is... From this passage we may safely conclude that _ . A) weather conditions are always decisive factors in agriculture B) some crops can help farmers to fight against extreme weather C) agriculture is developing fast in the world D) the species of the world are changing quickly
B
Dear Editor, I am writing to ask what has happened to our youth. They are not as polite, hard-working or clever as my generation. I will give you two examples. Last Friday, I got on the underground at 9.15a.m. It was very busy so there were no free seats. There were some teenagers sitting on the seats nearest me. I didn't know why they were not at school. They were talking loudly and laughing. It was difficult to read my newspaper with all the noise. A heavily pregnant woman and her daughter got on at the next stop, with lots of shopping bags. I expected the teenagers to let them sit down. They saw the woman but did nothing. I had to ask them to give her a seat. They reluctantly did so but give me a rude look. I got off at the next stop and was glad that the teenagers didn't follow me. Last Saturday, I had dinner with my friend's family. I was expecting to meet his children, who I hadn't seen for ten years. During dinner, we started talking about world politics. It soon became clear that they didn't know much. They couldn't tell me the name of the King of Spain or the President of Italy. All they knew about was the Internet and which singers were the most beautiful. In my day, students knew the kings, queens and presidents of every country in Europe. I worry about the future of Germany. How could these young people become responsible workers and parents? They sit around Macdonald's after instead of going to the library like I did at their age. Maybe they have too much money. Perhaps another reader can give us an idea about what to do with this"lost generation". Franz Vogts Hamburg Franz Vogts was not pleased at the dinner because _ . A) he was not politely treated B) the children cared more about singers than him C) the children did not know much about world politics D) he had different opinions about the world from his friend
C
Q: I no longer run for the mail the way I used to. I remember, prior to the e-mail age, the sense of heightened expectation as the hour of mail delivery approached, wondering what slender , handwritten treasures would appear in my box. I once received a letter from a long-lost friend and swelled with such joy that I ran the mail carrier down and shook his hand, as if he had done a heroic deed in conveying the missive to me. I first learned to love the mail as a young boy. The first thing I ever received that was personally addressed to me was from my friend Duane. We had been the closest of 9-year-old boys. Then he moved away, to Massachusetts. The parting was difficult, but boys didn't cry. Within the week, however, there was a letter in my mailbox. It was from Duane, and it read, "I'm OK, but I miss you." That first conveyance to me of a written word from a great distance had all the significance of the first Morse code message: "What hath God wrought." It was at that moment that I became a letter writer, quickly discovering that the more letters I wrote, the more I received. I wrote letters through elementary school, high school, college, and beyond. It got to the point where I could comfortably expect to receive a letter a day. _ - something toward which my thoughts began to move upon waking. What quickened my blood, of course, was the element of surprise: From whom would the letter be today? And what would the news be? And then, seemingly in the blink of an eye, the earth shifted. E-mail had arrived. Despite being fascinated by the new technology, I promised myself that I would never stop writing letters by hand. However, I had no control over the habits of others, and slowly, inexorably , and then with quickened pace, the letters disappeared from my mailbox, having been replaced with electronic "messages" , a totally different beast --in contrast to letters, all e-mails look alike. What made the author become a letter writer? A) A letter from a long -lost friend. B) The desire to receive more letters. C) The joy of reading the first letter from Duane. D) The influence of the first Morse code message.
A: C
(Question)
Women in Nazi Germany were to have a very special job. Hitler was very clear about this. This job was that they should be good mothers bringing up children at home while their husbands worked. Except for some special fields, Hitler saw no reason why a woman should work. Within months of Hitler coming to power, many female doctors, teachers and lawyers were . By the start of the Second World War, very few German women were in fulltime work. From their earliest years, girls were taught that all good German women married at a young age to a proper German and that the wife's job was to keep a good home for her working husband and to have children. One of the earliest laws passed by Hitler once he came to power in 1933, was the Law for the Encouragement of Marriage. This law stated that all newly married couples would get a government loan of 1000 marks. This loan was not to be simply paid back. The birth of one child meant that 25% of the loan did not have to be paid back. Two children meant that 50% of the loan didn't need to be paid back. Four children meant that the entire loan was cleared. What was more, as housewives and mothers, their lives were controlled. Women were not expected to wear make-up or trousers. Only flat shoes were expected to be worn. Women were discouraged from slimming as this was considered bad for child birth. According to the passage, women in Nazi Germany _ . A) could make up or wear beautiful clothes B) were to have children and do housework C) could receive a good education at school D) were offered the equal rights as men
(Answer)
B