Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Dickson Despommier, a public health professor at Columbia University in New York City developed an idea with his students nine years ago. They imagined people in cities growing crops inside a tall building. Tomatoes could grow on one floor of the skyscraper , potatoes on the next, small animals and fish on the floor above. This vertical farm, or "farmscraper", could have space for restaurants and other places that serve food, like schools or hospitals. They could serve foods that are truly locally grown. But why would anyone want to build a farm indoors in a city? Dickson Despommier believes it will become necessary. The world needs to find places to produce enough food to feed the growing population. Space, he says, is an all-important issue. The professor also points to the problems of traditional farms. They use a lot of freshwater. Their fertilizer and animal waste can pollute water resources. And their growing seasons can be limited. But inside the vertical farm, crops could grow all year. And there would be no wind to blow away soil. Farmers would not have to worry about too much or too little rain, or about hot summers, freezing winters or insects. And without insects there would be no need for chemicals to kill them. Farm machines that .use fossil fuels, like tractors, would not be needed either. And water could be recycled for drinking. "The vertical farm reuses everything, so there is no waste," says Professor Despommier. Even buildings could be saved. Old buildings could become new farms and provide jobs. The professor has been actively proposing the idea to cities as far away as Dubai and Canada. But so far it exists only in plans and drawings, and a model at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Critics say building a farmscraper would cost too much, especially considering the price of land in many cities. Dickson Despommier estimates the cost at about twenty to thirty million dollars. But he says the building would not have to be very tall. And his graduate students have found many... Question: According to the passage the purpose of proposing the idea of a farm scraper is to _ Options: A: find places to produce enough food B: serve food that are truly locally grown C: prevent polluting the limited land D: save fresh water
A

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage. "Excuse me",said a young man,standing shyly at the open church door. "I'm here to pick up an Easter basket for my daughter. Am I in the right place?""Well,we have baskets,but they're not Easter baskets for kids;they're food baskets,"I explained. That morning I arrived at St.Michael's Church in Carmichael,California,to help give out the baskets to needy families for Easter. To make sure every family would receive one,we had handed out numbers to them that matched the basket they were supposed to receive. Each one contained a whole ham,potatoes,bread,vegetables,and a pie--enough food to help feed a family for a week. "Why don't you come in?"I said to the man. He looked disappointed. He shook his head and said,"I can't...My daughter is waiting for me over there. I'm grateful for the food,but when I heard you were giving away baskets for Easter...well,I thought they would be Easter baskets for children." He continued,"I promised my daughter one,and I wanted to surprise her." I felt bad,but there was nothing I could do. The man handed me his number,and I walked over to the baskets. A bulge in one of the baskets caught my eye. "What is that?"I wondered. Leaning over and looking more closely,I could see,unmistakably,an Easter basket--filled with candy,chocolate,and Easter eggs. One of the volunteers must have added it by mistake!I thought. Then I looked at the man's number in my hand. Well,he'll be... "Happy Easter,"I said to the man,handing him the only food basket with an Easter basket inside--the very same basket with his number on it. "Someone knew just what you needed." Question: What surprised the author was that _ . Options: A: there was an Easter basket in the food basket B: someone knew what the young man needed C: one of the baskets was filled with more bread than others D: he found that the young man's name was on the basket
A

Q: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: The hardworking businessman Jones used to work all day in his shop and so hard-working was he that at times he would make the sparks fly from his hammer. The son of Mr. Smith, a rich neighbor, used to come to see him every day and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself watching how the man worked. " Young man, why don't you try your hand to learn to make shoe tacks , even if it is only to pass the time ? " said Jones. " Who knows, one day, it may be of use to you ." The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little practice he found that he was becoming very skilled and soon he was making some of the finest tacks. Old Mr. Smith died and the son because of the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and was forced to live in another country. It so happened that in this village there were many shoemakers who were spending a lot of money buying tacks for their shoes and even at times when they paid high prices they were not always able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers' shoes. Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to earn his daily bread, remembered that once upon a time he had learned the art of making tacks and had the sudden idea of making a bargain with the shoemakers. He told them that he would make the tacks if they would help to get him settled in the workshop. The shoemakers were only too glad of the offer. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village. " How funny it seems, " he used to say, " even making tacks can make money. My trade is more useful to me than all my former riches." Question: The young man learnt to make shoe tacks because _ . Options: A: his father told him to B: he wanted to learn a skill C: Jones encouraged him to D: he just wanted to pass his time
A: C