A new United Nations report shows that fish farming may soon be the world's most important provider of fish. The Food and Agriculture Organization says fish farming is growing at a rate of 6.6 percent a year. Fish farming now produces forty-six percent of the world's supply of fish. That represents a forty-three percent increase from 2006. The report also said fish farming earned more money in 2008 than traditional fisheries. In fish farming, fish are raised in tanks or small bodies of water called ponds. They are also raised in cages or nets in oceans, lakes and rivers. The report says increased fish farming has helped people around the world eat record amounts of fish. The FAO says each person ate an average of almost seventeen kilograms of fish last year. However, the FAO says the current yearly wild-fish harvest of ninety million tons shows no improvement. Decreasing numbers of fish and stronger catch limits have reduced the possibilities for catching wild fish. The FAO report says about thirty-two percent of world supplies are overfished. It says these supplies of fish need to be rebuilt at once. Some scientists have criticized fish farming. They say the nets and cages permit fish diseases and pests to spread. Some fish farming critics doubt whether fish farming can keep growing at the current rate. But Wally Stevens of the trade group Global Aquaculture Alliance says the industry must continue developing to feed growing populations. Mr. Stevens says a one hundred percent increase in fish farming over ten years is necessary to keep providing for people at the current level. He notes that fish farming creates jobs and wealth, especially for people in coastal areas of China. We learn that since the year 2006, fish farming has been _ . A) earning more money than traditional fisheries B) developing rapidly around the world C) growing at a rate of 6.6 percent each day D) producing 46% of the world's supply of fish
B
LONDON, Feb. 18,2014 (Xinhua News agency) --Britain will send experts to East China's Shanghai to learn from the city's experience in maths teaching in an attempt to raise the teaching standards. British Education Minister Elizabeth Truss is to lead a delegation of experts on a fact-finding mission to Shanghai's schools next week to see how children there have become the best in the world at maths, to get a first-hand look at maths classes and teaching methods there, and particularly to investigate why the performance of almost all children in Shanghai is high, regardless of gender or income. Britain was last year placed 50th out of 148 countries and regions in the World Economic Forum's competitiveness ranking in quality of maths and science education. Two years ago, Shanghai topped the 2012 international PISA tables for maths, while England was ranked in 26th place. The top five were all in Southeast Asia, with 15-year-olds in Shanghai judged to be three years ahead of their peers in maths. The education department said: "England's performance in maths has lagged behind while other countries have improved and overtaken us, including Poland and Germany." Actually, it is the latest step in the government's drive to raise standards in maths, looking at what has made schools in the far East the most successful in the world in teaching the subject. "Shanghai is the top-performing part of the world for maths--their children are streets ahead. Shanghai and Singapore have teaching practices and a positive mind that make the difference. They have a belief that diligence makes up for lack of ability," Truss said. "Our new curriculum has borrowed from theirs because we know it works--early learning of key arithmetic, and a focus on times tables and long division , for instance." She was determined to change the situation as performance in maths is weakening the country's skills base and threatening the productivity and growth. The government is emphasizing maths because of the importance of good grades in the subject... Which of the following statements is true according to the two international competition results? A) British students performed better in 2013 than in 2012. B) British students did better than the students from Poland in 2013. C) The students from Singapore did better than the students from Germany. D) The students from Germany did better than the students from Poland.
C
Q: Say you're in the wine store and you want to buy something new. You have nothing to go by outside of the label. Will the label tell you anything you should know? Here's some general advice: Vintage. This is the first thing we look for ourselves. You don't need to care whether 2001 or 2002 was a better year in the Sierra Foothills. The vast majority of wines at the store are meant to be drunk right away, so you make sure the wine isn't too old, particularly if you're buying it expecting lively, fresh fruitiness. We often see five-year-old Pinot Grigio and two-year-old Beaujolais Nouveau at stores, for example, so as soon as we see that kind of age on wines like those, we know we can skip them and move on(and possibly not shop there again). Alcohol content. Too many wines have too much alcohol, which leaves them unbalanced. Sure, there are some classic wines with high alcohol levels, but many of today's regular table wines--Merlot, Chardonnay--have levels at 15% or above. Some of those might be terrific, but if we had nothing else to go on, we'd look for alcohol content at about 14% and below. The more specific the better. A wine that says it's from Napa is probably a better bet than a wine that simply says it's from California. Unfortunately, this will also probably be reflected in the price, so this might not tell you much about value, If you care enough to know a few of famous vineyards for producing high-quality grapes, they might help you make an educated guess about quality. Old vines. Theoretically, older vines produce fewer, but more flavorful grapes, but the problem is that no one has defined what an "old vine" is, so anyone can put this on the label. Just ignore it. A phone number. You'd be surprised many small-production wines these days include a phone number on the back and an invitation to call the winerY, which is a sign of a highly personal winerY. We have called those numbers many times over the years and it's amazing how often the winemaker or winerY owner answers the phone. From the passage we Can infer that A) the wine with high alcohol levels is definitely terrific B) most wines at the store are intended to be drunk right away C) older vines have lower production D) some winemakers keep the promise all the time
A: D
(Q).
When I wake up on summer mornings, I know I am going to my favorite place to volunteer and make a difference in someone's life just by being with him or her -- a summer school for autistic children. By helping the kids read or do math, I am not only teaching important skills but also helping them feel like any other kid. There are many wrong ideas about autism. The kids I work with can think and feel. They need help only in certain areas. Of course, each kid is special. For example, some kids like to draw, and others like to sing. At the school, the kids learn through about 20 activities. These activities can help them learn skills they will need later in life. The very first day I volunteered, a boy came up to me, put his hand on my shoulder, and said "Hello". From then on, I knew I could make a difference. Another boy loved to have me read books that can help him learn to read. Sometimes he could be encouraged to read a few words or sentences. Finally, one day during reading practice, he read nearly 220 words himself! Summer school is also a time for fun, Last summer, bagpipe players came to perform. Most of us had our hands over our ears because they were so loud. When they asked for a volunteer from the audience, one girl raised her hand as high as she could, got up on stage, and even tried the bagpipes in front of everyone. Through these experiences, I realize that the challenges these kids face do not stop them from doing many amazing things. I'm teaching them, but they are teaching me more. What does the author mainly talk about in the passage? A) His teaching experience in a summer holiday. B) How to make a difference in others' lives. C) His experience as a volunteer in a special summer school. D) Autistic children's hard life.
(A).
C