LANZHOU-When an international olive oil competition announced its winners in Greece in late June, excitement spread across the village of Daoqi in Northwest China.
“The award-winning olive oil was made from our fruit,” said Ru Ciming, 50, an olive planter from the village under the city of Longnan, Gansu province. The variety of olive trees in Ru’s orchard (果园) was introduced from Spain. In the eyes of locals, the foreign trees have not only pulled the city, once among the least-developed regions in China, out of poverty, but they have also brought them international fame.
Olives originated in the Mediterranean (地中海地区) and their oil, often called liquid gold, is used widely in food, cosmetics and medicine. In the 1960s, the Albanian government gifted China more than 10,000 olive saplings (树苗), which were then planted in many parts of the country on nationwide trials. Longnan began to plant olive trees in the early 1970s and experts concluded that the region was ideal for the resettlement of the olive trees due to its climate and soil condition. After years of experiments and promotion, it is now the largest olive cultivation (栽培) base in China.
In recent years, the local olive oil industry has continued to expand as Longnan has improved cooperation with Mediterranean countries that have a long history of olive planting, including Italy, Greece and Spain. The improved cooperation aims to introduce better varieties and initiate technical exchanges.
Pedro J. Rodriguez Sanchez, a Spanish olive seedling expert, was one of the early contributors to olive exchanges. He arrived in Longnan in 2009, when only half of the local olive tree seedlings had survived. His technical guidance helped raise the survival rate to over 90 percent.
Zhao Haiyun, an official in charge of promoting the olive industry in Longnan’s Wudu District, said that many more European experts have arrived since Sanchez. They have visited orchards to offer guidance to farmers, and helped companies improve their processing and storage procedures.
They have helped the district, as well as the city of Longnan, to jump on the bandwagon of China’s rising demand for high-quality olive oil, especially among well-off urban families, said Zhao.
12. What can we learn from the third paragraph?
A.Olive oil is named liquid gold and has many uses. |
B.The Albanian government sold some olive saplings to China. |
C.Longnan has a history of about 30 years of planting olive trees. |
D.Longnan is fit for the growth of olive trees due to its rich water resources. |
13. Where did Pedro J. Rodriguez Sanchez come from?
A.Italy. | B.Albania. | C.Spain. | D.Greece. |
14. Which of the following words can replace the underlined one “bandwagon” in the last paragraph?
A.Policy. | B.Habit. | C.Fashion. | D.Model. |
15. What can be the best title for the news report?
A.Olives link Northwest China with world |
B.Oliver trees pull Longnan out of poverty |
C.Longnan is largest olive cultivation base in China |
D.Longnan improves cooperation with Mediterranean countries |