Have you ever heard of agritourism where you can experience the farm life? If not, Dr. Cindy Ayers Elliott will tell you the real story of Foot Print Farms.
The original concept of building Foot Print Farms was simple. When Ayers Elliott returned to her hometown after graduation, she didn’t have to look any further than her state’s alarming health statistics to find a mission. Everywhere she turned, there were reports of high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and heart disease. “The problem was already identified,” explains Ayers Elliott. “Too many Mississippians were seriously unhealthy and it didn’t do research to see that. And many of the state’s greatest health challenges could directly result from poor diet.”
These days, Foot Print Farms, which started with a few raised beds of herbs and vegetables, is making fresh , naturally grown food. “Speaking of the key to my success, the co-op(合作商店) model works because we share the work and rewards,” notes Ayers Elliott. “A perfect example is the Wingfield High School football team. To earn the money for equipment and other items, players committed to working five hours a week on the farm, and by the end of the summer they produced 1,000 melons and the profits from their sales helped to buy weights, T-shirts, sweatsuits and pregame meals. But the lessons they learned about the rewards of hard work and working together to accomplish something were even more valuable products of their efforts.”
“It’s a model that can easily be learned in other places and I’m looking forward to seeing some of our current partners do just that — to take what they have learned here and spin it off in other communities,” Ayers Elliott remarks. She is now looking forward to developing an agritourism area, where visitors can experience the farm life, learn new skills and take with them seeds of inspiration they can sow in their own communities when they return home.
1. What made Ayers Elliott set up Foot Print Farms?| A．The problems faced by local farmers. | B．Her further research into heart disease. |
| C．The failure of her career after graduation. | D．The health state of people in her hometown. |
| A．To advocate the concept of independence. | B．To stress the importance of teamwork. |
| C．To support the idea of the co-op model. | D．To explore the key to success. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Skeptical. | C．Cautious. | D．Ambiguous. |
| A．Naturally grown food benefits people’s health. |
| B．Food Print Farms is making a difference in Mississippi. |
| C．Ayers Elliott encourages people to keep a healthy diet. |
| D．Agritourism is becoming increasingly popular in America. |
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【推荐1】Nate had spent most of his seventy years in the woods. As a young man, he had the alternative of working in the city with his brother. But he decided that urban life was not for him. He preferred to isolate himself from others and find shelter in nature from the crowds and noise of the city. He was more than willing to give up such advantages as flush toilets and electric blankets for the joy of watching a sunrise illuminate the frozen pines.
Because Nate had lived alone for so long, his behavior was unpredictable. For example, one minute he’d be very quiet, and the next he’d talk about his youth. His knowledge of nature was extensive, and so I learned much from him through the years.
I will tell you an interesting story that shows how wise he was about the woods and how miserly (吝啬的) he could be with words. One evening Nate, my cousin Arthur, and I were crossing a grassland. Arthur’s interest in some little white mushrooms that were growing there led to this dialogue:
“These mushrooms look so good,” said Arthur. “Did you ever use them, Nate?”
“Yep,” said Nate. “My mom used to cook them up.”
“Great!” said Arthur. Nate’s words seemed to strengthen Arthur s desire for those mushrooms. He gathered about a hundred of them. “How did she prepare them?” he asked Nate.
“Cooked them up in sugar water.”
“Really? And then you ate them that way?”
“Ate them?” Nate was horrified. “You crazy? We used to put them in a bowl on the table to kill flies!”
1. Which can make Nate happier?| A．Working in the city. | B．Quitting flush toilets. |
| C．Using electric blankets. | D．Enjoying sunrises in the woods. |
| A．ambition | B．courage | C．knowledge | D．imagination |
| A．They were delicious. | B．Nate ate them very often. |
| C．They might be poisonous. | D．Arthur’s mother used to cook them. |
| A．Far From Nature | B．White Mushrooms | C．Nate the Woodsman | D．Advantages of Urban Life |
【推荐2】The white rhinoceros (白犀牛) is near-threatened due to massive illegal hunting; the mountain gorilla is classed as endangered due to great habitat destruction. If no action is taken, these amazing creatures will undoubtedly be extinct before the end of the century. But scientists are working hard to stop this with some pretty cool drone (无人机) tech.
One of the biggest dangers to endangered animals in the modern day comes from illegal hunting, which claims the lives of hundreds of white rhinos every year. While regular patrols (巡逻队) can drive hunters away from certain areas, hunters are often well-armed and unafraid to fire upon those hoping to protect the rhinos. This is where drones come in. If researchers and patrols work in these areas, there would be a real danger of coming into contact with the hunters. By having drones collect data, movement patterns and numbers of animals, researchers and patrols can get away from such dangers.
Drones can also be sent into the skies above difficult-to-reach areas to get data that would otherwise be tough to collect. For example, mountain gorillas are usually found in deep jungle, and organizing an exploration can be expensive and demanding. Researchers can send drones over the forest to gather data about the habitat of the animals, and even take high quality images. This information can be priceless when it comes to an on-foot exploration, as researchers can get up-to-date information. In this situation, human-led surveys will still offer better results, but drones can play a huge part.
The downside presently is the cost, which can run into tens, if not thousands, of dollars. However, drone tech is still becoming a more favorable choice in the fight against wildlife extinction.
1. Why has the mountain gorilla become endangered?| A．Because of illegal hunting. | B．Because of the loss of habitats. |
| C．Because of natural disasters. | D．Because of industrial pollution. |
| A．They can protect themselves from harm. |
| B．They can beat and punish illegal hunters. |
| C．They can reduce the cost of explorations. |
| D．They can increase the rhino’s population. |
| A．It can process important data. | B．It can gather useful information. |
| C．It can drive away illegal hunters. | D．It can replace human-led surveys. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Positive. | C．Concerned. | D．Doubtful. |
【推荐3】Animal populations across the world have been reduced by 69% in less than 50 years, according to a new scientific report. The report’s authors are calling for urgent action to restore the natural world.
The Living Planet Report (LPR) is produced every two years by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Zoological Society of London. The most recent report, released on October 13, 2022, shows that almost 70% of the world’s monitored wildlife was lost between 1970 and 2018. The report is based on research from 195 countries around the world. Data was collected from almost 32,000 populations of 5,230 species.
Although the average global loss of wildlife is 69%, the rate is greater in the global south. Latin America and the Caribbean in particular have seen the sharpest fall, having lost 94% of their wildlife since 1970. Across the world, the biggest drop was in freshwater populations of wildlife — including almost 1,400 species of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles — which have decreased by 83%.
The report identifies several causes for wildlife loss, including hunting, farming, the loss of forests, pollution and climate change. However, the report also promotes solutions, such as designing less destructive food production systems, urgently protecting the Amazon rainforest, limiting the use of fossil fuels, and creating new laws to protect our natural environment.
Commenting on the report, Marco Lambertini, director general of WWF International, called the figures “terrifying”, and said “we need to help nature recover and not simply halt its loss.” In December 2022, world leaders are meeting in Montreal for the 15th UN Biodiversity Conference, also known as COP 15. The authors of the LPR say that this is an opportunity for a global plan to deal with wildlife loss and restore nature. “Government leaders must step up at COP 15,” said Lambertini. “The world is watching.”
1. What does the author mainly want to show by listing the numbers in the first three paragraphs?| A．The causes of the urgent situation. | B．The seriousness of wildlife loss worldwide. |
| C．The detailed process of the research. | D．The drop in freshwater populations of wildlife. |
| A．Stop hunting and farming. | B．Not permit the production of wildlife food. |
| C．Replace the fossil fuels with renewable energy. | D．Offer legal protection of natural environment. |
| A．Accept. | B．Fear. | C．Stop. | D．Suffer. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Indifferent. | C．Positive. | D．Satisfied. |
【推荐1】John Von Neumann was the oldest of 3 children of a banker, and his speed of learning new ideas and of solving problems stood out early. At 17, his father tried to persuade him not to become a mathematician because he may lead a poor life being a mathematician, and so Von Neumann agreed to study chemistry as well. In 1926, at 23, he received a degree in chemical engineering and a Ph.D. in mathematics. From then on, mathematics provided well enough for him, and he never had to turn to chemistry.
In 1930, Von Neumann visited Princeton University for a year and then became a professor there. His first book was published in 1932. In 1933, the Institute for Advanced Study was formed, and he became one of the 6 full-time people in the School of Mathematics (Einstein was one of the others).
World War II hugely changed Von Neumann’s areas of interest. Until 1940 he had been a great pure (纯粹的) mathematician. During and after the war, he became one of the best mathematicians who put mathematics theories into practice. During the last part of the war he became interested in computing machines and made several fundamental contributions. After the war, Von Neumann continued his work with computers, and was generally very active in government service. He received many awards, was president of the American Mathematical Society and was a member of the Atomic Energy Commission. He died in 1957 of cancer.
Von Neumann made several great contributions and any one of them would have been enough to earn him a firm place in history. He will be remembered as one of the greatest minds of the 20th century.
Von Neumann really was a legend (传奇) in his own time, and there are a number of stories about him. His driving ability is a part of this legend. He reported one accident this way: “I was driving down the road. The trees on the right were passing me in an orderly fashion at 60 miles per hour. Suddenly one of them stepped in my path.”
1. According to the text, Von Neumann’s father believed that ________.| A．a mathematician couldn’t earn a lot of money |
| B．a mathematician needed a good memory |
| C．Von Neumann had the ability to learn two subjects at the same time |
| D．Von Neumann had a gift for solving problems at a high speed |
| A．23 | B．26 | C．29 | D．32 |
| A．He realized the importance of engineering. |
| B．He began to research how to put mathematics into practice. |
| C．He left college and served at the government department. |
| D．He lost interest in chemistry. |
| A．calm | B．brave | C．intelligent | D．humorous |
【推荐2】Two weeks ago, I had volunteered to raise three newborn American barn owls(仓鸮). When the director of a local wildlife rehabilitation (康复) center first approached me and asked if I would be interested in raising “the babies,” I was overjoyed! Twelve years earlier, the center had received a pair of barn owls, and since then more than 100 of them have been bred and released. Thoughts poured through my head of hours happily spent raising these babies and working with them until they were fully grown. Tossing them up into the sky where they would begin their lives anew in the wild would be so incredibly rewarding.
However, I had assumed incorrectly that we were going to release all of them. In fact, two of the owls were to be released, but the third owl was to be used as an educational animal. For the center to keep one owl when his two siblings were going to be freed seemed cruel, and this angered me. Sensing my anger, our director suggested that before I denounced the plan for this owl, I should at least go out and help with the educational assignment, to see what is accomplished. While still ready to regard this plan as a horrible use of an owl, I reluctantly agreed to go.
Then, things took a 180-degree turn. I found that I had been naive (天真的) in my assumption that most people knew as much about wildlife as I did, and that they shared my respect for animals. The children at the school where I spoke had never seen the owls or the opossum(负鼠) that I showed them, though both were common inhabitants of our area. Many of them had never even heard of an ocelot(豹猫). They were full of questions and eager to know more. At that moment, it occurred to me that in front of me were rooms full of 6- and 7-year-olds who, with the “help” of the owls, were learning to view nature in a whole new light.
That afternoon, I returned from the educational assignment with a new-found sense of purpose and happily commenced the task at hand — feeding little pieces of mice to Athena, our newest educational ambassador.
1. How did the author react to the director’s request?| A．He agreed happily. | B．He turned it down. |
| C．He said yes unwillingly. | D．He questioned his intention. |
| A．Finished. | B．Agreed. |
| C．Changed. | D．Blamed. |
| A．They explored the outdoors often. |
| B．They were eager to raise an animal. |
| C．They knew little about the surrounding wildlife. |
| D．They had volunteered to join the animal education program. |
| A．A kept owl is protecting the owl’s future |
| B．Saving the world begins with saving an owl |
| C．The earth’s future is in the hands of children |
| D．Sending animals back to the wild is not the end |
【推荐3】How does a place become a World Heritage Site ( 世 界 遗 产 )？ It takes a lot of people to decide.
1) If a country wants one of its places to be on the World Heritage List, it has to ask JUESCO (联合国教科文组织).The place must be important and special. UNESCO put the Great Wall on the list in 1987 because it said it was great part of Chinese culture and beautifully made to go with the land. When a country asks, it must also make a plan for taking care of the place.
2) The World Heritage committee of UNESCO talks about different places and decides whether to put them on the list. The committee meet every June. Many experts help the committee to decide.
3) After a new place goes on the list, UNESCO gives money to help keep it looking good. If a place is in serious danger, it may be put on the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger. UNESCO gives special care and help to those places.
4) Countries have to give UNESCO regular reports about places on the list. If UNESCO thinks a country isn't taking good care of a place, the site will be taken off the list.
1. When did the Great Wall became a World Heritage Site?| A．1987 | B．1988 | C．1997 | D．1977 |
| A．what the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO is |
| B．how the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO protects a World Heritage Site |
| C．how the Great Wall becomes a World Heritage Site |
| D．how a place becomes a World Heritage Site |
| A．to attract more tourists from other countries |
| B．to get more money and help from other countries |
| C．to have it taken better care of |
| D．to make it known to other countries |
