“In the United States, 40 million Americans are food insecure. They don’t know where their next meal is going to come from,” said Aidan Reilly, who co-founded Farmlink. “Meanwhile, in the United States we’re throwing out over 100 billion pounds of food every year.”
Started during the hard period in spring 2020, Farmlink was initially supposed to help struggling families and food banks. Reilly and his childhood friend James Kanoff were reading and watching news about food shortages, and they learned that local farms were forced to destroy spare produce that they couldn’t sell, especially with restaurants, schools and hotels closed. Reilly, Kanoff and a group of friends worked together over Zoom, text and e-mail to contact farms. They didn’t really set out to start a nonprofit then but just thought it would be great to figure out one way to help starving (饥饿的) people.
With “we’ll come to you” as their catchphrase, the group rented trucks and attempted to do all the food pickup and deliveries themselves. They had a lot of difficulties in the beginning, but they made it work, moving more than one million pounds of produce from farms to food banks within just two months and transforming their project into a massive logistics operation in the process. Word spread, and more and more young people at home during the pandemic reached out to help.
Farmlink has worked with more than 100 farms and 300 communities in the United States, rescuing and moving enough food to distribute (配送) more than 64 million meals. “The bigger Farmlink gets, the bigger our worldview gets. There are everyday Americans who live next to us and don’t know how they’re going to feed their kids. And that’s exactly who we’re doing this for,” Reilly said.
1. What does Aidan Reilly think is the reason for food shortages in the US?| A．The lack of food suppliers. |
| B．High food prices for most Americans. |
| C．Underproduction of food in the world. |
| D．The mismatch between food supply and demand. |
| A．It produced food specifically for them. |
| B．It collected money by selling produce. |
| C．It set up food distribution channels. |
| D．It persuaded the rich to donate food to them. |
| A．All Americans. | B．People in poor countries. |
| C．People living nearby. | D．Parents with starving kids. |
| A．A Project Widening Our Worldview |
| B．A Bridge Between Spare Food and Starvation |
| C．A Nonprofit Organization for Food Production |
| D．A Group of People Fighting Against Food Waste |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】The topic of China’s “slash youth” has fueled heated debate on social media recently, drawing attention to the diverse pursuits of the younger generation.
The slash youth, which could also be called slashers or slash-generation means those who refuse to be defined or bound by just one personal identity. They are keen to present themselves as multiple and sometimes distinct identities, such as a nurse and model, a teacher and stand-up comedian, and an engineer and band player. Rather than material comforts, they pursue meaningful achievements.
A study on “slash youth” published in the China Youth Research magazine analyzes the background of this phenomenon: with part of modern society’s structured organization and stability norms are broken, flexible labor markets and structural unemployment has emerged, eliminating the sense of job security of the young people in employment. Young people also face the dilemma of self-actualization, including the sense of powerlessness, lost sense of value and lack of self-identity in the profession, which forces them to re-find the meaning of work.
“The ‘slash life’ shows that our society is becoming more and more diversified and inclusive and it welcomes everyone’s self fulfillment,” said Shi Yanrong, an associate researcher from Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences. The researcher added that against the background that people have multiple interests and are willing to pay for these interests nowadays, the “slash life” of the youth would drive the growth of a new economy, just as animation culture affected the market.
1. Which is true about the slash youth?| A．Tending to pursue meaningful achievements. |
| B．Enjoying posting themselves on social media. |
| C．Adjusting themselves to challenges in life. |
| D．Refusing to undertake multiple careers. |
| A．The significance of flexible labor markets. |
| B．Reasons for the appearance of slash youth. |
| C．Young people’s interest in their profession. |
| D．Causes of losing power among the youth. |
| A．It can gain people’s independence. |
| B．It inspires young people’s creativity. |
| C．It can pick up an economic growth. |
| D．It enables young people to earn high. |
| A．To provide latest career guidance. |
| B．To introduce a social phenomenon. |
| C．To analyze a new cultural difference. |
| D．To highlight a unique life experience. |
【推荐2】Children should spend at least one hour playing and spending time in nature each day, according to the Wildlife Trusts.
The children showed a great increase in personal health.
| A．This UK organization speaks for 46 groups and 2,300 nature protection areas. |
| B．However, parents aren’t giving their kids enough nature time. |
| C．The call comes from a study by University College London. |
| D．81 percent said they had better relationships with their teachers. |
| E．The students are asked to study in University College London for one day. |
| F．Parents care much about their kids’ nature time. |
| G．And they also showed a sense of connection with the natural world and high levels of amusement. |
【推荐3】Are zoos bad for animals?
Zoos have existed since ancient times and were features of the great courts of Egypt and China. The display of unusual animals from foreign countries was, for a long time, a show of wealth and power. Today, zoos focus on the preservation of animal species and education of the public.
Some animals are distinctly unsuited for life in a zoo, however noble the aims of the organization. Keeping elephants in captivity (囚禁) has long caused argument among animal rights activists. Elephants in the wild wander constantly, covering a wide territory on a daily basis. In captivity, they have no choice but to stand still for long periods of time.
Zoos are not a perfect solution for preservation.
| A．They can be endlessly improved as we better understand how to treat animals. |
| B．Experts have broken fresh ground in breeding captive animals. |
| C．Yet critics suggest that animals should not be kept in cages. |
| D．Studies have clearly shown that captive animals will live longer and be more active kept in an environment close to their native surroundings. |
| E．This, therefore, puts severe pressure on the legs and feet of these giants and causes long-lasting injury in some captive animals. |
| F．Evidences indicate that some animals depend greatly on surroundings. |
【推荐1】A new study published in The Journal of Positive Psychology found that performing acts of kindness can heal depression and anxiety. 123 young participants from all works of life were divided into three groups. Two of the groups were equipped with techniques often used in dealing with depression: planning social activities or cognitive (认知的) reassessment. Members of the third group were instructed to perform three acts of kindness a day for two days out of the week.
Participants followed their instructions for ten weeks. The findings showed that participants in all three groups showed an increase in life satisfaction and a reduction of depression and anxiety symptoms (症状). “These results are encouraging because they suggest that all three study methods are efficacious at reducing anxiety and improving satisfaction,” the study’s co-author David Cregg said.
However, the group performing acts of kindness led to improvements not seen in the two other groups. “The acts of kindness still showed an advantage over both social activities and cognitive reassessment by making people feel more connected to other people, which is an important part of well-being.” The acts of kindness technique was the only means tested that helped people feel more connected to others.
“Social connection is strongly associated with well-being. Performing acts of kindness seems to be one of the best ways to promote those connections,” Cregg said. The authors noted that just participating in social activities did not improve feelings of social connection in this study. “There’s something specific about performing acts of kindness that makes people feel connected to others. It’s not enough to just be around other people, participating in social activities,” said co-author Jennifer Cheavens.
Some of the acts of kindness that participants later said they did include baking cookies for friends, offering to give a friend a ride, and leaving notes for roommates with words of encouragement. “Something as simple as helping other people can go above and beyond other treatments in helping heal people with depression and anxiety,” Cregg added.
1. What can we infer from the first paragraph?| A．Kind acts can solve all kinds of psychological problems. |
| B．All participants selected were not university students. |
| C．Planning social activities is the technique used in 3 groups. |
| D．Members in group three need to show kindness every day. |
| A．Productive. | B．Equal. | C．Useless. | D．Misty. |
| A．It is the best way to lift spirit. | B．It brings participants satisfaction. |
| C．It connects people to create happiness. | D．It is the easiest means to make friends. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Cautious. | C．Indifferent. | D．Favorable. |
【推荐2】We all know that eating later in the day isn’t good for our waistlines, but why? A new study weighed in on that question by comparing people who ate the same foods — but at different times in the day. “Does the time that we eat matter when everything else is kept consistent?” said first author Nina Vujovic, a researcher at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The answer was yes — eating later in the day will double your odds of being hungrier, according to the study published in the journal Cell Metabolism (新陈代谢).
The study does show eating later results in “an increase in hunger, impacts hormones and also changes gene expression, especially in terms of fat metabolism with a tendency towards less fat breakdown and more fat deposition,” said Dr. Bhanu Prakash Kolla, a professor of psychiatry and psychology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
The study was small — only 16 overweight or obese people — but carefully planned to eliminate other potential causes of weight gain. All participants were in good health, with no history of diabetes or shift work and had regular physical activity. Each person in the study kept to a strict healthy sleep/wake schedule for about three weeks and were provided with prepared meals at fixed times for three days before the lab experiment began.
Participants were then divided into two groups randomly. One group ate calorie-controlled meals at 8 am, noon and 4 pm, while the other ate the same meals four hours later, at noon, 4 pm and 8 pm for the six days reported in the study. Measures of hunger and appetite were gathered 18 times each while tests for body fat, temperature and energy expenditures were gathered on three separate days.
After a break of a few weeks, the same participants reversed the procedure — those who had eaten earlier moved to the late eating group and vice versa, thus using each person as their own control. Results showed that hunger pangs doubled for those on a night-eating regime (规则). People who ate later in the day also reported a desire for salty foods, meat and, to a lesser extent, a desire for dairy foods and vegetables.
1. What can we infer about eating later in the day from the text?| A．It does harm to our fat storage. |
| B．It helps keep our body in shape. |
| C．It has nothing to do with our health actually. |
| D．It has a negative effect on our fat breakdown. |
| A．By conducting a large-scaled test. |
| B．By analyzing the causes of the phenomenon. |
| C．By collecting many data to facilitate the study. |
| D．By giving examples to prove the scientific research. |
| A．All the participants weren’t out of shape. |
| B．Most of the participants lacked regular exercise. |
| C．The participants were restricted to particular foods. |
| D．The participants were grouped according to their weights. |
| A．Eat Less, Live Longer | B．Eat Later, Be Fatter |
| C．Eat Better, Live Healthier | D．Eat More, Feel Hungry Later |
【推荐3】Food brings us together and connects us to our families, friends, nature and to foreign cultures. Food is universal. Food waste, on the other hand, has become a universal problem, as it significantly contributes to climate change. Luckily, there are countries that have laws to require supermarkets or other businesses to donate unsold food.
About one third of all food grown for human consumption is thrown out or wasted according to the Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO). This creates both environmental and financial problems, since traditional agriculture requires large amounts of resources including land and water. Food production is also a major cause of greenhouse gases and climate change.
Food waste occurs at every step of food production from the field to the store. In fact, fruits, vegetables, and roots have the highest waste. Donating food that is unusually wasted does not mean giving away damaged food. Sometimes it is simply a case of food being mislabeled, a can that has a torn label, or slightly bruised fruit.
To reduce both the financial and environmental pressure, Italy passed a law to encourage businesses and farmers to donate unsold food to charities. Companies that donate their leftovers will pay lower taxes on waste removal.
Waste management is also a very costly thing for governments. In fact, according to Global Citizen, in 2016, Italy spent over $13.3 billion on waste management. The idea behind the law is that when it is economic and convenient, companies will happily follow the law.
France was the first country to pass a food donation law in 2016. It required supermarkets that are at least 4,300 square feet to donate unsold food to charity. Since then, 90 percent of supermarkets began donating food, the number of which was 66 percent before the law.
To increase food donations, Israel passed a law in 2018 to ensure that unused food from restaurants, hotels and other places goes to the people that need it most.
1. What does paragraph 2 focus on?| A．FAO's guidelines. | B．Human eating diets. |
| C．Global climate change. | D．Food waste problems. |
| A．Heavily broken canned food. | B．Unhealthy vegetables. |
| C．Slightly bruised fruit. | D．Damaged food. |
| A．It will sell donated food to make money. | B．It will ask companies to pay higher taxes. |
| C．It will save money on waste management. | D．It will attract more international companies. |
| A．It seems difficult to pass in Israel. | B．It takes effect gradually in France. |
| C．It is just applied in supermarkets. | D．It is an unsuccessful try in France. |
【推荐1】Twenty years ago, I was a taxi driver. One night I received a call at 12:30 am. When I arrived at the address, the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. I waited for a while, and no one showed up. In this case, many drivers would just honk (按喇叭).
But I feared this passenger might be someone who was in need. So I walked to the door and knocked.“ Just a minute ,” answered an elderly lady. A few minutes later, a small woman in her 80’s stood before me. I helped her take the suitcase to the taxi. She kept thanking me.
Then she gave me an address, and asked, “Could you drive through downtown?” “It’s not the shortest way,” I answered. She said, “I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice (疗养院).” “The doctor says I don’t have very long time to live. And I don’t have any family left,” she continued. I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.
For the next two hours we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived. Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a particular building and stare into the darkness, saying nothing.
When morning broke, we arrived at the address. She asked, “How much should I pay you?” “Nothing,” I said. She thanked me and said ,“ You give an old woman a little moment of joy.” Then behind me, a door was shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.
We’re conditioned to think that our lives center on great moments. But great moments catch us unawares. When that woman said that I had brought her a moment of joy, I had good reasons to believe that I had been placed on earth for the single purpose of providing her with that last ride. I do not think that I have ever done anything in my life that was any more important.
1. Why did the author walk to the door and knock ?| A．He thought the passenger might need help. | B．He didn ‘ t want to miss any passenger. |
| C．He was annoyed with the passenger. | D．He wanted to rush the passenger. |
| A．To take a short cut. | B．To return the author ‘ s kindness. |
| C．To be in memory of her husband. | D．To say goodbye to some special places. |
| A．Patient and outgoing. | B．Honest and humorous. |
| C．Warmhearted and generous. | D．Responsible and hardworking. |
【推荐2】In 1999, Rebecca Constantino began doing a study at schools across Los Angeles. She had just completed a PhD in Language, Literacy and Learning, and she was analyzing children’s access to books in wealthy and low income communities.
One day, she saw something that stopped her in her tracks. “I was at a school in a wealthy community, and they were getting rid of almost brand-new books because they didn’t have room in the library,” said Constantino. She put the books in her car and drove them to a school in an underserved community.
Shocked by the difference she saw in public school libraries, Constantino became determined to bridge the gap. “School libraries are not funded well, and sometimes not funded at all,” said Constantino. “If you’re a child in an underserved community, you’re left with boring, outdated, and uninteresting books.”
The word about Constantino’s work was spread, and books began piling up. Today, her nonprofit organization, Access Books, has provided more than 1.5 million books to public- school and community libraries across California. The group has also redecorated close to 350 libraries in public schools and homeless shelters.
Constantino recruits (招募) volunteers who work alongside the community to create a warm, vibrant (充满生机的) and welcoming library space. Students and their families, as well as school staff and teachers, come together to join in. “We’re working together. It’s not a gift; it’s a partnership. It really builds a sense of community,”said Constantino.
In addition to book donations and refurbishing (再装修) libraries, the group offers author visits with schools and holds an annual writers conference for kids. Constantino said, “If we provide high-interest books and a beautiful library space, they do come and they do read. We found that in the schools that we serve, the number of books borrowed increases significantly after our coming. So we know that kids are really interested in the books that we give. My goal is that kids can always have a friend in a book and they can always turn to a book to find comfort and to learn something.”
1. Why did Constantino do the study in 1999?| A．To prepare for a PhD. |
| B．To reduce the waste of books. |
| C．To donate more books to poor communities. |
| D．To figure out kids’ ways of gaining reading books. |
| A．By obtaining donated books. |
| B．By raising money on the street. |
| C．By founding a profitable organization. |
| D．By getting support from the local government. |
| A．Ambitious. | B．Controversial. | C．Depressing. | D．Successful. |
| A．They are more willing to read books. |
| B．They can turn to writers on campus. |
| C．They donate their own books to school libraries. |
| D．They think the books on the shelf difficult to read. |
In 1987, I was 18 and working as a nurse in a small town about 270 km away from Sydney, Australia.
I was looking forward to having five days off from duty. Unfortunately, the only one train a day back to my home in Sydney had already left. So I thought I’d hitch a ride (搭便车).
I waited by the side of the highway for three hours but no one stopped for me. Finally, a man walked over and introduced himself as Gordon. He said that although he couldn’t give me a lift, I should come back to his house for lunch. He noticed me standing for hours in the extreme heat and thought I must be hungry. I was doubtful as a young girl but he he assured me I was safe, and he also offered to help me find a lift home afterwards. When we arrived at his house, he made us sandwiches. After lunch, he helped me find a lift home.
Twenty-five years later, in2003, while I was driving to a nearby town one day, I saw an elderly man standing in the scorching heat, trying to hitch a ride. I thought it was another chance to repay someone for the favour I’d been given decades earlier. I pulled over and picked him up. I made him comfortable on the back seat and offered him some water.
After a few moments of small talk, the man said to me,“You haven’t changed a bit, even your red hair is still the same.”
I couldn’t remember where I’d met him. He then told me he was the man who had given me lunch and helped me find a lift all those years ago. It was Gordon.
1. What did Gordon do to help the author?2. Please paraphrase the underlined sentence in your own words.
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement,then underline it and explain why.
The author pulled over to pick up the elderly man in 2003 because he recognized the elder was the very person who ever helped him.
4. Will you offer any help to a stranger who seems in trouble? Why or why not? (about 40 words)
