阅读理解Sustainabledevelopmentisappliedtoj

阅读理解 Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic growth, and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumptions behind it or the way the concept is put to use. This is especially true in agriculture, where sustainable development is often taken as the measure of progress without a proper appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives. To start with, it is important to remember that the nature of agriculture has changed markedly throughout history, and will continue to do so. Medieval agriculture in northern Europe fed, clothed and sheltered a mainly rural society with a much lower population density than it is today. It had minimal effect on biodiversity, and any pollution it caused was typically localized. In terms of energy use and the nutrients captured in the product it was relatively inefficient. Contrast this with farming since the start of the industrial revolution. Competition from overseas led farmers to specialize and increase yields. Throughout this period food became cheaper, safer and more reliable. However, these changes have also led to habitat loss and to reducing biodiversity. All this means that agriculture in the 21st century will have to be very different from how it was in the 20th. This will require thorough thinking. For example, we need to move away from the idea that traditional practices are certainly more sustainable than new ones. We also need to abandon the notion that agriculture can be “zero impact”. The key will be to abandon the rather simple and static(稳定的)measures of sustainability, which centre on the need to maintain production without increasing damage. Instead we need a more dynamic interpretation, one that looks at the pros and cons of all the various way land is used. There are many different ways to measure agricultural performance besides food yield: energy use, environmental costs, water purity, carbon footprint and biodiversity. It is clear, for example, that the carbon of transporting tomatoes from Spain to the UK is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting. But we do not know whether lower carbon footprints will always be better for biodiversity. What is important is recognizing that sustainable agriculture is not just about sustainable food production.1.How do people often measure progress in agriculture?A.By its impact on the environmentB.By its contribution to economic growthC.By its productivityD.By its sustainability2.Specialization and the effort to increase yields have resulted in .A.Localized pollutionB.The shrinking of farmlandC.the decrease of biodiversityD.competition from overseas3.What does the author think of traditional farming practices?A.They are not necessarily sustainableB.They have not kept pace with population growthC.They have remained the same over the centuriesD.They are environmentally friendly4.What will agriculture be like in the 21st century?A.It will abandon traditional farming practicesB.It will mainly keep traditional farmingC.It will go through complete changesD.It will cause zero damage to the environment5.What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?A.To remind people of the need of sustainable development.B.To urge people to rethink what sustainable agriculture is.C.To advance new criteria for measuring farming progress.D.To suggest ways of ensuring sustainable food production.

DCACB解析1.D细节题。本题考查关于农业生产发展的衡量标准，通过关键词measure progress定位在文章第一段末尾：sustainable development is often taken as the sole measure of progress，be taken as表示前后同位关系，解释说明。2.C细节题。题干关键词Specialisation and the effort to increase yields定位在文章第三段的第二、三句。题目问农业生产专业化及大量提高产量会带来什么样的后果。文中提到由于产量的加大，使得食物较之以前更加便宜、安全，但是也导致了动植物栖息地和生物多样性减少。B选项中的farmland是农田，混淆了文中habitat的概念。3.A细节推理题。可以通过题干关键词traditional farming practices定位在文章第五段第三行：we need to move away from the idea that traditional practices are inevitably more sustainable than new ones. 意思是我们不能再认为传统耕作方式一定比新方式更具有可持续的特征。同义于C。4.C细节题。题干出现显性关键词in the 21st century，定位在文中第五段开头，原文意思是：21世纪的农业生产和20世纪的截然不同，也就是说21世纪的农业生产将发生巨大的变化。第五段的第二句话提到要求我们radical thinking（彻底改变原有的想法）。5.B主旨题。

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