英语四级考试长篇阅读答案卷二

RevisedbyBLUEontheafternoonofDecember12,2020.英语四级考试长篇阅读答案卷二2016年6月英语四级考试长篇阅读答案(卷二)SectionB　　Directions:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.　　CouldFoodShortagesBringDownCivilization　　[A]FormanyyearsIhavestudiedglobalagricultural,population,environmentalandeconomictrendsandtheirinteractions.Thecombinedeffectsofthosetrendsandthepoliticaltensionstheygeneratepointtothebreakdownofgovernmentsandsocieties.YetI,too,haveresistedtheideathatfoodshortagescouldbringdownnotonlyindividualgovernmentsbutalsoourglobalcivilization.　　[B]Icannolongerignorethatrisk.Ourcontinuingfailuretodealwiththeenvironmentaldeclinesthatareunderminingtheworldfoodeconomyforcesmetoconcludethatsuchacollapseispossible.　　[C]Asdemandforfoodrisesfasterthansuppliesaregrowing,theresultingfood-priceinflationputsseverestressonthegovernmentsofmanycountries.Unabletobuygrainorgrowtheirown,hungrypeopletaketothestreets.Indeed,evenbeforethesteepclimbingrainpricesin2008,thenumberoffailingstateswasexpanding.Ifthefoodsituationcontinuestoworsen,entirenationswillbreakdownataneverincreasingrate.Inthe20thcenturythemainthreattointernationalsecuritywassuperpowerconflict;todayitisfailingstates.　　[D]Statesfailwhennationalgovernmentscannolongerprovidepersonalsecurity,foodsecurityandbasicsocialservicessuchaseducationandhealthcare.Whengovernmentslosetheircontrolonpower,lawandorderbegintodisintegrate.Afterapoint,countriescanbecomesodangerousthatfoodreliefworkersarenolongersafeandtheirprogramsarehalted.Failingstatesareofinternationalconcernbecausetheyareasourceofterrorists,drugs,weaponsandrefugees(难民),threateningpoliticalstabilityeverywhere.　　[E]Thesurgeinworldgrainpricesin2007and2008—andthethreattheyposetofoodsecurity——hasadifferent,moretroublingqualitythantheincreasesofthepast.Duringthesecondofthe20thcentury,grainpricesrosedramaticallyseveraltimes.In1972,forinstance,theSoviets.Irecognizingtheirpoorharvestearly,quietlycorneredtheworldwheatmarket.Asaresult,wheatpriceselsewheremorethandoubled,pullingriceandcompricesupwiththem.Butthisandotherpriceshockswereevent-driven——droughtintheSovietUnion,crop-shrinkingheatinthe.CornBelt.Andtheriseswereshort-lived:pricestypicallyreturnedtonormalwiththenextharvest.　　[F]Incontrast,recentsurgeinworldgrainpricesistrend-driven,makingitunlikelytoreversewithoutareversalinthetrendsthemselves.Onthedemandside,thosetrendsincludetheongoingadditionofmorethan70millionpeopleayear,agrowingnumberofpeoplewantingtomoveupthefoodchaintoconsumehighlygrain-intensivemeatproducts,andthemassivediversion(转向)of.graintotheproductionofbio-fuel.　　[G]Asincomesriseamonglow-incomeconsumers,thepotentialforfurthergrainconsumptionishuge.Butthatpotentialpalesbesidethenever-endingdemandforcrop-basedfuels.Afourthofthisyear's.grainharvestwillgotofuelcars.　　[H]WhataboutsupplyThethreeenvironmentaltrends——theshortageoffreshwater,thelossoftopsoilandtherisingtemperatures——aremakingitincreasinglyhardtoexpandtheworld'sgrainsupplyfastenoughtokeepupwithdemand.Ofallthosetrends,however,thespreadofwatershortagesposesthemostimmediatethreat.Thebiggestchallengehereisirrigation,whichconsumes70%theworld'sfreshwater.Millionsofirrigationwellsinmanycountriesarenowpumpingwateroutofundergroundsourcesfasterthanrainfallcanrefillthem.Theresultisfallingwatertables(地下水位)incountrieswithhalftheworld'speople,includingthethreebiggrainproducers——China,Indiaandthe.　　[I]Aswatertableshavefallenandirrigationwellshavegonedry,China'swheatcrop,theworld'slargest,hasdeclinedby8%sinceitpeakedat123milliontonsin1997.ButwatershortagesareevenmoreworryinginIndia.Millionsofirrigationwellshavesignificantlyloweredwatertablesinalmosteverystate.　　[J]Astheworld'sfoodsecurityfallstopieces,individualcountriesactingintheirownself-interestareactuallyworseningthetroublesofmany.Thetrendbeganin2007,whenleadingwheat-exportingcountriessuchasRussiaandArgentinalimitedorbannedtheirexports,inhopesofincreasinglocalfoodsuppliesandtherebybringingdowndomesticfoodprices.Vietnambanneditsexportsforseveralmonthsforthesamereason.Suchmovesmayeliminatethefearsofthoselivingintheexportingcountries,buttheyarecreatingpanicinimportingcountriesthatmustrelyonwhatisthenleftforexport.　　[K]Inresponsetothoserestrictions,grain-importingcountriesaretryingtonaildownlong-termtradeagreementsthatwouldlockupfuturegrainsupplies.Food-importanxietyisevenleadingtoneweffortsbyfood-importingcountriestobuyorleasefarmlandinothercountries.Inspiteofsuchtemporarymeasures,soaringfoodpricesandspreadinghungerinmanyothercountriesarebeginningtobreakdownthesocialorder.　　[L]Sincethecurrentworldfoodshortageistrend-driven,theenvironmentaltrendsthatcauseitmustbereversed.Wemustcutcarbonemissionsby80%fromtheir2006levelsby2020,stabilizetheworld'spopulationateightbillionby2040,completelyremovepoverty,andrestoreforestsandsoils.Thereisnothingnewaboutthefourobjectives.Indeed,wehavemadesubstantialprogressinsomepartsoftheworldonatleastoneofthese——thedistributionoffamily-planningservicesandtheassociatedshifttosmallerfamilies.　　[M]Formanyinthedevelopmentcommunity,thefourobjectiveswereseenaspositive,promotingdevelopmentaslongastheydidnotcosttoomuch.Otherssawthemaspoliticallycorrectandmorallyappropriate.Nowathirdandfarmoresignificantmotivationpresentsitself:meetingthesegoalsmaynecessarytopreventthecollapseofourcivilization.Yetthecostweprojectforsavingcivilizationwouldamounttolessthan$200billionayear,1/6ofcurrentglobalmilitaryspending.Ineffect,ourplanisthenewsecuritybudget.　　37.【题干】Themorerecentsteepclimbingrainpricespartlyresultsfromthefactthatmoreandmorepeoplewanttoconsumemeatproducts.　　【答案】F　　38.【题干】Socialorderisbreakingdowninmanycountriesbecauseoffoodshortages.　　【答案】A　　39.【题干】Ratherthansuperpowerconflict,countriesunabletocopewithfoodshortagesnowconstitutethemainthreattoworldsecurity.　　【答案】C　　40.【题干】Somepartsoftheworldhaveseensuccessfulimplementation(实施)offamilyplanning.　　【答案】L　　41.【题干】Theauthorhascometoagreethatfoodshortagescouldultimatelyleadtothecollapseofworldcivilization.　　【答案】B　　42.【题干】Increasingwatershortagesprovetobethebiggestobstantetoboostingtheworld'sgrainproduction.　　【答案】H　　43.【题干】Thecostforsavingourcivilizationwouldbeconsiderablylessthantheworld'scurrentmilitaryspending.　　【答案】M　　44.【题干】Tolowerdomesticfoodprices,somecountrieslimitedorstoppedtheirgrainexports.　　【答案】J　　45.【题干】Environmentalproblemsmustbesolvedtocasethecurrentglobalfoodshortage.　　【答案】D　　46.【题干】Aquarterofthisyear'sAmericangrainharvestwillbeusedtoproducebio-fuelforcars.　　【答案】G