s="" figure.="" in="" order="" to="" keep="" pace="" with="" this="" increase="" mankind="" the="" farmers="" of="" world="" would="" have="" step="" up="" their="" production="" food="" by="" at="" least="" two="" per="" cent="" every="" year.="" such="" a="" rate="" has="" never="" been="" maintained="" any="" country="" conventional="" methods="" agriculture,="" despite="" modern="" mechanization="" and="" widespread="" use="" fertilizers.="" there="" are="" no="" large="" worthwhile="" reserves="" potential="" farmland="" remaining,="" good="" fertile="" land="" is="" continually="" being="" diverted="" industrial="" use.="" moreover,="" erosion="" soil="" takes="" constant="" toll.Intensive research, carried out over many years in all manner of climatic conditions, has produced a revolutionary method of growing crops without using any soil at all. Hydroponics, as this technique is called, may well be the answer to all our food worries. Already it has accomplished wonders in producing huge crops. Hydroponics was once a complicated and expensive business; now it is well out of the experimental stage. Labor costs are far lower than when normal methods of agriculture are employed. In fact, it is a completely automatic system. There is no hard manual work, no digging or plowing, and no weeding to speak of .Yields can be far higher than they are in soil.1. Which of the following best sums up the whole passage?2. The phrase “having overgrown the available food supplies” in the first paragraph implies that（ ）.3.According to the author, 2 percent annual increase in the production of food can not be achieved. Which of the following is not the explanation he gave for the problem?4. Which of the following statements is not true of hydroponics?5. Judging from the passage, the most important advantage of hydroponics should be（ ）.'>
In 1798 the political economist Malthus predicted that in time mankind would face starvation, having outgrown the available food supplies. Today, a century and a half later, there are still experts who forecast the same global disaster unless urgent measures are taken to prevent it.By the end of the present century there may well be over five thousand million people living on this globe, an increase of over fifty percent of today's figure. In order to keep pace with this increase in mankind the farmers of the world would have to step up their production of food by at least two per cent every year. Such a rate of increase has never been maintained in any country by conventional methods of agriculture, despite modern mechanization and the widespread use of fertilizers. There are no large worthwhile reserves of potential farmland remaining, and good fertile land is continually being diverted to industrial use. Moreover, erosion of the soil takes a constant toll.Intensive research, carried out over many years in all manner of climatic conditions, has produced a revolutionary method of growing crops without using any soil at all. Hydroponics, as this technique is called, may well be the answer to all our food worries. Already it has accomplished wonders in producing huge crops. Hydroponics was once a complicated and expensive business; now it is well out of the experimental stage. Labor costs are far lower than when normal methods of agriculture are employed. In fact, it is a completely automatic system. There is no hard manual work, no digging or plowing, and no weeding to speak of .Yields can be far higher than they are in soil.1. Which of the following best sums up the whole passage?2. The phrase “having overgrown the available food supplies” in the first paragraph implies that（ ）.3.According to the author, 2 percent annual increase in the production of food can not be achieved. Which of the following is not the explanation he gave for the problem?4. Which of the following statements is not true of hydroponics?5. Judging from the passage, the most important advantage of hydroponics should be（ ）.
A.Hydroponics is a new development in agriculture. B.Malthus’ prediction has been proved to be c
If the trade unionist Jimmy Hoffa were alive today, he would probably represent civil servant. When Hoffa’s Teamsters were in their prime in 1960, only one in ten American government workers belonged to a union; now 36% do. In 2009 the number of unionists in America’s public sector passed that of their fellow members in the private sector. In Britain, more than half of public-sector workers but only about 15% of private-sector ones are unionized.There are three reasons for the public-sector unions’ thriving. First, they can shut things down without suffering much in the way of consequences. Second, they are mostly bright and well-educated. A quarter of America’s public-sector workers have a university degree. Third, they now dominate left-of-centre politics. Some of their ties go back a long way. Britain’s Labor Party, as its name implies, has long been associated with trade unionism. Its current leader, Ed Miliband, owes his position to votes from public-sector unions.At the state level their influence can be even more fearsome. Mark Baldassare of the Public Policy Institute of California points out that much of the state's budget is patrolled by unions. The teachers' unions keep an eye on schools, the CCPOA on prisons and a variety of labor groups on health care.In many rich countries average wages in the state sector are higher than in the private one. But the real gains come in benefits and work practices. Politicians have repeatedly “backloaded” public-sector pay deals, keeping the pay increases modest but adding to holidays and especially pensions that are already generous.Reform has been vigorously opposed, perhaps most egregiously in education, where charter schools, academies and merit pay all faced drawn-out battles. Even though there is plenty of evidence that the quality of the teachers is the most important variable, teachers’ unions have fought against getting rid of bad ones and promoting good ones.As the cost to everyone else has become clearer, politicians have begun to clamp down. In Wisconsin the unions have rallied thousands of sup
Nobody knows（ ） how many people are to be blame for the coal-mine accident, so the government is trying to find out the whole truth about the accident.
A.inwardly B.honestly C.cleverly D.precisely
Colorado state lawmakers will debate a bill, which will treat cyber-bullying as（ ）.
A.humiliation B.hypocrisy C.hierarchy D.harassment
I thought the children（ ）when we returned home, but they were still awake.
A.had been sleeping B.would sleep C.would be sleeping D.were sleeping
______ evidence that language-acquiring ability must be stimulated.
A.If being B.It is C.There is D.There being