Question

【題目】 Most of us probably live without vegetables, but a world without chocolate? Now that would be hard! According to chocolate makers it could happen if we don’t act soon.

There are two causes of the chocolate shortage(短缺) --- chocolate’s growing popularity and less production of cocoa, the plant from which chocolate is made. With more and more people in India and China loving chocolate, not much can be done about the first cause.

Therefore, the only thing we can do is to increase cocoa production. However, new plant diseases and little rain in Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world’s largest producers, have reduced cocoa production by 40 percent in the past 10 years. What’s worse, many cocoa farmers in Africa and other cocoa-producing countries like Indonesia and Venezuela are changing to easier-to-grow crops such as corn or rubber. This way, the farmers can make more money.

To prevent more farmers from changing, researchers at the newly opened International Cocoa Control Centre, in the UK, are trying to create new cocoa plants that are stronger and faster growing. But first they must make sure the new plants are safe to grow. This takes a long time.

First, each new plant is stored at the Control Centre 4. for six months to make sure it is healthy. It is then planted in the Centre’s fields, studied and tested for another two years. Only after scientists are certain that they’re disease-free, will the plants be sent to farmers in West Africa or wherever else they are needed.

To create new stronger types of cocoa, scientists at the Centre are combining the best parts from different cocoa plants. Though the world is facing a serious chocolate shortage, they still believe that there is now hope!

【1】Why is chocolate in shortage according to the passage?

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【2】How can we solve the problem of the chocolate shortage?

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【3】Where is the International Cocoa Control Centre?

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【4】How long does it take scientists at the Centre to make sure a cocoa plant is safe to grow?

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【5】What do the scientists think of the situation of the chocolate shortage?

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Answer 1

【答案】

【1】Because of chocolate’s growing popularity and less production of cocoa.

【2】The only thing we can do is to increase cocoa production.

【3】In the UK.

【4】Two and a half years.

【5】They still believe that there is now hope!

【解析】

文章大意：短文主要介紹了巧克力短缺的現(xiàn)狀及原因，并介紹了科學(xué)家為此所采取的一些措施。

【1】細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文中There are two causes of the chocolate shortage(短缺) --- chocolate’s growing popularity and less production of cocoa, 巧克力短缺的兩個原因是：巧克力的日益普及和可可產(chǎn)量的減少可知，故答案為Because of chocolate’s growing popularity and less production of cocoa.

【2】細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文中Therefore, the only thing we can do is to increase cocoa production. 因此，我們唯一能做的是提高可可的產(chǎn)量，故答案為The only thing we can do is to increase cocoa production.

【3】細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文中To prevent more farmers from changing, researchers at the newly opened International Cocoa Control Centre, in the UK, are trying to create new cocoa plants that are stronger and faster growing. 為了防止更多的農(nóng)民改變，在英國新開的國際可可控制中心的研究人員正在努力創(chuàng)造新的更加強壯和快速增長的可可植物可知，國際可可控制中心在英國，故答案為In the UK.

【4】推理判斷題。根據(jù)文中First, each new plant is stored at the Control Centre 4. for six months to make sure it is healthy. It is then planted in the Centre’s fields, studied and tested for another two years.可推測出，確定可可植物安全種植之前，前后需要花費兩年半的時間，故答案為Two and a half years.

【5】細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文中Though the world is facing a serious chocolate shortage, they still believe that there is now hope! 盡管世界正面臨著嚴重的巧克力短缺，但是他們還認為現(xiàn)在還有希望！故答案為They still believe that there is now hope!