2023年12月1日发(作者：影驰gtx650黑将)

高考英语外刊阅读模拟强化训练 阅读理解专题八

A

The environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, is unlikely to refer to the last week as her salad

days. The beleaguered minister hit the front pages after responding to a question about whether we

should be eating less imported food by saying that this would mean “cherishing turnips”. She was

roundly mocked.

But empty supermarket shelves have sparked a frenzy as tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and other

fresh vegetables have been rationed. This has led many to question if our food system is

sustainable: should we be eating fewer imported tomatoes and instead chomping down on our

homely turnips?

Britain is about 60% self-sufficient in food and for much of the year produces more than

enough fruit and veg to go around. But this is always a tricky time of year: the late winter months

are known as the “hungry gap”, and yield little more than root vegetables and brassicas.

This means lots of fresh food is imported, but bad weather in Morocco and Spain has affected

yields, resulting in empty shelves here in the UK.

The farming campaign group Sustain says that this situation has been a long time coming, and

that it is an issue that goes beyond the hungry gap and into structural issues in the sector. Vicki

Hird, the group’s head of sustainable farming, explains: “The weather in Spain and Morocco is

part of the problem, and it’s potentially linked to wider changes in climatic conditions. The high

cost of gas right now is a critical issue for glasshouse producers. “But there are also complications

linked to our relationship with European trade partners and a new trade deal three years ago with

Morocco which set up differential trade arrangements. Bizarrely it means there’s now more

friction, meaning it’s easier for Morocco to trade with Europe than us. ”

Until a renewable energy system is available, growing fruit and veg indoors during the winter is

expensive. However, we can enjoy salad sustainably in the UK in winter, if we just make some

different choices. “I’m not an advocate of a 100% UK-produced diet – I don’t think that is

realistic – but I think we could eat a hell of a lot more grown here as there are many other

delicious winter vegetables besides turnips!” Guy Singh-Watson , who runs Riverford vegetable

box company says.

【The Guardian (February 25, 2023) 】

1. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “beleaguered”?

A. was surrounded by supporters

B. was in a very comfortable situation

C. was under constant attack

D. was in an isolated condition

2. Why does the food system in the UK is questioned?

A. Britain is completely dependent on imported food

B. Fresh vegetables can’t be found in the supermarket

C. More and more customers are “cherishing turnips”

D. A fixed amount of fresh vegetables is officially allowed to each customer

3. Which one of the following statements is correct?

A. Structural issues are easier to tackle than the hungry gap

B. Climatic changes directly result in the empty shelves in the UK

C. Glasshouse producers are faced with an unprofitable trade deal

D. Morocco is more likely to trade with Europe than the UK

4. What is the passage going to discuss in the next paragraph?

A. How to trade more vegetables in other countries

B. How to embrace more homegrown food in the winter

C. How to grow greenhouse vegetables in the UK

D. How to import fresh vegetables in the winter

B

The steady destruction of wildlife could suddenly tip over into total ecosystem collapse,

scientists studying the greatest mass extinction in Earth’s history have found.

Many scientists think the huge current losses of biodiversity are the start of a new mass

extinction. But the new research shows total ecosystem collapse is “inevitable”, if the losses are

not reversed, the scientists said.

The Permian-Triassic extinction event, known as the “Great Dying ” occurred 252m years ago.

It was driven by global heating resulting from huge volcanic eruptions and wiped out 95% of life

on Earth.

However, species are being lost today even faster than in any of the previous five mass

extinctions that have struck the planet. Wildlife is being destroyed via the razing of natural

habitats for farming and we are in the first phase of another, more severe mass extinction.

The research, published in the journal Current Biology, examined fossils from South China,

which was a shallow sea during the Permian Triassic mass extinction. The team recreated the

ancient marine environment using simulated food webs to represent the ecosystem before, during,

and after the extinction event. The Great Dying was caused by volcanic eruptions that drove up

carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, resulting in climate conditions similar to those being caused

today by fossil fuel burning: global heating, ocean acidification and loss of oxygen in the seas.

In the first phase of the extinction, a sufficient number of species remained to perform essential

functions, said Dr Peter Roopnarine at the California Academy of Sciences. “But when

environmental disturbances like global warming or ocean acidification occurred later on,

ecosystems were missing that reinforced resistance, which led to abrupt ecological collapse. This

took place about 60,000 years after the initial biodiversity crash.”

The researchers concluded: “A bio-diversity crash may be the harbinger of a more devastating

ecosystem collapse.” They said the work showed conservation efforts must focus not simply on

species but on all the different roles they play. They considered whether a change in environmental

conditions could have caused the second phase of the extinction – the collapse – but thought it

unlikely.

【The Guardian (February 25, 2023) 】

1. Which of the following conclusions is correct according to the new research?

tem breakdown can be avoided if the biodiversity loss is changed

is the wildlife destruction that lead to the total ecosystem collapse

C. A new mass extinction has already started because of the losses of biodiversity

Permian-Triassic extinction event is the“Great Dying”

2. Which one can best replace the underlined word “razing”?

A. destruction

B. disappearance

C. remaining

D. changing

3. What was climate like during the Great Dying ?

more carbon dioxide in the air

nt volcanic eruptions

C. Excessive fossil fuel burning

D. Global heating, ocean acidification and loss of oxygen in the seas

4. What can we learn from Dr Peter Roopnarine’s comment in paragraph six?

species couldn’t perform essential functions at the beginning of the extinction

tems couldn’t resist environmental disturbances at all

ical collapse could happen shortly after the first biodiversity crash

warming could hugely disturb ecosystems

C

Cinema is heading back to Middle-earth after Warner Bros and New Line signed a deal to make

more adaptations of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

The films will be developed through the Warner Bros production company New Line Cinema,

which produced the trilogy directed by Peter Jackson between 2001 and 2003. Those films

grossed almost $3bn (£2.5bn) around the world, with the third instalment, The Return of the King,

winning 11 Oscars including best picture at the Academy Awards.

In a joint statement, Jackson and his two closest Lord of the Rings collaborators, Fran Walsh

and Philippa Boyens, said Warner Bros had “kept us in the loop every step of the way” about the

new films.

The new heads of the Warner Bros film division, Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, who oversee

Warner films and New Line, are behind the multi-year deal that will mean the studio can develop

films based on The Lord of the Rings books and The Hobbit. De Luca and Abdy said New Line

“took an unprecedented leap of faith” on Tolkien’s world two decades ago, but signalled that any

new films would not necessarily revisit what Jackson’s films had covered, saying:“For all the

scope and detail lovingly packed into the two trilogies, the vast, complex and dazzling universe

dreamed up by JRR Tolkien remains largely unexplored.”

Zaslav, who has overseen big cuts at Warner Bros Discovery after the media conglomerate was

formed from a merger between WarnerMedia and Disovery Inc last year, has talked about the need

for more film franchises to make profits. The company disclosed a $2.1bn loss on Thursday,

mostly attributed to writedowns and cuts from the merger.

New Line and Warner Bros Animation are working on The Lord of the Rings: The War of the

Rohirrim, an animated film set 183 years before the events in The Lord of the Rings. The movie,

which expands on the story of Helm Hammerhand, a legendary leader of the kingdom of Rohan, is

expected to be released in cinemas in April 2024.

【The Guardian (February 25, 2023) 】

1. Why does the author cite figures in second paragraph?

A. To stress the talent Peter Jackson showed in his movie

stress the huge cost of the movies

stress how slow the movies were produced

stress the popularity of the adapted movie series

2. What did Jackson mean by saying “kept us in the loop every step of the way”?

A. They were not sure whether the movie would be a hit or not

were well informed of the producing process

C. They were confident that the movie would come out soon

D. They were delighted to represent the movie staff

3. Which of the following statement is wrong concerning Tolkien universe?

Bros film was confident about Tolkien’s movie series two decades ago

films would be directed again by Jackson

n universe is vast, complex and dazzling

is still room for Tolkien’s universe to be explored

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. A new adaptation of The Lord of the Rings is around the corner

B. The next move Warner Bros film will conduct in company operation

C. The further background details about Tolkien universe

D. The introduction to the new Peter Jackson’s movie

答案

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