The problem is how to feed a growing world population of 5.7 billion. For one thing, two thirds of the earth surface is water, although this does provide a lot of food in the form of fish. Only about 11% of the earth's land surface is suitable for growing crops. And this area is becoming smaller day by day. In China there is only 7% of the land used for growing crops, which feed more than one fourth of the world population. That is why the Chinese people are making great efforts to protect their farmland and increase agricultural production.
Farmland is being lost for several reasons. First, it is being built on. Second, when wind and rain have removed a lot of the soil, no more crops can be grown on this land. Third, a lot of irrigated land has become too salty to grow plants. Also, it is well known that pests continue to eat crops, causing damage. The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) has worked out that up to 30 % of food is lost in storage. Food stores are frequently mined by rain or damp, or eaten by mice.
In a word, hunger is a big problem in the world today. No one is sure how many people are hungry, but it is thought that 500 million people in the world do not have enough to eat, that is about one in ten. Every year about 40 million people starve to death.
Various things can be done to increase the food supply in the World. The area of farmland can be increased by irrigation. Take the Aswan Dam in Egypt for example, where desert land can be used for growing crops. The same has happened in the west of the USA, particularly for the growing of fruit. Farmers can increase their corn crops three times simply by watering their fields. In Europe, Holland continues to increase its area of farmland by pumping water from low-lying areas.
Scientists continue to develop new types of plants which produce heavier crops. They are also developing new types of plants that can be grown in poor soil or even sand, and that are less likely to be attacked by pests and diseases. (SB3, L14) 1. About ______ of the earth's land surface is suitable for growing crops. a. 7% b. 11%
c. 30% d. two thirds
2. In China there is only _________ of the land used for growing crops. a. two thirds b. 7% c. 11% d. 30%
3. Farmland is being lost for the following reasons except ______ a. people build houses on it
b. a lot of irrigated land has become too salty to grow plants c. people don't know how to use it so they sell it d. pests damage it by eating crops
4. Hunger is a very big problem in the world. About ________ people in the world don't have enough to eat.
a. 1 billion b. 5.7 billion c. 500 million d. 40 million
5. The author gave us some examples of increasing the area of farmland by a. developing new plants which produce heavier crop b. developing plants that can be grown in poor soils c. irrigating it
d. protecting it
这篇课文讲的是世界耕地面积正在不断缩小，并列举了一些水土流失的原因，警告人们世界正因此面临着饥饿问题。在做阅读理解问题前应先浏览一下题目类型，五个题目中有三个与数字有关，所以在课文中寻找信息时应特别注意这一点。另外两个问题一个是问水土流失的原因，另一个问的则是增加土地面积的途径，对题目有了大致了解后再查阅便有的放矢了。上述五个题目的答案为：1．b 2．b 3．c 4．c 5．c。
3 提高英语阅读速度的相关因素
除了上面提到的心理因素和阅读技巧，还有一些其他因素也会影响阅读速度的提高。 1．进行计时阅读和限时阅读练习：提高阅读速度和理解正确率的主要途径之一是计时阅读和限时阅读练习。在平时训练中有意识地计算自己的阅读速度，你会发现由于克服了不良阅读习惯，掌握了阅读技巧，自己的阅读速度在不断提高，因而增强学习的信心和兴趣。 2．广泛阅读，扩大词汇量，掌握足够的背景知识：外语学习者必须尽可能多接触所学语言，获得足够的感性知识才能真正掌握这门语言。阅读也是这个道理。许多学生抱怨自己的词汇量太小，许多读物都看不懂。这就要求我们平时抓紧时间接触语言，即广泛阅读。读的题材和体裁要全面，其中应包括一些文学作品的简写本。它们能为我们提供许多接触词汇和正宗英语的机会，大量的阅读无疑会积累并扩大词汇量。这样，我们便可以在实践中学习和丰富语言知识。当然一开始选择材料不能太难，以免挫伤了学习热情。
另外，足够的背景知识对于英语学习者也是必不可少的。如果你对英语国家的生活习俗、风土人情、历史、政治、文化等方面的情况全无了解，阅读速度提高起来就会比较困难。英国19世纪著名批判现实主义作家狄更斯的小说，本本都带有时代的烙印。如果我们对这位作家以及当时的时代背景缺乏了解，阅读中会遇到许多障碍，阅读速度也会受到影响。因此，我们应尽量通过各种途径多了解一些英语国家的背景知识，以提高阅读理解和速度以及整体英语水平。
3．提高阅读理解能力：一般来说，阅读速度和理解正确率是缺一不可、相互制约的。理解正确率虽然高，如果读速慢，则效率很低；反之阅读速度虽快，如果理解正确率过低，效率仍然很差。如果在阅读中能够理解语篇的整体意思并掌握部分细节，即把阅读理解正确率保持在70％左右的前提下，尽量提高阅读速度，才能获得阅读速度最快，理解效率最佳的阅读效果。
4．学好基础知识，提高整体语言水平：阅读作为一种最基本的语言技能不是孤立的，它与其他技能，如听说、写作都有密不可分的关系。阅读能力是指阅读者掌握所读材料意思的能力，包括对词汇、句子、段落、篇章等的理解能力。因此一个人的整体语言水平，如词汇、语法、甚至听说等方面的知识都会对阅读能力造成影响。我们要认真学习和掌握各类语言知识，提高整体英语水平，以有效地提高自身的阅读速度与能力。 (完)
