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Can you imagine a world without chocolate? It's not something I'd 1ike to do. so I was relieved to read that there’s a university with a program me to safeguard the future of chocolate!
The University of Reading, in England, has just opened a new clearing house for all the world’s new cocoa varieties. They must be quarantined(隔离检疫)before they can be grown. Why? Cocoa production hit a record high of 4. 4 million tons last year but about 30％of the precious crop is regularly lost to pests and diseases. Now we don’t want that, do we?
Demand for chocolate has been increasing faster than the world supply of cocoa and researchers think that new varieties are key to solving this problem.
The University of Reading has been protecting the quality of the new crops since 1985, after it took over the task from the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew, London. And it has improved its facilities. The leader of the institution’s cocoa project, Professor Paul Hadley, says, “One of the main issues concerning cocoa improvement is the supply of reliably clean, healthy, interesting cocoa material. ”
The cocoa centre has a collection of 400 plant varieties and their greenhouse uses a lot of energy to keep them in tropical conditions. After up to two years in quarantine, clean and safe seeds are sent to some 20 countries, including several in West Africa. That’s where 75％of the cocoa used for chocolate worldwide comes from. The crop is extremely important for the local economy：it employs about two million people.
Professor Hadley says he works with a small team of skilled technicians who look after the collection. And more of us seem to count on them now.
The scientist says, “there is some concern within the industry that demand is increasing constantly, particularly in countries like China, where the standard of living is increasing and people are getting a taste for different chocolates. ”
28. What is the text mainly about?
A. Safeguarding cocoa seeds. B. Planting cocoa worldwide.
C. Keeping cocoa in greenhouse. D. Finding the new market for cocoa.
29. The institution’s cocoa project is to_______.
A. have cocoa skin removed B. offer more jobs to people
C. ensure the quality of cocoa D. supply cocoa for two million people
30. What does the last paragraph tell us?
A. The taste of chocolates is changing.
B. Demand for cocoa is increasing fast.
C. People are concerned about cocoa varieties.
D. Chinese have a long history of eating chocolates.
31. What’s the purpose of the text?
A. To educate. B. To advertise. C. To warn. D. To inform.
D
The poaching, or illegal killing, of rhinos(犀牛) in South Africa is growing worse each year. The government recently reported that a record number of rhinos were poached in 2014, a year which had more rhino killings in South Africa than ever before.
The World Wildlife Fund, or WWF, says about 20, 000 rhinos live in South Africa. That is more than 80 percent of the rhinos in the world. Edna Molewa, South Africa’s environmental issues minister, says, “During 2014, we are sad to say this, 1, 215 rhinos were killed. This is a rise in the number of poached rhinos from 1004 in 2013 and indeed very worrying. ”
The animals are hunted for their horns(犀牛角). Many people in Asia believe the horn has curing power, which drives poachers, at all costs, mad for more horns. But there is no scientific evidence for this belief. The horn is made of keratin. That is the same thing as human hair, fingernails and toenails.
Ms. Mo1ewa said 386 suspected poachers were arrested last year, an increase from the year before. But rhino protection workers say poachers often go unpunished after arrest. South Africa’s legal system is ineffective. Ms. Molewa said more needs to be done and South Africa is taking strong measures to protect rhinos. The efforts include moving some of the animals to secret places in neighboring countries. “Now approximately 100 rhinos have been moved to neighboring states in the SADC region during 2014 and 200 more rhinos will be moved this year” Molewa said.
Jo Shaw, the rhino program manager at the WWF, said, “we’re talking about a loss of a hundred rhinos a month. Or more than three a day. We really need to see effective action not just at a national level but internationally. ”She says officials should find the criminal groups responsible for the poaching and punish them. Government officials are to meet in Botswana in March at the Inter-governmental Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade.
32. What do we know about rhinos?
A. Half of the rhinos live in South Africa.
B. Less than 1, 000 rhinos were killed in 2013.
C. The killing reached the highest point in 2014.
D. There are only 20, 000 rhinos left in the world.
33. What is the main reason for people to hunt rhinos?
A. To get more keratin.
B. To protect the farmland.
C. To use them for decoration.
D. To make money from horns.
34. Jo Shaw thinks that_________.
A. many criminal groups are well organized
B. new laws are needed to punish the killers
C. rhino protection needs international cooperation
D. conferences about protecting rhinos are to be held every year
35. What can we infer from the text?
A. Rhino protection has a long way to go.
B. No one would like to buy horns in the future.
C. The illegal killing of rhinos will soon disappear.
D. Rhinos living in South Africa will move to other countries.
