单选题 {{B}}Passage Two{{/B}}
The Goulburn Valley was one of Australia's prosperous dairying regions. But over the last five years, it's estimated that half the dairy farms have gone. Typically, the water has been sold off and the property converted to a hobby farm, or allowed to turn to weed-infested scrub(野草遍布的灌木). This scene of rural ruin is now spreading across Australia's food bowl. Whole irrigation regions are on the edge of collapse. This disaster is threatening the nation's food security.
Politicians blame the drought. But it's much more than that. Mismanagement and gross policy neglect of irrigation have helped create the water shortages. Further, the federal and state governments, instead of investing in new water storages to increase the supply of water, and instead of turning over environmental flows to needy irrigation farms, are buying up irrigation water, not from willing sellers, but from desperate farmers trying to survive.
Consequently, investment in rural industries is being cut short. Lenders are rightly judging that they cannot determine if any irrigation farmer or his district will be possible in the future, because nobody can assess how much water will be sold out of that region.
Once a critical amount of water leaves a region, irrigation channels are no longer possible. That means others who still want to farm are also no longer possible. This sets up a domino(多米诺骨牌) effect—local farm-supply businesses, processors, shops, schools and hospitals are no longer sustainable. Suddenly, a whole regional economy collapses.
Currently, the Government has put a ban on the Commonwealth Government buying irrigation water and Victoria has prohibited Commonwealth purchase from farmers on main backbone channels. In fact, the total federal government take of water could be at minimum 14 percent of the Basin's irrigation water, or as high as 29 percent of farmers' water. According to the Australian Farm Institute, Australian agriculture is worth about 12.2 percent of the nation's economy, or about $130 billion. Hence. taking 14~29 per cent of water out of production will reduce Australia's agriculture by $7~15 billion.
Furthermore, Australians don't realize that most of agricultural product is sold into the domestic market. Hence, the Commonwealth Government's water buy-back scheme is set to push Australia to the brink of becoming a net importer of food.
单选题 What caused the disaster in Australia's dairying regions?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[深度点拨] 根据题干关键词cause,disaster定位到原文第一段最后一句:This disaster is threatening the nation's food security. 以及第二段的前半部分:Politicians blame the drought. But it's much more than that. Mismanagement and gross policy neglect of irrigation have helped create the water shortages. 可知,由客观和主观原因导致的缺水问题是澳大利亚乳制品业下滑的主要原因,D)项符合原文。 [避错指导] A)项“乳牛场的改用”、B)项“灌溉系统的崩溃”和C)项“农村地区的沦落”只是表面现象,而非产业下滑的深层原因。
单选题 What are governments doing according to the passage?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[深度点拨] 根据题干关键词governments doing定位到原文第二段第四句:Further, the federal and state governments...are buying up irrigation water, not from willing sellers, but from desperate farmers trying to survive. 可知政府是从农场主手里买水,C)项符合原文。 [避错指导] A)项“投资兴建储水设施”和B)项“将河流用于灌溉”与本段第四句信息不符;D)项“减少对农村企业的投资”并不是政府的举动,原文第三段第一句意思是说如果缺水问题不能解决,就会导致在农村的投资减少。
单选题 Which of the following statements can be the main cause of the collapse of the regional economy?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[深度点拨] 根据题干关键词collapse,regional economy定位到原文第四段最后一句:Suddenly, a whole regional economy collapses. 本段说明了地区经济是如何崩溃的,而且在段首便提出了其原因:a critical amount of water leaves a region,B)项符合原文。 [避错指导] A)项“灌溉水渠数量的下降”、C)项“想种田而不能种田的农民”和D)项“以农业为支撑的企业和商店的倒闭”都是缺水所造成的直接结果,并非经济崩溃的深层原因。
单选题 What will NOT be the effect of the Government's water buy-back scheme?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[深度点拨] C)项“澳大利亚大部分农场品将不再会销往国内市场”文中没有提及.原文只是陈述目前澳大利亚的大部分农场品在国内市场销售,并没有对是否完全外销进行预期。 [避错指导] 根据题干关键词effect,buy-back scheme定位到原文倒数第一、二段。由taking 14-29 per cent of water out of production will reduce Australia's agriculture by$7~15 billion. 可知B)项符合文意;由the Commonwealth Government's water buy-back scheme is set to push Australia to the brink of becoming a net importer of food. 可知D)项符合文意;由第一段倒数第二句可知A)项“灌溉农业区的经济将会崩溃”符合 原文。用排除法可知,C)项为答案。
单选题 Which of the following can be the passage's best title?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[深度点拨] 文章开门见山提出了一个现象:古尔本山谷的衰退, 接下来文章解释了造成这种状况的原因是缺水,并分析了缺水对经济造成的影响,B)项符合文章主旨。 [避错指导] A)项“澳大利亚乳品行业的衰退”和D)项“缺水的困境”都只是文中所涉及的一个方面,但不是本文作者要阐述的重点;C)项“控制干旱的必要性”是字里行间透出来的意思,文中并没有直接提及。