【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[听力原文] Consumers around the world benefit from large food stores and large-scale food production. They can buy many fruits and vegetables throughout the year that were once sold only a few months out of the year. But there is a price to pay for this year-round availability. The fruits and vegetables like tomatoes and strawberries often don't taste as good as they once did. Researchers throughout the United States are working to change that. Andrew Mace is a professional cook at a restaurant in Portland, Oregon. 'Parsnips, leeks, turnips, first of the year asparagus...' Mr. Mace says he hopes the researchers can create fruits and vegetables that are easy to ship and store but also taste good. 'Something that's not compromised for storability, or shape or disease resistance. It's all about the flavor and it's a more pure flavor. ' Across the United States, breeders, farmers, seed producers and professional cooks are working together to create vegetables that have more flavor, and more vitamins, too. Jim Myers is a plant breeder at Oregon State University. He says he does traditional breeding. He says there is enough genetic variation to work with. He tries to create fruits and vegetables that taste good but also have resistance to disease, can be stored for a long time and can be shipped without being damaged. Mr. Myers says the lab has created a program to connect breeders with chefs. He says developers are going back to their traditional roots as breeders to improve vegetables. Phil Simon is a vegetable breeder at the U. S. Agricultural Research Service. He has been working to create a better carrot for 35years. He says the 'local food' movement in North America and other places is responsible for the increased interest in the flavor of food. He says the more extensive local production of vegetables has caused buyers to seek better quality. He says local growers are seeking to provide more kinds of vegetables to meet the demand of buyers. Many countries restrict imports of seeds and plants. So some of the new fruit and vegetables with increased flavor and nutrition are only available in the places they have been developed. What should be the major purpose of researchers according to Mr. Mace? 录音提到，Mace认为虽然果蔬的运输和储藏更方便了，但这些方便却是以牺牲口味为代价的，他希望研究者同时也能改善它的口味。故C项为正确答案。A项“培植容易储存的水果”、B项“培植抵抗疾病的水果”和D项“培植随时能供应的水果”均已通过改良种植技术实现了，故排除这三项。

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[听力原文] What can Mr. Myers' program do? Mr. Myers创造这个项目就是为了使种植者和厨师联系到一起(connect breeders with chefs)，使果农了解厨师的意见和想法，故此题选B。A项“种出口味更佳的水果”是该项目希望达到的结果，并非项目实际做的事。C项“改良水果基因”和D项“延长水果的存储时间”是种植改良的结果，均与问题无关。

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[听力原文] What is responsible for the increased interest in the flavor of food? 录音提到，因为北美和其他地方的“本地美食”活动使食物的口味有了提升，故选A项。C项“种子的出口限制”有在录音末尾提及，但这是在说由于出口限制，某些改善了口味和营养的水果只能在当地享用，与问题无关。B项“厨师的努力”和D项“转基因技术的成果”均没有在录音中提到。