单选题 Hunger is no novelty. We can discount legends of golden ages, lands of Cockayne, and Megasthenes" statement that before Alexander"s invasion of India, there had never been famine or food shortage there. Trustworthy historical records show that during the Renaissance one year in ten in Britain, and one in five in Europe, was a famine year. China, with a greater area and more diverse climate, had a famine in some region every year.
Famine is a state of affairs in which people are dying in the streets: It therefore attracts the notice of historians and is recorded. The fact that it strikes people who are aware of having been properly fed and well is more important. Not only are the survivors more adjustable, they are also angry at the breakdown of the system and eager to do something about it though it is obvious from the record that they do not always have the means. Malnutrition is much more underhanded. It is a chronic state in which the total food supply or, more often, the supply of certain components such as protein or some of the vitamins, is inadequate. It seems probable that, either constantly or seasonally, it used to be the usual condition of mankind and was regarded as normal. The unhealthy appearance of the figures in medieval paintings and drawings is often put down to the incompetence of the artist: it is as likely that most people really did look like that. The plentifulness with which poets greeted the merry month of May, in our dull climate, has had a climatic basis: it is just as likely that in May, after six months" shortage, there was now an adequate vitamin supply. The promptness with which some sailors died of scurvy (坏血病) after leaving port suggests that they were normally on the edge of scurvy and needed only a slight worsening of conditions to get it acutely. Others will think of other examples. Hunger and malnutrition are components of a classic example of a vicious circle. They lead to enfeeblement or unfeelingness in which nothing either can be done, or seems to be worth doing, to alter the state of affairs; this leads to more hunger and malnutrition. There is good reason to think that, in much of the developing world, if the circle could once be broken, it need never return.

单选题 According to the text, hunger in the past ______.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] 文章开篇，作者就指出“饥饿并不是什么新鲜事儿了”，随后作者谈到我们不应该相信传奇故事中的言论，而应该查阅史料记载，据可信史料记载，during the Renaissance one year in ten in Britain, and one in five in Europe, was a famine year“文艺复兴时期，英国每十年发生一次饥荒，而整个欧洲，每五年闹一次饥荒”，中国有些地区更是年年都闹饥荒，由此可判断，过去hunger会频频发生，是个十分普遍的现象，选项D正确。

单选题 The writer suggests that famine is different from malnutrition because ______.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 第二段，作者对famine和malnutrition分别作了详细介绍，指出they are also angry at the breakdown of the system“对饥荒造成的体系破坏感到气愤”，并且eager to do something about it“渴望能做点儿什么(来改变这一状况)”；关于malnutrition，不管是连续的，还是季节性的，人们则regard it as normal“认为它很平常”，并不采取什么措施。通过对比可知，famine会激起人们采取措施的愿望，而对于malnutrition，人们则无动于衷，认为它是常事。选项C正确。

单选题 What does the writer say about malnutrition?

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[解析] 第二段，作者在指出人们认为malnutrition是正常现象后，又谈论了中世纪的绘画。他指出，人们将中世纪绘画中那些人物的unhealthy appearance归咎于画家的技巧不够，而实际上，it is as likely that most people really did look like that“可能那个时期的大部分人的确是那个样子(营养不良)”。据此可判断，营养不良在中世纪是个十分普遍的现象，选项A正确。

单选题 The writer says that many sailors in the past died rapidly of scurvy because ______.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 作者在分析水手们患坏血病死亡的原因时指出，they were normally on the edge of scurvy“他们在出海前营养状况不好，已经处于坏血病边缘”，and needed only a slight worsening of conditions to get it acutely“只需要情况再恶化一点点，他们就会患上坏血病”，据此可推断，这些水手们由于已经患了营养不良症，因此出海后，生活条件恶化，就出现了坏血病症状。选项C符合文意。