ahead of the big guys. As the co-founder of the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC, 美国青年农会）and a family farmer myself. I have a front-row seat to the innovations among small farmers that are transforming the industry.zx.xk
For example, take the Quick Cut Greens Harvester, a tool developed just a couple of years ago by a young
farmer, Jonathan Dysinger, in Tennessee, with a small loan from a local Slow Money group. It enables small-scale farmers to harvest 175 pounds of green vegetables per hour—a huge improvement over harvesting just a few dozen pounds by hand—suddenly making it possible for the little guys to compete with large farms of California. Before the tool came out, small farmers couldn't touch the price per pound offered by California farms. But now, with the combination of a better price point and a generally fresher product, they can stay in business.
The sustainable success of small farmers, though, won't happen without fundamental changes
to the industry. One crucial factor is secure access to land. Competition from investors. developers, and established large farmers makes owning one's own land unattainable for many new farmers. From 2004 to 2013, agricultural land values doubled, and they continue to rise in many regions.
Another challenge for more than a million of the most qualified farm workers and managers is a non-existent
path to citizenship — the greatest barrier to building a farm of their own. With farmers over the age of 65 outnumbering(多于）farmers younger than 35 by six to one, and with two-thirds of the nation's farmland in need of a new farmer, we must clear the path for talented people willing to grow the nation's food.
There are solutions that could light a path toward a more sustainable and fair farm economy,
but farmers can't clumsily put them together before us. We at the NYFC need broad support as we urge Congress to increase farmland conservation, as we push for immigration reform, and as we seek policies that will ensure the success of a diverse and ambitious next generation of farms from
all backgrounds. With a new farm bill to be debated in Congress, consumers must take a stand with young farmers.
61. The author mentions car industry at the beginning of the passage to introduce .
A. the progress made in car industry B. a special feature of agriculture C. a trend of development in agriculture
D. the importance of investing in car industry
62. What does the author want to illustrate with the example in paragraph 2?
A. Loans to small local farmers are necessary.
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B. Technology is vital for agricultural development. C. Competition between small and big farms is fierce D. Small farmers may gain some advantages over big ones.
63. What is the difficulty for those new famers?
A. To gain more financial aid. B. To hire good farm managers. C. To have fans of their own. D. To win old farmers’ support.
64. What should farmers do for a more sustainable and fair farm economy?
A. Seek support beyond NYFC. B. Expand farmland conservation. C. Become members of NYFC. D. Invest more to improve technology.
D
Children as young as ten are becoming dependent on social media for their sense of self-worth, a major
study warned.
It found many youngsters(少年）now measure their status by how much public approval they
get online, often through “like”. Some change their behavior in real life to improve their image on the web.
The report into youngsters aged from 8 to 12 was carried out by Children's Commissioner (专员）Anne
Longfield. She said social media firms were exposing children to major emotional risks,with some youngsters starting secondary school ill-equipped to cope with the tremendous pressure they faced online.
Some social apps were popular among the children even though they supposedly require users to be at least
13.The youngsters admitted planning trips around potential photo-opportunities and then messaging friends—and friends of friends — to demand “likes” for their online posts.
The report found that youngsters felt their friendships could be at risk if they did not respond to social
media posts quickly, and around the clock.
Children aged 8 to 10 were \
12 age group were \that gets stronger the older they become.
Miss Longfield warned that a generation of children risked growing up \ appearance and
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image as a result of the unrealistic lifestyles they follow on platforms, and increasingly anxious about switching off due to the constant demands of social media.
She said: \are using social media with family and friends and to play games when they are in
primary school. But what starts as fun usage of apps turns into tremendous pressure in real social media interaction at secondary school.\
As their world expanded. she said, children compared themselves to others online in a way that was \
damaging in terms of their self-identity, in terms of their confidence, but also in terms of their ability to develop themselves\
Miss Longfield added: \—if you go offline, will you miss something, will
you miss out, will you show that you don't care about those people you are following, all of those come together in a huge way at once.\
\
study—life in Likes—found that children as young as 8 were using social media platforms largely for play.
However, the research—involving eight groups of 32 children aged 8 to 12—suggested that as they headed
toward their teens, they became increasingly anxious online.
By the time they started secondary school—at age 11—children were already far more aware of their image
online and felt under huge pressure to ensure their posts were popular, the report found.
However, they still did not know how to cope with mean-spirited jokes, or the sense of incompetence they
might feel if they compared themselves to celebrities(名人）or more brilliant friends online. The report said they also faced pressure to respond to messages at all hours of the day—especially at secondary school when more youngsters have mobile phones.
The Children’s Commissioner said schools and parents must now do more to prepare children for the
emotional minefield(雷区）they faced online. And she said social media companies must also \more responsibility\ or they should adjust their websites to the needs of younger users.
Javed Khan, of children's charity Bamardo's, said: \vital that new compulsory age-appropriate
relationship and sex education lessons in England should help equip children to deal with the growing demands of social media.
“It’s also hugely important for parents to know which apps their children are using.”
65.Why did some secondary school students feel too much pressure?
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A. They were not provided with adequate equipment. B. They were not well prepared for emotional risks. C. They were required to give quick responses. D. They were prevented from using mobile phones.
66. Some social app companies were to blame because .
A. they didn't adequately check their users' registration B. they organized photo trips to attract more youngsters C. they encouraged youngsters to post more photos D. they didn't stop youngsters from staying up late
67. Children's comparing themselves to others online may lead to .
A. less friendliness to each other B. lower self-identity and confidence C. an increase in online cheating D. a stronger desire to stay online
68. According to Life in Likes, as children grew, they became more anxious to .
A. circulate their posts quickly B. know the qualities of their posts C. use mobile phones for play D. get more public approval
69. What should parents do to solve the problem?
A. Communicate more with secondary schools. B. Urge media companies to create safer apps. C. Keep track of children's use of social media. D. Forbid their children from visiting the web.
70. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. The influence of social media on children. B. The importance of social media to children. C. The problem in building a healthy relationship. D. The measure to reduce risks from social media.
第四部分：任务型阅读（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
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