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何萬領

（A）

Los Angeles June 14, 2006—Hollywood actress Daryl Hannah was arrested yesterday after spending two weeks sitting in a walnut tree on an urban farm a few kilometers from downtown Los Angeles. She was one of 40 people, including celebrities from the music and movie world, who were protesting at the proposed destruction of the 14-acre farm. Police officers cut away branches from the tree and used a fire engine to reach Ms Hannah and her co-protester, environmentalist John Quigley. The two of them raised their fists in defiance（反抗） as they were removed.

Protester, some of whom had chained themselves to concrete-filled barrels（桶）， said that it was essential to keep the farm operating, as it provided food for hundreds of poor families in the area. About 350 people grow produce and flowers on the farm, which has been there for more than a decade and is situated in an inner-city area surrounded by warehouses and railroad tracks. However, the local authority recently approved plans for the area to be cleared and redeveloped for the construction of a huge new warehouse.

Ms Hannah, 45, star of films such as Splash and Kill Bill was not thrilled about being arrested. “But I felt it was important to show my support for the people,” she said. “This farm should be a model for sustainable urban agriculture. It needs to be replicated, not eradicated.”

The record length for a tree protest is held by a woman called Julia Hill, who remained on top of a 30-metre-high redwood tree in Northern California for 738 days from December 1997 to December 1999. She was successful in saving the tree and those around it from destruction. Ms Hill was also at the Los Angeles urban farm project this week, but her presence failed to stop the inevitable. No sooner had the protesters been removed than earth-moving machines moved in and began to clear the land.

1. Daryl Hannah was involved in a protest to ____.

A. save an agricultural city farm from destruction

B. save a farm outside Los Angeles that provided jobs for the poor

C. complain to the local council about all their development plans

D. stop the police and fire department from cutting down trees

2. What did the protesters do? ____.

A. 40 of them chained themselves to trees

B. They climbed trees with celebrities and refused to come down

C. They all chained themselves to large pieces of concrete

D. They fought with the police

3. What did Daryl Hannah mean when she said “It needs to be

replicated, not eradicated” in the third paragraph? ____.

A. The new warehouse must provide jobs for the poor

B. More farms should grow food for the cities not fewer

C. The city farm was a model to be copied not destroyed

D. The plans must be reconsidered and changed

4. What happened after the protesters were removed? ____.

A. They built the warehouse immediately

B. They had hardly left when construction of the new building started

C. As soon as they were gone, heavy machines cut down the trees

D. The farm was saved

(B)

The year 2006 sees the launch of the Chinese governments campaign to “build a new socialist countryside”. After more than 20 years of reform and opening-up, the focus is now on Chinas huge rural population. Thegovernment acknowledges that Chinas economic and social progress can be of benefit to the entire population only after development of the rural economy, construction of new homes for farmers and a general promotion of living standard have been accomplished. Domestic demand may then steadily expand and maintain development of the national economy be promoted.

In order to achieve its goal of building a new socialist countryside, the Chinese government will adopt a series of measures. They include the allocation(劃撥) of RMB 339.7 billion(US $ 42.5billion) from the central treasury in 2006 to agriculture, the countryside and farmers an increase of RMB 42.2 billion, over the 2005 figure, and of RMB 100 billion tohighway construction in rural areas. Abolition of agriculture taxes in 2006 make farmers better of by RMB 33. 6 billion. Charges and fees, including compulsory contributions to a gathered education fund, to the value of RMB 70 billion have also been abolished. In the coming five years, the Chinese treasury will invest RMB 20 billion in reconstructing township clinics and county hospitals and upgrading medical equipment. It is expected that by the year 2008, a cooperative system of medicine and medical aid will have been established in Chinas rural areas. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has confirmed that the government willconcentrateoninfrastructure(基本設施) construction in the countryside, and make greater investments in irrigation and water conservancy, roads, methane pits(沼氣池), power grids and communications. The standards for a “new countryside” are: developed production, relative affluence, a hygienic and pleasant social environment and democratic administration.

1. According to the passage, under which conditions Chinas progress can be achieved? ____.

a. To develop the rural economy

b. To construct the new homes for farmers

c. To promote the living standards

d. To improve the poor medical equipment

A. abd B. bcd C. acd D. abc

2. In 2005, the central treasury allocated RMB ____ billion to agriculture, the countryside and farmers.

A. 339.7 B. 42.2 C. 297.5 D. 381.5

3. The central treasury will allocate 20 billion in ____ in the next five years.

A. compulsory education B. rural medical treatment

C. highway construction D. infrastructure construction

4. From the second paragraph, we can know ____.

A. the Chinese government will take action to realize its plan of building a new socialist countryside

B. the Chinese government will try its best to build a rich and strong country

C. the Chinese government will go all out to support agriculture

D. the Chinese government will offer much more money to farmers

Key(1)