大学英语六级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷43（共236题）

大学英语六级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷43（共9套）（共236题）大学英语六级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷第1套一、长篇阅读(本题共30题，每题1.0分，共30分。)TheMysteryoftheNazcaLines[A]IfyouvisitthePeruviancoastaldesertfromnorthtosouth,youwillnotethatsporadicallyyoucomeuponagreenandfertilevalleysurroundedbysand.ThevalleysofthePeruvianPacificcoastarelikeelongatedoasis,throughwhichrunnarrowandtorrentialriversthatoriginateinthesnowcappedmountainsoftheAndesandwhichflowtothePacificOcean.Asyoutravelmoretowardsthesouth,thesevalleysbecomesmallerandtheriversarenarrower.Manyoftheseriversrundryformostpartoftheyearwiththeexceptionoftherainyseasoninthemountains(fromDecembertoMarch).[B]Nazcaisoneofthesevalleys.HereanimportantcivilizationdevelopedduringthefirstsixcenturiesafterChristItwasaculturemadeupofnoteworthytextileweaversandpotters(thebestpaintingsofancientPerucanbefoundontheceramicsfromNazca).Greatdesertplainsandplateausextendtothenorthandsouthofthisregion,alandofcompletearidnesswherethereisnovegetation,wheretheairisverydryandwhereitseldomrains.Comparedtotheothernearbyvalleys,thisvalleyisinhabitedbynoone.TheNazcaLines[C]AcrosstheplainbetweentheIncaandNazcaValleys,thereliesanareameasuring37mileslongand1milewide,onwhichthereisanassortmentofperfectlystraightlines,manyrunningparallel,othersintersecting,formingagrandgeometricform.Inandaroundthelinestherearealsotrapezoidalzones,strangesymbols,andpicturesofbirdsandbeastsalletched(被侵蚀的)onagiantscalethatcanonlybeappreciatedfromthesky.[D]Thefigurescomeintwotypes:biomorphsandgeoglyphs.Thebiomorphsaresome70animalandplantfiguresthatincludeaspider,hummingbird,monkeyanda1,000-foot-longpelican.Thebiomorphsaregroupedtogetherinoneareaontheplain.Somearchaeologistsbelievetheywereconstructedaround200B.C.,about500yearsbeforethegeoglyphs.[E]Thereareabout900geoglyphsontheplain.Geoglyphsaregeometricformsthatincludestraightlines,triangles,spirals,circlesandtrapezoids.Theyareenormousinsize.Thelongeststraightlinegoesninemilesacrosstheplain.[F]Theformsaresodifficulttoseefromthegroundthattheywerenotdiscovereduntilthe1930'swhenaircraft,whensurveyingforwater,spottedthem.Theplain,crisscrossed(交叉的),bythesegiantlineswithmanyformingrectangles,hasastrikingresemblancetoamodernairport.TheSwisswriter,ErichvonDaniken,evensuggestedtheyhadbeenbuiltfortheconvenienceofancientvisitorsfromspacetolandtheirships.Astemptingasitmightbetosubscribetothistheory,thedesertflooratNazcaissoftearthandloosestoneandwouldnotsupportthelandingwheelsofeitheranaircraftoraflyingsaucer.HowWereTheyBuilt?[G]Straightlinescanbemadeeasilyforgreatdistanceswithsimpletools.Twowoodenstakesplacedasastraightlinewouldbeusedtoguidetheplacementofathirdstakealongtheline.Onepersonwouldsightalongthefirsttwostakesandinstructsasecondpersonintheplacementofthenewstake.Thiscanberepeatedasmanytimesasneededtomakeanalmostperfectly-straightlinemilesinlength.Thesymbolswereprobablymadebydrawingthedesiredfigureatsomereasonablesize,thenusingagridsystemtodivideitup.Thesymbolcouldthenberedrawnatfullscalebyrecreatingthegridonthegroundandworkingoneachindividualsquareoneatatime.SoWhyAretheLinesThere?[H]TheAmericanexplorerPaulKosok,whomadehisfirstvisittoNazcainthe1940s,suggestedthatthelineswereastronomicallysignificantandthattheplainactedasagiantobservatory.Hecalledthem"thelargestastronomybookintheworld."GeraldHawkins,anAmericanastronomer,testedthistheoryin1968byfeedingthepositionofasampleoflinesintoacomputerandhavingaprogramcalculatehowmanylinescoincidedwithanimportantastronomicalevent.Hawkinsshowedthenumberoflinesthatwereastronomicallysignificantwereonlyaboutthesamenumberthatwouldbetheresultofpurechance.ThismakesitseemunlikelyNazcaisanobservatory.[I]PerhapsthebesttheoryforthelinesandsymbolsbelongstoTonyMorrison,theEnglishexplorer.ByresearchingtheoldfolkwaysofthepeopleoftheAndesmountains,Morrisondiscoveredatraditionofwaysideshrines(神殿)linkedbystraightpathways.Thefaithfulwouldmovefromshrinetoshrineprayingandmeditating.Oftentheshrinewasassimpleasasmallpileofstones.MorrisonsuggeststhatthelinesatNazcaweresimilarinpurposeandonavastscale.Thesymbolsmayhaveservedasspecialenclosuresforreligiousceremonies.[J]Recentlytworesearchers,DavidJohnsonandSteveMabee,haveadvancedatheorythatthegeo-glyphsmayberelatedtowater.TheNazcaplainisoneofthedriestplacesonEarth,gettinglessthanoneinchofrainayear.Johnson,whilelookingforsourcesofwaterintheregion,noticedthatancientaqueducts(引水渠)seemedtobeconnectedwithsomeofthelines.Johnsonthinksthattheshapesmaybeagiantmapoftheundergroundwatersourcestracedontheland.Mabeeisworkingtogatherevidencethatmightconfirmthistheory.[K]Otherscientistsaremoreskeptical,butadmitthatinaregionwherefindingwaterwasvitaltosurvival,theremightwellbesomeconnectionbetweentheceremonialpurposeofthelinesandwater.JohanReinhard,aculturalanthropologistwiththeNationalGeographicSociety,foundthatvillagersinBoliviawalkalongastraightpathwaytoshrineswhileprayinganddancingforrain.SomethingsimilarmayhavebeendoneattheancientNascalines.[L]ThelinesatNazcaaren'ttheonlylandscapefiguresPeruboasts.About850milessouthoftheplainisthelargesthumanfigureintheworldlaidoutuponthesideofSolitaryMountain.TheGiantofAtacamastands393feethighandissurroundedbylinessimilartothoseatNazca.[M]AlongthePacificCoastinthefoothillsoftheAndesMountainsisetchedafigureresemblingagiantcandelabrum.Furthersouth,SierraPintada,whichmeans"thepaintedmountain"inSpanish,iscoveredwithvastpicturesincludingspirals,circles,warriorsandacondor.Archaeologistsspeculatethatthesefigures,clearlyvisiblefromtheground,servedasguidepostsforIncatraders.PreservingtheNazcaLines[N]ItisdifficulttokeeptheNazcaLinesfreefromoutsideintervention.Aswithallancientruins,suchasMachuPiccu,weatherbywindandrain,andhumantamperingwilltaketheirtollontheseancientLines.[O]InrecentyearstheNazcaLineshavesufferedgradualdestruction,astombraidersseekingpre-Incaartifactsscartheterrainwithhundredsofburrows,garbage,amongotherwastematerial.AboomincopperandgoldminingisdefacingpartsoftheNazcalineswithtracksfromtrucktraffic.Overthepastdecade,advertisersandpoliticalcampaignshavecarvedhugemessagesintherockandsandbetweentheancientdesignsinthisregion250milessouthofLima.In1998,floodsandmudslidesfromtheElNinoweatherpatternseriouslyerodedseveralfigures.[P]ThedamagetothelinesunderscoresPeru'sdesperatestruggletopreserveitsnationalpatrimony.ArchaeologistssaytheyarewatchinghelplesslyasthequestforscholarshipandconservationinacountryviewedasthecradleofNewWorldcivilizationislosingouttocommercialinterests,bleakpovertyandthegrowingpopularityofheritagesitesastouristattractions.1、ThepropertiesofthedesertflooratNazcamakeitimpossibletoserveasaspotforthelandingofplaneorflyingsaucer.标准答案：F知识点解析：根据题目中的thedesertflooratNazca和thelandingofplaneor…等可定位至F段。该段提到瑞士作家ErichvonDaniken认为平原上的图形是太空的拜访者为方便飞船着陆而建的。而末句指出，纳斯卡沙漠地面是松软的土壤和松散的石头，无法支持飞机或飞碟着陆。题目句子与该段末句同义。2、TheriverwaterinthevalleysofthePeruvianPacificcoastcomesfrommountainsoftheAndes.标准答案：A知识点解析：根据题目中的valleysofthePeruvianPacificcoast定位至A段第2句。该句讲到，秘鲁太平洋海岸的谷地像绵延的绿洲，河流穿梭其中，这些溪流均源自积雪覆盖的安第斯山脉。题目句子是对原文的同义改写，其中comesfrom与文中的originatein同义。3、TheAmericanexplorer’stheorythatNazcawasanobservatoryhasbeentestedunreasonable.标准答案：H知识点解析：根据题目中的Americanexplorer’stheory和observatory定位至H段。该段先提出PaulKosok的想法，接着用Hawkins的实验进行验证，最后说到“具有天文学意义的线条的数目很少，只能看作是某种随机因素的结果。这表明，纳斯卡不可能是个天文观测台”。题目中的Americanexplorer就是指PaulKosok，而unreasonable是对末句makesitseemunlikely的概括。4、Accordingtosomearchaeologists,thebiomorphswereconstructedearlierthanthegeoglyphs.标准答案：D知识点解析：根据题目中的somearchaeologists，biomorphs和geoglyphs定位至D段末句。该句中they指代上一句提到的thebiomorphs。题目中的earlierthanthegeoglyphs与原文中的…beforethegeoglyphs对应。5、Thegeometricformsontheplainwerediscoveredbyanaircraftwhichmadeasurveyforwater.标准答案：F知识点解析：根据geometricforms和discoveredbyanaircraft定位至F段。该段首句的forms承接上一段落指geometricforms，这里讲到，从地面上很难发现几何形状，直到20世纪30年代，一架飞机勘测水资源时才发现了此地貌形状。题目句子是对F段首句的同义转述。6、Incomparisonwithothernearbyvalleys,Nazcahasnoresidents.标准答案：B知识点解析：根据题目中的comparison，othernearbyvalleys定位至B段末句。原文该句中thisvalley就是Nazca，题目中的hasnoresidents是对原文isinhabitedbynoone的同义替换。7、ThefiguresatSierraPintadaarebelievedtohavebeenmadeinpurposeofdirectingtheIncatraders.标准答案：M知识点解析：根据题目中的SierraPintada和figures定位至M段最后两句。题目中的directingtheIncatraders与该段末句中的asguidepostsforIncatraders表达相符。8、Tobuildastraightlinemilesinlength,peopleshouldplacetwowoodenstakesasastraightlinefirst标准答案：G知识点解析：根据题目中的straightlinemilesinlength定位至G段。该段具体介绍了Nazcalines的建造，第4句中Thiscanberepeated…指出获得一条几乎完全平直、长达几英里的直线的方法，其中This指代第2句提到的“立两个木桩确定一条直线，从而用以指引在直线上立第三个木桩”，题目内容来自该段。9、Recently,theNazcalinesarebeingdamagedbytombraiderswhogotheretoseekpre-Incaartifacts.标准答案：O知识点解析：根据题目中的theNazcaLines和tombraiders定位至O段首句。该句讲到，最近纳斯卡图纹逐步遭到破坏，因为寻找前印加时代古器的盗墓者大肆挖掘，遗留下几百个洞穴、垃圾和废弃材料。题目中的arebeingdamaged对应原文的havesufferedgradualdestruction。10、AresearchernamedMabeeisworkingtocollectevidencetoconfirmthetheorythatthegeoglyphsarerelatedtowater.标准答案：J知识点解析：根据题目中的Mabee及geoglyphsarerelatedtowater定位至J段。该段陈述了DavidJohnson和SteveMabee的理论，最后一句与题目同义，句末的thistheory就是指首句提到的thegeoglyphsmayberelatedtowater。TheValueofWritingWell[A]It'sthattimeofyearagain.No,not"theholidayseason".Imean,itisholidaytime,butforprofessorsitdoesn'tstartfeelinglikeholidaytimeuntilfinalgradesareinandthebooksareclosedonanothersemester.No,forme,it'spaper-gradingtime,thetimeofyearwhenI'mremindedoverandoveroftheimportanceofgoodwritingskills—andoftheirrarity.[B]Theabilitytowritewellisnotagift.Sure,thespecialsomethingthatsetsapartaTolstoyorShakespeareorSalmanRushdieorIsabelAllendeisagift,atalentbornofdisposition,experience,andcommitment.Butjusttobeabletocommunicateclearlywiththewrittenwordtakesnospecialtalent;it'saskilllikeanyother.[C]Well,hotexactlylikeanyother.Becausethewordsweusetowritewitharethesamewordsweusetothinkwith,learningtowritewellhasoutcomesthatgobeyondthemerelytechnical.Asweimproveourwritingability,weimproveourabilitytothink—tobuildanargument,toframeissuesincompellingways,toweaveapparentlyunrelatedfactsintoacoherentwhole.[D]Anddespitetherecurringhand-wringingandchest-beatingaboutthe"endofliteracy"andthe"deathoftheprintedword",therealityisthatwewritemorethaneverthesedays.Whileit'sararepersonwhositsdownwithpenandpaperinhandandwritesalettertoafriendorlovedone,wepouremailsatanastoundingrate.Wetextmessage,tweet,instantmessage,blog,comment,andotherwiseshootwordsateachotherinanear-constantflowofcommunication.Atwork,wewriteletters,proposals,PowerPointpresentations,businessrequirementdocuments,memos,speeches,missionstatements,anddozensofmorespecializedtypesofdocuments.Weare,itseems,writihgcreatures.[E]It'snowonderthatbusinessesrepeatedlycite"communicationskills"asthesinglemostdesirabletraitinnewemployees.Thekicker,though,isthatweareasasocietyincrediblybadatwriting.PublicschoolsdoapoorjobofteachingstudentshoWtowritewell—theybarelymanagetoinstillthebasicrulesofgrammarandthemiserable5-paragraphessay,letalonehowtowritewithstyleandverve,howtoputtogetheranargumentthatmovessteadilyfromonepointtothenexttopersuadeareaderofsomecrucialpoint,howtosynthesizeideasanddatafrommultiplesourcesintosomethingthattakesthoseideasonestepfurther.[F]It'snotjusttheteachers'fault.Teachersdothebesttheycanwithwhatthey'regiven,andalltoooftenwhatthey'regivenisinadequateresourceswithwhichtoteachclassroomsfullofunmotivatedstudentswhocouldcarelessaboutwriting.Addtothattherequirementsofmandatorynationwideteststhatrewardconformity,notcreativity,andthethreatofpunishmentforanyschoolwhosestudentsfailtofallwithinthefairlyrigidboundariesofthetest'srequirements,andyou'vegotaprettybadsituationallaroundforinstillinginstudentsthepowertowritewell.[G]Thatis,alas,agreatdisservice.Beingabletowritewellvastlyimprovesstudents'—andothers'—potentialforsuccess,regardlessofthefieldtheyfindthemselvesin.Theskillsthatmakeusbetterwritersmakeusbetterexplainersandbetterpersuaders.Theyaretheskillsthatallowusto"sell"ourideaseffectively,whetheringivingapresentationtopotentialfundersofourcompany,proposinganewprojecttoourcorporateleadership,ortransmittinganewpolicytoouremployees.Beingabletowritewelllessensthechancethatwe'llbemisunderstood,andincreasesthelikelihoodthatourideaswillbeadopted.[H]Writingwellisnotagiftreservedforthefewbutasetofskillsthatcanbelearnedbyanyone.Thetechnicalaspectscanbelearnedinanyofseveralways:bytakingaclass,bystudyingbooksonwriting,byworkingwithapartneroragroupandactingontheirfeedback.Butwhilegrammarandstructureareanimportantpartofwriting,towritewellalsodemandssomeefforttodevelopstyle.Styleiswhatkeepspeoplereadingpastthefirstsentence,andwhatkeepswhatyou'vewrittenontheirminds,impellingthemtotakeaction.[I]Styleisratherlessteachablethanthenutsandboltsofwriting,butitislearnable.Itdemandspatience,attention,andmostofallpractice,butitispossibleforanyonewhohassomethingtosaytolearnhowtosayitwell.Herearesometipstohelpyoumovefrombeingmerelycapabletobeingagoodwriter.[J](1)Read:Readingisessentialtogoodwriting.Itishowwelearnthevastnessofthelanguageandthelimitsofthegrammar—andhowtopushthoselimits.Themoreyouread,thegreateryourunderstandingoflanguage'spotentialbecomes.[K](2)Write:Goodwritingtakespractice.Unfortunately,unlesswecreateopportunitiestowrite,wegetfartoofewopportunitiestogetthatpracticeafterwe'veleftschool.Startajournal,ablog,anewsletter,orwhateverelseyoucanthinkoftogetyouwritingonatleastasemi-regularbasis.[L](3)ReadAgain:Mostpeoplewhofailtobecomebetterwritersfailbecausetheydonotreadtheirownwriting.Theydon'treaditbeforetheypost/mail/submit/publish/otherwisefinishit,andtheydon'treaditafterthey'redonewithit.Thatmeanstheydon'tseetheawkwardparts,theflatbits,thepiecesthatsaysomethingdifferentfromwhatwasintended—andtheyneverlearnhowtofixor,betteryet,avoidthoseproblems.[M](4)Repeat:Writingispersonal,andseeingyourwritingill-receivedcanstrikeablowtothestrongestofegos.Theonlyanswerforit,though,ispersistence—thegoalistobecomeabetterwriter,nottobeperfectoutofthegate.Payattentiontocriticism,learnfromit,butdon'tinternalizeit—there'snoshameinwritingpoorly,onlyinfailingtotrytodobetternexttime.[N]Today'sworldisaworldoftext;itisthelifebloodoftheinformationeconomy.InAncientRome,itwastheoratorswhoruled,thosewhocouldcompelobedience,loyalty,anddevotionwiththeirspokenwords.Today,thewrittenwordisdominant,notonlybecausesomuchoftheinformationthatshapesourlivesiswrittendown,butbecausethehabitsthatmakeusgoodwritersarethesamehabitsthatallowustoflourishintheinformationeconomy.Ifyouworryaboutyourwritingability,commityourselfnowtobecomingasolidwriterintheyeartocome.Ifyouarealreadyadecentwriter,commityourselftobecomingbetter.Andifyou'reoneoftherarefewwhowritewell,reachouttothosearoundyouandshareyourtalent,sothatothersmaylearnfromyou.Letthatbeyourgiftthisholidayseason.11、Whatsetsthosewritingmastersapartfromotherpeopleistheirborntalent.标准答案：B知识点解析：根据sets…apart，masters和talent定位到B段。该段提到，使托尔斯泰、莎士比亚、萨尔曼·拉什迪及伊莎贝尔·阿连德这些大师们如此突出的是一种天赋，一种来自于性格、阅历及信仰的天资。本题句子表述与原文相符，set…apart意为“使与众不同，使突出”。12、Comparedwithteachingthebasicsofwriting,styleismoredifficulttoteach.标准答案：I知识点解析：根据style和moredifficulttoteach定位到I段。该段首句说，教授写作风格比教授写作基本功要难，但风格是可以通过学习获得的。本题句子与原文意思一致，题目中的thebasicsofwriting与原文thenutsandboltsofwriting对应，moredifficulttoteach对应原文lessteachable。13、Theimprovementofwritingabilitywillalsoenhancetheabilitytothink.标准答案：C知识点解析：根据writingability和theabilitytothink定位到C段。该段末句指出，在提高写作能力的同时，我们也提高了自己思考的能力。本题句子的enhance对应原文的improve。14、Publicschoolsdonottakeenougheffortstoteachstudentsthebasicwritingability.标准答案：E知识点解析：根据publicschools定位到E段。该段第3句指出，公立学校在培养学生良好的写作能力这方面所下的工夫是远远不够的，它们几乎连将基本语法规则和糟糕的5段式散文灌输给学生的教学目标都没有达到。本题句子意思与原文对应。15、Byreadingagainandagainhisownwritings,onecanseetheflawsinwritingandmakeimprovement标准答案：L知识点解析：根据readingagain定位到L段。文中提到，很多人无法成为优秀作家的原因在于他们不去读自己写的东西。这意味着他们看不到自己文章中写得笨拙、平庸的部分以及与他们所要表达的相抵触的部分，而且他们永远都不会懂得如何去校正并更好地避免这些问题。本题句子概括了这部分内容。16、Ifyourwritingisill-received,theonlysolutiontoitistolearnfromitandkeeponwriting.标准答案：M知识点解析：根据ill-received定位到M段。文中提到，唯一的解决办法就是坚持不懈，并要关注人们的批评，并从中吸取教训。本题句子的solutiontoit对应原文的answerforit，而keeponwriting对应原文的persistence。17、Readingenablesustounderstandthevastnessoflanguageandthelimitsofgrammar.标准答案：J知识点解析：根据thevastnessoflanguageandthelimitsofgrammar定位到J段。该段说，通过阅读，我们体会到了语言的博大精深和语法的局限性以及如何去冲破这种局限。本题句子与原文意思一致。18、Thosewiththeabilitytowritewellcanbetterexpresstheirideasandtheirchancesofbeingmisunderstooddecrease.标准答案：G知识点解析：根据beingmisunderstood定位到G段。该段说，提高我们写作水平的那些技巧同时也使我们更能言善辩，能让我们更好地“出售”自己的观点，可以减少我们被误解的几率，增加别人采纳我们观点的几率。本题句子的betterexpresstheirideas与原文的makeusbetterexplainers或“sell”ourideaseffectively对应，decrease对应原文的lessens。19、Iconstantlyrealizethesignificanceofwritingwellinthepaper-gradingtime.标准答案：A知识点解析：根据paper-gradingtime定位到A段。该段提到，对我来说，现在还是评试卷的时间，是一年中我被反复提醒具备良好写作技能的重要性及这些技能稀缺的时候。本题句子的constantlyrealizethesignificance对应原文的remindedoverandoveroftheimportance。20、Students’poorwritingabilityispartlycontributedtotherigidrequirementsofthenation-widetests.标准答案：F知识点解析：根据mandatorynationwidetests定位到F段。该段后半部分提到，硬性规定的全国范围内的测试认同的是统一的标准答案，而不是创新意识。此外，如果学生在测试中没能达到规定的要求学校就会受惩罚，这样的环境自然不利于培养学生的写作能力。本题句子概括了原文的意思。FeedingtheMassesaLoadofManureTheGreenRevolutionMyth,NormanBorlaug,andWorldHunger[A]Mostpeopledon'tknowNormanBorlaug.He'stheguywhoiswidelyrecognizedasthefatherofthe"GreenRevolution"—thesystemoffarmingthatcombinedhybridseedswithchemicalpesticidesandfertilizerstogranttheworldsignificantlyincreasedcropyields,especiallyyieldsof"cerealcrops"likewheat,corn,andsoybeans.[B]Mr.Borlaughasbeenheardrecentlyreproaching"extremegreenies"forpromotingorganic,sustainableagriculture,sayingthatsuchamoveeitherwouldrequiretheconversionofmillionsmoreacresofmeadowandforestlandintofarmlandorwouldmeanmassstarvationduetowhatheclaimsareloweryieldsfromorganicfarms.Withallduerespect,wethinkStormin'NormanB.isoutinleftfieldplayingscarecrow,spoutingoffaboutnothingmorethantheGreenRevolutionMyth.Food,WorldHunger,andPopulationGrowth[C]First,thereisanobviousquestionaboutthelogicofBorlaug'sassertionthattheincreasedyieldfromGreenRevolutionfarmingarrivedjustintimetosavehundredsofmillions,maybebillions,ofearth'sswellinghumanmassesfromstarvationinthe20thcentury.Onecouldjustaseasilyframetheissuetheotherwayaround:Mightithavebeenthesuddenlyincreasedavailabilityofcheapfoodthatitselfallowedtheglobalpopulationtorisesoquickly?Remembertheoldsayingabout"tasksexpandtofilltheamountoftimeallowedthem"?Aversionofthatmayapplyhere.[D]AnotherwaytolookatthequestioniswhethertheGreenRevolutionhasbeensuccessfulateliminatinghunger.Ithasn't.SincetheGreenRevolutionkickedintohighgearinthe1960s,therehasbeenonlyamodestreductioninthenumberofpeoplestarvingorchronicallyhungry.In1970,therewereanestimated942hundredmillionpeopleinthatcategory;in2002,theUnitedNationsreportedthatthenumberwas842million.ThismodestreductionhasbeenalmostentirelyduetolowerlevelsofhungeramongtheChinesepopulation,withthenumberofhungrypeopleincreasinginmostotherareasoftheworld.[E]Itistrue,ofcourse,thatafewbillionmorepeoplearebeingfedtodaycomparedtohalfacenturyago.Butit'sfartoosimplistictogivetheGreenRevolutionthecredit.Twoofthemainfactorsthatdodeservecreditareimprovementsinseedsviahybridizationandmajorincreasesintheuseofirrigation,includingtheunsustainableover-pumpingofgroundwater.ThesefactorsplusthechemicalsoftheGreenRevolutioncombinedtoputplantgrowthintooverdrive.TheDownsideoftheGreenRevolution[F]So,iftheGreenRevolutiondidhelpincreasetotalfoodoutput,what'snottolike?Plenty.ThetechnologiesoftheGreenRevolutionshouldbelookedatastheplantequivalentofsteroiduseinhumanathletes.Ajockthatusessteroidswillgainmuscleandstrengthfasterandhaveacompetitiveadvantage.Butthebigboostisnotsustainableoveralongperiodoftime,andthenegativesideeffectsarewellknownandoftencatastrophictotheathlete.[G]InthecaseofGreenRevolutionfarming,thechemicalsusedpolluteourland,air,andwater;theswitchfromheavilyrotatedmultiplecropstomono-croppingordual-croppingreducestotalsoilfertilityandthenutritionalvalueofourfood;andthelowernumberofseedvarietiesusedreducesthegeneticdiversityfoundincrops,thusendangeringthestabilityoffarmoutputinthefuture.Thesideeffectsrelatedtosoilfertilityandgeneticdiversitywillultimatelytaketheirtoll.Indeed,yieldincreasesintoday'sfarmfieldshavegenerallyleveledoffand,incasessuchasriceandwheat,yieldsarebeginningtodeclineinsomeareas.[H]Let'sbealittlemorespecificabouttheproblemsassociatedwithGreenRevolutionfarming:(1)Farmers,farmworkers,andallofusarecontinuallyexposedtochemicalpesticidesduetotheirwidespreaduse,witheachofuscarryingabodyburdenofthetoxins.(2)Countlessnumbersofstreams,rivers,anddrinkingwatersourcesaredegradedduetopesticideandfertilizerrunoff.(3)Majorportionsofbaysandgulfsareoxygen-starvedcoastaldeadzonesduetoalgalbloomsthatarefedbyfertilizerrunoff.(4)Wildlifesufferfromgeneticmutationsduetothefarmingchemicalsthatcontaminatetheirpondsandswamps.Notableexamples:Geneticmutationsinfrogsandabnormalgenitaliainalligators.(5)Stateadvisoriesforlocallycaughtfisharechock-fullofwarningsaboutfishspeciescontaminatedwithpesticides.WouldFoodProductionDropWithouttheGreenRevolution?[I]Nowtotherealpoint—wouldwestarveifwetransitionedbacktosustainableagricultureanda-bandonedthechemicalswe'vecometoacceptasanormalpartoffarming?No,notatall.Multiplestudies,includingworkbytheUSNationalResearchCouncilanda23-yearstudybytheRodaleInstitute,foundtotalfoodoutputfrom"alternative"farmstobeequivalenttoGreenRevolutionfarms—andsometimeshigher.[J]Cubaprovidesareal-life,workingmodeltotesttheconclusionsofsuchresearch.WhentheUStradeembargowasimposedonCubainthelate1980s,thecountry'saccesstoGreenRevolution"inputs"wassuddenlyseverelyrestricted.Cubabegantoreorientitsagriculturebacktosustainableapproachesbasedontraditionalfarmingpracticesandsmallerfarmingoperations.Withinadecade,thecountryhadsolveditsfoodproblem,withtheaddedbenefitoffreeingitselffromthecostandtoxicpollutionassociatedwithimportedfarmingchemicals.Wrapup...andGMOs[K]AsLt.Columbowasfondofsaying,justonelastthing...Thebigagribusinesscompaniesthatbroughtyouthehollowpromisesofthechemical-basedGreenRevolutionIarenowbusycookingupthegeneticallyengineered(GE)GreenRevolutionII.Againtheypromisetosavetheworldfromhunger,butasbefore,theirrealgoalistoreapbountifulprofits.NotonlydosomeGEtechnologies,suchas"herbicidetolerance",notincreaseyieldandfarmerprofits,theyhavebeendocumentedtohavetheoppositeeffect.Insuchcases,theonlypeoplebenefitingaretheGEseedandpesticidecompaniesandtheirshareholders.[L]Thereisaplaceforresearchandtechnologyinfarming,butweshouldstoptryingtoconquernature'scomplex,inexorableforcesandinsteadshouldfocusonapproachesthatworkwiththepowerofnature.AlotofresearchdollarswentintodevelopingGreenRevolutionandGEtechnologies.Ifinsteadwehadinvestedinbettersustainable-agriculturemethods,wewouldhaveincreasedyields,retainedhealthierfanningpractices,andgreatlylessenedthehugelossofsmallandmedium-sizedfarms.Infact,demonstrationprojectshaveshownthatincreasesintotalfoodoutputofupto100%arepossiblebyusingadvancedsustainableagriculturetechniques.SuchapproachesalsoreducecostsandavoidthechemicalpollutantsandpotentiallydangerousGEstrainsthatarenowuponus.[M]Wewon'tbeabletosimplyflipaswitchandsuddenlyconvertallthefarmingacreageontheplanetbacktosmaller,moresustainablefarmsovernight.Butitcanbedonegradually,withoutcausingmassstarvation.Indeed,betterhealthformorepeoplewouldbetheoverallresult.Weinthedevelopedcountriesoftheworldshouldaskourelectedrepresentativestobeginamajorshiftinfarmpolicytofostersuchch