C
Have you ever wondered where the chocolate in your favorite candy bar comes from? Chocolate comes from the cacao tree, which grows in warm, tropical areas of West Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, and South America. And who eats the delicious chocolate made from the cacao grown in these places? The majority of chocolate is consumed in Europe and North America. This probably sounds like a familiar story—developing countries produce inexpensive raw materials that are manufactured and sold as finished goods in developed countries, and generally, that is what happens with chocolate. Large chocolate companies buy cacao beans at a low price and produce cocoa and chocolate products to sell at a relatively high price.
But the familiar story has a new chapter. Beginning in the 1980s, some consumers learned that cacao farmers were living difficult and uncertain lives. The farmers received money for their crops based on world markets, and the market price for cacao was sometimes so low that farmers received less for their crops than the crops had cost to produce. In response, groups of consumers in Europe and the United States developed “fair trade” organizations to guarantee that farmers of cacao, as well as coffee and tea, would receive fair and consistent prices for their crops.
Fair trade organizations benefit farmers by buying cacao beans or other products from them directly at higher-than-market prices and eliminating “middle men” such as exporters. Fair trade organizations also encourage farming techniques that are not harmful to the environment or to farm workers, for example, growing cacao without chemical pesticides or fertilizers in the shade of rain forest trees. One organization, Equal Exchange, helps farmers set up farming cooperatives in which they can share resources and work on projects such as community schools. Another, Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO), guarantees that products bearing its label meet standards that improve the lives of growers and producers.
The results of fair trade are a better standard of living for some farmers and nicer chocolate bars made with organically produced cocoa that consumers don’t feel guilty about buying. And although fair trade chocolate is somewhat more expensive than other chocolate and now makes up only 1% of chocolate sold, the fair trade idea is spreading quickly. You may soon see fair trade chocolate right next to the more famous bars in your favorite store.
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63. The underlined word “that” in Para. 1 refers to _________.
A. the unfair trade between countries B. the high price of chocolate products C. the traditional production of raw materials D. the major consumption of the finished food 64. The organization Equal Exchange aims to_________.
A. promote chocolate sales B. offer support to the farmers C. reduce the cost of growing crops D. increase the production of chocolate 65. What does the author imply in the last paragraph?
A. There will be more fair trade chocolate in the future. B. Fair trade chocolate is not as tasty as other chocolate. C. Consumers feel guilty about buying fair trade chocolate. D. There is probably no reason to worry about cacao farmers. 66. The passage is written to _________.
A. give tips on how to undertake fair chocolate trade B. advise people to join in Fair trade organizations C. encourage farmers to adopt organic farming D. inform people of fair trade chocolate
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D
On a dark night, 11-year-old Joe was playing hide-and-seek with his friends in the backyard when he thought he saw Magellan—a huge housecat. However, when the cat suddenly jumped on his head, Joe found it turned out a young cougar. He backed away from the animal, then turned and ran inside the house.
Cougar encounters like this one are becoming increasingly common in the U.S. Most people assume that’s because cougar populations are growing, or because the big cats are coming into closer contact with the expanding web of human suburbs. But Professor Robert Wielgus at Washington State University argues that poorly designed hunting policies might be causing an increase in cougar-human conflicts.
Wielgus’s research teams have been fitting the big cats with radio collars and monitoring their movements. They find that the cougar population is actually declining rapidly and almost no male cougars are over four years of age. And a study shows that the heavily hunted area has five times as many cougar complaints as the lightly hunted area—even though the density of cougars is about the same in both areas.
Wielgus suspects that hunting policies, which allow older males to be killed to keep cougar populations in check, were the culprit and teenage cougars in the heavily hunted area may be responsible for most of the trouble. To test his theory, he adds two more groups of cougars to the tracking program—one in a heavily hunted area and another in a comparable but lightly hunted area. He concludes that heavy hunting indeed almost wipes out older males and the population structure in the heavily hunted area shifts toward younger animals.
With these findings, Wielgus believes without adults to keep them under control, the disorderly teens are more likely to come into conflict with humans, farm animals and pets.
Wielgus’s ideas don’t sit well with everyone. “Hunting definitely does cause lots of teenage males to flow in, but I don’t yet see solid proof that they are more likely to cause trouble than older cats,”says the University of Montana’s Robinson. “In many cases, the new arrivals have been squeezed out of remote wilderness habitat and forced into areas where they are more likely to encounter humans. I think humans are primarily responsible for all the interaction you see. We’re moving into these areas where cougars and deer are,” according to Alldredge, a researcher at the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
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We may not understand what makes 18-year-old males more likely than 48-year-old men to do dangerous things, Wielgus says, but we know that the world would be a different place, if teenagers were in charge.
67. The passage begins with a story to _________. A. lead into the topic B. describe an incident C. show the author’s attitude D. warn of the dangers of cougars
68. The underline word “culprit” in Para.4 is closest in meaning to _________. A. effect
B. evidence C.
target
D. cause
69. Which of the following is true?
A. Alldredge agrees hunting results in the arrival of lots of teens. B. Robinson doubts age is a key factor in human-cougar conflicts. C. Alldredge believes killing older males may cause a bigger threat. D. Robinson holds humans are to blame for the fall of older males. 70. What might Wielgus suggest to reduce cougar attacks? A. Driving teenage cougars back into their natural habitat. B. Getting people to move out of the areas where cougars are. C. Forbidding children to play in the backyard by themselves. D. Revising hunting policies to ensure a healthy cougar population.
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