首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
考研
One of the least appreciated but most remarkable developments of the past 60 years is the extraordinary growth of American agric
One of the least appreciated but most remarkable developments of the past 60 years is the extraordinary growth of American agric
admin
2015-10-20
54
问题
One of the least appreciated but most remarkable developments of the past 60 years is the extraordinary growth of American agriculture. Farming now accounts for about one tenth of the gross domestic product yet employs less than 1 percent of all workers. It has accomplished this feat through exceptionally high growth in productivity, which has kept prices of food low and thereby contributed to rising standards of living. Furthermore, the exportable surplus has kept the trade deficit from reaching unsupportable levels. Agriculture not only has one of the highest rates of productivity growth of all industries, but this growth appears to have accelerated during the past two decades.
Over the period 1948 to 2004, total farm production went up by 166 percent. The land used for farming dropped by one quarter over the 56-year period, and investment in heavy farm equipment and other capital expenditures decreased by 12 percent. Several developments drove these changes, beginning with the replacement of the remaining horses by tractors immediately after World War II and with the expanding use of fertilizers and pesticides. Later came the adoption of hybrid seeds, genetic engineering of plants and improved livestock breeding. A key element was the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s(USDA)extension service. Operating through land-grant universities and other organizations, it educated farmers on biotechnology, pest management and conservation.
For many years, critics have claimed that modern agriculture is not sustainable, one of the major assertions being that it encourages erosion, which will eventually wash away most of the topsoil. Lost topsoil, the argument goes, is virtually irreplaceable because it takes up to 300 years for one inch of soil to form.
But a detailed study of two large areas, the Southern Piedmont and the Northern Mississippi Valley Loess Hills, showed that based on 1982 data, soil loss has dropped sharply from the very high rates of the 1930s. The study attributed the decrease in soil erosion to the USDA, which urged farmers after World War II to adopt conservation practices such as strip cropping, whereby alternating rows are planted, and leaving plant residues in the fields year-round to inhibit water runoff.
Despite being a robust contributor to the U.S. economy, modem agriculture is not without a
dark side
. Runoff of fertilizers, antibiotics and hormones degrade the environment and can upset the local ecology. If not grown properly, genetically modified crops could spread their DNA to conventional species.
The growth of American agriculture has been mainly stimulated by
选项
A、the productivity growth.
B、low prices of food.
C、rising standards of living.
D、the exportable surplus.
答案
A
解析
事实细节题。根据第一段第三句话可知农业迅猛发展的主要原因是农业生产率的提高,因此A项正确。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/CVzZ777K
0
考研英语一
相关试题推荐
UnwillingnesstofacedeathisIntheauthor’sopinion,Americansrefusetodwellontheideaofdeath
Theinventionofbothlabor-savingtoolsandtoolsofintelligenceisrarelyaccidental.Instead,itisusuallytheproductofh
Theinventionofbothlabor-savingtoolsandtoolsofintelligenceisrarelyaccidental.Instead,itisusuallytheproductofh
InPlato’sUtopia,herearethreeclasses:thecommonpeople,thesoldiers,andtheguardianschosenbythelegislator.Themain
Theroleofgovernmentsinenvironmentalmanagementisdifficultbutinescapable.Sometimes,thestatetriestomanagetheresou
Itcanbeinferredfromthefirstparagraphthat.AccordingtoWilson,Chevronintendstotransferitsemployeeschieflyto
Themainreasonforthelatestriseofoilpriceis______.Fromthetextwecanseethatthewriterseems______.
ForalargenumberofyoungadultsinBritain,homeownershiphasbecomeincreasinglydifficulttoachieve,viewedasadistantg
动物的权利问题——1997年英译汉及详解Doanimalshaverights?Thisishowthequestionisusuallyput.Itsoundslikeauseful,ground-clearing
随机试题
A.唇腺B.腭腺C.舌下腺D.颌下腺E.腮腺
A、62~115μmol/LB、53~97μmol/LC、3.1~5.7mmol/LD、0.56~1.70mmol/LE、1.9~3.61mmol/L总胆固醇的参考范围
按计划标准衡量所取得的结果,纠正发生的偏差,最终实现工程项目目标管理的过程称作()。
下列关于Excel图表的说法,正确的是()。
“备案号”栏应填:“保费”栏应填:
以下有关审计的说法中,正确的是()。
旅行社在组织游客购物时,导游员擅自增加了一次购物活动,游客王某在此次购物时共购物品1000元,按规定旅行社应退还王某购物价款为()。
师生关系体系及其层次是怎样的?
英勇善战的要点是:坚韧不拔、机智果敢,崇尚荣誉。()
法的要素主要包括()。
最新回复
(
0
)