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
2015-06-24
64
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 haskept prices of food lowand 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, modern 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。其余三项都是农业生产率提高导致的结果,属因果倒置。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/dw74777K
0
考研英语一
相关试题推荐
Intalksaboutreducingthenation’sexplodinghealthcarecosts,theword"rationing"strikesfearintotheheartsofbothpati
Thedebateabouthowideas,opinions,andbehaviorsradiatewithingroupsofpeoplegoesbackdecades.Accordingtotheso-calle
WhenacoalitionofinternetactivistsandwebcompaniesscupperedtheHollywood-sponsoredStopOnlinePiracyAct(SOPA)lastyear
Comparedwithothermodesoftransport,traintechnologymightseemtobeprogressingasslowlyasasuburbancommuterservicer
Comparedwithothermodesoftransport,traintechnologymightseemtobeprogressingasslowlyasasuburbancommuterservicer
Thedifferencesinlivingstandardsaroundtheworldarevast.In1993,theaverageAmericanhadanincomeofabout$25,000.In
Ofalltheareasoflearningthemostimportantisthedevelopmentofattitudes:emotionalreactionsaswellaslogicalthought
Themajorityofstudentsinyouruniversityreadonlytextbooksorbookshelpfulinachievingshort-termpurposessuchaspassi
YouwillgiveaspeechattheopeningceremonyoftheCulturalExchangeFestivaljointlyheldbyanAmericanuniversityandyour
Humansareuniqueintheextenttowhichtheycanreflectonthemselvesandothers.Humansareableto【C1】______.tothinkinab
随机试题
HbO2解离曲线是S形的原因是()(1997年)
1,2-苯并噻嗪类非甾体抗炎药芳基乙酸类非甾体抗炎药
房地产细分市场供求分析的基本步骤中,预测需求是以()关系分析为基础的,也就是从分析影响需求的主导因素入手。
“财务费用”账户的贷方登记()。
注册税务师对城镇土地使用税的减免税土地面积进行审核时,应注意查看相关文件,文件的出具与下列()无关。
下面是某老师“中国农业的分布”一课的教学设计片段:1.展示反映我国农业生产的景观照片。例如南方水田插秧和水稻收割,北方小麦播种和收割等照片,介绍照片的拍摄时间和反映事物,但不注明地点。2.学生分组观察照片,记录观察内容,讨论农业生产的自
教育的民主化是对教育的单一性和统一性的否定。
某区卫生行政部门根据《公共场所卫生管理条例》的相关规定,对某饭馆作出吊销卫生许可证的决定。这一行为属于行政()。
Bycitingthedetailednumbersrelatedtotheplant,theauthorintendstoshowthatWecanlearnfromthefourthparagraphtha
A、 B、 C、 C
最新回复
(
0
)