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
78
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
Eventhoughresearchershavesuggestedthatlessthan10%offamilieswithadolescentsexperienceseriousrelationshipdifficult
Pictureyourselfasahistorianin2035,tryingtomakesenseofthisyear’sAmericanelectioncampaign.Manyofthewebsitesan
Helpingterminallyillpeopletocommitsuicideshouldbemadelegalunderstrictnewsafeguards,amajorindependentreportis
Themostnoticeabletrendamongmediacompaniesisverticalintegration—anattempttocontrolseveralrelatedaspectsofthem
Theclassicdifficultyfeltwithdemocracyarisesfromthefactthatdemocracycanneverexpressthewillofthewholepeoplebe
Toillustratetheobstaclesthatparentsunconsciouslyplaceintheirchildren’seducationalpath,I’lltellyoualittlestory:
Theageatwhichyoungchildrenbegintomakemoraldiscriminationsaboutharmfulactionscommittedagainstthemselvesorothers
BoththenumberandthepercentageofpeopleintheUnitedStatesinvolvedinnonagriculturalpursuitexpandedrapidlyduringth
HarvardprofessorHarveyMansfieldstirredupcontroversyrecentlybycriticizingtheviolentgradeinflationathisinstitution
随机试题
卧式分离器的工作原理是什么?
某工程项目,建设单位通过招标选择了一家具有相应资质的监理单位承担施工招标代理和施工阶段监理工作,并在监理中标通知书发出后第45天,与该监理单位签订了委托监理合同。之后双方又另行签订了一份监理酬金比监理中标价降低10%的协议。在施工公开招标中,有A
使用L/C、D/P和D/A三种支付方式结算货款,就卖方的收汇风险而言,从小到大依次排序为()。
关于基金销售机构,下列选项中说法错误的是()。
下列各项中,不属于预算调整要求的是()。
成本核算对象应该结合企业的不同生产特点加以确定,下列确定成本核算对象的说法中不正确的是()。
心理生活空间是由()提出来的。
阅读下列材料并回答问题。材料:某教师制订的关于“贞观之治”教学目标如下:知识与能力:(1)了解李渊建立唐朝,传位李世民,李世民即唐太宗。(2)列举“贞观之治”的主要内容。(3)评价唐太宗。(4)知道武则天从皇后到皇帝,
有30名学生,参加一次满分为100分的考试,已知该次考试的平均分是86分,问不及格(小于60分)的学生最多有几人?
TheresultoftheboycottorganizedbyDr.Kingwasthat
最新回复
(
0
)