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
外语
It is the world’s fourth-most-important food crop, after maize, wheat and rice. It provides more calories, more quickly, using l
It is the world’s fourth-most-important food crop, after maize, wheat and rice. It provides more calories, more quickly, using l
admin
2013-05-29
113
问题
It is the world’s fourth-most-important food crop, after maize, wheat and rice. It provides more calories, more quickly, using less land and in a wider range of climates than any other plant. It is, of course, the potato.
The United Nations has declared 2008 the International Year of the Potato. It hopes that greater awareness of the merits of potatoes will contribute to the achievement of its Millennium Development Goals, by helping to reduce poverty and promote economic development. It is always the international year of this or month of that. But the potato’s unusual history means it is well worth celebrating.
Unlikely though it seems, the potato promoted economic development by supporting the Industrial Revolution in England in the 19th century. It provided a cheap source of calories and was easy to cultivate, so it liberated workers from the land. Potatoes became popular in the north of England, as people there specialized in livestock farming and domestic industry, while farmers in the south concentrated on wheat production. By a happy accident, the concentrated industrial activity in the regions where coal was readily available, and a potato-driven population boom provided ample workers for the new factories. Friedrich Engels even declared that the potato was the equal of iron for its "historically revolutionary role".
In the form of French fries, served alongside burgers and Coca-Cola, potatoes are now a symbol of globalization. This is quite a change given the skepticism which first greeted them on their arrival in the Old World in the 16th century. They were variously thought to be fit only for animals, to be associated with the devil or to be poisonous. They took hold in 18th-century Europe only when war and famine meant there was nothing else to eat; people then realized just how useful and reliable they were. As Adam Smith, one of the potato’s many admirers, observed at the time, "The very general use which is made of potatoes in these kingdoms as food for man is a convincing proof that the prejudices of a nation, with regard to diet, however deeply rooted, are by no means unconquerable." Mashed, fried, boiled and roast, a humble potato changed the world, and people everywhere should celebrate it.
By making 2008 the Year of the Potato, the United Nations hopes that the potato could ______.
选项
A、enrich people’s daily food supply
B、be used to replace other food crops
C、help deal with environmental issues
D、be a solution to some economic problems
答案
D
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/oEHO777K
0
研究生英语学位课统考(GET)
相关试题推荐
TheInternet,E-commerceandglobalizationaremakinganeweconomicerapossible.Inthefuture,capitalistmarketswilllargel
Doweneedlawsthatpreventusfromrunningriskswithourlives?Ifso,thenperhapslawsareneededprohibitingthesaleofc
Doweneedlawsthatpreventusfromrunningriskswithourlives?Ifso,thenperhapslawsareneededprohibitingthesaleofc
Fewcreationsofbigtechnologycapturetheimaginationlikegiantdams.Perhapsitishumankind’slongsufferingatthemercyo
Thirty-onemillionAmericansareover60yearsofage,andtwenty-ninemillionofthemarehealthy,busy,productivecitizens.B
Thirty-onemillionAmericansareover60yearsofage,andtwenty-ninemillionofthemarehealthy,busy,productivecitizens.B
Thirty-onemillionAmericansareover60yearsofage,andtwenty-ninemillionofthemarehealthy,busy,productivecitizens.B
Nowhereinnatureisaluminumfoundfree,owingtoitsalways______withotherelements,mostcommonlywithoxygen.
TheJapanesedesireformarriagehadbeenverystrong.Inthefifth""worldyouthattitudesurvey""【C1】______bytheManagementa
TheJapanesedesireformarriagehadbeenverystrong.Inthefifth""worldyouthattitudesurvey""【C1】______bytheManagementa
随机试题
张力性气胸表现为
患者,男性,35岁。右外踝软组织损伤半天,局部青紫、肿胀。目前应采取的措施是
隧道辅助工程措施施工时,应注意观察围岩及支护工作状态,并做好详细的施工记录。()
根据《建设工程造价鉴定规范》,下列现场签证争议鉴定的做法,正确的是()。
含氨基酸维生素的口服液
根据合同法律制度的规定,下列情形中,构成有效承诺的是()。
标志着儿童思维真正发生的是()。
InternalRevenueService
2022年2月25日,习近平总书记在主持中共中央政治局第三十七次集体学习时指出,()是中国人权发展道路最显著的特征。
设g(x)=则g(x)在(1,2)内().
最新回复
(
0
)