Bangladesh's floating gardens, built to grow food during flood seasons, could offer a continuous solution for parts of the world which are likely to suffer from flooding because of climate change, a new study has found.
Bangladesh's floating gardens began hundreds of years ago. The gardens are made from native plants that float in the rivers and operate almost like rafts ( 筏 ), rising and filling with the waters. Historically, they were used to continue growing food during rainy seasons when rivers were filled with water.
The farmers layer the plants about three feet deep, creating a version of raised-bed gardens that float in the water. Then, they plant vegetables inside those rafts. As the raft-plants rot away, they release nutrients, which help feed the vegetable plants.
But as climate change affected the volume of water in those rivers, the researchers wanted to understand whether Bangladesh's floating gardens could be a continuous farming practice. They interviewed farming families and found strong evidence that floating gardens provide stability, both in the amount of food available to feed rural populations and in a farming family's income.
They found that farmers typically use hybrid ( 杂交 ) seeds, which must be repurchased each year, to grow a diverse range of vegetables in the floating gardens. The gardens are also sensitive to pests, so farmers end up spending some money on both pesticides and fertilizers. But even with those expenses, they found, benefits outweighed costs. One farmer told the research team that he earns up to four times as much money from the gardens as from traditional rice fields.
However, before gaining profits, farmers often take out high-interest loans ( 贷款 ) to cover the investment costs of filling the beds and stocking them with plants. Luckily; there are also lower-interest loans from responsible government or non-governmental organizations, which could ease that burden.
1 ． How do vegetable plants grow according to the text?
A ． By absorbing nutrition from raft-plants. B ． By taking shelter from climate change.
C ． By living together with hybrid seeds. D ． By moving up and down with raised beds.
2 ． What does the underlined word “outweighed” in paragraph 5 mean?
A ． Affected. B ． Brought. C ． Beat. D ． Equaled.
3 ． What can be inferred from the text?
A ． A solution to climate problem has been found.
B ． The gardens are built with rotted native plants.
C ． Farmers earn more from traditional rice fields.
D ． Low-interest loans lighten the stress of farmers.
1 ． A
2 ． C
3 ． D
【分析】
这是一篇说明文，主要介绍了孟加拉国为在汛期种植粮食而建造的浮动花园。
1 ．
细节理解题。根据第三段中 “they plant vegetables inside those rafts. As the raft-plants rot away, they release nutrients, which help feed the vegetable plants.” （他们在木筏里种蔬菜。当木筏植物腐烂时，它们会释放营养物质，帮助植物生长。 ）可知，蔬菜植物是吸收木筏植物的营养生长的。选项 A 与文意相符，故选 A 项。
2 ．
词句猜测题。根据划线词下文 “One farmer told the research team that he earns up to four times as much money from the gardens as from traditional rice fields.” （一位农民告诉研究小组，他从菜园中赚到的钱是从传统稻田中赚到的钱的四倍）可知，此处想表达的是即使农民最终会在杀虫剂和肥料上花一些钱，但是收益也会大于成本。故 outweighed 意为 “ 大于 ” 。选项 C 符合题意，故选 C 项。
3 ．
推理判断题。通过文章最后一段 “However, before gaining profits, farmers often take out high-interest loans ( 贷款 ) to cover the investment costs of filling the beds and stocking them with plants. Luckily; there are also lower-interest loans from responsible government or non-governmental organizations, which could ease that burden.” （然而，在获得利润之前，农民往往会获得高息贷款 ( 贷款 ) 以支付填充床和储存植物的投资成本。幸运的是；负责任的政府或非政府组织也提供低息贷款，可以减轻这种负担。）可推知，作者想表达负责任的政府或非政府组织提供低息贷款，减轻了农民的压力。选项 D 与文意相符，故选 D 项。
