閱讀理解

A

Parts of Africa are covered by a dark cloud. But this is no rain cloud. It is a living cloud made of billions of locusts （蝗蟲） that are traveling across the continent eating everything in their path.

And now in the battle to stop this disaster， a radio station in Senegal， West Africa， is offering listeners 50 kilograms of rice if they can catch and kill 50 kilograms of locusts. “We think this idea will get more people to take part in the war on the locusts，” said Abdoulaye Ba， from Sud-Fm， a radio station in one of Senegals worst affected area.

This is West Africas biggest locust disaster in 15 years， and it is moving east， causing huge damage to crops. As they move， they produce young and increase their number and will soon threaten Sudan in the northeast of Africa. Some say it could reach Asia.

Experts say the harmful effect on crops in areas already suffering from food shortage （短缺） and war could cause many people to go hungry. Governments in the areas are not well equipped to fight the locusts.

Although leaders of 12 countries have agreed on a plan， it is not expected to be enough. “We are now treating 6，000 hectares （公頃） per day with pesticide （殺蟲劑）， but we need to treat 20，000 hectares per day in order to have any hope of controlling this disaster，” said Mohamed Abdallahi Ould Babah， director of locust control in Mauritania.

Requests are being made for international aid， which is the only way to limit the disaster， the UNs Food and Agriculture Organization warned.

1. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 refer to？

A. Living cloud. B. Great damage.

C. A mass of locusts. D. A rain cloud.

2. How many kilos of rice can Mike get if he kills 400 kilos of locusts？

A. 50. B. 200.

C. 300. D. 400.

3. We can learn from Paragraph 3 that the locust disaster ___ .

A. has reached Asia

B. was out of control

C. was the first in Asia

D. would be even more serious in Asia

4. Whats the passage mainly about？

A. West Africas united effort in fighting food shortage.

B. A war to fight against a disaster brought by locusts.

C. The difficulty in controlling locusts.

D. Great damage to West Africa.

B

A typical lion tamer （馴獸師） in peoples mind is an entertainer holding a whip （鞭） and a chair. The whip gets all of the attention， but its mostly for show. In reality， its the chair that does the important work. When a lion tamer holds a chair in front of the lions face， the lion tries to focus on all four legs of the chair at the same time. With its focus divided， the lion becomes confused and is unsure about what to do next. When faced with so many options （選擇）， the lion chooses to freeze and wait instead of attacking the man holding the chair.

How often do you find yourself in the same position as the lion？ How often do you have something you want to achieve—only to end up confused by all of the options in front of you and never make progress？

This upsets me to no end because while all the experts are busy debating about which option is best， the people who want to improve their lives are left confused by all of the conflicting information. The end result is that we feel like we cant focus or that were focused on the wrong things， and so we take less action， make less progress， and stay the same when we could be improving.

It doesnt have to be that way. Anytime you find the world waving a chair in your face， remember this： All you need to do is focus on one thing. You just need to get started. Starting before you feel ready is one of the habits of successful people.

5. Why does the lion tamer use a chair？

A. To trick the lion.

B. To show off his skills.

C. To get ready for a fight.

D. To entertain the audience.

6. In what sense are people similar to a lion facing a chair？

A. They feel puzzled over choices.

B. They hold on to the wrong things.

C. They find it hard to make changes.

D. They have to do something for show.

7. What is the authors attitude towards the experts mentioned in

Paragraph 3？

A. Tolerant. B. Doubtful.

C. Respectful. D. Supportive.

8. When you find the world “waving a chair in your face”， youre advised to .

A. wait for a better chance

B. break your old habits

C. take action quickly

D. ask for clear guidance