Part A: Reading Comprehension

Text 1

On a recent sunny day, 13,000 chickens roam over Larry Brown’s 40 windswept acres in Shiner, Texas. Some rest in the shade of a parked car. Others drink water with the cows. This all seems random, but it’s by design, part of what the $6.1 billion U.S. egg industry bets will be its next big thing: climate-friendly eggs.

These eggs, which are making their debut now on shelves for as much as $8 a dozen, are still labeled organic and animal-friendly, but they’re also from birds that live on farms using regenerative agriculture—special techniques to cultivate rich soils that can trap greenhouse gases. Such eggs could be marketed as helping to fight climate change.

“I’m excited about our progress,” says Brown, who harvests eggs for Denver-based NestFresh Eggs and is adding more cover crops that draw worms and crickets for the chickens to eat. The birds’ waste then fertilizes fields. Such improvements “allow our hens to forage for higher-quality natural feed that will be good for the land, the hens, and the eggs that we supply to our customers.”

The egg industry’s push is the first major test of whether animal products from regenerative farms can become the next premium offering. In barely more than a decade, organic eggs went from being dismissed as a niche product in natural foods stores to being sold at Walmart. More recently there were similar doubts about probiotics and plant-based meats, but both have exploded into major supermarket categories. If the sustainable-egg rollout is successful, it could open the floodgates for regenerative beef, broccoli, and beyond.

Regenerative products could be a hard sell, because the concept is tough to define quickly, says Julie Stanton, associate professor of agricultural economics at Pennsylvania State University Brandywine. Such farming also brings minimal, if any, improvement to the food products (though some producers say their eggs have more protein).

The industry is betting that the same consumers paying more for premium attributes such as free-range, non-GMO, and pasture-raised eggs will embrace sustainability. Surveys show that younger generations are more concerned about climate change, and some of the success of plant-based meat can be chalked up to shoppers wanting to signal their desire to protect the environment. Young adults “really care about the planet,” says John Brunnquell, president of Egg Innovations. “They are absolutely altering the food chain beyond what I think even they understand what they’re doing.”

21. The climate-friendly eggs are produced

[A]

at a considerably low cost. 

[B]

at the demand of regular shoppers. 

[C]

as a replacement for organic eggs. 

[D]

on specially designed farms. 

22. Larry Brown is excited about his progress in

[A]

reducing the damage of worms. 

[B]

accelerating the disposal of waste. 

[C]

creating a sustainable system. 

[D]

attracting customers to his products. 

23. The example of organic eggs is used in Paragraph 4 to suggest

[A]

the doubts over natural feeds. 

[B]

the setbacks in the egg industry. 

[C]

the potential of regenerative products. 

[D]

the promotional success of supermarkets. 

24. It can be learned from the last paragraph that young people

[A]

are reluctant to change their diet. 

[B]

are likely to buy climate-friendly eggs. 

[C]

are curious about new food. 

[D]

are amazed at agriculture advances. 

25. John Brunnquell would disagree with Julie Stanton over regenerative products’

[A]

market prospects. 

[B]

standard definition. 

[C]

nutritional value. 

[D]

moral implication. 

答案解析 (Answers & Explanations)

21. [D] on specially designed farms.
解析：细节题。第一段描述了鸡群四处漫游的情景，并指出“这一切看似随机，但却是精心设计的（but it’s by design）”。第二段进一步解释这些气候友好型鸡蛋来自“使用再生农业（特殊技术）的农场（live on farms using regenerative agriculture—special techniques）”。综合可知，这些鸡蛋产自经过特殊设计的农场，选D。

22. [C] creating a sustainable system.
解析：细节推理题。第三段详细描述了 Larry Brown 取得的进展：种植覆盖作物吸引虫子给鸡吃 $\rightarrow$ 鸡的粪便给农田施肥 $\rightarrow$ 让母鸡觅食高质量天然饲料 $\rightarrow$ 对土地、母鸡和鸡蛋都有好处。这是一个典型的生态循环、自我维持的“可持续系统（sustainable system）”，故选C。

23. [C] the potential of regenerative products.
解析：例证题。第四段首句是中心句：“鸡蛋行业的推动是对来自再生农场的动物产品能否成为下一个高端产品的首次重大考验。” 随后举了有机鸡蛋的例子：短短十年间，有机鸡蛋从被贬低的小众产品变成了在沃尔玛畅销的产品。举这个例子显然是为了证明再生产品同样具有巨大的“潜力（potential）”，选C。

24. [B] are likely to buy climate-friendly eggs.
解析：细节推断题。最后一段指出：“年轻一代对气候变化更加关注”，并且植物基肉类的成功部分归因于购物者希望“表明他们保护环境的愿望”。由此可以推断出，年轻人更注重环保和气候问题，因此他们“很可能购买气候友好型鸡蛋（are likely to buy climate-friendly eggs）”，选B。

25. [A] market prospects.
解析：观点对比题。第五段中 Julie Stanton 认为再生产品“可能很难卖（could be a hard sell）”，这是一种消极的市场预期。而在最后一段中，John Brunnquell 则认为年轻人“真正关心地球”，他们正在“绝对地改变食物链”，他对再生产品的市场持乐观态度。因此，两人在再生产品的“市场前景（market prospects）”上存在分歧，选A。

核心长难句精解 (High-Light)

1. what 引导的名词性从句与同位语：
"This all seems random, but it’s by design, part of what the $6.1 billion U.S. egg industry bets will be its next big thing: climate-friendly eggs."
【解析】`what` 引导了一个宾语从句作 `of` 的宾语，意为“（这是）美国蛋业押注将会成为其下一个大事件的（一部分）”。冒号后面的 `climate-friendly eggs` 则是 `next big thing` 的同位语，揭开了本文探讨的主题。

2. 多个修饰语的嵌套结构：
"These eggs, which are making their debut now on shelves for as much as $8 a dozen, are still labeled organic and animal-friendly, but they’re also from birds that live on farms using regenerative agriculture—special techniques to cultivate rich soils that can trap greenhouse gases."
【解析】`which` 引导非限制性定语从句修饰 `These eggs`。`that` 引导定语从句修饰 `birds`。`using regenerative agriculture` 是现在分词作后置定语修饰 `farms`。破折号后进一步解释“再生农业”，其中又嵌套了一个 `that` 引导的定语从句修饰 `rich soils`。

3. whether 引导的表语从句：
"The egg industry’s push is the first major test of whether animal products from regenerative farms can become the next premium offering."
【解析】`whether` 引导宾语从句作介词 `of` 的宾语。这句话精准地概括了这篇商业评论的核心命题：一种基于环保理念（再生农业）的农产品，究竟能不能转化为消费者愿意买单的“高端商品”。