Section C: Reading Comprehension

Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

Passage One

Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.

Danielle Steel, the 71-year-old romance novelist is notoriously productive, having published 179 books at a rate of up to seven a year. But a passing reference in a recent profile by Glamour magazine to her 20 hour workdays prompted an outpouring of admiration.

Steel has given that 20-hour figure when describing her “exhausting” process in the past: “I start the book and don't leave my desk until the first draft is finished.” She goes from bed, to desk, to bath, to bed, avoiding all contact aside from phone calls with her nine children. “I don't comb my hair for weeks,” she says. Meals are brought to her desk, where she types until her fingers swell and her nails bleed.

The business news website Quartz held Steel up as an inspiration, writing that if only we all followed her “actually extremely liberating” example of industrious sleeplessness, we would be quick to see results.

Well, indeed. With research results showing the cumulative effects of sleep loss and its impact on productivity, doubt has been voiced about the accuracy of Steel's self-assessment. Her output may be undeniable, but sceptics have suggested that she is guilty of erasing the role of ghostwriters at worst, gross exaggeration at best.

Steel says working 20 hours a day is “pretty brutal physically.” But is it even possible? “No,” says Maryanne Taylor of the Sleep Works. While you could work that long, the impact on productivity would make it hardly worthwhile. If Steel was routinely sleeping for four hours a night, she would be drastically underestimating the negative impact, says Alison Gardiner, founder of the sleep improvement programme Sleepstation. “It's akin to being drunk.”

It's possible that Steel is exaggerating the demands of her schedule. Self-imposed sleeplessness has “become a bit of a status symbol”, says Taylor, a misguided measure to prove how powerful and productive you are. Margaret Thatcher was also said to get by on four hours a night, while the 130-hour work weeks endured by tech heads has been held up as key to their success.

That is starting to change with increased awareness of the importance of sleep for mental health. “People are starting to realise that sleep should not be something that you fit in between everything else,” says Taylor.

But it is possible—if statistically extremely unlikely—that Steel could be born a “short sleeper” with an unusual body clock, says sleep expert Dr. Sophie Bostock. “It's probably present in fewer than 1% of the population.”

Even if Steel does happen to be among that tiny minority, says Bostock, it's “pretty irresponsible” to suggest that 20-hour days are simply a question of discipline for the rest of us.

46. What do we learn from the passage about Glamour magazine readers?

A) They are intrigued by the exotic romance in Danielle Steel's novels.

B) They are amazed by the number of books written by Danielle Steel.

C) They are deeply impressed by Danielle Steel's daily work schedule.

D) They are highly motivated by Danielle Steel's unusual productivity.

47. What did the business news website Quartz say about Danielle Steel?

A) She could serve as an example of industriousness.

B) She proved we could liberate ourselves from sleep.

C) She could be an inspiration to novelists all over the world.

D) She showed we could get all our work done without sleep.

48. What do sceptics think of Danielle Steel's work schedule claims?

A) They are questionable.

B) They are alterable.

C) They are irresistible.

D) They are verifiable.

49. What does Maryanne Taylor think of self-imposed sleeplessness?

A) It may turn out to be key to a successful career.

B) It may be practiced only by certain tech heads.

C) It may symbolise one's importance and success.

D) It may well serve as a measure of self-discipline.

50. How does Dr. Sophie Bostock look at the 20-hour daily work schedule?

A) One should not adopt it without consulting a sleep expert.

B) The general public should not be encouraged to follow it.

C) One must be duly self-disciplined to adhere to it.

D) The majority must adjust their body clock for it.

Passage Two

Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.

Organic agriculture is a relatively untapped resource for feeding the Earth's population, especially in the face of climate change and other global challenges. That's the conclusion I reached in reviewing 40 years of science comparing the long-term prospects of organic and conventional farming.

The review study, “Organic Agriculture in the 21st Century,” is featured as the cover story for the February issue of the journal Nature Plants. It is the first to compare organic and conventional agriculture across the main goals of sustainability identified by the National Academy of Sciences: productivity, economics, and environment.

Critics have long argued that organic agriculture is inefficient, requiring more land to yield the same amount of food. It's true that organic farming produces lower yields, averaging 10 to 20 percent less than conventional. Advocates contend that the environmental advantages of organic agriculture far outweigh the lower yields, and that increasing research and breeding resources for organic systems would reduce the yield gap. Sometimes excluded from these arguments is the fact that we already produce enough food to more than feed the world's 7.4 billion people but do not provide adequate access to all individuals.

In some cases, organic yields can be higher than conventional. For example, in severe drought conditions, which are expected to increase with climate change in many areas, organic farms can produce as good, if not better, yields because of the higher water-holding capacity of organically farmed soils.

What science does tell us is that mainstream conventional farming systems have provided growing supplies of food and other products but often at the expense of other sustainability goals.

Conventional agriculture may produce more food, but it often comes at a cost to the environment. Biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, and severe impacts on ecosystem services have not only accompanied conventional farming systems but have often extended well beyond their field boundaries. With organic agriculture, environmental costs tend to be lower and the benefits greater.

Overall, organic farms tend to store more soil carbon, have better soil quality, and reduce soil erosion compared to their conventional counterparts. Organic agriculture also creates less soil and water pollution and lower greenhouse gas emissions. And it's more energy-efficient because it doesn't rely on synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.

Organic agriculture is also associated with greater biodiversity of plants, animals, insects and microorganisms as well as genetic diversity. Biodiversity increases the services that nature provides and improves the ability of farming systems to adapt to changing conditions.

Despite lower yields, organic agriculture is more profitable for farmers because consumers are willing to pay more. Higher prices, called price premiums, can be justified as a way to compensate farmers for providing ecosystem services and avoiding environmental damage or external costs.

51. What do we learn from the conclusion of the author's review study?

A) More resources should be tapped for feeding the world's population.

B) Organic farming may be exploited to solve the global food problem.

C) The long-term prospects of organic farming are yet to be explored.

D) Organic farming is at least as promising as conventional farming.

52. What is the critics' argument against organic farming?

A) It cannot meet the need for food.

B) It cannot increase farm yields.

C) It is not really practical.

D) It is not that productive.

53. What does the author think should be taken into account in arguing about organic farming?

A) Growth in world population.

B) Deterioration in soil fertility.

C) Inequality in food distribution.

D) Advance in farming technology.

54. What does science tell us about conventional farming?

A) It will not be able to meet global food demand.

B) It is not conducive to sustainable development.

C) It will eventually give way to organic farming.

D) It is going mainstream throughout the world.

55. Why does the author think higher prices of organic farm produce are justifiable?

A) They give farmers going organic a big competitive edge.

B) They motivate farmers to upgrade farming technology.

C) Organic farming costs more than conventional farming.

D) Organic farming does long-term good to the ecosystem.

Answers & Explanations

Passage One: Danielle Steel's Work Schedule

46. C。解析：题干问从文章中我们了解到 Glamour 杂志的读者什么信息。定位第一段第二句：...a passing reference in a recent profile by Glamour magazine to her 20 hour workdays prompted an outpouring of admiration.（...最近《魅力》杂志一篇人物专访中顺便提到她每天工作20小时，引发了人们的极度钦佩）。outpouring of admiration 对应 deeply impressed。对应选项 C (They are deeply impressed by Danielle Steel's daily work schedule 他们对丹妮尔·斯蒂尔的日常工作安排印象深刻)。

47. A。解析：题干问商业新闻网站 Quartz 是怎么评价丹妮尔·斯蒂尔的。定位第三段：The business news website Quartz held Steel up as an inspiration... followed her “actually extremely liberating” example of industrious sleeplessness...（商业新闻网站 Quartz 将斯蒂尔视为榜样...如果只有我们都效仿她那“实际上极其解放人的”勤奋不眠的榜样...）。industrious sleeplessness 对应 industriousness。对应选项 A (She could serve as an example of industriousness 她可以作为勤奋的榜样)。

48. A。解析：题干问怀疑论者对丹妮尔·斯蒂尔的工作时间表声明有何看法。定位第四段：...doubt has been voiced about the accuracy of Steel's self-assessment... sceptics have suggested that she is guilty of erasing the role of ghostwriters at worst, gross exaggeration at best.（...有人对斯蒂尔自我评估的准确性提出了怀疑...怀疑论者认为她往坏了说是抹杀了代笔者的作用，往好了说也是严重夸大其词）。doubt has been voiced 和 exaggeration 说明他们认为这些说法是可疑的。对应选项 A (They are questionable 它们是可疑的)。

49. C。解析：题干问玛丽安·泰勒对自我强加的失眠有何看法。定位第六段第二句：Self-imposed sleeplessness has “become a bit of a status symbol”, says Taylor, a misguided measure to prove how powerful and productive you are.（自我强加的失眠已经“变成了一种地位的象征”，泰勒说，这是一种被误导的衡量标准，用来证明你是多么的强大和多产）。status symbol 和 prove how powerful 对应 symbolise one's importance and success。对应选项 C (It may symbolise one's importance and success 它可能象征着一个人的重要性和成功)。

50. B。解析：题干问索菲·博斯托克博士如何看待每天工作20小时的时间表。定位最后一段：...it's “pretty irresponsible” to suggest that 20-hour days are simply a question of discipline for the rest of us.（...暗示每天工作20小时对我们其余的人来说仅仅是个纪律问题，这是“非常不负责任的”）。既然是不负责任的，就不应该鼓励大众效仿。对应选项 B (The general public should not be encouraged to follow it 不应该鼓励公众效仿)。

Passage Two: Organic vs. Conventional Agriculture

51. B。解析：题干问从作者的评论研究结论中，我们可以了解到什么。定位第一段第一句：Organic agriculture is a relatively untapped resource for feeding the Earth's population, especially in the face of climate change and other global challenges. That's the conclusion I reached...（有机农业是养活地球人口的相对未开发的资源，特别是在面对气候变化和其他全球挑战时。这是我得出的结论...）。untapped resource for feeding the Earth's population 对应 exploited to solve the global food problem。对应选项 B (Organic farming may be exploited to solve the global food problem 有机农业可以被开发利用来解决全球粮食问题)。

52. D。解析：题干问批评家反对有机农业的论点是什么。定位第三段第一、二句：Critics have long argued that organic agriculture is inefficient, requiring more land to yield the same amount of food. It's true that organic farming produces lower yields...（批评家长期以来一直认为有机农业效率低下，需要更多的土地才能产出相同数量的食物。有机农业的产量确实较低...）。inefficient 和 lower yields 对应 not that productive。对应选项 D (It is not that productive 它没有那么高产)。

53. C。解析：题干问作者认为在讨论有机农业时应该考虑到什么。定位第三段最后一句：Sometimes excluded from these arguments is the fact that we already produce enough food to more than feed the world's 7.4 billion people but do not provide adequate access to all individuals.（有时候这些争论会忽略一个事实，即我们已经生产了足够的食物来养活世界上74亿多人口，但并没有为所有人提供足够的获取途径）。不为所有人提供足够获取途径即分配不均。对应选项 C (Inequality in food distribution 粮食分配的不平等)。

54. B。解析：题干问关于传统农业，科学告诉了我们什么。定位第五段和第六段：What science does tell us is that mainstream conventional farming systems have provided growing supplies of food... but often at the expense of other sustainability goals. Conventional agriculture may produce more food, but it often comes at a cost to the environment.（科学确实告诉我们，主流的传统农业系统提供了不断增长的食物供应...但往往以牺牲其他可持续性目标为代价。传统农业可能产出更多食物，但往往以破坏环境为代价）。at the expense of other sustainability goals 对应 not conducive to sustainable development。对应选项 B (It is not conducive to sustainable development 它不利于可持续发展)。

55. D。解析：题干问为什么作者认为有机农产品的较高价格是合理的。定位最后一段最后一句：Higher prices, called price premiums, can be justified as a way to compensate farmers for providing ecosystem services and avoiding environmental damage or external costs.（更高的价格，即价格溢价，是合理的，因为这是一种补偿农民提供生态系统服务和避免环境破坏或外部成本的方式）。providing ecosystem services and avoiding environmental damage 即对生态系统有长期益处。对应选项 D (Organic farming does long-term good to the ecosystem 有机农业对生态系统有长期的好处)。

核心搭配与高分句型

【核心搭配与高频短语】

prompt an outpouring of：引发...的倾泻/迸发（prompted an outpouring of admiration）
hold sb. up as an inspiration：将某人视为灵感/榜样（held Steel up as an inspiration）
voice doubt about：对...表达怀疑（doubt has been voiced about the accuracy）
in the face of：面对（困难、挑战等）（in the face of climate change）
at the expense of：以牺牲...为代价（at the expense of other sustainability goals）
compensate sb. for sth.：因某事补偿某人（compensate farmers for providing ecosystem services）
come at a cost to：以对...的代价换来（comes at a cost to the environment）

【亮点句型解析】

If only 引导的虚拟语气：
"...if only we all followed her “actually extremely liberating” example of industrious sleeplessness, we would be quick to see results."
（...如果只有我们都效仿她那“实际上极其解放人的”勤奋不眠的榜样，我们很快就能看到结果。）`if only` 表达强烈的愿望或虚拟假设，主句使用 `would be` 呼应虚拟语气。在科技或社会现象评论中，常用来表达对某种极端做法的反讽或假设。
As good, if not better, ... 插入语结构：
"...organic farms can produce as good, if not better, yields because of the higher water-holding capacity..."
（...有机农场可以产生同样好，甚至更好的产量，因为有机种植的土壤具有更高的保水能力。）`if not better` 作为一个精妙的插入语，不仅保证了句子的连贯性，还在表达“与前者一样好”的基础上，进一步递进了“甚至更好”的可能性，是极佳的高分学术表达。