It's hard to turn down a tasty banana. They taste good and you don't have to wash them before eating them. However, British scientists say that the fruit may disappear by 2050.
One reason for this is climate(气候) change. Scientists at the University of Exeter collected data(数据) from 27 countries and regions that produce 86 percent of the world's bananas. They found that climate change has improved growing conditions in 21 of these countries. In the past 60 years, the average yield(平均产量) has reached 1.37 tons of bananas per hectare(公顷).
However, if temperatures keep rising, this advantage will disappear. Ten of the countries, including India, the world's biggest producer of bananas, will produce fewer bananas. By 2050, the fruit may die out.
Shouldn't bananas grow more easily if it's hotter outside? In fact, the perfect temperature range for growing bananas is between 24 and 32 C. If temperatures get too high, they will stop growing.
Diseases are another danger to bananas. Unlike other crops, the bananas we grow come from shoot cuttings(茎段) rather than seeds. This means that all banana plants have the same genotype(基因型). In other words, if a disease is able to kill one plant, it could kill them all.
One serious disease is called Panama. Caused by fungus(真菌) in the soil, it spreads easily. It has spread across South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Australia. If one banana plantation(种植园) suffers from the disease, it will take 30 years until it is able to grow bananas again. Scientists have yet to find a cure for this disease.
(1)What does the underlined word "this" in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A. People's love for bananas.
B. The taste of bananas.
C. The convenience of eating bananas.
D. The future disappearance of bananas.
(2)What might happen if temperatures keep going higher?
A. More countries will start to grow bananas.
B. Bananas will grow better in most countries.
C. Bananas will not be able to grow any more.
D. Bananas won't be as tasty as before.
(3)What does Paragraph 5 tell us?
A. What diseases bananas may suffer from.
B. How bananas are grown.
C. How diseases can easily kill bananas.
D. Which diseases can kill bananas.
(4)The passage is written to ________.
A. offer tips for growing bananas
B. explain why bananas may die out
C. show the difficulties of growing bananas
D. describe bananas' growing conditions
【解析】主要讲了香蕉可能消失的原因。
(1)推断题。根据前句However, British scientists say that the fruit may disappear by 2050.可知介绍了香蕉可能消失的原因，所以this代指香蕉消失，故选D。
(2)细节题。根据However, if temperatures keep rising, this advantage will disappear. Ten of the countries, including India, the world's biggest producer of bananas, will produce fewer bananas. By 2050, the fruit may die out可知温度持续上升，香蕉将更少，最终可能消失，即不能生长，故选C。
(3)细节题。根据Diseases are another danger to bananas.可知疾病是香蕉的另一个危险，即疾病是怎样杀死香蕉的，故选C。
(4)主旨题。根据全文可知主要讲了香蕉可能消失的原因，故选B。
，我们将会及时处理。
