to tighten its regulatory standards, stiffen its inspection program
and strengthen its enforcement policies. The food industry should
modify some long-accepted practices or turn to less hazardous
alternatives. Perhaps most important, consumers will have to do a
better job of learning how to handle and cook food properly. The
problems that need to be tackled exist all along the food-supply chain,
from fields to processing plants to kitchens.
Questions 11-15 are based on Passage Three.
11. What does the author think of the Americans’ view of their food?
A. They overlook the risks of the food they eat.
B. They overestimate the hazards of their food.
C. They are overoptimistic about the safety of the food they eat.
D. They overstate the government’s interference with the food
industry.
12. The author considers it impossible to obtain no-risk food because
______.
A. no food is free from pollution in the environment
B. pesticides are presently widely used in agriculture
C. almost all foods have additives and preservatives
D. many vegetables contain dangerous natural chemicals
13. By saying “they employ chemical warfare” （Para. 2）, Bruce Ames
means ______.
A. plants produce certain chemicals to combat pests and diseases
B. plants make use of natural chemicals to promote their growth
C. farmers use man-made chemicals to dissolve the natural chemicals in
plants
D. farmers use man-made chemicals to protect plants against pests and
diseases
14. Who is most responsible for better food and water supply?
A. The government. B. The consumer.
C. The processor. D. The growers.
15. What is the message the author wants to convey in the passage?
A. Eating and drinking have become more hazardous.
B. Measures must be taken to improve food production.
C. Health food is no longer a dream in modern society.
D. There is no cause for alarm about food consumption.
Passage Four
The estimates of the numbers of home-schooled children vary widely. The
U.S. Department of Education estimates there are 250, 000 to 350, 000
home-schooled children in the country. Home-school advocates put the
number much higher – at about a million.
Many public school advocates take a harsh attitude toward home
schoolers, perceiving their actions as the ultimate slap in the face
for public education and a damaging move for the children. Home
schoolers harbor few kind words for public schools, charging
shortcomings that range from lack of religious perspective in the
curriculum to a herdlike approach to teaching children.
Yet, as public school officials realize they stand little to gain by
remaining hostile to the home-school population, and as home schoolers
realize they can reap benefits from public schools, these hard lines
seem to be softening a bit. Public schoolers have moved closer to
tolerance and, in some cases, even cooperation.
Says John Marshall, an education official, “We are becoming relatively
tolerant of home schoolers.” The idea is, “Let’s give the kids
access to public school so they’ll see it’s not as terrible as they’
ve been told, and they’ll want to come back.”
Perhaps, but don’t count on it, say home-school advocates. Home
schoolers, oppose the system because they have strong convictions that
their approach to education — whether fueled by religious enthusiasm
or the individual “The bulk of home schoolers just want to be left alone,” says Enge
Cannon, associate director of the National Center For Home Education.
She says home schoolers choose that path for a variety of reasons, but
religion plays a role 85 percent of the time.
