It's a cold night,and strong winds are blowing atop a hill in southwest Uganda.The wind rattles the giant metal insect trap.A 400-watt bulb is fixed at its center.The light is blinding to human eyes,but it's a magnet for local bush crickets.
Protein dense and full of iron,zinc,and other essential minerals,bush crickets,and edible insects in general,have been praised by the UNFAO as a "food source of the future",key to establishing food security.That's important in countries such as Uganda,where nearly half of the children and a third of women suffer greatly from poor nutrition due to food shortage.
The visitors,as they're called locally,come together to mate and feed in huge swarms after each rainy season in the autumn and spring,when hundreds of people across the country set aside their day jobs to catch them.Salted and fried,the crickets are a delicacy in Uganda,sold for two dollars a bag at open-air markets,taxi parks,and roadsides.Now what once was a small-scale and personal harvest in Uganda has become an increasingly commercialized undertaking,with giant traps taking tons of the insects at a time to meet the growing demand. "You see how you enjoy a movie with popcorn?Me,it's a movie with crickets, "says one fan.
However,this month,it should be the middle of the autumn harvest in Uganda.Legend has it that the insects come from the moon,and tonight it's full.Yet "we've got nothing, " says a cricket catcher and wholesaler. "Where are they?"
Decreasing catches suggest the problem is not just overharvesting.Logging to clear land for cash crops has destroyed much bush cricket habitat.And climate change is making the rainy seasons unpredictable,affecting the crickets' swarming patterns.With so many problems accumulating,there is still a long way to go.Thus,scientists have to start from scratch.
(1)What does paragraph 1 present to us? AA
A.A scene.
B.A view.
C.A plot.
D.A lifestyle.
(2)Why are bush crickets considered so important in countries such as Uganda? DD
A.Because they are rich in essential minerals.
B.Because they can cure many different diseases.
C.Because they're considered a symbol in local culture.
D.Because they can relieve hunger and ensure nutrition.
(3)What does the underlined word "visitors" refer to in the third paragraph? BB
A.Tourists.
B.Crickets.
C.Local people.
D.Cricket catchers.
(4)Why do scientists have to start from scratch? BB
A.Because the weather is unpredictable.
B.Because it's a tricky problem to deal with.
C.Because it's too late to save the bush crickets.
D.Because people's awareness should be raised.
【考點】說明文.
【答案】A;D;B;B
【解答】
【點評】
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發(fā)布:2024/5/27 14:0:0組卷:2引用:1難度:0.5
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