C

There were smiling children all the way. Charily they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, wave to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penang. Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favorite relatives. This is the simple village people of Malaysia. I was moved.

I had always traveled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train. I did not particularly relish the long train journey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I looked about the train. There was not one familiar face. I sighed and sat down to read my Economics.

It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past. As we went beyond the city, I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green. Then the first village came into sight, Immediately I came alive; I decided to wave back.

From then on my journey became interesting. I threw my magazines into the waste basket and decided to join in Malaysian life. Then everything came alive. The mountains seemed to speak to me. Even the trees were smiling. I stared at everything as if I was looking at it for the first time.

The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry. I looked at my watch and was surprised that it was 3:00 pm. Soon the train pulled up at Butterworth. I looked at the people all around me. They all looked beautiful. When my uncle arrived with a smile, I threw my arms around him to give him a warm hug (拥抱). I had never done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather-beaten face warmed up with a huge smile. We walked arm in arm to his car.

I looked forward to the return journey.

66. The author had thought the train trip was ______ at the beginning.

A. adventurous B. pleasant C. exciting D. dull

67. What did the author remember most fondly of her train trip?

A. The friendly country people. B. The mountains along the way.

C. The crowds of people in the streets. D. The simple lunch served on the train.

68. Which of the following words can best take the place of the word “relish” in the second paragraph?

A. choose B. enjoy C. prepare for D. carry on

69. Where was the writer going?

A. Johore Baru. B. The Causeway. C. Butterworth. D. Singapore.

70. What can we learn from the story?

A. Comfort in traveling by train. B. Pleasure of living in the country.

C. Reading gives people delight. D. Smiles brighten people up.

D

Organic food is very safe and healthy not just for our body but also the environment. It is free from harmful chemicals that may affect us. It also strengthens our immune system(免疫系统). However, compared with conventional food, which is more common, organic food is much more expensive. There are a lot of reasons. Growing organic food takes a lot of effort and money and shops selling organic food are using the popularity of organic food to sell it at a much higher price.

The number of organic crops is smaller than that of conventional crops. The production costs are very high in organic farming. Many farmers don’t use herbicides or pesticides so they have to get rid of the weeds and pests in the fields all by hand, which adds to the cost of organic food.

Also, conventional agriculture is heavily supported by the government in terms of taxes, while organic farming gets no hlep from the government at all. What’s more, the farmers can’t use sewage sludge(下水道污泥) and chemical fertilizers, which are cheap to buy.

Another reason is that the demand is much higher than the supply. While there are many people who are trying organic food, there are only a limited number of farmers who produce it. The output of organic food is low while the transport and packaging costs are the same, which lead to its higher price.

Organic farming requires a lot of things that are not needed in conventional farming. But if the demand becomes high enough, the government might one day help organic farming to lessen the costs.