2016年12月manbetapp听力强化练习精选3

2016年12月manbetapp听力强化练习精选3

32.

A. About 1920.

B. Around 1925.

C. Around 1930.

D. About 1935.

33.

A. Over 16 million.

B. Over 3.5 million.

C. Over 1 million.

D. Over 2.5 million.

34.

A. Corn.

B. Soybean.

C. Oat.

D. Rye.

35.

A. Corn.

B. Soybean.

C. Oat.

D. Rye.

听力原文：

Over the years, new technologies have changedfarming. Change in a general direction is a trend. Yetpeople often recognize trends only when theyconsider the past. Today, we look back at sometrends in American agriculture. [32]In 1920, Americahad more than 25 million horses and mules. Mostwere used for farm work. [32]Around the same time,a competitor began to appear in large numbers. Tractors could turn soil, pull loads and speedharvests ?? and they could do it better. More tractors meant fewer horses and mules. [33]Bythe 1960s, the numbers of these work animals settled to where they remain today. That isabout one-tenth the levels in 1920. Yet even the demand for tractors had its limits. Theirnumbers have been slowly decreasing since 1982. Experts say farmers can do more with lessnow because of new technologies. As tractors replaced horses and mules, farmers no longerneeded to raise crops to feed work animals. Oats have long been food for horses and mules. In1954, American farmers planted over sixteen million hectares of oats. By 2000, that was downto less than one million hectares. So what did the farmers do with the extra land? More andmore farmers began to plant a new crop around the same time that the tractor becamepopular. It was the soybean. The soybean is one of the oldest plants harvested. Yet it was notplanted widely in the United States until the 1920s. By the year 2000, close to 30 millionhectares were planted with soybeans. [34]It is the nation's most important crop for high-protein animal feed and for vegetable oil. [35]In fact, soybeans are the second most valuablecrop grown by American farmers after corn. Much of the soybean production goes to exports.

Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.

32. In which year did tractors begin to appear in large numbers?