Parts of Africa are covered by a dark cloud. But this is no rain cloud. It is a living cloud made of billions of locusts (蝗虫) that are traveling across the continent eating everything in their path.
And now in the battle to stop this disaster, a radio station in Senegal, West Africa, is offering listeners 50 kilograms of rice if they can catch and kill 50 kilograms of locusts. “We think this idea will get more people to take part in the war on the locusts,” said Abdoulaye Ba, from Sud-Fm, a radio station in one of Senegal’s worst affected area.
This is West Africa’s biggest locust disaster in 15 years, and it is moving east, causing huge damage to crops. As they move they produce young and increase their number and will soon threaten (威胁) Sudan in the northeast of Africa. Some say it could reach Asia.
Experts say the harmful effect on crops in areas already suffering from food shortage and war could cause many people to go hungry. Governments in the areas are not well equipped to fight the pest.
Although leaders of 12 countries have agreed on a plan, it is not expected to be enough. “We are now treating 6,000 hectares (公顷) per day with pesticide (杀虫剂), but we need to treat 20,000 hectares per day in order to have any hope of controlling this disaster,” said Mohamed Abdallahi Ould Babah, director of locust control in Mauritania.
Requests are being made for international aid, which is the only way to limit the disaster, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization warned.
1. By using “dark cloud” to describe locusts in the first paragraph, the author of the article ________.
A. showed the size and speed of the mass of locusts
B. suggested the great damage that locusts can cause
C. warned that locusts would sweep the continent like rain clouds
D. both A and B
2. The story is mainly about ________.
A. West Africa’s united effort in fighting a disaster
B. the difficulty in controlling locusts
C. how locusts caused great damage to West Africa
D. a struggle to fight against a disaster brought by locusts in West Africa
3. The locust disaster ________.
A. would be even more serious in Asia
B. is(was)out of control
C. affected only the warning areas
D. can not be stopped unless twice as much pesticide is provided for the affected areas
4. Which of the following is WRONG?
A. Sud-Fm offered a reward for fighting locusts so that more people would join in the effort.
B. Senegal is to the southwest of Sudan.
C. The locusts can cause such damage mainly because it has no natural enemy in West Africa.
D. 12 countries affected by locusts have united but still lack pesticide.
答案与解析：本文主要叙述了在非洲所发生的一次蝗灾害。
1. D 细节题。由第一段中的traveling across the continent eating everything in their path可知作者想表明蝗灾发生的规模和所造成的灾害。
2. D 主旨题。由每段首句和末段可知。
3. B 推论题。根据第三段和第四段的意思可推知。
4. C 细节题。文章中没有被提到C项内容，所以错了。由文第二段可知A对;由…于蝗灾发生在West Africa，然后向northwest of Africa发展，而Sudan正在这一个方向，所以B对;由第五段可知D也对。
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