奇速英语官网—英语在线学习平台_让学英语更快乐_更快速

Tonto, a brew (家酿啤酒) made from bananas, is legendary in Uganda. Folk singers have sung about it, politicians seeking a common touch take a sip when hunting for votes, and traditional ceremonies end at dusk with tonto parties. Its fans are many, ranging from officials in suits to workers in sandals.

But tonto’s production is under threat as cheap bottled beer becomes more attractive to drinkers and as authorities move to restrict the production of what is considered illegal home brews, which have the risk of sometimes deadly contamination (污染). And because tonto production takes place outside official control, authorities are unable to collect revenue from its sale. But farmers have a more urgent concern: Not enough new banana juice cultivars (栽培品种) are being planted to produce the brew.

Ndyanabo, a farmer in the western district of Mbarara whose first experience with tonto was as a little boy in the 1970s, said he has only a few plants left of the cultivars from which the banana juice is obtained. The family now makes six 20-L containers of tonto every week. 0.5 L tonto sells for about 27 cents, compared to 67 cents for the cheapest bottled beer.

While Ndyanabo said his weekly brew has a steady market, he has seen both demand and supply slow in recent years. This is partly because the price of tonto has been largely static over the decades, while the process of making it has become slower and more complicated. “You take a lot of time doing this work. It’s not as easy as someone who cuts green bananas, puts them on a bicycle and sells them for cash immediately,” Ndyanabo said. “Alcohol comes from very far.”

Christine Kyomuhangi, a tonto seller, said she receives two 20-L containers of tonto every day. She acknowledged the threats to her business but smiled, insisting her work is sustainable. She said customers come from all over the city. “Tonto will never get finished,” she said.

分享本文十五分钟后截图给客服，获赠“阅读理解高频同义转换词”电子版！

1.Which of the following doesn’t threaten tonto’s production?

A The government moves to limit home brewers.

B People from all walks of life express love for it.

C Cheap bottled beer is more popular with customers.

D There are a few plants of new banana juice cultivars.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据第二段的“as cheap bottled beer becomes more attractive to drinkers and as authorities move to restrict the production”以及“Not enough new banana juice cultivars”可知，威胁通图生产的三个因素分别是：廉价瓶装啤酒比通图更受欢迎、当局限制生产以及香蕉原材料不足；并不包括B项的“各行各业的人都对它表示喜爱”。故选B。

2.How much money can Ndyanabo’s family earn from selling tonto weekly?

A About 10 dollars.

B About 32 dollars.

C About 64 dollars.

D About 160 dollars.

解析：选C。C 数字计算题。根据第三段倒数第一二句的“The family now makes six 20-L containers of tonto every week. 0.5 L tonto sells for about 27 cents,”可知，Ndyanabo他们家人每周生产6桶20升装的通图，0.5升通图售价27美分，即6桶可以出售大约64美元（20*6*27*2=6480美分）。故选C。

3.What does the underlined word “static” mean?

A Unchanged.

B Uncontrolled.

C Increasing.

D Surprising.

解析：选A。A 词义猜测题。根据前文“he has seen both demand and supply slow in recent years”近年来，他看到需求和供应双双放缓，并结合后文可知，酿造这款啤酒的成本增加，因为酿造出售这款啤酒赚钱少或者不赚钱了，所以供应变少，由此可推断，这款啤酒的售卖价格多年未发生变化。故选A。

4.What’s Christine Kyomuhangi’s attitude to her tonto business?

A Anxious.

B Disappointed.

C Doubtful.

D Hopeful.

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“insisting her work is sustainable”以及“Tonto will never get finished”可知，Christine Kyomuhangi对她出售通图的生意满怀希望。故选D。