Farmers who raise cattle are losing money in areas from western Canada to the states of northern Mexico. They are having trouble finding enough food for their animals because of very dry conditions known as drought. Some farmers are buying feed for their animals from other parts of North America, but it is too costly for others.

Dianne Riding raises cattle in Lake Francis, Manitoba. She is a rancher(牧场主). She said that she recently had to sell 51 of her cattle, about 40 percent of the herd. Some of the cattle were young females who were supposed to give birth to many babies in the future. She said selling the young cows was “gut-wrenching”, or sad. She may get money now for selling the cattle, but her earnings will not be as high in years to come. “That’s your future,” she said about the young cows.

Other ranchers and cattle experts said if people like Riding keep selling their animals, the supply of beef will go down and the cost of meat in North America will go up. The drought is affecting areas throughout western North America. Fields where cows eat grass are dry. Fruit is not growing well in Washington. And California is suffering its worst wildfire season.

Climate scientists say global warming will make droughts happen more often. But some farmers think the current drought is part of a cycle that will end sometime soon. Even Riding, who had to sell her cows, thinks the drought will soon ease.

Gloria Montano Green works for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She said there is a clear link between the drought and climate change. “We’re seeing climate change,” she said. With dry fields, some farmers in western Canada brought in food for their cattle from Prince Edward Island, which is over 3,000 kilometers to the east.

Brian Perillat works for CanFax, a company that follows the market for cattle in Canada. He said in a normal year, ranchers cull about 10 percent of their older animals. But because of the drought, they will probably cull two or three times more than that. His company has no record of such big reductions in herds in one year going back to 1970.

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1.What is happening in North America indicates that______.

A many animals are suffering hunger in the wild

B farmers’ activities seem to depend on the weather

C stock farming is severely impacted by the dry climate

D the long lasting drought is spreading across the countries

解析：选C。C 推理判断题。根据第一段They are having trouble finding enough food for their animals because of very dry conditions known as drought.可知，由于干旱，农民们很难为他们的动物找到足够的食物。由此看出畜牧业受到气候的严重影响。故选C。

2.What option did the present situation force Dianne Riding to take?

A Keeping more young females to have more babies.

B Reducing the number of her cattle on the farm.

C Purchasing more feed from other areas for her cattle.

D Exchanging young cows with others for cattle food.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据第二段She said that she recently had to sell 51 of her cattle, about 40 percent of the herd.可知，戴安娜·瑞丁（Dianne Riding）最近不得不卖掉51头牛，约占牛群的40%。由此说明她减少了她农场里牛的数量。故选B。

3.What is implied in the third paragraph？

A The droughts will happen more often with the increase of cattle.

B To some farmers, droughts are not a threat to them but a chance.

C Climate change is doomed to bring in the poor living conditions.

D The drought affects not only the beef supply but also fruit supply.

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。根据第三段和第四段可知, 全球变暖将使干旱发生得更频繁。干旱影响了整个北美西部地区，华盛顿的水果生长不好。如果牧场主们继续出售他们的牲畜，北美的牛肉供应将减少。由此推断全球变暖不仅影响牛肉供应，也影响水果供应。故选D。

4.Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “cull” ?

A Select.

B Slaughter.

C Maintain.

D Improve.

解析：选B。B 词义猜测题。根据最后一段His company has no record of such big reductions in herds in one year going back to 1970.可知，从1970年开始，他的公司还没有在一年内大量减少牛群的记录。由此猜测布莱恩·佩里拉特（Brian Perillat）所在的公司通过“屠宰”老牛的方式来减少牛群数量。故选B。