Thomas Malthus published his "Essay on the Principle
of Population" almost 200 years ago. Ever since then,
forecasters have being warning that worldwide famine was S1_____
just around the next corner. The fast-growing population's
demand for food, they warned, would soon exceed their S2_____
supply, leading to widespread food shortages and starvation.
But in reality, the world's total grain harvest has risen
steadily over the years. Except for relative isolated trouble S3_____
spots like present-day Somalia, and occasional years of
good harvests, the world's food crisis has remained just S4_____
around the corner. Most experts believe this can continue
even as if the population doubles by the mid-21st century, S5_____
although feeding I0 billion people will not be easy for
politics, economic and environmental reasons. Optimists S6_____
point to concrete examples of continued improvements
in yield. In Africa, by instance, improved seed, more S7_____
fertilizer and advanced growing practices have more than
double corn and wheat yields in an experiment. Elsewhere, S8_____
rice experts in the Philippines are producing a plant with few S9_____
stems and more seeds. There is no guarantee that plant
breeders can continue to develop new, higher-yielding
crop, but most researchers see their success to date as reason S10_____
for hope.
2004年1月大学英语六级短文改错参考答案
S1. being > been
S2. their > its
S3. relative > relatively
S4. good > poor / bad / scanty
S5. as > /
S6. politics > political
S7. by > for
S8. double > doubled
S9. few > fewer
S10. reason >a reason