1. (2020·合肥模拟) 阅读理解

    Erik Kobayashi-Solomon spent a day with Dr. Paul Gauthier, a plant physiologist specializing in vertical (垂直的) farming research and came away with several important ideas about vertical farming.

    Humans have 12,000 years of experience in growing food, but only a generation's worth of experience or so in growing crops indoors. We are still progressing up the technology learning curve (曲线). What's more, traditional farming techniques are based on conditions that are not applicable to vertical farming. Therefore, without taking time to understand the science, vertical farming is not likely to be able to live up to its implied promise.

    The cost of powering LED grow lights is one of the biggest problems a vertical farm must overcome. Dr. Louis Albright at Cornell has characterized vertical farms as the "pie-in-the-sky" business. He famously calculates, for instance, that the cost of a loaf of bread would be $ 24 if farmed indoors—the cost is too high. Gauthier acknowledges that energy prices are high but points out that scientific work has shown that only about 6% of available sunlight is used in crop photosynthesis (光合作用), so there may be ways of growing the same plants with less light.

    Gauthier also points out that while energy costs are a bit high, vertical farming does create enormous efficiencies in other areas. Water usage may be significantly reduced because the same water can be recycled time and again. Fertilizer use can be greatly reduced and pesticides for pest control are unnecessary. It's clear that vertical farming offers real value to society.

    The future is probably mixed. In some environments—the Middle East, for instance—a move to vertical farming is a no-brainer. An indoor farm in Saudi Arabia, for instance, can use solar energy to power LEDs at low cost without shading other farmland. In other environments, though, the expense of establishing a facility places a high bar on growth and profitability. A large vertical farming and equipment operation only started generating a small profit eight years into its nine-year life.

1. （1） What can we infer about vertical farming in Paragraph 2?

   A . It will replace traditional farming one day. B . It relies on research of more basic science. C . It can be applicable under different conditions. D . It actually came into being 12,000 years ago.
3. （2） What does Dr. Louis Albright think of vertical farms?

   A . They use less light than traditional ones. B . They may seem very unlikely to succeed. C . They can overcome many problems in farming. D . They do not need any natural sunlight any longer.
5. （3） What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?

   A . The ways of reducing costs of vertical farming. B . The secrets of developing vertical farming. C . The recent trend of vertical farming. D . The benefits of vertical farming.
7. （4） Why is the example of "an indoor farm in Saudi Arabia" mentioned?

   A . To show vertical farming can work well in some places. B . To prove solar energy is vital for farming in Saudi Arabia. C . To confirm the expense of setting up a vertical farm is high. D . To argue that vegetables do not need to be imported any longer.