Seth DeBolt is a plant scientist at the University of Kentucky US. He and other scientists wanted to find a source of fuel that poor people in rural areas of developing countries could use to make electricity.
The United Nations Development Program says a billion and a half people have no electricity. A billion others have an undependable supply.
Professor DeBolt went on a study trip to rural Indonesia. He saw that there was very little waste in the use of agricultural products. Everything that farmers grew was used for something. Even the remains of fruit that people did not eat were fed to chickens.
Little waste meant there was little that could be used for fuel. Growing a separate fuel crop would take land away from food crops. That was something Professor DeBolt did not want to do.
DeBOLT said, The people at most risk with respect to energy poverty, typically they're the same people who have food insecurity issues as it is. And then any change in availability would be most damaging to that group of people.
But he found one item that was in plentiful supply and would not create petition between food and fuel. Coconut shells are generally thrown out. Yet Professor DeBolt says it has an excellent heating value. All someone needs is a way to release that energy.
DeBolt says he and his team see possibilities for coconut power. Coconuts are growing here and these are the areas where there is possibility for energy poverty to be eased at least in part by these small-scale production systems.
The researchers say these systems could provide as much as thirteen percent of the energy needs of a country like Indonesia. Other tropical countries with large crops of coconuts and similar fruit could benefit, as well.
But DeBolt says this is not a perfect solution. There are technical questions, like how to safely deal with the dangerous waste produced in the process. And there needs to be money to get these projects started.
【小题1】Professor DeBolt went on a study trip to rural areas of developing countries to .A．help farmers make full use of wasteB．seek certain materials to make electricityC．persuade farmers to grow more coconutsD．find a suitable place to carry out the experiment【小题2】DeBolt thought it was not a good idea to grow fuel crops because .A．there are plenty of coconutsB．local farmers have no interest in itC．it would make food problems worseD．fuel crop has little use for local farmers【小题3】The last two paragraphs mainly tell us that coconut power .A．needs further experiments and effortsB．can help solve energy problem perfectlyC．will cause technique and money problemsD．has drawn Indonesia's government attention【小题4】What might be the best title for the passage?A．Make Full Use Of CoconutsB．Make Power From CoconutsC．A Perfect SolutionD．Food And Energy ProblemsB
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(答案→)B
解析：本文讲述了科学家要在农村找到一种可以发电的植物且不占用农田。随后发现椰子树就是这样一种植物。但椰子树也有它的缺点。
【小题1】B 细节题。根据第一段He and other scientists wanted to find a source of fuel that poor people in rural areas of developing countries could use to make electricity.可知答案为B。
【小题2】C 细节判断题。根据Growing a separate fuel crop would take land away from food crops. That was something Professor DeBolt did not want to do.可知，科学家不愿意占用农民的良田，因为这样会影响农民的粮食。
【小题3】A 推断题。根据最后一段可知，椰树发电也不是完美的，还有技术问题，故选A。
【小题4】B 概括标题。根据本文的主题可知，科学家最后发现椰树可以用于发电。故答案为B。