A

[2020·Î÷°²ÎåУ¸ßÈýÁª¿¼]The team of researchers from the University of Lincoln, UK, is designing and building an app to help farmers in hot climates identify and record the spread of locusts (»È³æ) on their fields.

By recognizing locusts through the smartphone's camera, the app will be able to identify the stage of the insect's growth and record its location. This information can then be utilized so that the farmers can use pesticides (ɱ³æ¼Á) more accurately in the early stages of their life time, greatly reducing the amount of crop damage.

This approach could also reduce remaining pesticide levels, leading to increased food safety while maintaining food security and protecting nearby water systems.

“Each year, approximately 18 million hectares of fields are damaged by locusts, influencing hugely farmers and their productivity£¬” explains Dr. Bashir Al­Diri from the School of Computer Science at the University of Lincoln. “Their monitoring techniques currently rely on field surveys by people through digging insect eggs, but this information only helps farmers to make long­term forecasting decisions and can delay effective management measures. By digitally recording the exact number, age and location of locusts, we hope this new app will put more knowledge and more power into the hands of the farmers.”

Dr. Bashir Al­Diri and his team of computer scientists work with the Lincoln Institute for Agri­Food Technology at the University of Lincoln, aiming to support and improve productivity, efficiency and farming through research, education and new technology.

With advanced technology, the developers hope that the app will also be used for a wide range in the future to capture and document information about the natural world. For example, it could easily be adapted to help individuals identify plant diseases or to digitally capture the number and type of birds and wildlife in specific locations as part of national and international surveys.

1£®What do we know about the app mentioned in the passage?

A£®It has helped farmers record the spread of locusts.

B£®It will be of great use for farmers in hot climates.

C£®It may cost the farmers more than they expect.

D£®It will remind farmers of what the locusts look like.

2£®Which can replace the underlined word “utilized” in the passage ?

A£®Accessed.  B£®Controlled.

C£®Arranged.  D£®Progressed.

3£®What can we know according to Dr. Bashir Al­Diri?

A£®Farmers don't know how to deal with locusts.

B£®Their techniques can be used to dig insect eggs.

C£®Farmers suffer greatly because of locusts.

D£®Some steps must be taken before using the app.

4£®What is the purpose of Dr. Bashir Al­Diri and his team?

A£®To check if the app is useful in killing locusts.

B£®To educate farmers on how to protect themselves.

C£®To assist in raising the agricultural production level.

D£®To direct farmers to change their farming methods.