essay's author, wrote.

　　To help fight this problem，researchers from UC Berkeley in the U．S. are working on changing the DNA of cacao plants to allow them to survive in dryer conditions by using gene editing technology, according to U．S. News. In the meantime, the U．S. company Mars, one of the world's biggest manufacturers of chocolate products, announced in January that it would spend $1 billion to help reduce the effects of climate change.

　　"This is a world issue, and it requires everyone to work together，" Mars spokesperson Barry Parkin told Business Insider.

　　The message here is that if we all do our part, we may be able to prevent some of the worst impacts of climate change. Or if we're unlucky, chocolate will become a thing of the past.

　　语篇导读　由于气候变化，为巧克力提供原料的可可树未来可能会灭绝，这可能将导致巧克力成为历史。各方正在努力采取措施，试图拯救可可树。

　　4．What could make it hard for cacao plants to survive around the equator in the future?

　　A．The increased heat there.

　　B．The higher humidity there.

　　C．The decrease in rainfall there.

　　D．The moisture loss in the soil and plants there.

　　解析 D　细节理解题。根据第三段最后一句和第四段可知，赤道附近的可可树未来很难存活的原因在于气温的升高导致土壤和植物中的水分流失，故选D项。

　　5.What does the underlined word "offset" in the fourth paragraph mean?

　　A．Hold back. B．Make up for.

　　C．Protect. D．Accept.

　　解析 B　词义猜测题。根据画线词所在句中的In other words可知，本句是对第三段最后一句的解释说明，应与其含义相近。由此可知，此处应表示，高温带走了土壤和植物中更多的水分，而降雨量不太可能增加到足以弥补流失的水分，据此可推断，offset意为"弥补"，故选B项。

　　6．What will the U．S. company Mars do to help cacao survive?

　　A．It will work hard to plant cacao in greenhouses.

　　B．It will apply gene editing technology in planting cacao.

　　C．It will give financial support to help fight climate change.

　　D．It will develop cacao that can survive in dryer conditions.

　　解析 C　细节理解题。根据倒数第三段最后一句可知，美国Mars公司将为减轻气候变化带来的影响投入10亿美元，即为应对气候变化提供资金援助，故选C项。

　　7．What may be the best title of this text?

A．Chocolate Could Become History