exempt (免除) from this certification.

　　If a food bears a USDA Organic label, it means it's produced and processed according to the USDA standards. The seal is voluntary, but many organic producers use it.

　　语篇解读：本文为一篇说明文。"有机食品"一词对我们来说耳熟能详。但有机食物和普通的食物在农业生产过程中到底有怎样的差异，并不是每一个人都很清楚。

　　1．The main purpose of the passage is to ________.

　　A．promote the sales of organic foods

　　B．inform people that organic foods are better for their health

　　C．compare conventional and organic foods

　　D．persuade people to become informed consumers

　　解析：选C　主旨大意题。该题目实际上是在考查文章是围绕什么内容展开的。文章的第一段就提出了conventional apple和organic apple的不同概念，下文就这两种事物进行了对比，故该文章的写作目的是告诉人们传统食品与有机食品的差别。

　　2．According to the passage, organic farming is intended to ________.

　　A．improve the quality of the soil and water

　　B．take the place of the traditional agriculture entirely

　　C．prevent livestock from getting disease more effectively

　　D．adopt environmentally­friendly methods to grow plants and feed animals

　　解析：选D　细节理解题。文章表格中对有机农业和传统农业做法的对比体现了有机农业的优势：在对环境有益的基础上生产健康的食品。由此可知，有机农业旨在通过对环境有益的方法进行生产。

　　3．Which of the following methods belongs to organic farming?

　　A．Using chemicals to kill insects and prevent disease.

　　B．Using rotted plants as fertilizers to promote plant growth.

　　C．Using growth hormones to speed up animals' growth.

　　D．Using pests to reduce insects and disease.

　　解析：选B　细节理解题。根据表格右栏中的"Apply natural fertilizers to feed soil and plants."可知B项正确。A项中的chemicals，C项中的hormones以及D项中的pests均不符合有机农业的要求。

4．From the passage we know the organic certification program ________.