To grow sugary dates（海枣） in the sand, Siwa’s farmers must first make the desert suitable for farming. An oasis（绿洲）in Egypt, Siwa has been home to humans for thousands of years. Since ancient times, the oasis has hosted farms producing some of the most valuable dates in Egypt, and the sugary dates have appeared on Egyptians' tables.

The desert environment in Siwa is not quite fit for plants to grow. For example, the water there contains much salt. However, it is with local people's effort that date trees, crops and other plants grow in harmony despite the complex agricultural fields, which impressed me a lot during my visit to the oasis. To make a new piece of field, farmers first remove the top soil and replace it with a mixture of sand and waste matter from animals. The first plants are medicinal plants. Then, farmers plant date trees and olive trees. These farming skills are passed down from generation to generation.

To grow date trees is demanding. And it takes 10 years for a new date tree to mature, but once it does, the tree produces generous fruit: around 110 pounds of dates per year. Each farmer picks dates with the skilled hands. They climb the trees using nothing more than a belt. In total, Siwa grows more than 25,000 tons of dates from 280,000 trees per year.

The dates can be eaten fresh, or made dry. Every part of the date tree is significant in Siwa, from leaves made into beds and boxes to wood used to build houses. And then, of course, there's the fruit itself. The dates can be cooked with goat meat or mixed with eggs for breakfast. They can also be mixed with flour, water, and olive oil, and boiled slowly to make a local dessert.

【小题1】What can we learn about sugary dates from Paragraph 1？

A．They're introduced to Egypt from abroad.

B．They're the most valuable fruit in Egypt.

C．They can adapt to tough environment.

D．They have existed for a long time.

【小题2】What impressed the author a lot during his visit to Siwa？

A．The great variety of plants grown there.

B．The hard but happy life of local people.

C．The great complexity of the local agriculture.

D．The local farmers' wisdom and contribution to farming.

【小题3】What do the figures mentioned in Paragraph 3 show？

A．It's worthwhile to make an effort to grow date trees.

B．It' s easy for farmers to pick dates from the trees.

C．It costs a lot to grow date trees in the oasis.

D．It's necessary to develop agriculture in Siwa.

【小题4】In which section of a newspaper may this passage appear？

A．Education.	B．Health.
C．Nature.	D．Entertainment.