18．
Of the many kinds of vegetables grown all over the world，which remains the favorite of both the young and old？The potato，of course．Perhaps you know them as"taters"，"spuds"，or"Idahoes"．But it's no matter，a potato by any other name is still a potato-the world's most widely grown vegetable．As a matter of fact，if you are a normal potato eater，you will eat at least a hundred pounds of them each year．
That's only a tiny part of the total grown every year，however．Worldwide，the potato harvest （收獲） every year is over six billion bags，with each bag having a hundred pounds of spuds，some of them as large as four pounds each．In the United States，farmers fill about four hundred million bags a year．That may seem like a lot of taters，but it leaves us in third place among world potato growers．Farmers in Poland （波蘭） dig up just over 800million bags a year，while the Russians lead the world with nearly 1.5billion bags．
People eat potatoes in many ways-baked （烘烤），mashed （搗成糊狀），and roasted，to name just three．However，in the United States most potatoes are eaten in the form of French fries．One fast-food chain alone sells more than $1billion worth of fries each year．No wonder，then，that the company pays close attention to the way its fries are prepared．
Before any fry makes it to the people who eat at this popular restaurant，it must pass many separate tests．Fail any one and the French fry is thrown away．To start with，only a certain kind of Idaho potato is used to make fries．They have less water than other kinds．Once cut into"shoestring"shapes，the potatoes are partly fried in secret oils，sprayed （噴灑） with liquid sugar to brown them，steam dried at high heat，and then quickly frozen for shipment to each restaurant．
Before shipping，though，every shoestring is measured （測量）．Forty percent of the fries must be between two and three inches long．Another forty percent has to be over three inches．What about the twenty percent that is left？Well，a few short fries in a bag are okay，it seems．
So，now that you realize the huge size and value of the potato crop，you can understand why most people agree that this part of the food industry is no"small potatoes．"
53．According to the passage，which country has the largest harvest of potatoes？B
A．America．
B．Russia．
C．Poland．
D．France．
54．What can be known about Americans and French fries？D
A．Americans like to eat French fries at home．
B．Americans care about French fries'size and shape．
C．Americans eat French fries less than mashed potatoes．
D．Americans prefer potatoes to be cooked in this way．
55．What is the main idea of this passage？C
A．Potatoes are known by many names．
B．The way of making French fries is interesting．
C．The potato is an important vegetable in America．
D．The various names of potatoes have a long history．
53隨堂測系列答案
