The full influence of mechanization began shortly after 1850, when a variety of machines came rapidly into use. The introduction of these machines frequently created rebellions by workers who were fearful that the machines would rob them of their work. Patrick Bell, in Scotland, and Cyrus McCormick, in United States, produced threshing machines. Improve-meats were made in plows to compensate for different soil types. Stream power came into use in 1860s on large farms. Hay rakes, hay-loaders, and various special harvesting machines were produced, Milking machines appeared. The internal-combustion engine run by gasoline became the chief power source for the farm. In time, the number of certain farm machines that came into use skyrocketed and changed the nature of fanning. Between 1940 and 1960, for example, 12 million horses and mules gave way to 5 million tractors. Tractors offer many features that are attractive to farmers. There are, for example, numerous attachments: cultivators that can penetrate the soil to varying depths, rotary hoes that chop weeds; spray devices that can spray pesticides in bands 100 feet across, and many others. A piece of equipment has now been invented or adapted for virtually every laborious hand or animal operation. On the farm lathe United States, for example, cotton, tobacco, hay, and grain are planted, treated for pests and diseases, fertilized, cultivated and harvested by machine. Large devices shake fruit and nut from trees, gain and blend feed, and dry gain and hay. Equipment is now available to put just the right amount of fertilizer in just the right place, to spray an exact row width, and to count out, Space, and plant just the right number of seeds for a row. Mechanization is not used in agriculture in many parts of Latin America, Africa, Agriculture innovation is accepted fastest where agriculture is already profitable and progressive. Some mechanization has reached the level of plantation agriculture in parts of the tropics, but even today much of that land is laboriously worked by people leading draft animals pal-ling primitive plows. The problems of mechanization in some areas are not only cultural in nature. For examples, tropical soils and crops differ markedly from those in temperate areas that the machines are designed for, so adaptations have to be made. But the greatest obstacle to mechanization is the fear in underdeveloped countries that the workers who are displaced by machines would not find work elsewhere, Introducing mechanization into such areas requires careful planning. In the first sentence of the second paragraph, the word skyrocketed, most probably means ______.
A. became various
B. was updated
C. increased rapidly
D. remained the same
李鹏总理向下届政府就发展科技教育文化事业提出建议时说,科技、教育、文化工作的根本任务,是提高全民族的科学文化素质和创新能力。他说,这是我国现代化事业发展的需要,也是适应世界科技革命和经济形势的要求。 李鹏提出,科技工作要注重在社会生产、流通、消费和环境保护等领域大力推广先进适用技术。促进科技成果尤其是信息技术成果的商品化,完善社会化科技服务体系,使科技进步更好地为经济和社会发展服务,为人民生活服务。加快高技术产业化步伐,用高新技术改造传统产业,注重解决产业结构调整和可持续发展所面临的关键技术问题,办好国家高技术产业开发区。积极推进科技体制改革,加快科研机构的改革,促进科技与经济密切联系。加强企业和科研院所、高等院校之间的联合,逐步使企业成为技术开发的主体。集中必要的力量,在基础研究的优势领域取得进展。鼓励发明创造,提高创新能力,保护知识产权。大力开展科普活动,增强全民科技意识。 李鹏说,今年,基本普及九年义务教育的人口地区要达到百分之七十二,再扫除350万青壮年文盲。要积极发展中等、高等职业教育和成人教育,开展多种形式的岗位和技术培训。进一步发展和引导社会力量办学。大力推进高等教育管理体制改革,通过共建、调整、合作、合并等形式,合理配置和充分利用教育资源,提高教育质量和效益。实施全面素质教育,加强思想品德教育和美育,改革教学内容、课程体系和教学方法,以适应社会对各类人才的需要。继续完善教育投资体制,多渠道增加教育投入。加强教师队伍建设,提倡尊师重教,改善教师的工作和生活条件。 李鹏指出,用邓小平理论武装广大干部和群众,在全社会形成共同理想和精神支柱,是思想建设的一项根本性任务。要广泛开展群众性的精神文明建设活动,大力倡导社会公德、职业道德和家庭美德,宣传各个领域的先进典型,提高全民族思想道德水平;繁荣和发展文学艺术、新闻出版、广播影视等事业,充分发挥思想宣传工作者、文学艺术工作者的积极性和创造性;积极开展哲学社会科学研究。加强文化基础设施建设,进一步解决边远和民族地区看电视、听广播的问题。改革文化管理体制,加强文化市场管理,继续开展“扫黄”、“打非”斗争,促进城乡文化市场健康发展。 根据本文,中国普及九年义务教育的人口地区还不到______。
A. 350万
B. 百分之七十二
C. 百分之二十八
D. 百分之三十五