Thirty years ago, Switzerland-based artist Klaus Littmann came across a great drawing, titled The Unending Attraction of Nature. The drawing, by Austrian artist and architect Max Peintner, displays a scene in which nature is so detached (独立的) from the environment that it becomes just a small piece, preserved for amusement. Given that we are now losing 18. 7 million acres of forests each year, Peintner’s drawing was prescient (有预见性的), to say the least.
“When I first saw the pencil drawing, I was fascinated. I knew that one day this work would be the starting point for a major art project in public space,” says Littmann.
Now, decades later, Littmann has achieved the vision with the installation (安装) of FOR FOREST: The Unending of Nature. The installation sets a native central European forest in the middle of Worthersee Football Stadium in Klagenfurt. With nearly 300 trees planted, some weighing up to six tons each, it is Austria’s largest public art installation.
In the face of climate crisis and deforestation, FOR FOREST comes with the more pressing urgency. As explained in a statement about the installation: “In support of today’s most pressing issues of climate change and deforestation, FOR FOREST aims to challenge our understanding of nature and question its future. It seeks to become a memorial, reminding us that nature, which we so often take for granted, may someday only be found in special spaces, as is already the case with animals in zoos.”
The actual creation of the man-made forest was managed by landscape architect Enzo Enea and his company, Enea Landscape Architecture. It includes many kinds of trees. Having opened on September 8, it attracts surprised and happy creatures to the field. Regretfully, the installation will close soon. In a short video about the work, Littmann says his goal was never to make something that would last forever; rather, he says, “My goal is for this picture to remain in people’s heads for a lifetime.”
1. How did Littmann get the inspiration for his later artistic creation?A.From a video. | B.Through social media. |
C.From a drawing. | D.Via the Internet. |
A.It offers new ways to tackle the climate crisis. |
B.It warns people of environmental issues. |
C.It shows the uncertainty of the future. |
D.It will be Austria’s largest artistic work. |
A.It won’t last for a long time. |
B.It was made and managed by Littmann. |
C.It didn’t attract much interest. |
D.It includes some special animals. |
A.A large painting is installed in a stadium. |
B.An artist seeks to create nature-themed works. |
C.A painting is used for environmental purposes. |
D.An artist plants a living forest in a stadium. |
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【推荐1】Imagine a new smartphone product. It works the same as any other smartphone, but when dropped, those cracks that appear after an annoying fall slowly begin to fade away, and the phone magically repairs itself、A team of researchers led by chemistry professor Takuzo Aida have found a way to create self-repairing plastics that can be used in smartphones, cars and other products. But their new plastics won’t only be used to create unbreakable products, but also help the fight against growing wastes harming the planet.
91% of plastic is non-recyclable and filling Earth with waste. The increasing plastic in landfills is a growing concern due to its negative environmental impact. In 2019 about only9% of plastics were recycled globally, leading Japanese scientists to seek to find plastic that can start its own formation or self-repair.
The self-repairing plastics are made by adding a tiny amount of a specialized substance into ordinary plastic to hold the monomers (单体) together by hydrogen bonds (氢键). When the new plastic is broken down by heat, instead of burning to waste, the hydrogen bonds mix and allow for the formation of special shaped monomers to create a foundation for more monomers to layer on and rebuild itself. The team found that their self-healing plastic was able to automatically repair at room temperature over an hour to regain its durability.
The team’s work suggests great prospects for the future of plastic. “The technique could lead to the development of a made-to-last plastic that does not need to be recycled,” lead professor Aida said at the conference, “and can one day be in products from smartphones to cars and even buildings.”
1. What is the special feature of the new plastics?A.Hard to break. | B.Cheap to produce. |
C.Good to health. | D.Easy to recycle. |
A.Global warming. | B.Industrial needs. |
C.Economic crisis. | D.Green awareness. |
A.Its social effect. | B.Its main function. |
C.Its working principle. | D.Its economic value. |
A.Doubtful. | B.Favorable. | C.Disapproving. | D.Unconcerned. |
【推荐2】Greenland is the biggest island in the world. And the ice sheet that sits atop it is massive. “The pile of ice being so thick, it extends more than 10, 000 feet above the ocean. And if all that ice were to melt and go into the ocean, global sea levels would rise by 24 feet everywhere around the world,” said Jason Briner, a geologist at the University at Buffalo. The ice sheet is melting, of course. But just how much, compared to the past?
Briner’s team did a computer simulation(模拟)of the southwest of the Greenland ice sheet, which he says is a good proxy for ice melt across the entire ice sheet. The researchers plugged past climate data into that model to “hindcast”, rather than forecast, the past activity of the ice sheet. They then checked the model’s predictions of the past shape and size of the ice sheet by looking at piles of rocks and dirt on Greenland today, which outline the edges of ancient ice. And the simulation was in good agreement with the actual situation.
Using that reconstruction of the ice sheet over time, the team could compare the ice sheet’s historic losses to those happening today under human-caused global warming. And they determined that Greenland is on track to lose more ice this century than during any century in the past 12, 000 years — possibly four times as much. The results appear in the journal Nature.
Ultimately it’s up to us how much ice actually melts. “Humanity has the button — the carbon button — and that button is going to influence the rates of ice loss from the Greenland ice sheet.” If the world goes net carbon zero by 2100, for example, Briner says ice loss could stop, entirely at the end of the century, according to one model. “That was what kept me from being completely depressed about our study. ” Dozens of countries have already announced goals to go net carbon zero by the middle of this century — so far the U. S. is not one of them.
1. What does the underlined word “proxy” in Paragraph 2 refer to?A.Combination. | B.Example. |
C.Recommendation. | D.Interpretation. |
A.It is conducted by predicting the activity of the ice sheet. |
B.It centers on ice melt throughout the entire ice sheet. |
C.It shows the ice sheet’s losses are in decline. |
D.It consists with the ice sheet’s actual circumstance. |
A.Greenland Is Melting Faster |
B.Global Sea Levels Are Rising |
C.America Causes the Ice Sheet to Melt |
D.Man Can Conquer Nature |
【推荐3】Wildlife conservation is the practice of protecting plant and animal species and their habitats. As part of the world’s ecosystems, wildlife provides balance and stability to nature’s processes. Wildlife conservation is aimed to ensure the survival of these species and educate people on living sustainably with other species.
The number of people has grown to more than eight billion today, and it continues to rapidly grow. The economic growth endangers the habitats and existence of various types of wildlife around the world, particularly animals and plants that may be displaced for land development, or used for food or other human purposes. This threat is at top of the list and means natural resources are being consumed faster than ever by the billions of people on the planet. The introduction of invasive species from other parts of the world is another threat to wildlife. Other threats include climate change, pollution, fishing and hunting.
International organizations like the World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, Wildlife Conservation Society and the United Nations work to support global animal and habitat conservation on many different fronts. They work with the government to establish and protect public lands, like national parks and wildlife protection areas. They help write legislation(法规), such as the Endangered Species Act(ESA)of 1973 in the United States, to protect various species. They work with law enforcement to charge those with wildlife crimes. They also promote biodiversity to support the growing human population while preserving existing species and habitats.
National Geographic Explorers, like conservation biologists Camille Coudrat and Titus Adhola, are working to slow the extinction of global species and protect global biodiversity and habitats. Environmental filmmakers and photographers, like Thomas P. Peschak, are essential to conservation efforts as well, documenting and bringing attention to endangered wildlife all over the world.
1. Which is a goal of wildlife conservation according to the text?A.To stop introducing invasive species. | B.To encourage harmonious coexistence. |
C.To control the number of world people. | D.To increase the use of natural resources. |
A.Hunting. | B.Human activity. | C.Pollution. | D.Climate change. |
A.The activities of protection areas. |
B.The importance of biodiversity promotion. |
C.The relevant efforts of international organizations. |
D.The great impact of wildlife crimes on ecosystems. |
A.The necessity of legislation. |
B.The wildlife conservation’s achievements. |
C.The individuals’ contributions to the environment. |
D.The statistics about the wildlife conservation efforts. |
【推荐1】A sea turtle named Herman, an octopus called Octavia, and a seal named Lidia all spent this summer at the Smithsonian’ s National Zoo in Washington, D.C. But unlike the zoo’s other residents, they are not real animals. These creatures are actually huge sculptures and they’re made entirely out of plastic trash from the ocean.
These giant artworks, along with 14 others, are part of a traveling exhibit called “Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea”. The Washed Ashore project, led by artist Angela Haseltine Pozzi, works to raise awareness about the problem of plastic pollution in Earth’s oceans.
More than 315 billion pounds of plastic litter the world’s oceans today. Most of the plastic is garbage from towns and cities, as well as trash that people leave on beaches. Rainwater, winds, and high tides bring the trash into the ocean or into rivers that lead to the ocean. Once it is under the waves, the plastic begins to break up into smaller and smaller pieces. It often collects in spots called garbage patches, which spread over large areas of the ocean.
Thousands of marine animals — including whales, sea turtles, and fish — die each year from eating or getting stuck in plastic bags and other items. Plastic pieces can also injure coral and kill sea grass.
Washed Ashore and other organizations are working to stop that from happening. Since 2010, Washed Ashore volunteers have collected 38,000 pounds of plastic trash from more than 3000 miles of beaches. They helped Pozzi create more than 60 sculptures of marine creatures that were harmed by plastic pollution.
The artworks on display at the National Zoo include a 20-foot-long coral reef, a 12-foot-long shark, and a 16-foot-long parrot fish. Each one is made from hundreds of pieces of trash like water bottles and sunglasses.
“These sculptures are a powerful reminder of our personal role and global responsibility in preserving biodiversity on land and in the sea,” says Dennis Kelly, director of the National Zoo.
1. Why is Angela exhibiting her sculptured animal?A.To prove her talent in sculpture. |
B.To attract most visitors to the zoo. |
C.To care about the plastic pollution in seas. |
D.To teach the people the use of plastic. |
A.Why plastic is difficult to break up. |
B.What problems plastic litter causes. |
C.Where plastic pieces go at last. |
D.How garbage patches are formed. |
A.Collecting pollution trash from the beaches. |
B.Turning trash from the ocean into art. |
C.Raising 38,000 pounds for plastic pollution. |
D.Surveying the data of plastic litter in oceans. |
A.Doubtful | B.Supportive |
C.Negative. | D.Indifferent |
【推荐2】Think back to your first memory. How old were you at the time? Chances are you can’t remember anything earlier than kindergarten or primary school — nothing about your first words, steps, or solid food other than what your parents have later told you. This phenomenon is called “infantile amnesia”, due to which the majority of adults rarely remember things that happen to them before the age of three.
So why is it that we can’t remember being a baby? The answer lies in the way that our brain’s ability to store memories changes as we grow. At birth, a baby’s brain is only a quarter of its adult size, growing to three-quarters the size of an adult brain by age two. This increase is associated with a growth in the number of brain cells — called neurons (神经元) — and the connections between these cells.
A part of the brain that is particularly important in forming memories is the hippocampus (海马体), says Dr Dhanisha Jhaveri, a researcher at The University of Queensland. This region stores autobiographical memories from specific events in our lives. “In the hippocampus, new neurons are constantly being created. In adulthood, new cells are still being produced, but the rate of production in the hippocampus slows down,” says Dr Jhaveri.
Neuroscientists believe that the rapid rate at which brain cells are being produced in childhood could be the cause of infantile amnesia. Because so many new neurons are being produced and form connections with each other in memory circuits, they might disrupt (扰乱) existing networks of memories that have already formed.
Despite this memory loss, childhood experiences have been found to influence adult behaviour years later, which suggests that traces of these memories could be stored somewhere in the brain that isn’t easy to access.
In research in animals, scientists have found that latent (潜在的) traces of early experiences remain in the brain for a long time, and can later be triggered (触发) by a reminder. It highlights the important influence of early life experiences on mental and emotional well-being later in life.
1. What is infantile amnesia?A.The inability to form memories during adulthood. | B.The inability to recall early experiences. |
C.The influence on existing memory networks. | D.The influence on mental and emotional well-being. |
A.New neurons disrupt existing memory circuits. | B.The hippocampus plays a passive role in one’s memory. |
C.A baby’s brain is three-quarters the size of an adult brain. | D.Brain cells are being produced more rapidly in adulthood. |
A.Memories are stored separately in their brain. | B.Memories are mainly formed when they are young. |
C.Early experiences have a long-term impact on life. | D.Early experiences are easy to be triggered by a reminder. |
A.The Formation of Early Childhood Memories |
B.The Impact of Infantile Amnesia on Memory Networks |
C.The Role of the Hippocampus in Memory Formation |
D.The Influence of Early Life Experiences on Mental Well-being |
【推荐3】People who work with octopuses(章鱼)or who spend a lot of time in their company describe the sense that when you look at an octopus, there is something looking back. Given this feeling as a starting point, how do you begin to explore the consciousness(意识)of an animal so unlike ourselves?
Imagining an octopus’s inner life is a hard thing to do from our human standpoint. When you picture the tips of your suckered limbs moving, what do you imagine it feels like? “The octopus’s arms are, in some ways, more like lips or tongues than hands,” says Godfrey-Smith, a professor of history and philosophy of science. “There’s a great deal of sensory information that’s coming in every time the animal does anything. That’s very different from our situation.”
Take a closer look at the octopus’s nervous system, and things get even stranger. The octopus’s arms have more autonomy than our human arms and legs do. Each has its own minibrain, giving it a degree of independence from the animal’s central brain. Our own nervous system, however, is highly centralized, with the brain the center of sensory integration, emotion, movement, behavior and other actions.
The closer you look at the octopus’s body and nervous system, the harder it becomes to grasp—or believe you are grasping—what it might be like to be an octopus. However hard it might be to do, it’s worth trying to understand whether octopuses have consciousness, and what it’s like if they do, says Godfrey-Smith. This is why the octopus is such an interesting case. Octopuses are different enough from us that a lot of our assumptions about them have to be questioned—and even our assumptions about ourselves. “By asking whether octopuses are conscious like us, we might be asking a question that doesn’t make a lot of sense because we don’t fully know what it’s like to be conscious,” says Godfrey-Smith.
1. What does the author try to do in paragraph 1?A.Introduce his special feeling about studying octopuses. |
B.Share his unique experience of working with octopuses. |
C.Inspire the readers’ interest in learning about octopuses. |
D.Show the meaning of studying consciousness of animals. |
A.Their structure. | B.Their function. |
C.Their movement. | D.Their number. |
A.By listing statistics. | B.By analyzing causes. |
C.By giving examples. | D.By making comparisons. |
A.Octopuses are really similar to humans in some way. |
B.More work is needed to study octopuses’ consciousness. |
C.Most assumptions about octopuses are completely wrong. |
D.It makes no sense to research if octopuses are conscious. |