Coral reefs are the rainforests of the ocean. They exist on vast scales and are equally important havens(避风港)of biodiversity. Reefs occupy 0.1% of the oceans.
Research groups around the world are coming up with plans of action to see if that will help, such as identifying naturally heat-resistant corals and cross-breeding such corals to create a new type.
Doubters doubt humanity will get its act together in time to make much difference.
This mix of natural activity and human intervention is important.
| A．Corals are useful to people. |
| B．But there are grounds for optimism. |
| C．And they host a quarter of marine species. |
| D．It could serve as a blueprint for other ecosystems. |
| E．Coral’s global ecosystem services are worth up to $10trn a year. |
| F．This research can also be brought to bear on trying to save entire ecosystems. |
| G．However, the assisted evolution of corals does not meet with universal enthusiasm. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Food forests, also known as forest gardens or edible forests, are appearing in urban settings across the US as a unique way to help food-insecure communities. They imitate the structure and functioning of natural forest ecosystems that produce various edible plants for the community, which reduces reliance on external food sources and promotes food self-sufficiency.
Food forests can maximize food production in a given area. In a regular garden, you’re probably only planting vegetables along the ground. While this can provide a great harvest, it leaves a lot of space unused. Now imagine you are planting a fruit tree. On the shady side, you add some shade-tolerant berries, and on the sunny side you add some sun-loving berries. At the base of the sun-loving berries, you plant some annual vegetables and herbs. This food forest would result in a truly splendid harvest that would dwarf what a regular garden the same size could provide.
The genius of a food forest lies in its designed cultivation of beneficial interactions between different plant species. For instance, some plants might enrich the soil by fixing nitrogen, a natural fertilizer for neighboring vegetation, while others naturally attract beneficial insects, providing a built-in pest control mechanism. These strategic connections lead to reduced dependency on labor inputs and create an environment that is hardy and sustainable.
Food forests require ongoing care and maintenance, which often involves the participation of community members. This cooperative effort develops a sense of shared responsibility and brings people together to work towards a common goal. Community members can come together to learn about planting techniques, sustainable gardening practices, and the benefits of native plants. This shared learning experience creates a platform for exchanging ideas and skills, promoting a sense of self-reliance within the community.
1. What are food forests intended for?| A．Improving food quality in America. |
| B．Protecting natural forest ecosystems. |
| C．Beautifying the urban living environment. |
| D．Providing food sources for the community. |
| A．Strengthen. | B．Overshadow. | C．Widen. | D．Enlarge. |
| A．Food forests can help increase the diversity of species. |
| B．Food forests require considerable labor inputs to maintain. |
| C．Plants in food forests can benefit one another in some ways. |
| D．The pest control mechanism in food forests is favorable to soil. |
| A．Planting techniques determine the yield of food forests. |
| B．The maintenance of food forests is costly and complicated. |
| C．Food forests serve as a bond to bring community members closer. |
| D．Food forests have become a popular gathering spot in the communities. |
【推荐2】It has been nearly 11 days since the earthquake and its aftershocks struck the Turkey-Syria border, and rescues are still underway. As teams of doctors, firefighters, police officers, construction workers tried to search through the rubble (瓦砾) of fallen buildings, they were uncovering surviving people as well as animals. Ali Cakas saved a scared cat from the rubble, and the kitty has been glued to his side ever since.
A video shows the man, still in uniform and protective equipment, taking a picture with the cat on his shoulder. The black-spotted cat clearly has an appreciation for his hero, as he does not move from the firefighter’s side even for a moment. “We named it Enkaz which means rubble in Turkish, because we brought it out of the ruins,” the firefighter says. “It might sound a little off-putting, but we wanted it to be a memory this way.”
As heart-warming as this rescue has been, people online have also found a way to sympathize (同情) with the cat while showing respect for Cakas. “Uh...not for nothing but I would also not leave this guys side,” said Twitter user Paula Matiz. Another person admitted, “I don’t know who is cuter...the man or the kitty.” They all agree that Cakas has done something truly wonderful, saving the life of a sweet cat.
So far, no one has come forward to claim Enkaz, but the firefighter is keeping him safe, in the meantime, providing food and shelter. “I see sadness in this cat,” the firefighter said after rescuing him. “I keep it by my side in case the owner comes, but if the owner doesn’t come out, I’m thinking of taking him with me. It will be a memory.” Fortunately, Enkaz has found a safe shelter after everything he has been through, so we hope this is the start of a beautiful relationship between the cat and his rescuer.
1. What is Ali Cakas?| A．A doctor. | B．A policeman. |
| C．A firefighter. | D．A construction worker. |
| A．To memorize the event. | B．To support the residents. |
| C．To celebrate the rescue activity. | D．To entertain the firefighters. |
| A．They sympathize with him. | B．They criticize him. |
| C．They admire him. | D．They ignore him. |
| A．Keep it with him. | B．Give it to a shelter. |
| C．Send it back into the wild. | D．Sell it to a pet store. |
【推荐3】Whether they are furry, feathered or scaly (多鳞的), the non-human members of your family help you in more ways that you knōw.
They keep you active. If you have a dog, chances are that you’re walking it at least 30minutes a day, and likely more — an activity that goes a long way towards keeping you fit.
They boost your immune system. Growing up indoors in disinfected spaces later causes our bodies to over-react to harmless substances, making us more allergic. As is often the case, pets have muddy paws, abundant furs and affection for licking (舔) us.
They lower your risk of a fatal heart attack. Researchers found that cat owners had a 30per cent lower risk of dying of a heart attack.
They help you manage a chronic disease.
| A．They also improve your mental health |
| B．They contribute a lot to our strong body |
| C．With the considerate care from the owners |
| D．Here are some ways that your pet pal benefits you |
| E．With their regular tasks of feeding, walks and play |
| F．They introduce more bacterial diversity that our body adapts to |
| G．But you may wonder how it comes about without taking a cat for walks |
【推荐1】Water conservation (保护) means using limited water supply wisely and caring for it properly. Since each of us depends on water to support life, it is our responsibility to learn more about water conservation and how we can help keep our sources pure and safe for generations to come. Below are some of the main reasons why it's important to conserve water.
It diminishes the effects of drought and water shortages. Even though our need for fresh water is always increasing because of population and industry growth, the supply we have stays the same. Even though water eventually returns to the Earth through the water cycle, it's not always returned to the same spot, or with the same quantity and quality. By reducing the amount of water we use, we can better protect against future drought years.
It guards against a series of social problems. Failing to conserve water, can eventually lead to a lack of water supply, which can have bad results. These include rising costs, reduced food supplies, health dangers, and even political conflict. Many fears have been expressed that water wars will occur in the future as water is becoming scarcer and scarcer (更稀缺的).
It helps to protect our environment. Reducing our water usage reduces the energy required to process water and deliver it to businesses, farms, and communities, which, in turn, helps to reduce pollution and conserve energy.
It builds safe and beautiful communities. Hospitals, gas stations, health clubs, gyms, and restaurants all require large amounts of water to provide services for communities. Reducing our usage of water means that these services can continue to be provided. Much of our fresh water can also be used for beautifying our surroundings — trees, flowers, vegetable gardens, as well as filling public fountains.
Water conservation requires effort, and every little bit helps. Don't think that what you do does not matter. We can all make changes in our lifestyles to reduce our water usage. The trick is making water conservation a way of life — not just something we think about once in a while.
1. What does Paragraph 1 mainly show?| A．Conserving water is very difficult. |
| B．Everyone should learn to conserve water. |
| C．Many people don't care about water waste. |
| D．Water shortage will influence the later generations. |
| A．Proves. | B．Reduces. |
| C．Examines. | D．Removes. |
| A．To explain what services need water the most. |
| B．To show water is widely used in our daily life. |
| C．To explain why people today love to conserve water. |
| D．To show conserving water benefits our communities. |
| A．Why Do Water Resources Become Scarcer? |
| B．How Can We Make Our World a Better Place? |
| C．Why Should We Conserve Water in Our Daily Life? |
| D．How Can We Conserve Water to Protect Our Earth? |
【推荐2】The World Meat Free Day for 2017 falls on 12, June, but what would actually happen if the whole world suddenly went vegetarian(素食的) permanently?
If vegetarianism were accepted by everyone by 2050, the world would have about seven million fewer deaths every year. No meat would lower the chances of some diseases or even some cancers and so save the world 2-3% global GDP in medical bills. Food-related emissions would drop by around 60%. This would be due to getting rid of red meat which come from methane (甲烷) producing livestock (家畜) — from people’s diets. Turning former pastures (牧场) into native habitats and forests would slow climate change and bring back lost biodiversity, including some animals which were previously pushed out or killed in order to keep cattle.
However, farmers in the developing world could really suffer. Arid and semi-arid lands can only be used to raise animals as there’s no or little water in these places, such as the Sahel land strip in Africa next to the Sahara; nomadic (游牧的) groups that keep livestock there would be forced to settle permanently and lose their cultural identities if there were no more meat. Losing meat also means that we also lose traditions. There’s no more Christmas turkey. We would need to replace meat with nutritional substitutes, in particular for the world’s estimated two billion-plus unhealthy or weak people for lack of nutrients. Animal products contain more nutrients per calorie than staples like grains and rice.
Everybody currently engaged in the livestock industry would need to be retrained for a new career. This could be in agriculture, reforestation or producing bioenergy. Failing to provide career alternatives could lead to mass unemployment and social problems, particularly in traditionally rural communities.
1. The passage is mainly about ________.| A．what future life will be like | B．why there is a World Meat Free Day |
| C．the influence of a meat free world | D．the positive and negative sides of our life |
| A．Famers’ lands would become too dry to raise livestock. |
| B．We would lose some traditions where meat is needed. |
| C．All of us would be unhealthy and weak for lack of nutrients. |
| D．Nomadic groups would keep their livestock where they settle. |
| A．dry | B．wet |
| C．hot | D．cold |
【推荐3】When rains fell in the Atacama Desert for the first time in centuries, scientists had expected to see life blossom (繁盛). Instead, almost everything died. The shocking discovery was published in the journal Scientific Reports. Found in northern Chile, the dry core of the Atacama Desert hadn’t experienced rain for the past 500 years. But three years ago, rain started to fall once again in the region.
A changing climate in the Pacific Ocean resulted in the desert’s dry core experiencing rain on March 25 and August 9, 2015, and it rained again on June 7, 2017. There was no evidence of rain in this region for the past 500 years, although climate models suggested it should occur every century.
The international team of scientists who studied the region were hoping for deserts springing to life. “Instead, we learned the contrary, as we found that rain in the dry core of the Atacama Desert caused a massive extinction of most native microbe (微生物) species there, ”said study co-author Alberto Fairén.
Before the rain fell, this region of the Atacama had been home to 16 different ancient microbe species. But after the rain fell, just two to four species were still found to be surviving in the resultant pool of water. The cause of the extinction event, believed to have been about 85 percent of life in the soil, was caused by the sudden influx of water. In particular, these microbes were adapted to survive in extreme dryness. They were unable to adapt quickly enough to the unexpected rainfall.
But it’s not all bad news. The team also found nitrates (硝酸盐) in the Atacama Desert that were indicative of a lengthy dry period, while also acting as food for the microbes. And we’ve recently found nitrates on Mars, which could be indicating a similar process there.
1. How did the scientists find their discovery according to Alberto Fairén?| A．Satisfying. | B．Astonishing. | C．Amusing. | D．Comforting. |
| A．Shortage. | B．Need. | C．Arrival. | D．Test. |
| A．The resultant pool of water was a wildlife habitat. |
| B．The team plans to turn the desert into a green land. |
| C．Scientists have observed lots of microbes on Mars. |
| D．The finding brought some hope to relevant studies. |
| A．Unexpected Rainfalls Hit a Desert Badly |
| B．A Science Magazine Increased in Popularity |
| C．Scientists Unlocked the Secret behind Drought |
| D．A Breakthrough Occurred in Space Exploration |
