You may not be very familiar with “ecotourism”.
Ecotourism which is considered as a kind of responsible tourism, is typically defined as travel to places where special and unusual plants, animals and cultural heritages(遗产)are the main attractions,
Ecotourism is developing at a great speed, according to a recent report by the World Tourism Organization. Ecotourism in recent years has enjoyed an annual growth of about 5% world wide.
Ecotourism has been gaining increasing recognition and popularity mainly for the relaxing, natural and vivid experience it offers to tourists. People are attracted to nature and long to be close to it. However, conflict between nature and human being is unavoidable.
A.The definition of ecotourism is beyond words |
B.It takes ecology and culture into consideration |
C.It is a new term in today’s tourism industry |
D.More than 80 activities have been listed for ecotourism |
E.People can have great fun enjoying nature through ecotourism |
F.Big cities are still the major places that attract tourists in our society today |
G.How to protect natural resources while taking advantage is of great importance |
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【推荐1】A world in which extinct creatures could be brought back to life came a step closer yesterday. Australian scientists have managed to extract a gene from a preserved sample of a Tasmanian tiger and make it active. The breakthrough has left them dreaming that one day they will be able to recreate the animal, which died out more than 70 years ago. And if it can be done with the Tasmanian tiger, it may also be possible to resurrect (复活) creatures that have been extinct for far longer.
“There used to be a time when extinction meant forever, but no more, ” said Professor Mike Archer. “We are now able to seriously challenge whether those animals that have gone for ever. What has been achieved is a very important step in bringing back those animals that are extinct. And while I think that technically it is still pretty difficult at the moment, we can now see the possibilities. I’m personally convinced that the Tasmanian tiger will be brought back to life in my lifetime.”
The breakthrough came after nine years of experiments by scientists at the University of Melbourne, who extracted a gene from one of several tigers preserved in alcohol in a Melbourne museum. They removed the equivalent gene from a mouse embryo implanted the tiger gene and then watched as the mouse continued to grow normally, suggesting the tiger gene had been activated.
Team leader Dr. Andrew Pask said it was the first time DNA from an extinct species had been used to “induce (引起) a functional response in another living organism”.
However, the animal’s entire gene structure would have to be revived in the same way to even begin the possibility of bringing the Tasmanian tiger back from the dead.
Mick Mooney, a wildlife officer of the Tasmanian Government, was worried that such developments could encourage people’s indifference to the protection of endangered species.
“If people think that we can bring animals back to life after they’ve gone, they will start saying that there is nothing to worry about because we can fix it up later.”
1. What does the underlined word “breakthrough” in the l paragraph refer to?A.Scientists have recreated new animals. |
B.Scientists have resurrected endangered animal. |
C.It has turned out that some creatures would not go extinct. |
D.A tiger gene has been extracted successfully and activated. |
A.bring extinct animals back to life |
B.transplant the genes of tigers into other animals |
C.find out what factors lead to the animals’ extinction |
D.find a new way to extract animals’ DNA |
A.scientists now have no technological difficulty reconnecting extinct animals |
B.it’ll be a century or so before a Tasmanian tiger walks on the earth again |
C.humans have come closer in reconnecting extinct animals |
D. reconnecting extinct animals is impossible |
A.he thought it unnecessary to worry about endangered animals |
B.his opinion is in contrast with that of the Tasmanian Government |
C.he thought people should be encouraged to protect endangered animals |
D.he is concerned that bringing extinct animals back to life may have a negative effect |
【推荐2】I always imagined I’d be a good birder one day. But it was not to be. I finally had to acknowledge this the day I met a real birder. Toward evening, a beautiful song erupted from the woods. “Oh! What’s that one?” I asked. She looked at me with unbelieving eyes and said, “That’s still a cardinal (红雀).”
Nevertheless, after decades, I’ve gotten pretty good at the 20 or so regular bird visitors to my garden. And now I have a new ambition. I want to be able to tell individual birds apart. You know, my personal birds.
I thought my ability to distinguish our local hummingbirds (蜂鸟) would be limited to telling the females from the males, which is easy, because their feathers look different. But there’s way more going on than that. I get a good look because, like many people, I put out a nectar (花蜜) feeder. That’s mainly for my benefit, to draw them close. Hummingbirds get plenty of juice from my flowers. But they also eat insects and spiders. Some more than others.
The hummingbird that has dominated (控制) our feeder — Hannibal Nectar — is one round, spider-filled little ball. But then there’s Noodle. She visits the feeder any time she senses Hannibal isn’t looking. She always picks her place carefully so she can look out for Hannibal. She looks right, left, up, down, and only then lowers and sucks everything she can. Hannibal comes way more often and drinks less at a time, because he knows he’s the boss. But he’s also the only hummingbird I’ve seen that makes a regular habit of checking out the nectar feeder from underneath. I know what he’s doing: There might be ants.
Poor Noodle. She’ll be attacking spider webs for material for her nest one of these days, and I hope she’s real comfortable in there, because that’s one place Hannibal will not be invited. I’d love to bring her a housewarming gift. Maybe a nice spider pot pie.
1. How did the author probably feel after hearing the real birder’s answer?A.Excited. | B.Moved. | C.Frightened. | D.Embarrassed. |
A.To hunt hummingbirds. | B.To train hummingbirds. |
C.To observe hummingbirds. | D.To give hummingbirds a home. |
A.He is more battlesome. | B.He eats insects and spiders. |
C.He sucks more nectar at a time. | D.He is particular about the material for his nest. |
A.The joy of raising birds | B.Useful advice from a real birder |
C.There are birds, and then there’s Noodle | D.Hummingbirds bring music to my garden |
【推荐3】When you were trying to figure out what to buy for the environmentalist on your holiday list, fur probably didn’t cross your mind. But some ecologists and fashion (时装)enthusiasts are trying to bring back the market for fur made from nutria(海狸鼠).
Unusual fashion shows in New Orleans and Brooklyn have showcased nutria fur made into clothes in different styles. “It sounds crazy to talk about guilt-free fur-unless you understand that the nutria are destroying vast wetlands every year”, says Cree McCree, project director of Righteous Fur.
Scientists in Louisiana were so concerned that they decided to pay hunters $5 a tail. Some of the fur ends up in the fashion shows like the one in Brooklyn last month.
Nutria were brought there from Argentina by fur farmers and let go into the wild. “The ecosystem down there can’t handle this non-native species(物种).It’s destroying the environment. It’s them or us.” says Michael Massimi, an expert in this field.
The fur trade kept nutria in check for decades,but when the market for nutria collapsed in the late 1980s,the cat-sized animals multiplied like crazy.
Biologist Edmond Mouton runs the nutria control program for Louisiana. He says it’s not easy to convince people that nutria fur is green, but he has no doubt about it. Hunters bring in more than 300,000 nutria tails a year, so part of Mouton’s job these days is trying to promote fur.
Then there’s Righteous Fur and its unusual fashion. Model Paige Morgan says,”To give people a guilt-free option that they can wear without someone throwing paint on them-I think that’s going to be a massive thing, at least here in New York.” Designer Jennifer Anderson admits it took her a while to come around to the opinion that using nutria fur for her creations is morally acceptable. She is trying to come up with a label to attach to nutria fashions to show it is eco-friendly.
1. What is the purpose of the fashion shows in New Orleans and Brooklyn?A.To promote guilt-free fur. |
B.To expand the fashion market. |
C.To introduce a new brand. |
D.To celebrate a winter holiday. |
A.Nutria damage the ecosystem seriously. |
B.Nutria are an endangered species. |
C.Nutria hurt local cat-sized animals. |
D.Nutria are illegally hunted. |
A.Boomed. | B.Became mature. | C.Remained stable. | D.Crashed. |
A.It’s formal. | B.It’s risky. | C.It’s harmful. | D.It’s traditional. |
【推荐1】High-resolution (高分辨率) satellite imagery has been used to map every single tree in Africa, showing a technique that could help improve the monitoring of deforestation (森林砍伐) across the world. Florian Reiner at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and his colleagues used images from sate lies to map canopy (树冠) across the entire African continent.
Modern sate lies usually catch tree canopies at a resolution of 30 meters — fine for measuring the size of forests, but less good at mapping individual trees. The satellite data Reiner and his colleagues used had a resolution of 3 meters, enabling the study to map all trees, including those not part of a forest.
The results suggest that 30 percent of all trees in Africa aren’t in a forest and instead are across farmland, savannah and urban areas. “Many countries in Africa lack thick forests, but have a lot of trees.” says Reiner. “These trees are extremely important to the local ecosystems, the people and the economy. By tracking every single tree, researchers can start to monitor how these trees are coping with climate change or whether they are sensitive to deforestation.” It could also improve the monitoring of reforestation efforts, which are growing in popularity as a way of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
“At a local level, being able to consistently monitor when and where trees are disappearing or reappearing can lead to more actionable insights,” says John Francis at the Alan Turing Institute in London.
“The study is a proof of concept rather than a map ready for immediate commercial use,” says Reiner. “It’s research work. It’s showing what could be done,” he says. But he is already working with colleagues to scale up the tracking approach to cover the entire global canopy: “We’re hoping that this will be seen as a way forward in monitoring tree resources.”
1. Why is high-resolution satellite imagery used to map every single tree?A.To know the exact height of the tree. |
B.To have a clear picture of the canopy. |
C.To help monitor the deforestation. |
D.To improve the satellite technology. |
A.Doubtful. | B.Disapproving. | C.Indifferent. | D.Favorable. |
A.Protect the trees only in Africa. |
B.Put the map into commercial use. |
C.Track the entire global canopy. |
D.Improve the imagery technology. |
A.Ways to Measure the Size of Forests in Africa |
B.Coping with Climate Change by Tracking Every Single Tree |
C.A Map from the Satellite Ready for Immediate Commercial Use |
D.High-resolution Satellite Imagery Used in Monitoring Deforestation |
【推荐2】Hello London foodies!
I’m kicking off this weeks blog by talking about a fantastic new Turkish restaurant in Soho called Moda. I can’t remember ever eating better dolma or hummus---it was so delicious! The chef insists that fruit and vegetables are brought over every day from Turkey---and from nowhere else. He may be a perfectionist, but it was so delicious that I can’t complain. Moda isn’t cheap, but it’s worth every penny.
And I’ve got great news for you. When I told him that I write a food blog, he said he’d give all my readers a 10% discount! Just mention this blog when you book.
A very different restaurant, where I had lunch last Monday, is Chez Fitz. Situated near Leicester Square, its main selling point is that its food is all locally sourced(within 30 kilometers of the restaurant). My friends and I were completely surprised---we had no idea that so much could be grown so close to central London. But it turns out that there are pockets of green all over the city---you just need to know where to look.
One final point: I couldn’t believe how pricey my weekly shop was this week. Normally it’s about £40, but this week it was more than £55 for more or less the same amount of food. Any ideas why?
More in a couple of weeks as I’m going away on my holiday tomorrow.
COMMENTS
Ecovore 10 October
I am not sure if we should be supporting restaurants like Moda. They are very bad for the environment. What about all the extra carbon emissions from the ‘foodmiles’ created by bringing over those ingredients from Turkey?
LondonMum 11 October
I know what you’re saying, Ecoveore, but don’t have a go at restaurants like Moda. If we grow foreign vegetables in the UK, then we have to use heated greenhouses and that probably uses even more energy.
1. What is a main selling point of Moda?A.It offers a good discount | B.It sits in central London |
C.The ingredients are fresh | D.The chef is a perfectionist |
A.Much food was grown in cities |
B.Food in Chez Fitz was very pricey |
C.Chez Fitz provided very delicious food |
D.Local restaurants had grown in popularity |
A.He is not concerned with them | B.He supports them |
C.He is not for them | D.He has hopes for them |
A.Foreign restaurants are worth a try |
B.Eating out worsens the environment |
C.Moda should use vegetables in London |
D.It’s unwise to grow foreign food in the UK |
【推荐3】A handful of healthy soil could contain great numbers of living organisms. However, poisonous pesticides (杀虫剂) are causing harm and destruction to them, according to a recent analysis.
For the analysis, researchers looked through nearly 400 published studies including over 2,800 experiments on how pesticides affect soil organisms. They found that pesticides harmed organisms critical to maintaining healthy soils, but these harms have never been considered in the safety reviews of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).Poisonous pesticides are driving factors in the sharp decline of many soil organisms, such as ground beetles. They have been identified as the most significant driver of soil biodiversity loss in the last ten years.
However, that research has always been ignored. The EPA, which is responsible for pesticide supervision(监管)in the country, openly acknowledges that somewhere between 50 and 100 percent of all agriculturally applied pesticides end up on the soil. Yet, to assess pesticides’ harms to soil species, the agency just uses a single test species, the European honeybee, to estimate risk to all soil organisms. It spends its entire life above ground in artificial boxes.
Worse still, as soil health gain popularity globally, pesticide companies have jumped up to green wash and promote their products. Every major company is now advertising its role in improving soil health, such as advocating planting cover crops. As general beliefs, these practices are indeed good for soil health and, if adopted responsibly, are a great step to take. But companies know that these practices are often accompanied by increased pesticide use. Chemicals and pesticides have to be applied more frequently to kill weeds before crops are planted.
The long-term environmental cost can no longer be overlooked. Soils are some of the most complex ecosystems on Earth, containing nearly a quarter of the planet’s biodiversity. Protecting them should be a priority, not an afterthought.
1. What does the underlined word “They” refer to in Paragraph 2?A.Soil organisms. | B.Ground beetles. |
C.Artificial boxes. | D.Poisonous pesticides. |
A.The honeybee is a typical species living in nature. |
B.The assessment of pesticides’ harms is one-sided. |
C.Less than half of applied pesticide go to the soil eventually. |
D.The EPA attaches great importance to pesticide inspection. |
A.To obey the EPA’s rules. |
B.To increase their product sales. |
C.To protect the environment. |
D.To shoulder their social responsibility. |
A.Soil: essential to agriculture. |
B.Pesticides: harmful to soil health. |
C.Organisms: significant to harvest. |
D.Pollution: destructive to biodiversity. |