1 . It is widely acknowledged that cities with some kind of functioning ecosystems make for better place for humans to live. More plants and animals in cities make for happier, healthier people.
A study conducted on green spaces in Sheffield, England, for instance, revealed that the greater the biodiversity (生物多样性), the greater the psychological well-being(健康) of the city’s citizens. In Paris, researchers found that getting citizens to take part in day-long activities involving urban wildlife opened their eyes to the natural world for a time, at least.
Few cities have been associated with urban ecology for as long as Berlin. “Slow economic recovery after the Second World War meant that reconstruction would take a long time. This provide local ecologist with the ideal conditions to develop an ambitious ecological research program in the bombed-out wastelands of West Berlin,” said Jens Lachmund, a sociologist at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands.
The pioneering work in Berlin had several consequences, especially the formation of significant natural spaces within the city, such as the Sudgelande Nature. “Berlin has indeed benefited a lot from being a case study in urban ecology,” said Lachmund.
The recent research conducted by Mark Goddard, a biologist at the University of Leeds, and his colleagues confirmed the importance of natural space within an urban setting. Goddard and his team conducted a striking global analysis of bird and plant diversity, quantifying the influence of urbanization on levels of biodiversity around the world. “Functioning urban ecosystems will be extremely important to human health and well-being,” said Goddard.
Cities take up just 3% of the land surface area, yet according to the most recent figure from the United Nations, some 3.6 billion people (just over 50% of the global population) now live in urban areas. By 2050, this figure is expected to rise to 6.3 billion. Without animals and plants to keep us company, it is a dark future.
1. The findings in Paragraph 2 are mentioned to explain the link between
.
| A．Citizens and their well-being |
| B．green spaces and urban wildlife |
| C．urban ecology and citizens’ well-being |
| D．functioning ecosystems and the natural word |
2. What would be Goddard’s attitude towards Berlin’s work?
| A．Cautious. |
| B．Admiring. |
| C．Uncaring. |
| D．Negative. |
3. The author uses figures in the last paragraph to show
.
| A．the negative effect of over population. |
| B．the importance of urban ecosystems. |
| C．the serious problems of city life. |
| D．the rapid growth of urban areas. |
4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
| A．Should cities be for animals and plants too? |
| B．Should Berlin have more natural spaces? |
| C．Should more people live in urban areas? |
| D．Should the global population be controlled now? |
