1 . With no special equipment, no fences and no watering, two abandoned agricultural fields in the UK have been rewilded (重新野化), in large part due to the efforts of jays, which actually “engineered” these new woodlands. Researchers now hope that rewilding projects can take a more natural and hands-off approach and that jays can shed some of their bad reputations.
The two fields, which researchers have called the New Wilderness and the Old Wilderness, had been abandoned in 1996 and 1961 respectively. The former was a bare field, while the latter was grassland—both lay next to ancient woodlands. Researchers had suspected that the fields would gradually return to wilderness, but it was impressive to see just how quickly this happened, and how much of it was owed to birds.
Using aerial data, the researchers monitored the two sites. After just 24 years, the New Wilderness had grown into a young, healthy wood with 132 live trees per hectare, over half of which (57%) were oaks. Meanwhile, the Old Wilderness resembled a mature woodland after 39 years, with 390 trees per hectare.
“This native woodland restoration was approaching the structure (but not the species composition) of long-established woodlands within six decades,” the researchers explained in the study.
Part of this reforestation was done by the wind, and researchers suspect that previous ground disturbance may have aided the woodland establishment—which is good news, as it would suggest that agricultural areas may be reforested faster than anticipated. However, animals—Eurasian jays, thrushes, wood mice, and squirrels—also played an important role in helping the forests take shape. This handful of species provided much of the natural regeneration needed for the forest to develop. Jays, in particular, seem to have done a lot of heavy lifting.
1. What does the underlined word “shed” in Paragraph 1 refer to?A.Be opposed to. |
B.Be ashamed of. |
C.Get used to. |
D.Get rid of. |
A.The scale of the woodlands. |
B.The diversity of the fields. |
C.The rate of the changes. |
D.The frequency of the wilderness. |
A.The woodland restoration was approaching the structure of long-established ones. |
B.Much of the wilderness of the fields was owed to birds. |
C.Previous ground disturbance aided the woodland establishment. |
D.How quickly the fields returned to wilderness over time. |
A.The essential role of humans in the reforestation. |
B.The factors that contribute to the reforestation. |
C.The importance of woodland establishment. |
D.The threats faced by a handful of wild animals. |
The classical gardens of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, date back to the 6th century
Built in the 11th century on the site of an
The classical gardens of Suzhou
Who built the first canal? Perhaps some people long ago, living in
Today, most countries in the world have canals. Even in the 2lst century, goods can be moved more
Most of the canals have a long history. Canals existed in Egypt thousands of years ago. And the Grand Canal of China was begun about 2,500 years ago. and took centuries to finish. During the seventeenth century, France built many canals that are still
1. What is the highest temperature in summer in Oymyakon?
A.25℃. | B.35℃. | C.45℃. |
A.Indoor bathrooms. | B.Mobile phones. | C.Televisions. |
A.The extreme weather. |
B.Some oldest people in the country. |
C.A Hollywood actor’s visit. |
A.The young people there dream of modern life. |
B.Ewan McGregor visited Oymyakon in winter. |
C.A foreigner built the first hotel in Oymyakon. |