1 . Plant-based food,like beans and nuts,can provide vital nutrients (营养物) using a small part of the land required to produce meat and dairy products. By changing animal-sourced food into plant-based food, much of the remaining land could support ecosystems that absorb CO2, according to a new study.
In their study, the researchers analyzed and mapped areas where production of animal-sourced food, which requires 83% of Earth’s agricultural land,prevents the growth of native vegetation (植被), including forests. They focused on places where changing what people grow and eat could free up space for ecosystems to grow again.
According to the researchers’ findings, vegetation re-growth could make less CO2 given off, thus reducing the chance of warming the planet, if demand for meat were to decrease greatly in the coming decades along with its great land requirements. “We should think of changing our eating habits and choosing an environmentally friendly diet so that native forests can be restored (恢复),” says Hayek,leader of the study from New York University.
Technological solutions to climate change may soon appear, like machines that remove CO2, directly from the atmosphere. Placing too much confidence in these technologies could prove dangerous, however, according to the study. So restoring native vegetation on large agricultural land may be now our safest choice for removing CO2. There’s no need to bet our future only on technologies that are still not tested widely.
The benefits of cutting back on meat and dairy products reach far beyond dealing with climate change. “Reduced meat production would also be beneficial to water quality, wildlife habitat and biodiversity (生物多样性),” notes William Ripple, a professor of ecology at Oregon State University.
1. What is the new study mainly about?A.The food’s nutrition. | B.The greenhouse effect. |
C.The animal-plant relationship. | D.The agriculture-ecosystem relationship. |
A.To improve ecosystems. | B.To make a greater profit. |
C.To save space for humans. | D.To produce more nutrients. |
A.Uncaring. | B.Cautious. |
C.Supportive. | D.Disapproving. |
A.It will stop diseases from animals. |
B.It tends to control climate change. |
C.It can increase the number of wildlife. |
D.It is likely to change people’s eating habits. |
2 . As most people know, in the last few years, sandstorms have swept across many cities and areas of North China, polluting the air and disturbing daily lives of human beings. People look dirty and suffer many kinds of illnesses, such as breath difficulty. The sandstorm is such a serious problem that it has not only weakened the industrial and agricultural development of our country but also caused a lot of trouble to the living conditions of the Chinese people.
Therefore, effective measures should be taken as soon as possible to stop its happening. So how should we deal with the frightening sandstorms?
Some experts offer practical advice as follows: For one thing, more money ought to be put into tree planting and forest protection in order to keep more water on the Earth. For another, government of all countries should make laws on environment protection. For example, banning the use of throw-away chopsticks and punishing illegal tree cutting. Scientists should also study and find ways to lower the grade of its destruction and to improve the environment. As for some schools, education about sandstorms should be spread properly and timely to make more and more people attach great importance to this problem.
How people look forward to sunny days with soft wind touching their faces now and forever! The golden days can come back so long as we try our best to protect the natural environment from today on. And the fact is that what I expect is not just a dream. There are some sweet fruits from the early efforts.
1. What’s the first paragraph mainly about?A.Bad influences sandstorms bring. |
B.Ways to protect the environment. |
C.The biggest cause of sandstorms. |
D.The fast development of China. |
A.Two. | B.Three. | C.Four. | D.Five. |
A.The damage sandstorms cause can never be avoided. |
B.The author has confidence in fighting against sandstorms. |
C.The author is unsure about the future of the environment. |
D.The improvement of the environment is especially relaxing. |
A.Why people should always carry on with dreams. |
B.A bright world with no sandstorms anymore. |
C.How to realize our dream to live a happy life. |
D.Successful examples of stopping sandstorms. |
3 . Yosemite is a national park in California. It is very beautiful and big. The park includes more than 760,000 acres in the California Mountains. Most of the park is wilderness.
The part of Yosemite that everyone likes is Yosemite Valley. It is a tiny valley that is 7 miles long and less than 1 mile wide. It has tall rock walls and streams that splash down in waterfalls. More than two million visitors come to the valley each year.
One ranger (守护人) says the number of visitors is more than the land can handle. The valley has 4,500 camping spots. It has a hotel that can hold 4, 000 families. This is still not enough to handle all of the visitors. The valley has grown so big that it has a lot of traffic and crime.
A worker says the park is trying to keep the beauty of the park and let everyone visit. Some areas have been fenced off from people and planted with seeds to try to keep them beautiful.
A former worker thinks Yosemite should get more money to take better care of the park. He would also like to teach people what the park service is trying to do.
Some people are trying to save Yosemite Valley. A plan has been made to get rid of some buildings. There will be fewer cars allowed inside the park. More buses will help get people around.
1. According to the passage, which of the following should be rid of?A.Some of the trees. | B.Some of the water. |
C.Some of the families. | D.Some of the buildings. |
A.Yosemite is a national park located in the California desert. |
B.Some people think the amount of visitors is more than the land can handle. |
C.The valley has 4, 500 parking spots and some hotels. |
D.Most of Yosemite park is full of traffic and crime. |
A.so some visitors can stay there alone | B.in order to supply an area for camping |
C.so visitors can go fishing and barbecuing | D.and workers will plant seeds |
A.Yosemite is a beautiful national park | B.Yosemite is faced with a new problem |
C.Yosemite is wilderness | D.Yosemite attracts a great many visitors each year |
4 . It is the year 3000. I come to a place where I can’t see any water, plants or animals but black clouds in the sky and sand everywhere. It’s very dry so I drink some water that I carry with me. A native sees what I do and asks “What is it?” I pour some water and tell him it’s called water. “Oh, I’m so lucky that I can see water!” the man shouts in an excited voice. “You have never seen water? But how can you live without water?” I ask.
“Harry, get up, it is 7 o'clock, or you will be late!” a voice comes to my ears. “Oh! What a strange dream I dreamed just now!”
In class, I always think of that dream. And I also think of the fresh air, clean water, blue sky, green plants and animals in our world nowadays. How beautiful our life is!
But in order to make more money, people have built more and more factories. These factories send out waste smoke and water with chemicals which are harmful to the environment. The pollution is becoming worse and worse, and as a result, some animals and plants die out. With the development of agriculture, farmers spray aerosol (喷雾) and fertilizer, which also pollute the water and air. In the street the cars and buses are sending out heavy smoke which pollutes the air badly. Even tourism is harmful to the environment. When some tourists travel somewhere, they throw the plastic bags and rubbish onto the ground.
These behaviors are polluting the environment and the environment will become the greatest problem of the world. We shouldn’t pollute the environment any more. Otherwise more and more animals and plants will disappear. And maybe my dream will come true in the future.
1. In the place I come to, I can’t see .A.plants | B.man |
C.clouds | D.sand. |
A.a dog | B.one of the author’s friends |
C.the author’s sister | D.the author |
A.is satisfied with | B.is worried about |
C.is angry about | D.has an optimistic attitudes towards |
A.cars and buses | B.fertilizer |
C.tourism | D.man |