首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
" How do you get out of an Icelandic forest? You stand up. " During five days spent in Iceland this fall, I heard locals tell th
" How do you get out of an Icelandic forest? You stand up. " During five days spent in Iceland this fall, I heard locals tell th
admin
2015-04-29
34
问题
" How do you get out of an Icelandic forest? You stand up. " During five days spent in Iceland this fall, I heard locals tell this joke several times. The remark once made sense: Iceland was until recently a tree-deprived land, hosting instead an abundance of beautiful wide-open expanses, covered in volcanic rocks, glaciers and some grasses and shrubs. And while it still remains largely that way, trees and woodlands have been steadily returning the past several decades, and an Icelandic forestry industry is beginning to take root. That’s due in large part to a warming climate, which is helping many new types of trees grow here. Over the past 20 years, average temperatures have increased by almost 2 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, trees are growing faster and new varieties are now found here that couldn’t survive before.
Adalsteinn Sigurgeirsson, head of research for the Icelandic forest service, has heard the joke thousands of times. The forest research center where he works is on the slopes of Mount Esja, a short drive outside of Reykjavik. On the way, we pass stands of black cotton wood on roadsides, coppices(矮林)of birch and conifers(针叶树)dotting hillsides. "When I was a kid we had much fewer trees—it was common knowledge that trees couldn’t grow in Reykjavik, and couldn’t grow in Iceland," he says. "And now look!"
Once at the center, we venture into the nearby woods, where trees tower several stories above us. Sigurgeirsson explains that woodlands have many benefits in Iceland: they provide for more biodiversity, create opportunities for recreational activities and reduce soil erosion. Newly planted forests have attracted colonies of goldcrests(Europe’s smallest bird), woodcocks and long-eared owls to the area. These are all ecologically important species that add to the island’s animal diversity, without being invasive and displacing native animals. Woodlands also provide places for Icelanders and tourists to enjoy nature: one recently planted woods called Heidmork near the city now hosts 600,000 visitors per year.
Trees also help prevent soil erosion, which has ravaged Iceland for decades. One study suggested that if Iceland’s rivers were forested, it would limit erosion and improve water quality enough that local populations of salmon would increase five-fold.
Long ago, before Vikings settled this North Atlantic isle in the ninth century, birch forests covered as much as 40 percent of the land. Unfortunately, the Vikings logged or burned most of the trees down within a few centuries. Then, as is common with volcanic soils with little vegetation, much of the land became eroded and barren, says SveinnRun61fsson, director of the country’s Soil Conservation Service. That helps explain why nearly a third of the countryis now considered a "moist desert"—there is enough rain to support plants and trees, but the sandy black soil cannot provide adequate support for roots, and some needed nutrients were leached away long ago.
By the early 20th century, there were virtually no woodlands left in Iceland. But now, trees are coming back. Woodlands now cover 1. 5 percent of the country, and 3.2 million trees were planted last year. Most of these trees were planted by farmers or landowners on private land. They’ve been largely funded by the government, which is spending to create forestry jobs, and to reap the rewards of benefits like erosion reduction, Sigurgeirsson says. This rash of planting began in 1990, and since then, more than 107 million tree seedlings have been put in the ground.
The joke at the beginning of the passage implies that______.
选项
A、people feel tall in Iceland
B、there is almost no forest in Iceland
C、the trees in Iceland are planted orderly
D、Icelandic trees are shorter than expected
答案
B
解析
推断题。由题干中的at the beginning of the passage定位至第一段第一至四句。该段前两句引述了一个笑话:只要站起来就能走出冰岛森林,接着第四句指出,冰岛树木匮乏(tree-deprived),也就是基本没有什么森林。该笑话正是基于这一现状出现的,故[B]为答案。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/5zXK777K
0
专业英语四级
相关试题推荐
TheUnitedStatesiswell-knownforitsnetworkofmajorhighwaysdesignedtohelpadrivergetfromoneplacetoanotherinth
ThepennameMarkTwaincamefrom_____
Faces,likefingerprints,are【C1】______Didyoueverwonderhowitispossibleforustorecognizepeople?Evena【C2】______writer
Theamazingsuccessofmanasa(1)_____istheresultoftheevolutionarydevelopmentofourbrainswhichhas(2)_____,amongoth
Areyouthinkingabouttryingoutapoliticalcareerbutyour【C1】______arealittlelowforapresidentialbid?Youhaveuntil
WhichofthefollowingsentencesisINCORRECT?
Doyouknowanythingaboutthetrafficaccident______nearourschoolyesterday?
Lastyear’sdisputeiswaterunderthebridgenow.Theunderlinedpartmeans
______linesare,bydefinition,linesonthesameplanethatneverjoin.
Hollandhastwo-thirdstheinhabitantsofthestateofNewYork,______Holland.
随机试题
根据下列案情材料,按照《法律文书写作》教材中的要求,拟写一份刑事自诉状。 段某(男,汉族,1986年12月19日出生,北京市人,××公司职员,住××路××号××室)于2010年8月与李某(女,汉族,1987年9月15日出生,北京市人,××旅行社导游,住×
制国有常,利民为本。制国:
目前临床上最常采用的牙种植体为
现浇混凝土天沟、挑檐()。
()在施工时的温度,均不应低于5℃。
以下关于会计职业道德的描述中,不正确的有()。
系统性风险即市场风险,包括政策风险、经济周期性波动风险、利率风险和()等。
某上市银行职员获知银行正面临诉讼但外界尚不知情,消息一旦传出该银行股票价格可能下跌,()。
导致西晋王朝走向崩溃的历史事件是()。
Howtodisposeofnuclearwasteisaninternationalissuecloudedbycontroversy.
最新回复
(
0
)