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  3. The history of modern pollution problems shows that most have resulted from negligence and ignorance. We have an appalling tende

The history of modern pollution problems shows that most have resulted from negligence and ignorance. We have an appalling tende

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问题     The history of modern pollution problems shows that most have resulted from negligence and ignorance. We have an appalling tendency to interfere with nature before all of the possible consequences of our actions have been studied in depth. We produce and distribute radioactive substances, synthetic chemicals, and many of other powerful compounds before fully comprehending their effects on living organisms. Our education is dangerously incomplete.
    It will be argued that the purpose of science is to move into unknown territory, to explore, and to discover. It can be said that similar risks have been taken before, and that these risks are necessary to technological progress.
    These arguments overlook an important element. In the past, risks taken in the name of scientific progress were restricted to a small place and a brief period of time. The effects of the processes we now strive to master are neither localized nor brief. Air pollution covers vast urban areas. Ocean pollutants have been discovered in nearly every part of the world. Synthetic chemicals spread over huge stretches of forest and farmland may remain in the soil for decades. Radioactive pollutants will be found in the biosphere for generations. The size and persistence of these problems have grown with the expanding power of modern science.
    One might also argue that the hazards of modern pollutants are small compared with the dangers associated with other human activity. No estimate of the actual harm done by smog, fallout, or chemical residues can obscure the reality that the risks are being taken before being fully understood.
    The importance of these issues lies in the failure of science to predict and control human intervention into natural processes. The true measure of the danger is represented by the hazards we will encounter if we enter the new age of technology without first evaluating our responsibility to the environment.
According to the author, the major cause of pollution is the result of______.
选项 A、a strong desire to move into unknown territory
B、a lack of understanding the history of technology
C、designing synthetic chemicals to kill living organisms
D、changing our environment without fully considering risks
答案D
解析 推理题。根据第一段内容可知，现代污染问题的历史表明：大多数问题源于疏忽和无知。在未对我们行为可能带来的所有后果进行深入研究之前，我们总急于干涉自然，这很可怕。在完全理解他们对生物的影响之前，我们生产和散播放射性物质，合成化学物和许多其他强大的化合物。由此推断，人们改变环境，却没有意识到风险。所以，答案是D。
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