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
考研
One reaction to all the concern about tropical deforestation is a blank stare that asks the question , "Since I don’ t live in t
One reaction to all the concern about tropical deforestation is a blank stare that asks the question , "Since I don’ t live in t
admin
2013-01-30
52
问题
One reaction to all the concern about tropical deforestation is a blank stare that asks the question , "Since I don’ t live in the tropics, what does it have to do with me? " The answer is that your way of life, wherever you live in the world, is tied to the tropics in many ways. If you live in a house, wash your hair, eat fruit and vegetables, drink soda, or drive a car, you can be certain that you are affected by the loss of tropical forests. Biologically, we are losing the richest regions on earth when, each minute, a piece of tropical forest the size of ten city blocks vanishes. As many as five million species of plants, animals and insects, 40 to 50 percent of all living things, live there, and are being irrevocably lost faster than they can be found and described. Their loss is incalculable.
Take medicine, for example. Fewer than one percent of tropical forest plants have been examined for their chemical compounds. Nonetheless, scientists have integrated a wealth of important plants into our everyday lives. The West African calabar bean is used to treat glaucoma, while the sankerfoot plant of India yields reserpine, essential for treating hypertension. A West African vine provides the basis for strophanthus, a heart medicine. Quinine, an alkaloid derived from boiling the bark of the cinchona tree, is used to prevent and treat malaria. Derivatives from the rosy periwinkle offer a 99 percent chance of remission for victims of lymphocytic leukemia, as well as a 59 percent chance of recovery from Hodgkin’s disease. In fact, of the 3 000 plant species in the world known to contain anti-cancer properties, 2 100 are from the tropical rain forest. Then there is rubber. For many uses, only natural rubber from trees will do, synthetics are not good e-nough. Today, over half of the world’ s commercial rubber is produced in Malaysia and Indonesia, while the Amazon’ s rubber industry produces much of the world’ s four million tons. Adding ammonia to rubber produces latex which is used for surgical gloves, balloons, adhesives, and foam rubber. Latex, plus a weak mixture of acid results in sheet rubber used for footwear and many sporting goods. Literally thousands of tropical plants are valuable for their industrial uses. Many provide fiber and canes for furniture, soundproofing and insulation. Palm oil, a product of the tropics, brings to your table margarine, cooking oil, bakery products, and candles. Palm nut oil, from the seed kernel inside the fruit, is found in soap, candles, and mayonnaise. The sap from Amazonian copaiba trees, poured straight into a fuel tank, can power a truck. At present, 20 percent of Brazil’ s diesel fuel comes from this tree. An expanded use of this might reduce our dependency on irreplaceable fossil fuels.
Many scientists assert that deforestation contributes to the greenhouse effect, the heating of the earth from increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As we destroy forests, we lose their a-bility to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. Carbon dioxide levels could double within the next half-century, warming the earth by as much as 4.5 degrees. The result? A partial melt-down of the polar ice caps, raising sea levels as much as 24 feet. A rise of 15 feet would threaten anyone living within 35 miles of the coast. Farfetched? Perhaps, but scientists warn that by the time we realize the severe effects of tropical deforestation, it will be 20 years too late. Can tropical deforestation affect our everyday lives? We only have to look at the catalogued tropical forests and the abundance of wondrous products from which we benefit every day to know the answer. After all, the next discovery could be a cure for cancer or the common cold, or the answer to feeding the hungry, or fuelling our world for centuries to come.
Which question is NOT answered in the article?
选项
A、How many plant species found outside tropical rain forests could be used in the treatment of cancer?
B、Which plant has a product used for the treatment of anxiety?
C、Worldwide, what is the total annual production of synthetic rubber?
D、Which rain forest plant can be used for the treatment of eye disease?
答案
C
解析
本题四个选项中,A、B、D都可以在文章中找到答案,只有C项在文中未提及。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/QQhi777K
0
在职申硕(同等学力)英语
相关试题推荐
Thewordscienceisheardsoofteninmoderntimesthatalmosteverybodyhassomenotionofitsmeaning.Ontheotherhand,its
Tocontrol(quality)and(making)decisions(about)productionareamongthemanyresponsibilitiesofan(industrial)engineer.
TheAmericanEconomyjustisn’tlookingupthesedays.Thegrowthrateforthisquarterwillprobablybeclosetozero.Unemploy
FrictionbetweenAmerica’smilitaryanditscivilianoverseersisnothingnew.America’s220-yearexperimentinciviliancontrol
Nottoolongago,aguestcheckingoutofourPolynesianVillageresortatWaltDisneyWorldwasaskedhowsheenjoyedhervisit
Concernwithmoney,andthenmoremoney,inordertobuytheconveniencesandluxuriesofmodernlife,hasbroughtgreatchanges
ItwasamerryChristmasforSharperImageandNeimanMarcus,whichreportedbigsalesincreasesoverlastyear’sholidayseason
Woman:I’mlookingforwardtothelongweekend,David.It’sbeensuchahecticweek!We’vebeenrunninghere,runningthere,alw
Thegovernment______theforeign-ownedcorporationsoneafteranother.
WiththestartofBBCWorldServiceTelevision,millionsofviewersinAsiaandAmericacannowwatchtheCorporation’snewscov
随机试题
急性阑尾炎病理类型分为
某地区是慢性溃疡性结肠炎的好发区域,预防医学的研究人员希望对该地区进行深入调查,那么对慢性疾病进行现况调查,最适宜计算的指标为
设随机变量X和Y都服从N(0,1)分布,则下列叙述中正确的是:
甲公司2013年至2020年发生的有关经济业务如下:资料一:2013年1月10日,甲公司销售一批商品给乙公司,货款为2000万元。合同约定,乙公司应于2013年4月10日前支付上述货款。由于资金周转困难,乙公司到期不能偿付货款。经协商,甲公司与乙公司于
下列关于统计抽样和非统计抽样的陈述中,正确的是()。
电子书是利用计算机技术将一定的文字、图片、声音、影像等信息,通过数码方式______在以光、电、磁为介质的设备中,再借助______的设备来读取、复制和传输。填入划横线部分最恰当的一项是:
【隆庆和议】中国人民大学2015年历史学综合真题;苏州大学2016年中国史专业基础综合真题
阅读下列说明,回答问题,将解答填入答题纸的对应栏内。【说明】A公司中标某客户业务系统的运行维护服务项目,服务期从2018年1月1日至2018年12月31日。在服务合同中,A公司向客户承诺该系统全年的非计划中断时间不超过20小时。1月初
(1)ちょうど(2)せっかく(3)いつも(4)ときどき(5)ちょっと(6)ところを(7)それにしても(8)なぜならば(9)しかも(10)なんとか
TheforestfromwhichMantakeshistimberisthetallestandmostimpressiveplantcommunityonEarth.IntermsofMan’sbrief
最新回复
(
0
)