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
If trees fall in the middle of a city, does anyone make a sound? So far, not much of one—and that’s a problem. To most of us, ci
If trees fall in the middle of a city, does anyone make a sound? So far, not much of one—and that’s a problem. To most of us, ci
admin
2011-01-10
39
问题
If trees fall in the middle of a city, does anyone make a sound? So far, not much of one—and that’s a problem. To most of us, city trees are to genuine forests what gardens are to jungles or fish tanks are to the ocean—pocket-size imitations of the wild world, decorative perhaps but playing no real role in the global ecosystem. But urban trees are a lot more important than that, and at the moment, they’re in decline.
Tree cover from city to city has been measured by any number of studies, so direct comparisons of figures are hard, but across the country, things are trending downward. In the past few decades, Washington has lost half its tree cover; San Diego’s is off about a quarter; the cover in cities in Michigan, North Carolina and Florida has fallen to about 27% of what it once was; Chicago and Philadelphia are just 16%. "Urban deforestation," says Ed Macie, an urban specialist with the U.S. Forest Service in Atlanta, "compares with what’s going on in the world’s rain forests."
As with so many other environmental problems, there are a lot of things causing the tree trouble. In the mid to late 20th century, Dutch elm disease wiped out millions of city trees, and now bark beetles, gypsy moths and emerald ash borers are chomping through millions more, thanks in part to climate change that makes cities more hospitable to the pests. The fact that so many trees exist in cities to be eaten in the first place is a tribute to our greener impulses. Many municipalities planted their now towering canopies right after World War II, but age is taking a toll as a lot of those trees simply reach the end of their life span.
Development too much is a problem. In and around cities, single-family homes that once covered only a portion of their lot are being replaced by McMansions that don’t leave enough yard space to support large-canopied trees. Sprawl is causing the footprints of cities themselves to increase, with what was once relatively lush land being bulldozed and paved over.
Urban fiscal woes have had a hand as well. Cities unable to keep up with the maintenance of large roadside trees swap them for pygmy-statured hawthorns and crape myrtles. Newly designed parks are replacing trees with no-fuss tennis courts and playgrounds. "Budgets are tight, and no one is giving extra money to plant larger trees," says Greg McPherson, director of the U.S. Forest Service Center for Urban Forest Research..
All this hits the environment hard, starting with air quality. But it’s the thermometer that most noticeably reflects the loss of trees. A high canopy prevents sunlight and heat from ever reaching the ground; by contrast, unshaded asphalt soaks up thermal energy and radiates it back, creating what is known as heat islands.
Local governments are finally responding to the problem. More than 2,000 big and small cities have launched long-term planting and preservation programs. For now, the most immediate answer is less the planting strategy than the preservation one, something that can best be achieved by curbing sprawl and downsizing our taste for too-big homes. For people who plan cities as well as those who live there, it’s important to remember that most of the time, sidewalks and sycamores are equally important.
Which of the following best explains the word "sprawl" in paragraph 4?
选项
A、A certain kind of large-canopied tree.
B、Stretching out one’s body and limbs.
C、Urban high-rise building.
D、Growth or outward extension of a city.
答案
D
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/WLcO777K
本试题收录于:
NAETI中级口译笔试题库外语翻译证书(NAETI)分类
0
NAETI中级口译笔试
外语翻译证书(NAETI)
相关试题推荐
Themanagersdiscussedtheplanthattheywouldliketoseebecarryingoutnextyear.
Thingswentwellforherduringherearlylifebutinhermiddleageher______seemedtochange.
Themajorityofnursesarewomen,butinthehigherranksofthemedicalprofessionwomenareina______.
Ifyouleftyourbookonthetableovernight,youwouldfindthefollowingmorningthatitwasstillexactlywhenyouhadlefti
"Whatdoesthemiddlemandobutaddtothepriceofgoodsintheshops?"Suchremarksareaimedattheintermediateoperationsb
"Whatdoesthemiddlemandobutaddtothepriceofgoodsintheshops?"Suchremarksareaimedattheintermediateoperationsb
"Whatdoesthemiddlemandobutaddtothepriceofgoodsintheshops?"Suchremarksareaimedattheintermediateoperationsb
随机试题
HTTP是指()。
当两个线圈相互垂直时,所产生的互感电动势最大。()
不易引起高胰岛素血症的疾病是
目前确定乳腺肿块性质最可靠的方法是( )。【2004年考试真题】
A.呋塞米B.甘露醇C.螺内酯D.氢氯噻嗪E.高渗葡萄糖轻度高血压病人宜选用的药物是()
企业的利润总额组成正确的是()。①产品销售利润;②投资收益;③营业外收入;④营业外支出
以下瓷窑与所在地对应正确的是()。
D音在()自然小调中为导音。
某公司三名销售人员2011年的销售业绩如下:甲的销售额是乙和丙销售额的1.5倍.甲和乙的销售额是丙的销售额的5倍,已知乙的销售额是56万元,问甲的销售额是:
Globalclimatechange,oftenseenasaprocessstretchingoverthousandsofyears,couldinfactoccurabruptlyandunexpectedly
最新回复
(
0
)