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 this
"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
admin
2016-03-10
59
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 exparises, 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, arid 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 cottonwood on roadsides, coppices(矮林)of birch and conifers(针叶林)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 SveinnRunolfsson, director of the country’s Soil Conservation Service. That helps explain why nearly a third of the country is 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/XEPK777K
0
专业英语四级
相关试题推荐
Houserepairs,holidays,schoolfeesandother______havereducedhisbankbalancetoalmostnothing.(2011-72)
The______thatsportbuildscharacteriswellacceptedbypeoplenowadays.(2013-72)
Theinterviewerswereimpressedbythehighcaliberoftheapplicantsforthejob.Theunderlinedpartmeans______.(2014-66)
MostChinesepeoplewenttoworkbybikewithinliving_____.(2012-72)
Afterlearningmoreaboutthesufferingsoftherefugees,theyfelt______tomakecontributionstothereliefagencies.
Foralongtime,newspapershavebeenthechiefmeansbywhichpeoplegetthemselves【C1】______.Thenewspapers,daily,evening,
It’swidelyagreedthatgirlsgenerallystarttalkingearlierthanboys,andusemorecomplexvocabulary.Whenthey【C1】______sc
InevertrustedhimbecauseIalwaysthoughtofhimassucha______character.
Henrydoesn’tknowwhatto______attheuniversity;hecan’tmakeuphismindabouthisfuture.
Duringthesummerholidayseasonthereareno______roomsinthisseasidehotel.[2003]
随机试题
下列广义积分收敛的是()
患者3个月来左上后牙不能咬物而来就诊。查:左上第一、二磨牙咬合面均有深龋洞,龋洞探穿髓孔痛,有血,叩痛(±),龋洞探底硬,叩痛(-)。进一步的必要检查是
根据G.V.Black的窝洞分类方法,下列哪句话是正确的
维生素E水解后被三氯化铁氧化,在此溶液中加入联吡啶,现象为( )。
申请中药一级保护品种应具备的条件()
按照投资项目的建设性质和管理权限的不问,我国的固定资产投资可以分为()。
《中华人民共和国城乡规划法》的公布时间是()。
会计核算软件的发展可以分为()阶段。
警察的政治镇压职能与社会管理职能都是统治阶级意志的体现,两者相互依存,相辅相成。( )
给定资料1.广灵剪纸作为中国民间剪纸三大流派之一,是以彩色剪纸为特色,经二十余道工序成形,集绘画、色彩、镂雕于一体的手工艺术品,被誉为“中华民间艺术一绝”。2009年被联合国教科文组织列入人类非物质文化遗产代表作名录。广灵剪纸传到高清红这里,已
最新回复
(
0
)