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
25
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
WhichofthefollowingsentencesisINCORRECT?(2010)
Foralongtime,newspapershavebeenthechiefmeansbywhichpeoplegetthemselves【C1】______.Thenewspapers,daily,evening,
Nowcustomhasnotbeencommonlyregardedasasubjectofanygreatimportance.Theinnerworkingsofourownbrainswefeelto
Childrenareinneedofadoptionbecausesomebirthparentsareunableorunavailabletoprovideadequatelyfortheneedsofthe
Whyisitsodifficulttofallasleepwhenyouareovertired?Thereisnooneanswerthat【C1】______toeveryindividual.Butman
Itisverycommonincollegethatmanystudentsareabsentfromtheclassandsometeacherstendtonotcareaboutit.Whatdoy
InEnglish,thecolorgreenisassociatedwithjealousy,whichissometimesjokinglycalled"thegreen-eyedmonster".Butit’s
InEnglish,thecolorgreenisassociatedwithjealousy,whichissometimesjokinglycalled"thegreen-eyedmonster".Butit’s
Thereisnodoubt______thecommitteehasmadetherightdecisiononthehousingproject.
Shehadto______inthehotelroomfortheSpringFestivalholiday.
随机试题
A.上行性感觉障碍B.下行性感觉障碍C.四肢末端各种感觉障碍D.分离性感觉障碍E.阶段性感觉障碍髓外肿瘤
A.表虚自汗证B.气阴两虚证C.心脾两虚证D.脾虚气陷证E.脾虚夹湿证补中益气汤的主治证候是
下列血常规检查中哪项异常( )。【历年考试真题】
甲公司和乙公司签订汽车买卖合同,约定乙公司应在甲公司付款之日起3个月内交付汽车,否则甲公司有权在15日内解除合同。甲公司1月5日付款,但乙公司因汽车尚未生产出来,故迟迟未能交付,4月10日,乙公司对甲公司表示汽车马上下生产线,请甲公司稍等数日。甲公司至4月
甲公司年初“利润分配——未分配利润”借方余额30万元,当年实现利润总额100万元,所得税税率为25%,法定盈余公积提取比例为10%,则甲公司当年应提取盈余公积()万元。
某教师讲授圆的周长时,也讲了我国古代数学家的突出贡献,同学们不仅学习到了理论知识,还增强了民族自豪感。这位教师遵循的教学原则是()
转变经济发展方式是实现国民经济又好又快发展的根本途径。()
某服装厂发运一批玻璃器皿,用印有“××牌运动服”的纸箱包装,在运输过程中,由于装卸工人未轻拿轻放而损坏若干件,承担该损失的是()。
下面程序段的正确输出是()。intw=4,x=3,y=2,z=1;cout
选取“设备销售情况表”的“设备名称”和“销售额”两列的内容(“总计”行除外)建立“簇状棱锥图”,X轴为设备名称,标题为“设备销售情况图”,不显示图例,网络线分类(X)轴和数值(z)轴显示主要网格线,将图插入到工作表的A9:E22单元格区域内。
最新回复
(
0
)