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
"The world’s environment is surprisingly healthy. Discuss." If that were an examination topic, most students would tear it apar
"The world’s environment is surprisingly healthy. Discuss." If that were an examination topic, most students would tear it apar
admin
2010-06-11
61
问题
"The world’s environment is surprisingly healthy. Discuss." If that were an examination topic, most students would tear it apart, offering a long list of complaints: from local smog (烟雾) to global climate change, from the felling (砍伐) of forests to the extinction of species. The list would largely be accurate, the concern legitimate. Yet the students who should be given the highest marks would actually be those who agreed with the statement. The surprise is how good things are, not how bad.
After all, the world’s population has more than tripled during this century, and world output has risen hugely, so you would expect the earth itself to have been affected. Indeed, if people lived, consumed and produced things in the same way as they did in 1900 (or 1950, or indeed 1980) , the world by now would be a pretty disgusting place: smelly, dirty, toxic and dangerous.
But they don’t. The reasons why they don’t, and why the environment has not been mined, have to do with prices, technological innovation, social change and government regulation in response to popular pressure. That is why today’s environmental problems in the poor countries ought, in principle, to be solvable.
Raw materials have not run out, and show no sign of doing so. Logically, one day they must: the planet is a finite place. Yet it is also very big, and man is very ingenious. What has happened is that every time a material seems to be running short, the price has risen and, in response, people have looked for new sources of supply, tried to find ways to use less of the material, or looked for a new substitute. For this reason prices for energy and for minerals have fallen in real terms during the century. The same is true for food. Prices fluctuate, in response to harvests, natural disasters and political instability; and when they rise, it takes some time before new sources of supply become available. But they always do, assisted by new farming and crop technology. The long-term trend has been downwards.
It is where prices and markets do not operate properly that this benign (良性的) trend begins to stumble, and the genuine problems arise. Markets cannot always keep the environment healthy. If no one owns the resource concerned, no one has an interest in conserving it or fostering it: fish is the best example of this.
One of the reasons why the long-term trend of prices has been downwards is that______.
选项
A、technological innovation can promote social stability
B、political instability will cause consumption to drop
C、new farming and crop technology can lead to overproduction
D、new sources are always becoming available
答案
D
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/iSKK777K
0
大学英语六级
相关试题推荐
A、Atabank.B、Atatravelagency.C、Atapostoffice.D、Atanairport.CM:Ineedastampforthispostcard.It’sgoingtoArkan
A、Tohelpcareeristsandworkaholicsmovetocomprehensivedevelopment.B、Tourgecareeristsandworkaholicstoworkharder.C、T
What’sthepublic’sopinionaboutnuclearindustry?ThemostimportantreasonwhytheBushadministrationsupportmorenewnucl
A、Becausetheyarebeneficialinsects.B、Becausetheydestroyinsectswithouthurtingusinanyway.C、Becausetheyprotectinse
A、Heforgottotakehisrodandreelwhenhewentfishing.B、Heoncestartedtoleavewithouthavinganypantson.C、Heforgoth
A、Beforebreakfast.B、Latemorning.C、Mid-afternoon.D、Lateevening.CThewomansaid,“Itcouldbethattherearen’tenoughpeopl
A、Apen.B、Aschoolbag.C、Abook.D、Apencil.A男士在最后提到了三件东西,“Thisyearit’sapen,butsometimesit’sabookoraschoolbag.”在本
TheAmericaneconomicsystemisorganizedaroundabasicallyprivateenterprise,marketorientedeconomyinwhichconsumerslarg
A、Singingloudly.B、Listeningtomusic.C、Studying.D、Talkingonthephone.B
A、Apharmacist.B、Asalesman.C、Alibrarian.D、Adoctor.A人物身份推断题根据关键词prescription和vitamins可以推断布朗先生是一名药剂师。
随机试题
高钾血症与低钾血症的共同临床表现为()。
男性,35岁,发现右上第二双尖牙腭侧牙龈发白3天,检查见患部有1cm×0.5cm白色角化斑块,表面棘刺状下列哪项最有助于诊断或鉴别诊断
既不适用于脾胃阴虚又不适用于心脏痛,心慌心动过速者的非处方药是()
A.具有高级专业技术职务任职资格的医师B.具有中级以上专业技术职务任职资格的医师C.具有初级专业技术职务任职资格的医师D.具有专业技术职务任职资格的药师可授予特殊使用级抗菌药物处方权的是
土壤环境质量二级标准是为保障农业生产,()的土壤()。
商业银行应当按照中国人民银行的规定,向中国人民银行交存存款准备金,不留备付金。()
进出口关税条例规定,报关企业和其他单位应负有的法律责任有()。
(),犯罪嫌疑人可以聘请律师。
(02年)设有一小山,取它的底面所在的平面为xOy坐标面,其底部所占的区域为D={(x,y)|x2+y2一xy≤75},小山的高度函数为h(x,y)=75一x2一y2+xy(1)设M(x0,y0)为区域D上的一个点,问h(x,y)在该点沿平面上沿什么方向
Inordertoraisemoney,AuntNicolahadto_____withsomeofhermosttreasuredpossessions.
最新回复
(
0
)