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  3. Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic growth, and as a result it h

Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic growth, and as a result it h

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问题     Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic growth, and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumptions behind it or the way the concept is put to use. This is especially true in agriculture, where sustainable development is often taken as the sole measure of progress without a proper appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives.
    To start with, it is important to remember that the nature of agriculture has changed markedly throughout history, and will continue to do so. Medieval agriculture in northern Europe led, clothed and sheltered a predominantly rural society with a much lower population density than it is today. It had minimal effect on biodiversity, and any pollution it caused was typically localized. In terms of energy use and the nutrients captured in the product it was relatively inefficient.
    Contrast this with farming since the start of the industrial revolution. Competition from overseas led farmers to specialize and increase yields. Throughout this period food became cheaper, safe and more reliable. However, these changes have also led to habitat loss and to diminishing biodiversity.
    What’s more, demand for animal products in developing countries is growing so fast that meeting it will require an extra 300 million tons of grain a year by 2050. Yet the growth of cities and industry is reducing the amount of water available for agriculture in many regions.
    All this mean that agriculture in the 21st century will have to be very different from how it was in the 20st. This will require radical thinking. For example, we need to move away from the idea that traditional practices are inevitably more sustainable than new ones. We also need to abandon the notion that agriculture can be "zero impact". The key will be to abandon the rather simple and static measures of sustainability, which centre on the need, to maintain production without increasing damage.
    Instead we need a more dynamic interpretation, one that looks at the pros and cons of all the various ways land is used. There are many different ways to measure agricultural performance besides food yield: energy use, environmental cost, water purity, carbon footprint and biodiversity. It is clear, for example, that the carbon of transporting tomatoes from Spain to the UK is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting. But we do not know whether lower carbon footprints will always be better for biodiversity.
    What is crucial is recognizing that sustainable agriculture is not just about sustainable food production.
Which of the following is a radical way to think of agriculture in 21 st century?
选项 A、Tradition practices are inevitably more sustainable than new ones.
B、Agriculture can be "zero impact".
C、Sustainability can be measured from more aspects.
D、Demand for animal products in developing countries should growing fast.
答案C
解析 根据文中第五段的“All this mean that agriculture in the 21st century will have to be verydifferent from how it was in the 20st．This will require radical thinking．For example，we need to moveaway from the idea that traditional practices are inevitably more sustainable than new ones．We alsoneed to abandon the notion that agriculture Can be‘zero impact’．The key will be to abandon the rathersimple and static measures of sustainability,which centre on the need to maintain production withoutincreasing damage．”可知，所有这些都意味着21世纪的农业将非常不同于20世纪的农业。这需要激进的思考方式。例如，我们需要摒弃传统生产比新型生产注定更有利于可持续发展的想法。我们同样需要抛弃农业可以“零污染”的观念。关键在于放弃相对简单和静态的衡量可持续发展性的方法，而这些方法的核心在于需要在保持生产的同时避免产生更多的破坏。据此可知，A、B两项与文意不符。根据文中倒数第二段的“There are many different ways to measure agriculturalperformance besides food yield：energy use，environmental cost，water purity,carbon footptint andbiodiversity．”可知，除了粮食产量以外，还有很多不同的方式可以衡量农业的效益；能源利用、环境成本、水源纯净程度、碳排放和生物多样性。据此可知，C项正确。
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