首页
登录
职称英语
If trees fall in the middle of a city, does anyone make a sound? So far, not
If trees fall in the middle of a city, does anyone make a sound? So far, not
游客
2023-12-23
23
管理
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. [br] Which of the following is the main message from the sentence "sidewalks and sycamores are equally important" in paragraph 7?
选项
A、Sidewalks and pedestrians are both important factors in city planning.
B、Besides sidewalks, trees are also an important part of good environment.
C、It is of no use asking people which is more important, sidewalks or sycamores.
D、Sidewalks and sycamores should both give way to planting trees in city.
答案
B
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3299577.html
相关试题推荐
TheaffluentmiddleclasscreatedbytheAsianboomnowtakeupoverfromexport
Atfirstglance,whyanyonewouldwanttosaveCaliforniacondorsisnotent
Atfirstglance,whyanyonewouldwanttosaveCaliforniacondorsisnotent
Middlebornchildrenwilltellyouthattheyusuallydidn’tfeelallthatsp
Middlebornchildrenwilltellyouthattheyusuallydidn’tfeelallthatsp
Middlebornchildrenwilltellyouthattheyusuallydidn’tfeelallthatsp
Middlebornchildrenwilltellyouthattheyusuallydidn’tfeelallthatsp
Iftreesfallinthemiddleofacity,doesanyonemakeasound?Sofar,not
[originaltext]ThatteacherknewmorethananyoneI’veeverknown,butatthesa
[originaltext]ThatteacherknewmorethananyoneI’veeverknown,butatthesa
随机试题
StudyActivitiesinUniversityInordertohelpcollege
[originaltext]Innearlyallcivilizations,atnearlyalltimesinhistory,m
Whichofthefollowingwordsisaderivationword?A、Chairwoman.B、Smog.C、Fridge
下列选项中关于一家企业的资产总额与权益总额说法正确的是()。A.必然相等 B.
纤维混凝土在混凝土里掺入了各种纤维材料,掺入纤维的目的是为了提高混凝土的( )
财政部、建设部制订的《建设工程价款结算办法》规定,根据确定的工程计量结果,发包人
血浆pH降低引起呼吸运动增强,主要是通过刺激( )。A.肺牵张感受器 B.中
下列哪项不属于溶血性黄疸A.地中海贫血 B.遗传性球形细胞增多症 C.误输异
下列各消防安全职责中,属于消防安全重点单位特有的是()。A.对建筑消防设施每年
关于绩效改进方法的说法,正确的是()。A.标杆超越法更强调本企业固有的管理理
最新回复
(
0
)