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词数:355 话题:废物处理与环境 文体:记叙文
Inthefighttoconservetropicalrainforests,here‘satoolyoudon‘toftenhearabout:orangepeels.Specifically,12,000tonsofthem,weredumped(倾倒)ontheland.Youdon‘tusuallyassociatewastetreatmentwithbiodiversitybenefits,somethingthat‘sgoodfortheenvironment.
TimTreuerisanecologistatPrincetonUniversityandhe‘stalkingaboutauniqueconservationstory.Itstartedintheearly1990s,whenanorangejuiceproducercalledDelOrosetupacompanyneartheGuanacasteConservationAreainCostaRica,aregionthatcontainsseveralnationalparksandawildlifeprotectionzone.
DelOroneededsomewheretodumptheorangepeels,andthecompanyalsoownedforestedlandnexttotheparklandthatithadnointentionofgrowingcropson.Soadealwasstruck:ifDelOrodonateditsforestedland,itcoulddumporangepeelwasteondegraded(退化的)landwithintheconservationarea.Thenathousanddumptrucks‘worthoforangepeelswerelyingonthelandin1998.Andwithinaboutsixmonthstheorangepeelshadbeenturnedfromorangepeelsintothisthickblackrichsoil.
“Icouldn‘tevenfindthesitethefirsttimeIsawit.”Hecouldn‘tfinditbecause,over16years,theorangepeelwastehadsentthelandonajourneytobecomeavine-chokedjungle,withthreetimesthediversityoftreespeciesoftheneighbouringcontrolplot,richersoilandamuchthickercovering.Inotherwords,theexperimentwasasuccess.TheresultsappearinthejournalRestorationEcology.
Treuersaysperhapsthislessoncouldbeappliedelsewhere.“It‘sashamethatweliveinaworldwithnutrient-limiteddegradedecosystemsandalsonutrient-richwastestreams.We‘dliketoseethosethingscometogetheralittlebit.That‘snotlicenceforanyagriculturalcompanytojuststartdumpingtheirwasteproductsonprotectedareas,butitdoesmeanthatlandmanagers,restorationists,peopleinvolvedwithindustrial-scaleagriculturaloperationsshouldstartthinkingaboutwaystodothoughtfulexperimentationtoseeifintheirparticularsystemtheycanhavesimilarwin-win-winresults.”
1.Whatdoestheunderlinedword“It”inParagraph2referto?
A.Wastetreatment.
B.Aconservationstory.
C.Anorangejuicecompany.
D.Thebiodiversitybenefit.
2.Whatdoestheauthorsayaboutorangepeels?
A.Theyareparticularlyhardtobreakdown.
B.Theycanchangethecolourofthelandsoil.
C.Theyarebeneficialtobiologicaldiversity.
D.Theycangraduallydestroythesurfacesoil.
3.WhatdoTreuer‘swordsinthelastparagraphsuggest?
A.Wastecanbeusedforenvironmentalprotection.
B.Nowastecanbethrownrandomlyontheprotectedareas.
C.Large-scaleagriculturaloperationsstartwithexperiments.
D.Landmanagersmustbereadytotakeontheirresponsibility.
4.Whatmightbethebesttitleforthepassage?
A.Howtodealwithorangepeels
B.Howtoimprovethedegradedland
C.Afruitfulexperimentinlandconservation
D.Waystoprotecttropicalforestseffectively
