C
LONDON: What could possibly be wrong with planting trees? The benefits are obvious; they  firm the soil, soak up (摄取) extra water and take carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) our of the atmosphere.
However, it now turns out that planting trees could add to global warming.
Tree roots do a great job of keeping soil firmly on the ground and out of the wind’s power. The problem is that some of those dust clouds play an important part in soaking up carbon dioxide.
Huge dust storms blow out over the oceans from dry parts of North Africa and central Asia. Tons of dust are lifted and left as a thin film over the ocean surface. The dust fuels oceanic life.
Dust from China is carried east and left in the Pacific Ocean. If a tree-planting programme there is successful and the dust supply reduced, the net result may be that less carbon dioxide gets locked away in the ocean.
Andy Ridgwell, an environmental scientist from the University of East Anglia, has spent the past few years studying dust and says his work “shows clearly that the complexity of the system and the importance of not tinkering(粗劣地修补) with it without understanding the results. For this reason the need is to focus(集中) on cutting carbon dioxide giving off rather than monkeying (瞎弄) about with the land surface.”
An American scientist, Robert Jackson, has shown that when native grassland areas are invaded(侵入) by trees, carbon is lost from the soil. “We are studying why the soil carbon disappears, but one theory is that trees do a lot more of their growing above ground compared to grasses, so less carbon goes directly into the soil from trees, ” says Jackson.
In wet areas of the world, the gain from trees absorbing carbon dioxide above ground seems to be outweighed(超过) by the loss of carbon from the soil below ground. Countries that plan to combat global warming by planting trees may have to think again.
Solutions to environmental problems are often more complex than they first appear, and understanding the Earth’s climate is a very great challenge.
63．People usually hold the opinion that       .
A．huge dust storms can destroy carbon dioxide
B．huge dust storms can destroy the oceans on the earth
C．huge dust storms can’t do anything beneficial for man
D．planting trees is the only way to control huge dust storms
64．Andy Ridgwell, the environmental scientist, believes that       .
A．dust plays a more important part than trees
B．trees should’t have been planted in dry places
C．carbon dioxide is harmful to everything on the earth
D．environmental problems are more complex than expected
65．Robert Jackson’s experiment proves that         .
A．grassland areas should be covered by forests
B．trees hold more carbon than grasses
C．carbon can turn grass into dust
D．less carbon can make trees grow faster
66．The underlined word “combat” in the last paragraph means      .
A．learn about      B．fight against     C．live with   D．give up

 Playing QQ’s “Happy Farm” by planting, watering, fertilizing, spraying, harvesting and selling of virtual vegetables, fruits and flowers, we can find out ________ all the excitement is about.

A. that                 B. if                       C. what                    D. when

There are several advantages in planting trees：they firm the soil，soak(渗透) up extra water and take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. However，it now turns out that planting trees could add to global warming. We all know that tree roots do a great job of keeping soil firmly on the ground and out of the wind's power. The problem is that some of the dust clouds play an important part in soaking up carbon dioxide.

Huge dust storms blow out over the oceans from  dry parts of North Africa and Central Asia. Tons of dust are lifted and left as a thin film over the ocean surface.

Dust from China is carried east and left in the Pacific Ocean. If a tree­planting programme there is successful and the dust supply reduced, the net result may be that less carbon dioxide gets locked away in the ocean.

Andy，an environmental scientist has spent the past few years studying dust and says his work shows clearly the complexity of the system. For this reason the need is to focus on cutting carbon dioxide giving off rather than doing anything else.

Robert, an American scientist, has  shown that when native grassland areas are invaded by trees, carbon is lost from the soil. “We are studying why the soil carbon disappears，but one theory is that trees do a lot more of their growing above ground compared to grass, so less carbon goes directly into the soil from trees.” said Robert.

In wet areas of the world, the gain from trees absorbing carbon dioxide above ground seems to be outweighed by the loss of carbon from the soil below ground.

Countries that plan to fight against global warming by planting trees may have to think again. Solutions to environmental problems are often more complex than they first appear，and understanding the Earth's climate is a very great challenge.

60．People usually hold the opinion that ________.

A. huge dust storms can destroy carbon dioxide

B. planting trees could reduce global warming

C. huge dust storms can destroy the oceans on the Earth

D. planting trees is the only way to control huge dust storms

61．Andy, an  environmental  scientist, believes  that________.

A. environmental problems are more complex than expected                 

B. trees shouldn't have been planted in dry places

C. dust plays a more important part than trees

D. carbon dioxide is harmful to everything

62．Robert's experiment proves that ________.

A. trees absorb more carbon than grass

B. carbon can turn grass into dust

C. less carbon can make trees grow faster

D. grassland areas should be covered by forests

63．The best title for this passage is “________”．

A. The importance of planting trees

B. The dust clouds soak up carbon dioxide

C. Is it really useful to plant trees to reduce global warming?

D. Why the soil carbon disappears

Special Bridges Help Animals Cross the Road

——Reported by Sheila Carrick

    Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.

    Most people know this joke. But recently, some people have been much more worried about how the grizzly bear and mountain lion can cross the road.

     “Millions of animals die each year on U.S. roads,” the Federal Highway Administration reports. In fact, only about 80 ocelots, an endangered wild cat, exist in the U.S. today. The main reason? Roadkill.

     “Ecopassages” may help animals cross the road without being hit by cars. They are paths both over and under roads. “These ecopassages can be extremely useful, so that wildlife can avoid road accidents,” said Jodi Hilty of the Wildlife Protection Society.

    But do animals actually use the ecopassages? The answer is yes. Paul Beier of Northern Arizona University found foot marks left by mountain lions on an ecopassage that went under a highway. This showed that the lions used the passage.

    Builders of ecopassages try to make them look like a natural part of an area by planting trees on and around them. Animals seem to be catching on. Animals as different as salamanders and grizzly bears are using the bridges and underpasses.

    The next time you visit a park or drive through an area with a lot of wildlife, look around. You might see an animals overpass!

1. The writer uses the example of “ocelots” to show that ______.

  A. wild animals have become more dangerous

  B. the driving conditions have improved greatly

  C. the measure for protecting wildlife fails to work

  D. an increasing number of animals are killed in road accidents

2. From the news story, we know an ecopassage is ______.

  A. an underground path for cars                                  

B. a fence built for the safety of the area

  C. a bridge for animals to get over a river                    

D. a pass for animals to cross the road

3. When the writer says that animals seem “to be catching on”, he means ______.

  A. animals begin to realize the dangers on the road 

B. animals begin to learn to use ecopassages

  C. animals are crossing the road in groups                    

D. animals are increasing in number

4. The writer asks visitors and drivers to look around when traveling because ______.

  A. wild animals may attack cars                                  

B. wild animals may jam the road

  C. they may see wild animals in the park               

D. they may see wild animals on ecopassages

Playing QQ’s “Happy Farm” by planting, watering, fertilizing, spraying, harvesting and selling of virtual vegetables, fruits and flowers, we can find out       all the excitement is about

1. A.
   that
2. B.
   if
3. C.
   what
4. D.
   when