Can cities and nature exist together? The answer is yes.
Visitors to Mexico’s second city, Monterrey, will not fail to be impressed by its mountains. But it is now set to be famous for another reason, its large, man- made environmental features.
Monterrey plans to build 18 green corridors (走廊) of trees to fight climate change. Taken together, these projects plan to create over 940,000 square meters of parks, and over 73 km of city streets, taking part in the “extreme tree planting”.
The city is set to start its plan for green corridors with the “Park Lake” project in the city’s northern area. This will create 80,000 square meters of green public space. In general, this first project aims to offer environmental services such as the water supply to deal with the problem of not having enough water, as well as combatting the extreme heat in the area, and to improve access to green spaces and recreational (娱乐的) areas for locals. The project is not about government actions; it is about creating community together with the people. It is realizing a good connection between companies, between people and government.
What is planned for the first stage of the project? Locals can expect increased recreational features like exercise areas and spaces for picnics, outdoor games, and quality play areas for children.
Designing Buildings reports that green corridors also connect the animals that have been separated by human development such as roads and houses, leading to an increase in the population of animals and preventing animals and plants from becoming too weak.
These green corridors are used for many different purposes, offering an impressive list of social and environmental benefits to humans, and wild animals and plants. These include greater city and environmental qualities such as recreational areas, community gardening, and the cooling space under the trees. They encourage sports activities, social communication, happiness in nature, and non-polluting vehicles such as bicycles. They also help to prevent heat islands from forming, and protect people from air pollution.
【小题1】What do we know about Monterrey?A.It will become greener and greener. | B.It will feature a natural environment. |
C.Its green corridors include 73 streets. | D.Its mountains fail to impress visitors. |
A.Using. | B.Fighting. | C.Accepting. | D.Increasing. |
A.Its process. | B.Its benefits. | C.Its promotion. | D.Its disadvantages. |
A.City Environment Needs Improving |
B.Trees Can Make a City More Attractive |
C.People and Nature Can Share a Home |
D.Planting Trees Can Solve Social Problems |
If you see the Rolling Stones in concert this summer and go get a drink, there may be no single-use plastic cup for you. The band and its promoter are working with Michael Martin - he's produced a bunch of big Earth Day concerts. The Stones approached Martin and asked for help in eliminating plastic waste. He came up with a simple solution.
"When you come up to get your first drink, you put down a $3 deposit, you get a really high-quality Rolling Stones-branded cup," says Martin. "You use it throughout the night, and at the end of the event you can turn your cup in and get your $3 back or you can keep your cup."
If you return the heavier plastic cup at the end of the show, it gets washed and used again. Or recycled. At some concert venues, there will still be disposable cups available as well. Martin, whose new company is called r. Cup, has been working with other artists, including U2, Bon Jovi, and Radiohead. "The live-event industry goes through more than 4 billion single-use cups a year. At a typical stadium event, you could see 100,000 or 200,000 cups thrown out," says Martin.
But this idea - returning and reusing a cup - this isn't exactly rocket science. So, why is this just being tried now?
"That's a really good question," says Martin. "In America, we're a throwaway society, and what's happening is that people are now seeing the consequences of that. And so, we're hoping we'll be able to wake people up and rearrange things."
Throwaway cups do serve a few purposes: They're cheap and easy, and it's a way for vendors to keep track of sales and make sure their employees aren't giving away free beer. Still, Martin says we can get past that. He'd like to introduce reusable cups at sporting events, zoos, universities, and festivals.
He's starting with rock concerts because artists have a pretty powerful platform. I mean, if Mick Jagger tells his fans to stop abusing the planet, who's going to say no to that?
【小题1】Why did the Stones talk to Martin?A.Martin could work with artists harmoniously. |
B.Martin could run a new company successfully. |
C.Martin could offer assistance to reduce waste. |
D.Martin could provide recycled cups for audiences. |
A.It introduces a heavier plastic cup that can be both recycled and reused. |
B.It is well received among artists and customers in the live-event industry. |
C.It requires $3 deposit and customers can get a branded cup of good quality. |
D.It succeeds in preventing 4 billion single-use cups from going to the dump. |
A.Throwaway cups do serve few practical purposes. |
B.People are aware of the bad effect from throwaway cups. |
C.Artists play a significant role in stopping plastic pollution. |
D.A live concert consumes over 4 billion single-use cups a year. |
A.Martin Produces Earth Day Concerts | B.Environmental Rules Take Effect |
C.Single-use Plastic Cups Disappear | D.The Rolling Stones Go Green |
There is nothing like a coast redwood. It is the planet’s tallest tree, soaring to heights of more than 320 feet into the sky. They have trunks that are more than 27 feet wide and can live for over 2,000 years. Some of the gentle giants living today were alive during the time of the Roman Empire.
Before the mid-19th century, coast redwoods spread throughout a range of some 2 million acres along the California coast. People had been peacefully co-existing with the forests forever. But with the gold rush came the logging (伐木作业); and today only 5 percent of the original old-growth coast redwood forest remains along a 450-mile strip of coast. And as the planet warms up, the specific conditions required by the redwoods change; their future doesn’t look so great. Animals can migrate north to escape the south’s warming temperatures; trees, not so much.
But with David Milarch on the case, maybe they can. In 1991, Milarch literally died from a life-threatening illness, before being revived and springing back to life. There’s nothing like a near-death experience to inspire a new course in life, as was the case with Milarch. His new quest? To harvest the genes of the coast redwoods and give them an assist in migration.
“I feel sorrow that 95 percent of them were killed and we didn’t even know what they do to strengthen our ability as human beings to live on this planet,” says Milarch. “We killed them. That’s the bad news. To put back every single tree that was cut down and killed. And I’m going to do it. ” By cloning and replanting them in places where they once thrived (繁荣) but were lost, he is not only increasing their numbers but planting them in locations where they have a better chance of longevity. And the result is two-fold: Save the trees and save the planet for humankind. Redwood trees are among the most effective carbon sequestration (碳封存) tools in the world.
【小题1】What is the first paragraph mainly about?A.A brief introduction of redwoods. | B.The information about our planet. |
C.The history of the Roman Empire. | D.The special height of the redwood. |
A.The warming climate. | B.The overcutting. |
C.The ocean disaster. | D.The worsening soil condition. |
A.His love for plants. | B.His concern on global warming. |
C.His surviving experience. | D.His study on the genetics of the redwood. |
A.The animals which live nearby. | B.The effective tool used to plant trees. |
C.The places where the trees grow. | D.The amounts of water trees need. |
The increasing environmental problems and need for eco-friendly products and services are creating a new job section of green-collar jobs.
A.People who read newspapers can also find different kinds of green-collar jobs. |
B.People who take green careers will be well paid. |
C.Where can you find green-collar jobs? |
D.Green-collar jobs have become a bright career chance for all. |
E.Many countries have realized the importance and need for energy-saving products and services. |
F.Therefore, possibilities are being explored to find alternatives to meet demands in a better way. |
G.Forget the blue–collar and white–collar categories. |
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