Question

    One of the most critical roles forests play is relieving climate change. Trees suck enormous amounts of carbon dioxide out of the air and fix the carbon in their wood and the soil. A recent study found that planting new trees over an area the size of the US could suck away two thirds of all the carbon dioxide discharge that humans have pumped into the atmosphere.

“Without animals, it is harder for forests to absorb carbon, as tree species (种类) important for protecting the climate could be lost without animals", Susanne Winter, a program director said at the WWF.

In Africa, many of the tree species that absorb the most carbon rely on large birds and primates (灵长类动物) to eat their fruits and spread their large seeds, according to the report. Without them, those trees would have difficulty reproducing and forests would lose their best carbon-storing trees.

“Forests are our greatest natural ally in the fight against global warming, ”Winter said.“If we want to hold back the worldwide decline in biodiversity and prevent the climate crisis,s we need to protect the forests and the species living there.

Forests also filter (过滤) water-- as water makes its way to lakes or groundwater reserves, the roots and soil separate it from deposits and pollution that it collects along the way. What' s more, forests regulate the global water cycle, since trees' leaves, branches, and roots store or send out water vapor.

Climate models show that forest-cutting down in Central Africa could lead to a 15% drop in rainfall in the US Midwest, and Amazon deforestation (森林滥伐) could cut Texas rainfall by 25%.

Humans also get food, wood, and medicine from the abundance of plants and animals in forests. Worldwide, 1.6 billion people rely on forests for their livings, according to the United Nations. About 300 million people live in forests, according to WWF.

1.What's the purpose of Paragraph 3?

A.To tell where the large seeds go.

B.To show the tree species in Africa.

C.To draw reader' s attention to Africa.

D.To support Susanne Winter’s opinion.

2.What does the underlined word“ally" in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A.Winner.

B.Competitor.

C.Partner.

D.Victim.

3.How do forests change climate according to the passage?

A.By affecting air and water.

B.By feeding birds and animals.

C.By providing life necessities.

D.By increasing the variety of trees.

4.What can be inferred from the passage?

A.Water should be filtered.

B.The more forests, the more rain.

C.Forests should be globally protected.

D.Half the carbon dioxide is sucked away by trees.

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.A

4.C

【解析】

本文是说明文。文章介绍了森林在缓解气候变化和应对气候危机方面、在调节地球水循环方面以及为人类提供食物、木材和药物方面所起的重要作用，说明森林对于人类的重要性。

1.推理判断题。第二段中Susanne Winter 提出观点“tree species important for protecting the climate could be lost without animals "（如果没有动物，那些对于保护气候很重要的树种可能会消失）”；第三段中提到“Without them, those trees would have difficulty reproducing and forests would lose their best carbon-storing trees. （没有它们，这些树木将难以繁殖，森林将失去它们最好的碳储存树木。）”，可以推断第三段是以非洲为例，进一步说明Susanne Winter的观点。故选D项。

2.词义推断题。根据划线词后一句Winter所说的话“‘If we want to hold back the worldwide decline in biodiversity and prevent the climate crisis, we need to protect the forests and the species living there. （如果我们想阻止全球生物多样性的下降，防止气候危机，我们就需要保护森林和生活在那里的物种。）”，Winter认为森林在阻止全球气候变化中起着重要的作用，因此可以推断，“Forests are our greatest natural ally”意思为“森林是我们（对抗全球变暖）最天然的盟友/ 伙伴”。故选C项。

3.推理判断题。第一段中“One of the most critical roles forests play is relieving climate change.”，森林吸收人类排放到大气中的二氧化碳，缓解气候变化；第五段中“Forests also filter (过滤) water…forests regulate the global water cycle”，森林也过滤水，也调节着全球的水循环。因此可以推断，森林是通过影响空气和地球上的水循环影响气候的。 故选A项。

4.推理判断题。通读全文，文章第一到四段提到森林在缓解气候变化方面的作用，第五、六段提到森林在调节水循环方面的作用，第七段提到森林为我们提供食物、木材和药物。因此文章是说明森林对于人类的重要性。因此可以推断，森林应该在全球范围内得到保护。故选C项。