大学英语四级考试阅读讲义（十四）

　　The word conservation has a thrifty (节俭) meaning. To conserve is to save and protect, to leave what we ourselvesenjoy in such good condition that others may also share the enjoyment. Our forefathers had no idea that human populationwould increase faster than the supplies of raw materials; most of them, even until very recently, had the foolish idea that thetreasures were “limitless” and “inexhaustible”. Most of the citizens of earlier generations knew little or nothing about thecomplicated and delicate system that runs all through nature, and which means that, as in a living body, an unhealthycondition of one part will sooner or later be harmful to all the others.考试⼤

　　Fifty years ago nature study was not part of the school work; scientific forestry was a new idea; timber was still cheapbecause it could be brought in any quantity from distant woodlands; soil destruction and river floods were not national

problems; nobody had yet studied long-term climatic cycles in relation to proper land use; even the word “conservation” hadnothing of the meaning that it has for us today.

　　For the sake of ourselves and those who will come after us, we must now set about repairing the mistakes of our

forefathers. Conservation should, therefore, be made a part of everyone's daily life. To know about the water table (⽔位) inthe ground is just as important to us as a knowledge of the basic arithmetic formulas. We need to know why all watersheds(上游源头森林地带集⽔区) need the protection of plant life and why the running current of streams and rivers must be made toyield their full benefit to the soil before they finally escape to the sea. We need to betaught the duty of planting trees as wellas of cutting them. We need to know the importance of big, mature trees, because living space for most of man's fellow

creatures on this planet is figured not only in square measure of surface but also in cubic volume above the earth. In brief, itshould be our goal to restore as much of the original beauty of nature as we can.

　　26. The author's attitude towards the current situation in the exploitation of natural resources is .　　A) critical　　B) neutral 　　C) positive 　　D) suspicious

　　27. According to the author, the greatest mistake of our forefathers was that .　　A) they had no idea about scientific forestry

　　B) they were not aware of the significance of nature study　　C) they had little or no sense of environmental protection

　　D) they had no idea of how to make good use of raw materials

　　28. It can be inferred from the third paragraph that earlier generations didn't realize .　　A) the importance of the proper use of land　　B) the value of the beauty of nature考试⼤

　　C) the harmfulness of soil destruction and river floods　　D) the interdependence of water, soil, and living things

　　29. To avoid the mistakes of our forefathers, the author suggests that .　　A) we plant more trees　　B) we return to nature

　　C) natural sciences be taught to everybody

　　D) environmental education be directed toward everyone

　　30. What does the author imply by saying “living space...is figured...also in cubic volume above the earth” (Para. 3, Lines8-10)?

　　A) We need to take some measures to protect space.　　B) Our living space should be measured in cubic volume.

　　C) Our living space on the earth is getting smaller and smaller.

　　D) We must preserve good living conditions for both birds and animals.