Forests give us shade, quiet and one of the harder challenges in the fight against climate change. Even as we humans count on forests to soak up a good share of the carbon dioxide we produce, we are threatening their ability to do so. The climate change we are hastening could one day leave us with forests that emit more carbon than they absorb.
Thankfully, there is a way out of this trap—but it involves striking a subtle balance. Helping forests flourish as valuable “carbon sinks” long into the future may require reducing their capacity to sequester carbon now. California is leading the way, as it does on so many climate efforts, in figuring out the details.
The state’s proposed Forest Carbon Plan aims to double efforts to thin out young trees and clear brush in parts of the forest, including by controlled burning. This temporarily lowers carbon―carrying capacity. But the remaining trees draw a greater share of the available moisture, so they grow and thrive, restoring the forest’s capacity to pull carbon from the air. Healthy trees are also better able to fend off bark beetles. The landscape is rendered less combustible. Even in the event of a fire, fewer trees are consumed.
The need for such planning is increasingly urgent. Already, since 2010, drought and beetles have killed more than 100 million trees in California, most of them in 2016 alone, and wildfires have scorched hundreds of thousands of acres.
California’s plan envisions treating 35,000 acres of forest a year by 2020, and 60,000 by 2030—financed from the proceeds of the state’s emissions-permit auctions. That’s only a small share of the total acreage that could benefit, an estimated half a million acres in all, so it will be important to prioritize areas at greatest risk of fire or drought.
The strategy also aims to ensure that carbon in woody material removed from the forests is locked away in the form of solid lumber, burned as biofuel in vehicles that would otherwise run on fossil fuels, or used in compost or animal feed. New research on transportation biofuels is under way, and the state plans to encourage lumber production close to forest lands. In future the state proposes to take an inventory of its forests’ carbon-storing capacity every five years.
State governments are well accustomed to managing forests, including those owned by the U.S. Forest Service, but traditionally they’ve focused on wildlife, watersheds and opportunities for recreation. Only recently have they come to see the vital part forests will have to play in storing carbon. California’s plan, which is expected to be finalized by the governor early next year, should serve as a model.
1.By saying “one of the harder challenges,” the author implies that（ ）.
2.To maintain forests as valuable “carbon sinks,” we may need to （ ）.
3.California’s Forest Carbon Plan endeavors to （ ）.
4.What is essential to California’s plan according to Paragraph 5?
5.The author’s attitude to California’s plan can best be described as（ ）.
问题1选项
A.forests may become a potential threat
B.people may misunderstand global warming
C.extreme weather conditions may arise
D.global climate change may get out of control
问题2选项
A.lower their present carbon-absorbing capacity
B.strike a balance among different plants
C.accelerate the growth of young trees
D.preserve the diversity of species in them
问题3选项
A.cultivate more drought-resistant trees
B.find more effective ways to kill insects
C.reduce the density of some of its forests
D.restore its forests quickly after wildfires
问题4选项
A.To carry it out before the year of 2020.
B.To handle the areas in serious danger first.
C.To perfect the emissions-permit auctions
D.To obtain enough financial support.
问题5选项
A.ambiguous
B.tolerant
C.cautious
D.supportive
第1题:A
第2题:A
第3题:C
第4题:B
第5题:D
第1题:
【选项释义】
By saying “one of the harder challenges,” the author implies that _____. 通过说“其中一个更困难的挑战”，作者暗示_____。
A. forests may become a potential threat A. 森林可能成为潜在的威胁
B. people may misunderstand global warming B. 人们可能会误解全球变暖
C. extreme weather conditions may arise C. 极端天气条件可能出现
D. global climate change may get out of control D. 全球气候变化可能失控
【答案】A
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干定位到首段第一句和最后一句，分别提到“森林（Forests）为我们提供了阴凉、宁静的环境，也是应对气候变化斗争中艰巨的挑战之一（one of the harder challenges）”，以及“我们正在加速的气候变化有一天可能会让我们的森林（forests）排放的碳超过它们吸收的碳”，综上可知，选项A符合原文。
【干扰项排除】
B、C、D选项原文没有提及，属于无中生有。
第2题:
【选项释义】
To maintain forests as valuable “carbon sinks,” we may need to _____. 为了保持森林作为有价值的“碳汇”，我们可能需要_____。
A. lower their present carbon-absorbing capacity A. 降低它们目前的碳吸收能力
B. strike a balance among different plants B. 在不同的植物之间保持平衡
C. accelerate the growth of young trees C. 加速幼树生长
D. preserve the diversity of species in them D. 保持它们物种的多样性
【答案】A
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干定位到原文第二段第二句“因此在未来很长一段时间内，帮助森林作为有价值的‘碳汇’（carbon sinks）而蓬勃发展，可能需要降低（reducing）它们现在的固碳（sequester carbon）能力”，由此可知，选项A符合原文。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“在不同的植物之间保持平衡”，第二段第一句提到“微妙的平衡（subtle balance）”，但并没提到是不同植被之间的，该选项属于过度推断；
C、D选项原文没有提及，属于无中生有。
第3题:
【选项释义】
California’s Forest Carbon Plan endeavors to _____. 加州的森林碳计划致力_____。
A. cultivate more drought-resistant trees A. 种植更多的抗旱树木
B. find more effective ways to kill insects B. 寻找更有效的方法杀死昆虫
C. reduce the density of some of its forests C. 减少一些森林的密度
D. restore its forests quickly after wildfires D. 火灾后迅速恢复森林
【答案】C
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干定位到原文第三段第一句“该州提出的森林碳计划旨在加倍努力（aims to double efforts），使部分森林的幼树变薄（thin），并清除（clear brush）灌木丛，包括通过控制燃烧（controlled burning）”，由此可知，这样做的目的都是为了减少森林的密度，选项C正确。
【干扰项排除】
A、B、D选项不符合原文，属于曲解原文。
第4题:
【选项释义】
What is essential to California’s plan according to Paragraph 5? 根据第5段，加州计划的关键是什么？
A. To carry it out before the year of 2020. A. 要在2020年之前实施。
B. To handle the areas in serious danger first. B. 优先处理严重危险地区。
C. To perfect the emissions-permit auctions. C. 完善排放许可拍卖制度。
D. To obtain enough financial support. D. 获得足够的财政支持。
【答案】B
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干定位到第五段最后一句“这只占可能受益的总面积的一小部分，估计总共有50万英亩，因此优先考虑（prioritize）火灾或干旱风险最大（greatest risk）的地区将非常重要（be important）”，题干中的essential对应so it will be important，选项B符合原文。
【干扰项排除】
A、C、D选项原文没有提及，属于无中生有。
第5题:
【选项释义】
The author’s attitude to California’s plan can best be described as _____. 作者对加州计划的态度可以用_____来形容。
A. ambiguous A. 含糊的
B. tolerant B. 宽容的
C. cautious C. 谨慎的
D. supportive D. 支持的
【答案】D
【考查点】观点态度题。
【解题思路】定位到最后一段最后一句“预计加州州长将于明年初最终敲定这项计划，它应该可以作为一个榜样（a model）”，由此可知，作者的态度是肯定的，选项D符合。
【干扰项排除】
A、B、C选项不符合作者的观点态度，属于曲解原文。
【参考译文】
森林给我们带来了阴凉和宁静，也是应对气候变化的艰巨挑战之一。尽管我们人类指望森林吸收我们产生的大量二氧化碳，但我们正在威胁森林的吸收能力。我们正在加速的气候变化有一天可能会让我们的森林排放的碳比吸收的还多。
值得庆幸的是，我们有办法走出这个陷阱——但这需要取得微妙的平衡。要帮助森林在未来长期作为宝贵的“碳汇”繁荣发展，可能需要现在就降低其碳封存能力。加利福尼亚州在解决细节问题方面走在了前列，就像它在许多气候问题上所做的那样。
该州提出的森林碳计划旨在加倍努力疏伐幼树，清除部分森林中的灌木，包括通过控制燃烧。这将暂时降低碳携带能力。但是，剩下的树木可以汲取更多的水分，从而茁壮成长，恢复森林从空气中吸收碳的能力。健康的树木还能更好地抵御树皮甲虫。景观的可燃性降低。即使发生火灾，被烧毁的树木也会减少。
对此类规划的需求日益迫切。自2010年以来，干旱和甲虫已经导致加州1亿多棵树木死亡，其中大部分是在2016年，野火也烧毁了数十万英亩的土地。
加州的计划设想到2020年每年处理35000英亩森林，到2030年处理60000英亩，资金来自该州的排放许可证拍卖收入。这仅仅是可能受益的总面积（估计共50万英亩）中的一小部分，因此必须优先处理火灾或干旱风险最大的地区。
该战略还旨在确保从森林中移除的木质材料中的碳能以实木木材的形式被锁住，在原本使用化石燃料的车辆中作为生物燃料燃烧，或用于堆肥或动物饲料。有关运输生物燃料的新研究正在进行中，该州计划鼓励在林地附近生产木材。今后，该州计划每五年对其森林的碳储存能力进行一次盘点。
州政府已经习惯于管理森林，包括美国林务局所有的森林，但传统上他们更关注野生动物、流域和娱乐机会。直到最近，他们才意识到森林在储存碳方面的重要作用。预计加州州长将于明年初最终确定加州的计划，该计划应该成为一个典范。
【出处】《彭博新闻》2017.11.28
