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  3. Degradation of the world’s natural resources by humans is rapidly outpacing the planet’s ability to absorb the damage, a recent

Degradation of the world’s natural resources by humans is rapidly outpacing the planet’s ability to absorb the damage, a recent

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问题     Degradation of the world’s natural resources by humans is rapidly outpacing the planet’s ability to absorb the damage, a recent UN environmental study has found. The study concludes that without radical action the level of prosperity that millions of people in the developed world count on will be impossible to maintain or extend to poorer countries.
    Water scarcity is the curse of some of the poorest regions on Earth, leaving developing countries increasingly unable to feed themselves, and causing hardship for millions of people. There appears little prospect of this desperate situation being remedied without radical action being taken. Water sources are under increasing threat from population growth, climate change, rapid urbanisation, rising levels of consumption, and the degradation of lands that previously provided a natural replenishment (补充) of water resources.
    The rate of damage to the natural environment was found to increase globally, despite concerted efforts to persuade governments to take measures to improve the condition. "If current trends continue, and the world fails to improve patterns of production and consumption, then the state of the world’s environment will continue to decline," warned UN executive director Achim Steiner.
    He said the tools for improving the environment for millions of people existed in developed countries, but were in danger of not being used.
    The study found that basic measures to tackle some of the key causes of environmental damage were still not being taken. These included measures to reduce air pollution; to control the damage to marine eco-systems, which can have a huge effect on fish stocks on which hundreds of millions of people depend; and to curb the degradation of land where modern agricultural methods were pursued without regard to the longer-term consequences.
    Despite the recent global agreement on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, global carbon output continues to rise. This will put a long-term strain on the ability of developing economies to feed their own people. Climate change is aggravated by the emissions of greenhouse gases from chemical and natural fertilisers used in agriculture which increased by more than a quarter between 2000 and 2010. Other problem areas identified in the report included glaciers, which provide vital water resources for millions of people, but which are shrinking as the climate warms.
    In rich countries, these problems have built up over decades and centuries while economic growth was pursued at the expense of the environment. Subsequent efforts to remedy the environment have met with partial success. But in developing countries, the path of future development has more potential to change, which has encouraged international institutions to devise more sustainable growth pathways that are supposed both to alleviate poverty and preserve the environment.
What is the major finding of the UN environmental study?
选项 A、Human activity has rendered Mother Earth almost uninhabitable.
B、Humans are doing more damage to the earth than it can cope with.
C、Environmental problems have considerably weakened human prosperity.
D、Environmental damage is more serious in developed countries these days.
答案B
解析 根据题干中的the UN environmental study定位至第1段第1句。本题询问联合国的环境研究有何主要发现。第1段第1句指出联合国最近的一项环境研究发现，人类导致的世界自然资源的退化正迅速超过地球应付资源退化的能力(outpacing the planet’s ability to absorb the damage)。B项“人类对地球造成的破坏超过了它所能应付的程度”与此同义，故为答案。选项中的more…than与outpacing对应。首段第1句指出人类的活动导致世界自然资源的退化，但并不等于A项说的“人类活动使地球母亲变得几乎不适宜居住”。本段第2句指出如果不采取根本性措施，发达国家的繁荣水平将无法维系，是对未来的假设，并非已发生的事情，故排除C项“环境问题大大削弱了人类的繁荣”。本文没有对比发展中国家与发达国家的环境破坏程度，因此D项“如今发达国家的环境破坏更为严重”也可排除。
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