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  3. The 1990s set a record for disasters worldwide. During the decade, more than $608 billion in economic losses were chalked to nat

The 1990s set a record for disasters worldwide. During the decade, more than $608 billion in economic losses were chalked to nat

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问题     The 1990s set a record for disasters worldwide. During the decade, more than $608 billion in economic losses were chalked to natural catastrophes, an amount greater than during the previous four decades combined.

    Around the planet, a growing share of the devastation triggered by natural disasters stems from ecologically destructive practices and from putting people in harm’s way. Many ecosystems have been worn down to the point where they are no longer resilient or able to withstand natural disturbances, setting the stage for "unnatural disasters"—those made more frequent or more severe due to human actions. By degrading forests, engineering rivers, filling in wetlands, and destabilizing the climate, we are unraveling the strands of a complex ecological safety net.
    The enormous expansion of the human population and the built-up environment in the 20th and 21st centuries means that more people and economic activities are vulnerable. The migration of people to cities and coasts increases our vulnerability to the full array of natural hazards. The explosive growth of shantytowns in the cities of the developing world puts untold numbers of people at risk. These human-exacerbated disasters often take their heaviest toll on those who can least afford it— the poor.
    To date, much of the response to disasters has focused on improving weather predictions before the events and providing cleanup and humanitarian relief afterward, both of which have helped save many lives. Yet, much more can be done. Mitigation measures are far more effective when integrated into sustainable development efforts.
    Meanwhile, nature provides many valuable services to curb natural disasters. Healthy and resilient ecosystems are shock absorbers that protect against coastal storms and sponges that soak up floodwaters , for instance. In order to stem the ever-rising social and economic costs of disasters, we need to focus on how to mitigate them by understanding our culpability, taking steps to reduce our vulnerability.
    There is an important distinction between natural and unnatural disasters. Just as not every natural disturbance is a disaster, not every disaster is completely natural. We have altered many natural systems so dramatically that their ability to bounce back from disturbance has been greatly diminished. Deforestation damages watersheds, contributes to climate change, and raises the risk of fires. Destruction of coastal areas eliminates nature’s shock absorbers for coastal storms. Such human-made changes end up making naturally vulnerable areas even more vulnerable to extreme weather events.
    Droughts, and the famines that often follow, may be the most widely understood examples of unnatural disasters. They are triggered partly by global climate variability and partly by resource mismanagement such as deforestation, overgrazing, and the over-tapping of rivers and wells for irrigation.
    In contrast to human-made unnatural disasters that should be prevented, considerable effort is spent trying to stop natural disturbances that are actually beneficial. Our usual approach to natural disturbances is to try to prevent them using methods that all too often exacerbate them. In the United States, for instance, fire suppression has long been the policy, even in fire-dependent forest and grassland ecosystems. The result has been the buildup of debris that fuels very hot fires capable of destroying these ecosystems, as well as the homes that are increasingly built there. The record-setting expense of fires and fire suppression in the United States—nearly $ 1. 4 billion in federal a-gency costs in 2000—is a telling reminder of the consequences of such wrongheaded policies.
    In the future, climate change is expected to bring about rising sea levels and increased rainfall and cyclone activity. Unless something is done soon, countries will become even more vulnerable, with possibly twenty percent of the nation’s land area becoming submerged. It doesn’t help that large expanses of stabilizing mangroves have been removed from shores in recent years to make way for shrimp ponds, exposing the coast to additional inundation.
Questions 71 to 75
Complete the summary below with information from the passage, using three words or fewer for each blank.
    The increase of natural disasters has alarmed human beings in recent decades. As for the reasons, unnatural disasters due to human actions take up a certain proportion. Concerning the【E1】______to disasters, the improvement of weather predictions, the offer of humanitarian relief, and most importantly,【E2】______ are especially suggested. Valuable services provided by nature should be protected to【E3】______.【E4】______, such as deforestation and destruction of coastal areas lead to unnatural disasters. In the meantime, beneficial natural disturbances are stopped guided by【E5】______.
【E5】
选项
答案wrongheaded policies
解析 (倒数第二段提到有些natural disturbances实际上是有益的，而人们的一贯做法是试图阻止，但所用方法往往加剧了灾害的程度，最后该段提到美国火灾和防火所花费用最能反映出这种wrongheaded policies所带来的后果。)
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本试题收录于： A类竞赛（研究生）题库大学生英语竞赛（NECCS）分类
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大学生英语竞赛（NECCS）

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