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  3. The planet is getting lusher, and we are responsible. Carbon dioxide generated by human activity is stimulating photosynthesis (

The planet is getting lusher, and we are responsible. Carbon dioxide generated by human activity is stimulating photosynthesis (

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问题    The planet is getting lusher, and we are responsible. Carbon dioxide generated by human activity is stimulating photosynthesis (光合作用) and causing a beneficial greening of the Earth’s surface. For the first time, researchers claim to have shown that the increase in plant cover is due to this "CO2 fertilization effect" rather than other causes. However, it remains unclear whether the effect can counter any negative consequences of global warming, such as the spread of deserts.
   Recent satellite studies have shown that the planet is harboring more vegetation overall, but pinning down the cause has been difficult. Factors such as higher temperatures, extra rainfall, and an increase in atmospheric CO2—which helps plants use water more efficiently—could all be boosting vegetation. To home in on the effect of CO2, Randall Donohue of Australia’s national research institute, the CSIRO in Canberra, monitored vegetation at the edges of deserts in Australia, southern Africa, the US Southwest, North Africa, the Middle East and central Asia. These are regions where there is ample warmth and sunlight, but only just enough rainfall for vegetation to grow, so any change in plant cover must be the result of a change in rainfall patterns or CO2levels, or both.
   If CO2 levels were constant, then the amount of vegetation per unit of rainfall ought to be constant, too. However, the team found that this figure rose by 11 per cent in these areas between 1982 and 2010, mirroring the rise in CO2( Geophysical Research Letters, doi. org/mqx). Donohue says this lends "strong support" to the idea that CO2 fertilization drove the greening.
   Climate change studies have predicted that many dry areas will get drier and that some deserts will expand. Donohue’s findings make this less certain. However, the greening effect may not apply to the world’s driest regions. Beth Newingham of the University of Idaho, Moscow, recently published the result of a 10-year experiment involving a greenhouse set up in the Mojave Desert of Nevada. She found "no sustained increase in biomass" when extra CO2 was pumped into the greenhouse. "You cannot assume that all these deserts respond the same," she says. "Enough water needs to be present for the plants to respond at all."
Why do researchers claim that the increase in plant cover is due to this " CO2 fertilization effect"?
选项 A、CO2 is beneficial for photosynthesis.
B、CO2 is generated by human activities, which drive the greening.
C、CO2has a positive effect on the global warming.
D、The planet is getting lusher due to CO2.
答案A
解析 根据题干可以将该题定位至文章第一段。第一段第二句Carbon dioxide generated by human activity is stimulating photosynthesis and causing a beneficial greening of the Earth’s surface，人类活动所产生的二氧化碳刺激了光合作用，对地球表面的绿化有利。文章接着指出，研究人员第一次声称植被覆盖率的增加是因为“二氧化碳施肥效应”，而非其他原因。因此可以根据前文选出A选项，因为二氧化碳刺激了光合作用。其他选项都不是真正的原因所在。
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