Part A: Reading Comprehension

Text 2

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 absorb 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. 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 insects. The landscape is rendered less easily burnable. Even in the event of a fire, fewer trees are consumed.

The need for such planning is increasingly urgent. Already, since 2010, drought and insects have killed over 100 million trees in California, most of them in 2016 alone, and wildfires have burned hundreds of thousands of acres.

California plans to treat 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, about half a million acres in all, so it will be vital 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 or burned as biofuel in vehicles that would otherwise run on fossil fuels. New research on transportation biofuels is already under way.

State governments are well accustomed to managing forests, 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 next year, should serve as a model.

26. By saying “one of the harder challenges,” the author implies that

[A]

global climate change may get out of control. 

[B]

people may misunderstand global warming. 

[C]

extreme weather conditions may arise. 

[D]

forests may become a potential threat. 

27. To maintain forests as valuable “carbon sinks,” we may need to

[A]

preserve the diversity of species in them. 

[B]

accelerate the growth of young trees. 

[C]

strike a balance among different plants. 

[D]

lower their present carbon-absorbing capacity. 

28. California’s Forest Carbon Plan endeavors to

[A]

cultivate more drought-resistant trees. 

[B]

reduce the density of some of its forests. 

[C]

find more effective ways to kill insects. 

[D]

restore its forests quickly after wildfires. 

29. What is essential to California’s plan according to Paragraph 5?

[A]

To handle the areas in serious danger first. 

[B]

To carry it out before the year of 2020. 

[C]

To perfect the emissions-permit auctions. 

[D]

To obtain enough financial support. 

30. The author’s attitude to California’s plan can best be described as

[A]

ambiguous. 

[B]

tolerant. 

[C]

supportive. 

[D]

cautious. 

答案解析 (Answers & Explanations)

26. [D] forests may become a potential threat.
解析：第一段首句提到森林带来了“更困难的挑战之一”。紧接着后两句原理解释了原因：“我们在威胁森林吸收碳的能力……我们正在加速的气候变化可能会让未来的森林排放的碳多于它们吸收的碳（emit more carbon than they absorb）”。这意味着本该吸收碳的森林反而成了碳排放源，因此“森林可能成为潜在的威胁（potential threat）”，选D。

27. [D] lower their present carbon-absorbing capacity.
解析：第二段第二句明确指出：“帮助森林在遥远的未来作为有价值的‘碳汇’繁荣发展，可能需要现在减少它们吸收碳的能力（require reducing their capacity to absorb carbon now）”。这完美对应选项D的“降低它们目前的碳吸收能力”。

28. [B] reduce the density of some of its forests.
解析：第三段首句阐述了加州森林碳计划的具体做法：“旨在加倍努力使部分森林中的年轻树木变得稀疏并清除灌木丛（thin out young trees and clear brush in parts of the forest）”。“thin out（使稀疏）”和“clear（清除）”就是要降低森林密度，对应选项B“减少部分森林的密度（reduce the density）”。

29. [A] To handle the areas in serious danger first.
解析：第五段指出，由于资金能处理的面积只是可能受益总面积的一小部分，所以“至关重要的是，要优先处理那些面临最大火灾或干旱风险的地区（it will be vital to prioritize areas at greatest risk of fire or drought）”。“prioritize areas at greatest risk”对应选项A的“优先处理处于严重危险中的地区（handle the areas in serious danger first）”。

30. [C] supportive.
解析：作者在第二段称加州“正在领路（is leading the way）”，并在最后一段明确表示：“加州的计划……应该作为一个模范/榜样（should serve as a model）”。这些表述都证明了作者对加州计划的高度肯定和支持，选C（supportive）。

核心长难句精解 (High-Light)

1. Even as 引导的让步时间状语从句：
"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."
【解析】`Even as` 表示“就在...的时候/尽管”，强调一种讽刺的同步性：就在我们指望森林吸碳的时候，我们却在破坏它们吸碳的能力。`we produce` 是省略了 `that` 的定语从句，修饰 `carbon dioxide`。

2. 动名词短语作主语与不定式：
"Helping forests flourish as valuable “carbon sinks” long into the future may require reducing their capacity to absorb carbon now."
【解析】句子的主语是非常长的动名词短语 `Helping... future`（帮助森林在未来长久地作为碳汇繁荣）。谓语是 `may require`。宾语是另一个动名词短语 `reducing their capacity`。这句话揭示了文章的核心悖论：为了未来的长远利益，必须牺牲当下的部分碳吸收能力。

3. 复杂的介词短语及倒装：
"Only recently have they come to see the vital part forests will have to play in storing carbon."
【解析】`Only recently` 位于句首引起部分倒装，助动词 `have` 提前。正常的语序是：They have come to see... only recently。`forests will have to play in storing carbon` 是省略了 `that/which` 的定语从句，修饰 `the vital part`（重要角色）。