MBA考试

【单选题】Passage 9
One of the most pressing challenges that the United States--and indeed, the world--will face in the next few decades is how to alleviate the growing stress that human activities are placing on the environment. The consequences are just too great to ignore. Wildlife habitats are being degraded or disappearing altogether as new developments take up more lanD、Plant and animal species are becoming extinct at a greater rate now than at any time inEarth’s history.As many as 30 percent of the world’s fish stocks are overexploiteD、And the list goes on.
Yet, there is reason to have hope for the future.Advances in computing power and molecular biology are among the tremendous increases in scientific capability that are helping researchers gain a better understanding of these problems. Recent developments in science and technology could provide the basis for some major, and timely actions that would improve our understanding of how human activities affect the environment.
One priority for research is improving hydrological forecasting. It has been estimated that the world’s water use could triple in the next two decades.Already, widespread water shortages have occurred in parts ofChina, India, NorthAfrica, and theArabian PeninsulA、The need for water also is taking its toll on freshwater ecosystems in the United States. Only 2 percent of the nation’s streams are considered in good condition, and close to 40 percent of native fish species are rare to extinct. Using a variety of new remote sensing tools, scientists can learn more about how precipitation affects water levels, how surface water is generated and transported, and how changes in the landscape affect water supplies.
To prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases in plants, animals, and humans, more study is needed on how pathogens, parasites, and disease-carrying species--as well as humans and other species they infect--are affected by changes in the environment. The overuse of antibiotics both in humans and in farm animals has contributed to the growth of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. Researchers can take advantage of new technologies in genetics and computing to better monitor and predict the effects that environmental changes might have on disease outbreaks.
Humans have made alterations toEarth’s surface--such as tropical deforestation, reduction of surface and ground water, and massive development--so dramatic that they approach the levels of transformation that occurred during glacial periods. Such alterations cause changes in local and regional climate, and will determine the future of agriculture. Recent advances in data collection and analysis should be used to document and better understand the causes and consequences of changes in land cover and use.
The sentence "And the list goes on." (ParA、1) is used to suggest that
A、there are many more ways in which humans are hurting the environment.
B、environmental degradation is continuing unabateD、
C、the total of animal and plant species facing extinction are too numerous to list.
D、in addition to fish, many other plant and animal species face over-exploitation by humans.
网考网参考答案：A
网考网解析：
词义题。文章第一段指出，未来几十年，美国将要面临的最紧迫的挑战之一就是如何缓解人类的活动给环境造成的日益严重的压力；由于新的发展项目占据了更多的土地，野生动植物的栖息地正在缩减，或者正在消失；植物和动物的物种正在灭绝，且灭绝的速度比地球历史上任何时候的速度都快；世界多达30%的渔业资源被过度捕捞，过度捕捞资源的情况在继续增长。这说明，该句话表示，人类破坏环境的方式在增加。这与A项的意思相符。B、D只是该句话的字面意思；C明显与文章的意思不符。 document.getElementById("warp").style.display="none"; document.getElementById("content").style.display="block"; 查看试题解析出处>>