Forests of the Future|未来科技的人造树

　　

by Matthew Brown

Odd-looking fake trees might be a good way to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.

长相怪异的人造树或许是减少大气碳含量的好方法。

Global warming is a huge problem, and people have been coming up with some pretty bizarre ideas on how to stop it. Some time ago, there was the idea of dumping tons and tons of iron into the ocean to grow masses of algae, a plant that is very efficient at removing carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. Then there was the idea of sending mirrors out into space to reflect the sun's rays away from Earth. Some ideas, however, are a bit more practical than others.

One of these is a design for synthetic trees that would reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. A picture of brown plastic tree trunks and branches with bright green synthetic leaves might come to mind, but synthetic trees would actually look quite different. In fact, researchers say that their designs would resemble giant fly swatters. They might not look as nice or as noble as majestic oak trees, but synthetic trees have gained support. The trees would contain algae, so they could be placed along highways and in other areas that have high carbon emissions. It has been estimated that these synthetic trees would be 1,000 times more effective in reducing carbon levels than real trees, an impressive proposition.

However, there are critics who are unenthusiastic about the idea. Some say that creating and maintaining synthetic trees would require a great deal of energy, so you would end up releasing an equal amount of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Still, synthetic trees are commonly believed to be one of the best possible solutions proposed so far to reduce global warming.

1.  What does the article suggest about the ideas of putting mirrors in space and iron in the ocean?

(A) They were tried and failed.

(B) They would make global warming worse.

(C) They are not very realistic.

(D) They would probably work.

2.  According to the passage, synthetic trees could possibly be very _____.

(A) colorful    (B) useful

(C) ridiculous  (D) attractive

3.  How has the idea of erecting synthetic trees been criticized?

(A) They would have to be replaced on a regular basis.

(B) Producing and managing them would cause pollution.

(C) They would require complex technology.

(D) They could be quite dangerous.

　　全球暖化是个严重的问题，人们陆续提出一些稀奇古怪的点子来阻止这个现象。不久前，有个构想是在海洋中倒入数以吨计的铁，以增植大量的藻类，因为藻类经由光合作用后，能有效率地除去大气中的碳。然后还有个想法是将镜子送到太空中，将照射到地球上的阳光反射到别处。不过，有些点子比起其他要实际多了。

　　其中一项点子便是设计可减低大气中碳含量的人造树。你想到的画面可能是棕色塑料树干和树枝，带有鲜艳的人造绿色树叶，但人造树和你想得相去甚远。事实上，研究人员表示它们的设计会像超大型的苍蝇拍。它们或许不像大橡树那般宏伟壮丽，但却受人支持。这些树将含有藻类，所以能够放置在高碳排放量的公路或其他地区。据估计，人造树减低碳含量的功效会比真的树木好上一千倍，令人印象深刻。

　　然而，有评论家对此概念并不看好。有些人表示制造和维持这些人造树将需要大量的能源，所以结果还是会释放出等量的碳排放量到大气中。不过，在提出来降低全球暖化的可能解决办法中，一般相信人造树会是最好的方法之一。

标准答案: 1. (C)　2. (B)　3. (B)

For Your Information

人造树报告的主撰人 Tim Fox（提姆‧福克士）表示，减碳用的人造树研发处于『原型』阶段，以自动操控与零组件的使用来说，其设计非常先进，而且可以在相对短的时间内进入量产和设置。

人造树的运作原理就是透过一个过滤器吸收空气中的二氧化碳，然后把过滤器里的二氧化碳移除，再储存到地下。一棵人造树造价接近 2万 5 千美元，但可吸收 20 辆汽车排放的二氧化碳量。

可是他们也强调，上述方案需要进行更多的研究，而且这只能治标，确实减少煤、石油等矿物燃料使用才是治本之道。（数据源：http://polcar.epa.gov.tw/public/news107.asp）