【生态环保、自然灾害类】话题阅读练习（三）（阅读理解9篇+完形填空1篇）Passage 1 In the world of water, 2021 was another year for the record books. Parts of Western Europe suffered from deadly floods while large areas of the southwestern United States remained locked in a massive drought. One might think that our impressive water management would safeguard society from such catastrophic events. Yet when it comes to water, the past is no longer a good guide for the future and most of the water engineering is unprepared for consequences of increasingly occurring extreme weather. One of the most alarming wake-up calls came from the city of Cape Town, where the water taps of 4 million residents were nearly forced to be shut off during severe drought because its reservoir (水库) dried up. Appealing as it might be, the solution is not to further build bigger and higher dams (大坝 ) that often result in more disastrous flooding. Instead, it is to work more with natural processes. The Netherlands avoided major damage from the historic floods in July 2021 thanks to its recently completed project, which gives rivers room to spread out by redirecting floodwaters into wetlands, lowering parts of the rivers by more than a foot. Agricultural practices offer another strategy. Scientists have found that boosting organic matter in the soil by 1% can increase the soilswater-holding capacity by up to 18,000 gallons per acre, creating flexibility to both the rains and dry periods. This means farmland practices such as the planting of cover crops can not only raise output but improve water management. Solutions dont come easily, but they are key to a livable future. While its too late to avoid the impacts of climate change, we can avoid the worst of those impacts by investing more in such nature-based water solutions.1. Cape Town is mentioned to showA. the reservoir was of no useB. new water management is in needC. how awful it was without tap waterD. the existing water management is impressive2. What can we learn from Paragraph 4?A. The Netherlands was spared from flood damage.B. The rivers water level was reduced to over a foot.C. Improving soils water-holding ability is practical.D. Planting crops boosts organisms at the cost of production.3. Which of the following water projects might win the authors favor? “Restoring Healthy Soil” “Filling Wetlands” “Strengthening Dams” “Making Room for Rivers”A.12B. 23C. 34D. 144. What can be a suitable title for the text?A. Water disasters: way out of controlB. Investment in water: a key to the futureC. Nature-based solutions: ways out for waterD. Good news: farming practices working wellPassage 2 Its a warm June afternoon, and in a group of bushes and trees, a bird sings. A small insect climbs over a leaf. The Muziekplein forest, next to an 18-story building and a railway line, is about the size of a basketball court; before it was planted in 2018, the area was a parking place. The forest is one of seven such extremely small forests in the Dutch city of Utrecht, and 144 across the Netherlands. By the end of this year, according to IN Nature Education, the organization proposing the countrys initiative (计划) , there will be 200. Since the first forest was planted in the Netherlands in 2015, the concept has become popular. Daan Bleichrodt, who launched INs Tiny Forest initiative with the goal of making it easier for children to get into and connect with nature, said that he thought it is popular because people are becoming more aware of major environmental challenges. Its a very practical way to do something positive in the light of climate change and loss of biodiversity. Jeroen Schenkels, a senior adviser for the city of Utrecht on green planning, said he saw the mini-forests as nature-based approaches that are able to help the city weather heat waves and improve water retention (保持).But one of the biggest interests is social. One of the most important things is that they give people the opportunity to be involved in nature in the neighbourhood, Schenkels said. Between 2018 and 2020, 40 different plant and animal groups and 121 total animal species were found in the Muziekplein forest alone. According to Wageningen University researchers, across the 11 tiny forests in their study, volunteers observed 636 animal species. They also identified 298 plant species in addition to the original species planted in the plots. Maintenance (维护) of the forests occasionally involves removing aggressive weeds, but in general new plant species, such as wildflowers that appear, are allowed to grow.1. What do we know about the Muziekplein forest?A. It is newly planted.B. It sits in an urban area.C. It grows along a railway.D. It is shaped like a basketball court.2. Whats the purpose of the Tiny Forest initiative?A. To make people realize environmental challenges.B. To make nature more accessible to c