六级阅读第十七天 完整版.pdfVIP

PassageOne Questions 52to 56are basedonthe following passage. Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic growth, and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumptions behind it or the way the concept is putto use.This isespeciallytrue inagriculture,where sustainable developmentisoftentakenasthesolemeasureofprogresswithouta proper appreciation of historicaland cultural perspectives. Tostartwith, itisimportantto rememberthatthe natureofagriculture has changed markedly throughout history, and will continue to do so .medieval agriculture in northern Europe fed, clothed and sheltered a predominantly rural society with a much lower population density than it is today. It had minimaleffect on biodiversity, and any pollution itcausedwas typically localized. In terms of energy use and the nutrients 营养成分 ） captured inthe product itwas relatively inefficient. Contrast this with farming since the start of the industrial revolution. Competition from overseas led farmers to specialize and increase yields. Throughout this period food became cheaper, safe and more reliable. However, these changes have also led to habitat 栖息地 ）loss and to diminishing biodiversity. What’s more, demand for animal products in developing countries is growingsofastthat meetingitwill requireanextra 300 milliontons ofgrain ayear by2050.yetthe growth of cities and industry is reducingthe amount ofwater availablefor agriculture in many regions. All this meansthat agriculture inthe 21st century will haveto bevery different from how it was in the 20th.This will require radical thinking. For example,we needto moveaway from the ideathat traditional practicesare inevitably more sustainable than new ones. We also need to abandon the notionthat agriculturecan be “zero impact”.The keywill beto abandonthe rathersimpleand static measuresofsustainability,which centeronthe need