题目内容
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 put to use. This is especially true in agriculture, where sustainable development is often taken as the sole measure of progress without a proper appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives.To start with, it is important to remember that the nature of agriculture 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 minimal effect on biodiversity, and any pollution it caused was typically localized. In terms of energy use and the nutrients captured in the product it was 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, safer and more reliable. However, these changes have also led to habitat loss.What’s more, demand for animal products in developing countries is growing so fast that meeting it will require an extra 300 million tons of grain a year by 2050. Yet the growth of cities and industry is reducing the amount of water available for agriculture in many regions.All this means that agriculture in the 21st century will have to be very different from how it was in the 20th. This will require radical thinking. For example, we need to move away from the idea that traditional practices are inevitably more sustainable than new ones. We also need to abandon the notion that agriculture can be "zero impact". The key will be to abandon the rather simple and static measures of sustainability, which centre on the need to maintain production without increasing damage. Instead we need a more dynamic interpretation, one that looks at the pros and cons of all the various ways land is used. There are many different agricultural performances besides food yield: energy use, environmental costs, water purity, carbon footprint and biodiversity. It is clear, for example, that the carbon of transporting tomatoes from Spain to the UK is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting. But we do not know whether lower carbon footprints will always be better for biodiversity. What is crucial is recognizing that sustainable agriculture is not just about sustainable food production. How do people often measure progress in agriculture（）
查看答案
搜索结果不匹配？点我反馈
更多问题
Lisa was running late. Lisa, 25, had a lot to do at work, plus visitors on the way : her parents were coming in for Thanksgiving from her hometown. But as she hurried down the subway stairs, she started to feel uncomfortably warn. By the time she got to the platform, Lisa felt weak and tired—maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to give blood the night before, she thought. She rested herself against a post close to the tracks. Several yards away, Frank, 43, and his girlfriend, Jennifer, found a spot close to where the front of the train would stop. They were deep in discussion about a house they were thinking of buying. But when he heard the scream, followed by someone yelling, "Oh, my God, she fell in!" Frank didn’t hesitate. He jumped down to the tracks and ran some 40 feet toward the body lying on the rails. "No! Not you!" his girlfriend screamed after him. She was right to be alarmed. By the time Frank reached Lisa, he could feel the tracks shaking and see the light coming. The train was about 20 seconds from the station.It was hard to lift her. She was just out. But he managed to raise her the four feet to the platform so that bystanders could hold her by the grins and drag her away from the edge. That was where Lisa briefly regained consciousness, felt herself being pulled along the ground, and saw someone else holding her purse. Lisa thought she’d been robbed. A woman held her hand and a man gave his shirt to help stop the blood pouring from her head. She tried to talk but she couldn’t, and that was when she realized how much pain she was in. Police and fire officials soon arrived, and Frank told the story to an officer. Jennifer said her boyfriend was calm on their 40 minute train ride downtown—just as he had been seconds after the rescue, which made her think about her reaction at the time. "I saw the train coming and I was thinking he was going to die", she explained. How did Frank save Lisa（）
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 put to use. This is especially true in agriculture, where sustainable development is often taken as the sole measure of progress without a proper appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives.To start with, it is important to remember that the nature of agriculture 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 minimal effect on biodiversity, and any pollution it caused was typically localized. In terms of energy use and the nutrients captured in the product it was 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, safer and more reliable. However, these changes have also led to habitat loss.What’s more, demand for animal products in developing countries is growing so fast that meeting it will require an extra 300 million tons of grain a year by 2050. Yet the growth of cities and industry is reducing the amount of water available for agriculture in many regions.All this means that agriculture in the 21st century will have to be very different from how it was in the 20th. This will require radical thinking. For example, we need to move away from the idea that traditional practices are inevitably more sustainable than new ones. We also need to abandon the notion that agriculture can be "zero impact". The key will be to abandon the rather simple and static measures of sustainability, which centre on the need to maintain production without increasing damage. Instead we need a more dynamic interpretation, one that looks at the pros and cons of all the various ways land is used. There are many different agricultural performances besides food yield: energy use, environmental costs, water purity, carbon footprint and biodiversity. It is clear, for example, that the carbon of transporting tomatoes from Spain to the UK is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting. But we do not know whether lower carbon footprints will always be better for biodiversity. What is crucial is recognizing that sustainable agriculture is not just about sustainable food production. What does the author think of traditional farming practices（）
When I was young, my parents ran a snack bar in our small town.One evening in early April, my mother told me to fill in at the snack bar (1) a worker who had the flu. I told her I would mess it up, (2) I had never worked at the bar before. I (3) that instead of making money, I would end up owing it."You can do it," said my mother," (4) , you won’t get much business until lunch. ""But I’ll never remember the orders, and I’m no good (5) money. Please, Mom, don’t (6) me."Then I’ll help you", she said.I shrugged my shoulders. I thought my mother’s (7) was a bad one, but I (8) .When I got to the bar the next day, I found my mother was (9) . Because the weather that day was rainy and cold, people wanted hot snacks and drinks. (10) , I was really slow at taking the orders and making change. The line of people grew, and everybody seemed (11) , I was so nervous that my hands shook, and I (12) a cup into pieces. What a mess! Then my mother came to (13) me, and she also showed me how to make (14) . If someone gave me $ 5 for something that cost $ 3.25, I handed over (15) quarters and a dollar and said, "75 cents makes four dollars, plus one dollar makes five. " Things went more (16) after that.By the end of the day, I could remember orders, (17) the bill, and make change quickly with a smile. I was even a little (18) when the sun came out and dried up business. My mother said she was proud of me, and when she (19) that I work at the snack bar again next year, I did not even shrug. I was too busy (20) the restaurant I would open one day. 第（14）空应选择（）
When I was young, my parents ran a snack bar in our small town.One evening in early April, my mother told me to fill in at the snack bar (1) a worker who had the flu. I told her I would mess it up, (2) I had never worked at the bar before. I (3) that instead of making money, I would end up owing it."You can do it," said my mother," (4) , you won’t get much business until lunch. ""But I’ll never remember the orders, and I’m no good (5) money. Please, Mom, don’t (6) me."Then I’ll help you", she said.I shrugged my shoulders. I thought my mother’s (7) was a bad one, but I (8) .When I got to the bar the next day, I found my mother was (9) . Because the weather that day was rainy and cold, people wanted hot snacks and drinks. (10) , I was really slow at taking the orders and making change. The line of people grew, and everybody seemed (11) , I was so nervous that my hands shook, and I (12) a cup into pieces. What a mess! Then my mother came to (13) me, and she also showed me how to make (14) . If someone gave me $ 5 for something that cost $ 3.25, I handed over (15) quarters and a dollar and said, "75 cents makes four dollars, plus one dollar makes five. " Things went more (16) after that.By the end of the day, I could remember orders, (17) the bill, and make change quickly with a smile. I was even a little (18) when the sun came out and dried up business. My mother said she was proud of me, and when she (19) that I work at the snack bar again next year, I did not even shrug. I was too busy (20) the restaurant I would open one day. 第（19）空应选择（）
微信支付 
支付宝支付