2015年-1993年英语专业八级真题

TESTFORENGLISHMAJORS(2015)

GRADEEIGHT

TIMELIMIT：195MIN

PARTILISTENINGCOMPREHENSION(35MIN)

SECTIONAMINI-LECTURE

Inthissectionyouwillhearamini-lecture.YouwillhearthelectureONCEONLY.Whilelistening,takenotes

ontheimportantpoints.Yournoteswillnotbemarked,butyouwillneedthemtocompleteagap-fillingtask

afterthemini-lecture.Whenthelectureisover,youwillbegiventwominutestocheckyournotes,andanother

tenminutestocompletethegap-fillingtaskonANSWERSHEETONE,usingnomorethanthreewordsineach

gap.Makesuretheword(s)youfillinis(are)bothgrammaticallyandsemanticallyacceptable.Youmayrefer

toyournoteswhilecompletingthetask.Usetheblanksheetfornote-taking.Now,listentothemini-lecture.

UnderstandingAcademicLectures

Listeningtoacademiclecturesisanimportanttaskforuniversitystudents.Then,howcanwecomprehenda

lectureefficiently?

I.Understandall(1)

A.words

B.(2)

—stress

一intonation

-(3)

II.Addinginformation

A.lectures:Sharinginformationwithaudience

B.listeners:(4)

C.sourcesofinformation

—knowledgeof(5)

—(6)oftheworld

0.listeninginvolvingthreesteps:

—hearing

T7)

—adding

III.(8)

A.reasons

—overcomenoise

―savetime

B.(9)

—content

-"organization

IV.Evaluatingwhilelistening

A.helptpdecidethe(10)ofnotes

B.helptorememberinformation

SECTIONBINTERVIEW

InthissectionyouwillheareverythingONCEONLY.Listencarefullyandthenanswerthequestionsthat

follow.MarkthebestanswertoeachquestiononANSWERSHEETTWO.

Questions1to5arebasedonaninterview.Attheendoftheinterviewyouwillbegiven10secondstoanswer

eachofthefollowingfivequestions.Nowlistentotheinterview.

1.Theresathinksthatthepresentgovernmentis.

[A]doingwhattheyhavepromisedtoschools

[B]creatingopportunitiesforleadinguniversities

[C]consideringremovingbarriersforstateschoolpupils

[D]reducingopportunitiesforstateschoolpupils

2.WhatdoesTheresaseeasaprobleminsecondaryschoolsnow?

[A]Universitiesarenotworkinghardtoacceptstateschoolpupils.

[B]ThenumberofstatepupilsapplyingtoOxfordfailstoincrease.

[C]Thegovernmenthasloweredstatepupils'expectations.

[D]Leadinguniversitiesarerejectingstateschoolpupils.

3.InTheresa'sview,schoolfreedommeansthatschoolsshould.

[A]begivenmorefundingfromeducationauthorities

[B]begivenallthemoneyanddecidehowtospendit

[C]begrantedgreaterpowertorunthemselves

[D]begivenmoreopportunitiesandchoices

4.AccordingtoTheresa,whodecidesordecidemoneyforschoolsatthepresent?

[A]Localeducationauthoritiesandthecentralgovernment.

[B]Localeducationauthoritiesandsecondaryschoolstogether.

[C]Localeducationauthoritiesonly.

[D]Thecentralgovernmentonly.

5.Throughoutthetalk,theinterviewerdoesallthefollowingEXCEPT.

[A]askingforclarification

[BJchallengingtheinterviewee

[C]supportingtheinterviewee

[D]initiatingtopics

SECTIONCNEWSBROADCAST

InthissectionyouwillheareverythingONCEONLY.Listencarefullyandthenanswerthequestionsthat

follow.MarkthebestanswertoeachquestiononANSWERSHEETTWO.

Questions6and7arebasedonthefollowingnews,Attheendofthenewsitem,youwillbegiven20secondsto

answerthequestions.Nowlistentothenews.

NewsItem1

6.Whatisthemainideaofthenewsitem?

[AlFewerpeoplewatchTVonceaweek.

[B]SmartphonesandtabletshavereplacedTV.

[C]Newtechnologyhasledtomorefamilytime.

[DJBiggerTVsetshaveattractedmorepeople.

NewsItem2

7.Howmanylawmakersvotedforthemarijuanalegalizationbill?

[A]50.[B]12.

[C]46.[D]18.

8.Thepassingofthebillmeansthatmarijuanacanbe.

[A]boughtbypeopleunder18

(BJmadeavailabletodrugaddicts

[C]providedbythegovernment

[D]boughtindrugstores

NewsItem3

9.Whatdidthereviewofglobaldatareveal?

[A]Diarrheaisacommondisease.

[BJGoodsanitationledtoincreaseinheight.

[CJThereweremanyproblemsofpoorsanitation.

[D]Africanchildrenliveinworsesanitaryconditions.

1OA.ThepurposeofDr.AlanDangour5sstudywasmostlikelyto.

examinelinksbetweensanitationanddeathfromillness

B1lookintofactorsaffectingthegrowthofchildren

CD1investigatehowtotacklesymptomslikediarrhea

reviewandcompareconditionsindifferentcountries

PARTIIREADINGCOMPREHENSION(30MIN)

Inthissectiontherearefourreadingpassagesfollowedbyatotalof20multiple-choicequestions.Readthe

passagesandthenmarkthebestanswertoeachquestiononANSWERSHEETTWO.

TEXTA

In2011,manyshopperschosetoavoidthefranticcrowdsanddotheirholidayshoppingfromthecomfort

oftheircomputer.Salesatonlineretailersgainedbymorethan15%,makingitthebiggestseasonever.Butpeople

arealsoreturningthosepurchasesatrecordrates,up8%fromlastyear.

Whatwentwrong?Isthelingeringshadowoftheglobalfinancialcrisismakingithardertoaccept

extravagantindulgences?Orthatpeopleshopmoreimpulsively-andthereforemakebaddecisions-whenonline?

Bothargumentsareplausible.However,thereisathirdfactor:aquestionoftouch.Wecanlovethelookbut,in

anonlineenvironment,wecannotfeelthequalityofatexture,theshapeofthefit,thefallofafoldor,forthat

matter,theweightofaneaning.Andphysicallyinteractingwithanobjectmakesyoumorecommitted.

WhenmymostrecentbookBrandwashedwasreleased,Iteamedupwithalocalbookstoretoconductan

experimentaboutthedifferencesbetweentheonlineandofflineshoppingexperience.Icarefullyinstructeda

groupofvolunteerstopromotemybookintwodifferentways.Thefirstwasafairlyhands-offapproach.

Wheneveracustomerwouldinquireaboutmybook,thevolunteerwouldtakethemovertotheshelfandpointto

it.Outof20suchrequests,sixcustomersproceededwiththepurchase.

Thesecondoptionalsoinvolvedgoingovertotheshelfbut,thistime,removingthebookandthensubtly

holdingontoitforjustanextramomentbeforeplacingitinthecustomer'shands.Ofthe20peoplewhowere

handedthebook.13endedupbuyingit.Justphysicallypassingthebookshowedabigdifferenceinsales.Why?

Wefeelsomethingsimilartoasenseofownershipwhenweholdthingsinourhand.That'swhyweestablishor

reestablishconnectionbygreetingstrangersandfriendswithahandshake.Inthiscase,havingtothenletgoof

thebookafterholdingitmightgenerateasubtlesenseofloss,andmotivateustomakethepurchaseevenmore.

Arecentstudyalsorevealedthepoweroftouch,inthiscasewhenitcametoconventionalmail.Adeeperand

longer-lastingimpressionofamessagewasformedwhendeliveredinaletter,asopposedtoreceivingthesame

messageonline.Brainimagingshowedthat,ontouchingthepaper,theemotionalcenterofthebrainwasactivated,

thusformingastrongerbond.Thestudyalsoindicatedthatoncetouchbecomespartoftheprocess,itcould

translateintoasenseofpossession.Thissenseofownershipissimplynotpartoftheequationintheonline

shoppingexperience.

Astheritualsofpurchaseinthelead-uptoChristmaschange,notonlydowegivelessthoughttothetypeof

giftswebuyforourlovedonesbut,throughourowndigitalwishlists,weincreasinglycontrolwhattheybuyfor

us.Thereality,however,isthatnomatterhowconvincedweallarethatdigitalisthewaytogo,findingreal

satisfactionwillprobablytakemorethanafewsimpleclicks.

11.Accordingtotheauthor,shoppersarereturningtheirpurchasesforallthefollowingreasonsEXCEPTthat

[A]theyareunsatisfiedwiththequalityofthepurchase

[B]theyeventuallyfindthepurchasetooexpensive

[C]theychangetheirmindoutofuncertainty

[D]theyregretmakingthepurchasewithoutforethought

12.Whatisthepurposeoftheexperimentinthebookstore?

[A]Toseewhichpromotionmethodispreferredbycustomers.

[B]Tofindoutthestrengthsandweaknessesofbothmethods.

[C]Totrytosetupanewretailer-customerrelationship.

[D]Toseetheeffectofanapproachoncustomers'decisions.

13.WhydoestheauthorcitethestudybyBangorUniversityandtheRoyalMailService?

[AJTocomparesimilarresponsesindifferentsettings.

[B]Toprovidefurtherevidenceforhisownobservation.

[C]Toofferascientificaccountofthebrain'sfunctions.

[D]Todescribeemotionalresponsesinonlineshopping.

14.Whatcanbeinferredfromthelastparagraph?

[A]Realsatisfactiondependsonfactorsotherthanthecomputer.

[B]Despiteonlineshoppingwestillattachimportancetogiftbuying.

[C]Somepeoplearestilluncertainaboutthedigitalage.

[D]Onlineshoppingoffersrealsatisfactiontoshoppers.

TextB

MyprofessorbrotherandIhaveanargumentaboutheadandheartaboutwhetherheovervaluesIQwhileI

learnmoretowardEQ.Wetypicallyhavethisdebateaboutpeople—canwebefriendswithareallysmartjerk

（怪物）?—butthere9scorollarytoanimalsaswell.Tdloveitifourdogcouldfetchthemorningpaperandthen

readittomeovercoffee,butIactuallycaremuchmoreaboutherloyalandinnocentheart.There'salready

enoughthinkinggoingonisourhouse,andweprobablyspendtoomuchtimeinourheads,whereweneedsome

rolemodelingisininstinct,andthat'swhereadogisarovingrevelation.

Ididnotgrowupwithdogs,whichmeantthatmyolderdaughter'srespectfulbutunyieldingdetermination

togetonerequiredsomeadjustmentonmypart.Ioftenfeltshewastrainingme:fromagesof6to9,shegently

schooledmeinvariousbreedsandtheirpersonalities,whisperedtothedogsweencounteredsotheywouldcharm

andpersuademe,demonstratedbyherself-displinethatshewasreadyfortheresponsibility.Andthuscameour

dogTwist,whomIsometimesmistakeforathirddaughter.

AtfirstIthoughtthechallengewouldbetotrainhertosit,toheel,towalkcalmlybesideusandnotgowildly

chasingtheneighbourhoodrabbits.ButIsoondiscoveredhowmuchmorewehadtolearnfromherthanshefrom

us.

Ifitistrue,forexample,thatthesecrettoachild'ssuccessislessraregeniusthanrawpersistence,Twist's

abilitytostayontaskisamodelforusall,especiallyifthetaskistryingtocapturethesunbeamthatflicksaround

thelivingroomasthewindblowsthroughthebranchesoutside.Sheneversucceeds,andshenevergivesup.This

includeswhensherunssquareintowalls.

Thenthereisherunfailingpatience,whichbreaksdownonlywhenshesensesthatdinnertimewas15

minutesagoandwehavesomehowfailedtonotice.Eventhensheismoreeagerthanindignant,andherrefusal

towhineshowsarestraintofwhichI'mnotalwayscapablewhenhungry.

ButthelessonIvaluemostistheoneinforgiveness,andTwistfirstofferedthiswhenshewasstillvery

young.Whenshewasabout7monthsold,wetookhertothevettobesprayed（切除卵巢）.Weturnedherover

toastranger,whoprocceededtoperformaprocedurethatwasprobablynotpleasant,Butwhenthevetreturned

hertous,limpandtender,therewasnorecrimination（反责），nohowcouldyoudothattome?Itwasasthough

shereallyknewthatwecouldnotintentionallycauseherpain,andwhileshedidnotunderstand,sheforgaveand

curledupwithherheadonmydaughter'slap.

Isupposewecouldhaveconcludedthatshewasjustblindlyloyalanddocile.Buteventuallyweknewbetter.

Sheisentirelycapableofdisobedience,asshehasprovedmanytimes.Shewillignoreuswhentherearemore

interestingthingstolookat,rebukeuswhenwearecareless,barkintothetwilightwhenshehasurgentmessages

tosend.Butherpatiencewithourfailingsandfricklenessandherwillingnesstogiveusascondchancearea

dailylessoningratitude.

Myfriendswhogrewupwithdogstellmehowwhentheywereteenagersandtrustednooneintheworld,

theycouldtelltheirdogalltheirsecrets.Itwastheonefriendwhowouldnotgossiporbetray,couldprovidein

themiddleofthenightthesoft,unbegrudgingcomfortandpeacethatadolescenceconspirestodisrupt.Anage

thatisallaboutgrowthandriskneedssomeanchorsandweigths,amodelofsteadfastnesswhenallelseisinflux.

SometimesIthinkTwist'sdevotionkeepsmygirlsonabenevolentlash,onethathangsquietlyattheirsideas

theytrotalongbutoccasionallyyanksthembacktosafetyandsolidground.

We'veweighedsomanydecisionssocarefullyinraisingourdaughters—whatschooltosendthemtoand

whatchurchtoattend,whentogivethemcellphonesandwithwhatprecautions.Butwhenitcomestowhatreally

shapestheircharacterandbindsourfamily,Ineverwouldhavethoughtwewouldowesomuchtoitssmallest

member.

15.Inthefirstparagraph,theauthorsuggeststhat___.

[A]apersoncaneitherhaveahighIQoralowEQ

fBlherprofessorbrothercarestoomuchaboutIQ

[C]weneedexamplesofhowtofollowone'sheart

|D]sheprefersdogsthatarecleverandloyal

16.Accordingtothepassage,allthefollowingareTwist'scharacteristicsEXCEPT.

[A]resignation

[B]patience

[C]forgiveness

|D]tenacity

17.Accordingtothecontext,themeaningofthewordnsquareHisclosestto.

[A]fast

[B]blindly

[C]straight

[D]stubbornly

18.ThatTwistfsdevotionkeepsmygirlsonabenevolentleashmeansthat.

[AJTwistiscapableoflookingafterthegirls

[B]Twistandthegirlshavebecomefriends

[C]Twistknowshowtofollowthegirls

[DITwisfsloyaltyhelpsthegirlsgrowup

19.Whatdoestheauthortrytoexpressinthelastparagraph?

lAJDifficultiesinraisingherchildren.

[BJWorriesaboutwhattobuyforkids.

[CIGratitudetoTwistforherrole.

[D]Concemsaboutschoolingandreligion.

TextC

MostWestAfricanlorriesatenotinwhatonewouldcallthefirstflushofyouth,andIhad

learntbybitterexperiencenottoexpectanythingverymuchofthem.Butthelorrythatarrivedto

takemeuptothemountainswasworsethananythingIhadseenbefore:ittotteredontheborders

ofseniledecay.Itstoodthereonbuckledwheels,wheezingandgaspingwithexhaustionfrom

havingtoclimbupthegentleslopetothecamp,andIconsignedmyselfandmyloadstoitwith

sometrepidation.Thedriver,whowasacheerfulfellow,pointedoutthathewouldrequiremy

assistanceintwoverynecessaryoperations:first,Ihadtokeepthehandbrakepresseddownwhen

travellingdownhill,forunlessitwasheldthusalmostlevelwiththeflooritsullenlyrefusedto

function.Secondly,Ihadtokeepasterneyeontheclutch,awilfulpieceofmechanism,that

seizedeverychancetoleapoutofitssocketwithanoiselikeastranglingleopard.Asitwas

obviousthatnotevenaWestAfricanlorrydrivercouldbesuccessfulindrivingwhilecrouched

underthedashboardinapre-natalposition,IhadtotakeovercontroloftheseinstrumentsifI

valuedmylife.So,whileIduckedatintervalstoputonthebrake,amidtherichsmellofburning

rubber,ournoblelorryjerkeditswaytowardsthemountainsatasteadytwentymilesperhour;

sometimes,whenadownwardslopefavouredit,itthrewcautiontothewindsandcareeredalong

inamadcapfashionattwenty-five.

Forthefirstthirtymilestheredearthroadwounditswaythroughthelowlandforest,thegiant

treesstandinginsolidranksalongsideandtheirbranchesentwinedinanarchwayofleavesabove

us.Flocksofhornbillsflappedacrosstheroad,honkingliketheghostsofancienttaxis,andon

thebanks,drapeddecorativelyinthepatchesofsunlight,theagamalizardslay,blushinginto

sunsetcolouringwithexcitementandnoddingtheirheadsfuriously.Slowlyandalmost

imperceptiblytheroadstartedtoclimbupwards,loopingitswayinlanguidcurvesroundthe

forestedhills.Inthebackofthelorrytheboyslifteduptheirvoicesinsong:

Homeagain,homeagain,WhenshallIseemahome?WhenshallIseemamammy?I'll

neverforgetmahome…

Thedriverhummedtherefrainsoftlytohimself,glancingatmetoseeifIwouldobject.To

hissurpriseIjoinedin,andsowhilethelorryrolledonwardstrailingaswirlingtailofreddust

behindit,theboysinthebackmaintainedthechoruswhilethedriverandIharmonizedandsang

complicatedtwiddlybits,andthedriverplayedastaccatoaccompanimentonthehorn.

Breaksintheforestbecamemorefrequentthehigherweclimbed,andpresentlyanewtype

ofundergrowthbegantoappear:massivetree-fernsstandinginconspiratorialgroupsatthe

roadsideontheirthick,squat,andhairytrunks,thefrondsofleavessproutingfromthetopslike

delicategreenfountains.Thesefemsweretheguardiansofanewworld,forsuddenly,asthough

thehillshadshruggedthemselvesfreeofcloak,theforestdisappeared.Itlaybehindusinthe

valley,athickpeltofgreenundulatingawayintotheheat-shimmereddistance,whileaboveus

thehillsiderosemajestically,coveredinacoatofrippling,waist-highgrass,bleachedgoldenby

thesun.Thelorrycrepthigherandhigher,theenginegaspingandshudderingwiththis

unaccustomedactivity.Ibegantothinkthatweshouldhavetopushthewretchedthingupthelast

twoorthreehundredfeet,buttoeveryone'ssurprisewemadeit,andthelorrycreptontothebrow

ofthehill,tremblingwithfatigue,spoutingsteamfromitsradiatorlikeadyingwhale.Wecrawled

toastandstillandthedriverswitchedofftheengine.

“Wemustwaitsmall-time,enginegethot,heexplained,pointingtotheforequartersofthe

lorry,whichwerebynowcompletelyinvisibleunderacloudofsteam.ThankfullyIdescended

fromthered-hotinsideofthecabandstrolleddowntowheretheroaddippedintothenextvalley.

FromthisvantagepointIcouldseethecountrywehadtravelledthroughandthecountrywewere

abouttoenter.

20.Thatittotteredonthebordersofseniledecaymeansthatthelorrywas.

abouttobreakdown

averyoldvehicle

unabletotravelthedistance

[D]adangerousvehicle

Whichofthefollowingwordsinthefirstparagraphisusedliterally?

Flush.

Borders.

Operations.

Gasping.

Welearnfromthefirstparagraphthattheauthorregardstheinadequaciesofthelorryas

[A]inevitableandamusing

[B].dangerousandfrightening

[C]novelandunexpected

[D]welcomeandinteresting

23.Allthefollowingwordsinthelastbutoneparagraphdescribethelorryasahuman

EXCEPT.

trembling

spouting

shuddering

crept

24.Wecaninferfromthepassagethattheauthorwas.

boredbytheappearanceofthegrasslandsahead

reluctanttodoanywalkinginsohotaclimate

unfriendlytowardsthelocaldriverandboys

alittlesurprisedtohavetohelpdrivethelorry

25.Asuitabletitleforthepassagewouldbe.

Ajourneythatscaredme

Ajourneytoremember

ThewildWestAfricanlorry

AcomicjourneyinWestAfrica

TextD

HaveyouevernoticedacertainsimilarityinpublicparksandbackgardensinthecitiesoftheWest?A

ubiquitouswoodlandmixoflawngrassesandtreeshasfounditswaythroughoutEuropeandtheUnitedStates,

andit'snowspreadtoothercitiesaroundtheworld.AsecologistPeterGroffmanhasnoted,it*sincreasingly

difficulttotellonesuburbapartfromanother,evenwhenthey'relocatedinvastlydifferentclimatessuchas

Phoenix,Arizona,orBostoninthemuchchilliernorth-eastoftheUS.AndwhydoparksinNewZealandoften

featurethesamespeciesoftreesthatgrowontheothersideoftheworldintheUK?

InspiredbytheEnglishandNewEnglandcountrysides,earlylandscapearchitectsofthe19thCenturysuch

asAndrewJacksonDowningandFrederickLawOlmsteadcreatedanaestheticforurbanpublicandprivateopen

spacethatpersiststothisday.Butinthe21stCentury,urbangreenspaceistaskedwithdoingfarmorethan

simplyprovidingaestheticappeal.Fromnaturalsystemstodealwithsurfacewaterrun-offandpollutiontogreen

corridorstoincreasinginterestinurbanfoodproduction,theurbanparksofthefuturewillbedesignedand

engineeredforfunctionalityaswellasforbeauty.

Imaginetravellingamongthecitiesofthemid-21stCenturyandfindingauniquesetofurbanlandscapes

thatcapturelocalbeauty,naturalandculturalhistory,andtheenvironmentalcontext.Theyaretunedtotheir

locality,anddiversewithinaswellasacrosscities.Therearepatchesthatprovideshadeandcooling,placesof

localfoodproduction,andcorridorsthatconnectbothresidentsandwildlifetothesurroundingnative

environment.Theirfunctionsaremeasuredandmonitoredtomeettheuniqueneedsofeachcityforfood

production,wateruse,nutrientrecycling,andhabitat.Notwogreenspacesarequitethesame.

Plannersarealreadystartingtoworktowardsthisvision.Andifthismovementhasabuzzworditis

“hyperfunctionality”一designswhichprovidemultipleusesinaconfinedspace,andatermcoinedbyRichard

PouyatoftheUSForestService.Atthemoment,urbanlandscapesarehighlymanagedandlimitedintheirspatial

extent.Eventhe"green'1citiesofthefuturewillcontainextensiveareasofbuildings,roads,railways,andother

builtstructures.Thesefuturecitiesarelikelytocontainahigherproportionofgreencoverthanthecitiesoftoday,

withanincreasingfocusonplantingonroofs,verticalwalls,andformerlyimpervioussurfaceslikecarparks.But

builtenvironmentswillstillbeever-presentindensemegacities.Wecangreatlyenhancetheutilityofgreenspace

throughdesignsthatprovidearangeofdifferentusesinaconfinedspace.Ahyperfunctionalplanting,forexample,

mightbedesignedtoprovidefood,shade,wildlifehabitat,andpollutionremovalallinthesamegardenwiththe

rightchoiceofplants,configurations,andmanagementpractices.

Whatthismeansisthatwehavetomaximisethebenefitsandusesofurbanparks,whileminimisingthe

costsofbuildingandmaintainingthem.Currently,greenspaceandstreetplantingsarerelativelysimilar

throughouttheWesternworld,regardlessofdifferencesinlocalclimate,geography,andnaturalhistory.Even

desertcitiesfeaturethesamesizablestreettreesandwell-wateredandwell-fertilizedlawnsthatyoumightseein

moretemperateclimes.Themovementtoreducetheresourcesandwaterrequirementsofsuchurbanlandscapes

inthesearidareasiscalled"xeriscapingu-aconceptthathasso-farreceivedmixedresponsesintermsofpublic

acceptance.ScottYabikuandcolleaguesattheCentralArizonaPhoenixprojectshowedthatnewcomerstothe

desertembracexeriscapingmorethanlong-timeresidents,whoaremorelikelytopreferthewell-watered

aesthetic.Inpart,thismaybebecausexeriscapingisjustifiedmorebyreducinglandscapingcosts-inthiscase

watercosts-thanbyprovidingdesiredbenefitslikerecreation,pollutionmitigation,andculturalvalue.From

thisperspective,xeriscapingcanseemmorelikeacompromisethananasset.

Butthereareotherwaystomakeourparksandnaturalspacesdomore.NanEllin,oftheEcologicalPlanning

CenterintheUS,advocatesanasset-basedapproachtourbanism.Insteadofenvisioningcitiesintermswhatthey

can'thave,ecologicalplannersarebeginningtoframethediscussionoffuturecitiesintermsofwhattheydohave

-theirnaturalandculturalassets.InUtah'sSaltLakeCity,insteadofcouchingenvironmentalplanningasan

issueofresourcescarcity,thefutureparkisdescribedas"mountainurbanism"andthestrongassociationoflocal

residentswiththenaturalenvironmentofthemountainrangesneartheirhome.Fromthisstartingpoint,thelocal

climate,vegetation,patternsofrainandsnowfall,andmountaintopographyarealldeemednaturalassetsthat

createanewperspectivewhenitcomestocreatingurbangreenspace.InCairns,Australia,thelocalmasterplan

embraces"tropicalurbanism"thatconveysasenseofplacethroughlandscapingfeatures,whilealsoproviding

importantfunctionssuchasshadingandcoolinginthistropicalclimate.

Thegloballyhomogenisedlandscapeaesthetic-whichseesparksfromBostontoBrisbanelooking

worryinglysimilar-willdiminishinimportanceasfutureurbangreenspacewillbeattunedtolocalvaluesand

culturalperceptionsofbeauty.Thiswillleadtoafargreaterdiversityofurbanlandscapedesignsthanareapparent

today.Already,weareseeingnewpurposesforurbanlandscapingthataretransformingthe20thcentury

woodlandparkintobioswales-plantingsdesignedtofilterstormwater-greenroofs,wildlifecorridors,and

urbanfoodgardens.However,untilrecentlywehavebeenlackingthedatasetsandscience-basedspecifications

fordesignsthatworktoserveallofthesepurposesatonce.

InNewYorkCity,ThomasWhitlowofCornellUniversitysendsstudentsthroughtree-linedstreetswith

portable,backpack-mountedairqualitymonitors.Athomeinhislaboratory,heplacestreebranchesinwind

tunnelstomeasurepollutiondepositionontoleaves.Itturnsoutthatcurrently,manystreettreeplantingsare

ineffectiveatremovingairpollutants,andinsteadmaytrappollutantsneartheground.MystudentsandIequipped

streettreeswithsensorsinandaroundthetrunkinLosAngelestomonitorgrowthandwateruseinrealtimeto

helpfindwhichspeciesprovidethelargestcanopiesforthelowestamountofwater.Ratherthanrelyingon

assumptionsabouttheroleofurbanvegetationinimprovingtheenvironmentandhealth,futurelandscaping

designswillbeengin