第 1 段S1In line with longstanding initiatives to expand its green spaces, New York City is planting tens of thousands of trees each year.S2They provide shade, lower surface temperatures, absorb a surprising amount of airborne carbon, remove tiny pollutants, and provide wildlife habitat along with just plain beauty.
第 2 段S3Something could go wrong, though, according to a new study.S4Oaks and sweetgums, which currently account for a majority of the city's trees, produce huge amounts of a chemical substance called isoprene.S5Harmless by itself, isoprene interacts rapidly with polluting nitrogen oxides released by vehicles, buildings and industry to form ground-level ozone—a major factor in many breathing problems.
第 3 段S6The research, carried out by scientists at the Columbia Climate School and other institutions, found that if the city maintains past species patterns in new plantings, isoprene production in Manhattan in coming decades will go up by about 140%, and resulting summer ozone levels as much as 30%.S7“We're all for planting more trees. They bring so many good things,” said study coauthor Roisin Commane.S8“But if we're not careful, we could make air quality worse.”
第 4 段S9The Parks Department is not oblivious to the issue.S10A study carried out by some of its researchers several years ago concluded that city trees did release isoprene.S11“We didn't make a big deal of that,” said Novem Auyeung, a Parks Department senior scientist.S12She said trees should not be viewed as the enemy.S13“We could plant any trees we want to, if we just rethink our car-centric lifestyle,” she said.
第 5 段S14“We're not going to go cutting down any big old oaks,” and neither will the department completely stop planting new ones, said Auyeung.S15“You have to think about what you would lose if you do that.”S16Oaks are keystone species, she pointed out, providing food and habitat for native insects, birds and other animals.
第 1 章读前
凭常识和直觉热个身，先不用急着读原文。
S1In line with longstanding initiatives to expand its green spaces, New York City is planting tens of thousands of trees each year.
S3Something could go wrong, though, according to a new study.
Q1
Look at the first sentence: “New York City is planting tens of thousands of trees each year.” Why do cities plant trees? Give two reasons.
What does “green spaces” mean here—parks and trees, or something else?
回到 ，判断 green spaces 指什么，并说出你的依据。
至少写 4 个字，才能解锁提示和参考理解。
提示一｜回指第一句： 里 expand its green spaces 之后，句子讲的是城市在做什么事？
提示二｜green 是“绿色的”，space 是“空间”。哪些城市空间是绿色的？
提示三｜In line with 是“与……一致”。“扩大 green spaces”这个长期举措，和每年种几万棵树有什么关系？
你写的
参考理解
green spaces 指城市绿地（公园、树木等）。依据： 里“与扩大 green spaces 的长期举措相一致”，纽约的做法就是每年种几万棵树。
第 2 章好处
先看看作者是怎么夸树的。
S1In line with longstanding initiatives to expand its green spaces, New York City is planting tens of thousands of trees each year.
S2They provide shade, lower surface temperatures, absorb a surprising amount of airborne carbon, remove tiny pollutants, and provide wildlife habitat along with just plain beauty.
Q4
Read Paragraph 1. Find the verbs after “They”. What good things do trees do?
读 ，只找 They 后面的动词短语，列出树做的好事，不要翻译整段。
至少写 4 个字，才能解锁提示和参考理解。
提示一｜只找动词短语，不要翻译全段。
提示二｜They 指的是 里的谁？再看 里 They 后面，被逗号隔开的几个动作。
提示三｜一共有五六个动作，第一个是 provide shade；剩下的接着往后找。
你写的
参考理解
provide shade；lower surface temperatures；absorb a surprising amount of airborne carbon；remove tiny pollutants；provide wildlife habitat（还有 just plain beauty）。
Q5
The author says “a surprising amount of airborne carbon.” What does “surprising” suggest—a little or a lot?
S3Something could go wrong, though, according to a new study.
S4Oaks and sweetgums, which currently account for a majority of the city's trees, produce huge amounts of a chemical substance called isoprene.
S5Harmless by itself, isoprene interacts rapidly with polluting nitrogen oxides released by vehicles, buildings and industry to form ground-level ozone—a major factor in many breathing problems.
Q6
Paragraph 2 begins with “Something could go wrong.” Which two kinds of trees are mentioned, and what chemical do they produce?
读 ，找出两种树，以及它们产生的化学物质。
至少写 4 个字，才能解锁提示和参考理解。
提示一｜ 一开头就列出了两种树，用 and 连着。
提示二｜which currently account for a majority 只是补充说明，先不管它，往后找 produce huge amounts of 后面是什么。
提示三｜第一种树，中文叫“橡树”；化学物质的名字就在 called 后面。
你写的
参考理解
Oaks and sweetgums；它们产生大量 isoprene（）。
Q7
Is isoprene harmful by itself? What does it react with, and what does the reaction form?
S6The research, carried out by scientists at the Columbia Climate School and other institutions, found that if the city maintains past species patterns in new plantings, isoprene production in Manhattan in coming decades will go up by about 140%, and resulting summer ozone levels as much as 30%.
Q9
What condition must be true for the 140% and 30% predictions?
读 ，找出这两个预测成立的前提条件。
至少写 4 个字，才能解锁提示和参考理解。
提示一｜表示条件的从句，常用一个固定的小词开头，在 里找找看。
提示二｜条件在 里 found that 后面，在讲 140% 之前。
提示三｜条件里的核心动词是 maintains：保持什么？看它后面的 past species patterns。
你写的
参考理解
if the city maintains past species patterns in new plantings（新种的树继续沿用过去的树种比例）。
Q10
Which number goes with isoprene production, and which goes with summer ozone levels?
把 140% 和 30% 分别配给它们。
至少写 4 个字，才能解锁提示和参考理解。
提示一｜ 后半句是被 and 连起来的两部分，各讲一件事。
提示二｜回指句子：“...isoprene production... will go up by about 140%, and resulting summer ozone levels as much as 30%.” 问：resulting 修饰哪个词？
提示三｜每个数字都紧跟在它所属的那个名词短语后面，分别圈出来配对。
你写的
参考理解
isoprene production —— about 140%；summer ozone levels —— as much as 30%（resulting 说明臭氧是“结果”）。
Q11
Does “as much as 30%” mean exactly 30%?
判断 as much as 30% 是不是“正好 30%”，并说出理由。
至少写 4 个字，才能解锁提示和参考理解。
提示一｜as much as 后面的数字，是“至少”、“正好”还是“最多”？想想 as many as 100 people 这种用法。
提示二｜ 里这个预测前面还有一个 if，说明它是肯定会发生，还是有条件的？
提示三｜如果正好是 30%，作者直接写 up by 30% 就行了。多出来的 as much as 暗示了什么？
你写的
参考理解
不是。它是上限（“最多达到”），不是确定值；而且整个预测还有 if 作前提。
追问
Why does the study use “if”? What does that leave open for the city?
想一想：这个 if 让预测变成了什么语气？城市因此还有什么选择？
至少写 4 个字，才能解锁提示和参考理解。
提示一｜如果去掉 if， 就成了“一定会发生”的断言。加上 if 之后，语气变成了什么？
提示二｜if 后面的条件是 maintains past species patterns。如果城市不照过去的方式种，结果还会一样吗？
Complete the structure: Trees bring ___ → But some species produce ___ → This can form ___ → A study predicts ___ → Scientists and the Parks Department respond by ___ → The real solution may be ___.
Although trees provide shade and absorb carbon, some species release isoprene, which reacts with NOx to form ozone. A study predicts that keeping past planting patterns could raise summer ozone. Therefore, the city should diversify tree species and reduce NOx rather than simply stop planting or cut old oaks.
注意：NOx 就是 nitrogen oxides。文章没明说“多样化树种（diversify tree species）”，这是根据文意做的推断，只代表一种合理的想法；你写出别的合理建议，同样可以。