TESTFORENGLISHMAJORS(2024)

GRADEEIGHT

TIMELIMIT：195MIN

PARTILISTENINGCOMPREHENSION(35MIN)

SECTIONAMINI-LECTURE

Inthissectionyouwillhearamini-lecture.YouwillhearthelectureONCEONLY.While

listening,takenotesontheimportantpoints.Yournoteswillnotbemarked,butyouwillneed

themtocompleteagap-fillingtaskafterthemini-lecture.Whenthelectureisover,youwillbe

giventwominutestocheckyournotes,andanothertenminutestocompletethegap-fillingtaskon

ANSWERSHEETONE.usingnomorethanthreewordsineachgap.Makesuretheword(s)you

fillinis(are)bothgrammaticallyandsemanticallyacceptable.Youmayrefertoyournoteswhile

completingthetask.Usetheblanksheetfbrnote-taking.Now,listentothemini-lecture.

UnderstandingAcademicLectures

Listeningtoacademiclecturesisanimportanttaskfrouniversitystudents.

Then,howcanwecomprehendalectureefficiently?

I.Understandall(1)

A.words

B.(2)______________

-stress

-intonation

-(3)______________

II.Addinginformation

A.lecturers:sharinginformationwithaudience

B.listeners:(4)_____________

C.sourcesofinformation

-knowledgeof(5)

-(6)oftheworld

D.listeninginvolvingthreesteps:

-hearing

-⑺______________

-adding

III.(8)_____________

A.reasons:

-overcomenoise

-savetime

B.(9)_______________

-content

-organization

IV.Evaluatingwhilelistening

A.helpstodecidethe(10)ofnotes

B.helpstorememberinformation

SECTIONBINTERVIEW

InthissectionyouwillheareverythingONCEONLY.Listencarefullyandthenanswerthe

questionsthatfollow.MarkthebestanswertoeachquestiononANSWERSHEETTWO.

Questions1to5arebasedonaninterview.Attheendoftheinterviewyouwillbegiven10

secondstoanswereachofthefcllowingfivequestions.Nowlistentotheinterview.

1.Theresathinksthatthepresentgovernmentis.

[A]doingwhattheyhavepromisedtoschools

[Blcreatingopportuniliesforleadinguniversities

IC]consideringremovingbarriersforstateschoolpupils

[D]reducingopportunitiesforstateschoolpupils

2.WhatdocsTheresaseeasaprobleminsecondaryschoolsnow?

[A]Universitiesarcnotworkinghard(oacceptstateschoolpupils.

[BlThenumberofstatepupilsapplyingtoOxfordfailstoincrease.

[C]Thegovernmenthasloweredstatepupils'expectations.

[D]Leadinguniversitiesarcrejectingstateschoolpupils.

3.InTheresa'sview,schoolfreedommeansthatschoolsshould.

[A]begivenmorefundingfremeducationauthorities

[B]begivenallthemoneyanddecidehowtospendit

[C]begrantedgreaterpowerlorunthemselves

[D]begivenmoreopportunitiesandchoices

4.AccordingtoTheresa,whodecidesordecidemoneyforschoolsatthepresent?

[A]Localeducationauthoritiesandthecentralgovernment.

[B]Localeducationauthoritiesandsecondaryschoolstogether.

[C]Localeducationauthoritiesonly.

[D]Thecentralgovernmentonly.

5.Throughout(hetalk,theinterviewerdocsallthefollowingEXCEPT.

[A]askingforclarification

[B]challengingtheinterviewee

[C]supporting(heinterviewee

[D]initiatingtopics

SECTIONCNEWSBROADCAST

InthissectionyouwillheareverythingONCEONLY.Listencarefullyandthenanswerthe

questionsthatfollow.MarkthebestanswertoeachquestiononANSWERSHEETTWO.

Questions6and7arebasedonthefollowingnews,Attheendofthenewsitem,youwillbegiven

20secondstoanswerthequestions.Nowlistentothenews.

NewsItem1

6.Whatisthemainideaof(henewsitem?

[AlFewerpeoplewatchTVonceaweek.

[B|SmartphonesandtabletshavereplacedTV.

[ClNewtechnologyhasledtomorefamilytime.

[D]BiggerTVsetshaveattractedmorepeople.

NewsItem2

7.HowmanylawmakersvotedforIhemarijuanalegalizationbill?

[A]50.IB]12.

[C]46.|D]18.

8.Tlicpassingofthebillmeansthatmarijuanacanbe.

[A]boughtbypeopleunder18

[B]madeavailabletodrugaddicts

[CJprovidedbythegovernment

[D]boughtindrugstores

NewsItem3

9.Whaididthereviewofglobaldatareveal?

[A]Diarrheaisacommondisease.

[BJGoodsanitationledtoincreaseinheight.

[C]Thcrcweremanyproblemsofpoorsanitation.

[D]Africanchildrenliveinworsesanitaryconditions.

10.ThepurposeofDr.AlanDangour'sstudywasmostlikelyto.

[A]examinelinksbetweensanitationanddeathfromillness

[B]lookintofactorsaffectingthegrowthofchildren

[Clinvestigatehowtotacklesymptomslikediarrhea

[D]reviewandcompareconditionsindifferentcountries

PARTIIREADINGCOMPREHENSION(30MIN)

Inthissectiontherearefourreadingpassagesfollowedbyatotalof20multiple-choicequestions.

ReadthepassagesandthenmarkthebestanswertoeachquestiononANSWERSHEETTWO.

TEXTA

In2024,manyshopperschosetoavoidthefranticcrowdsanddoiheirholidayshoppingfrom

thecomfortoftheircomputer.Salesatonlineretailersgainedbymorethan15%,makingitthe

biggestseasonever.Butpeoplearealsoreturningthosepurchasesatrecordrates,up8%fromlast

year.

Whatwentwrong?Isthelingeringshadowoftheglobalfinancialcrisismakingitharderto

acceptextravagantindulgences?Or(hatpeopleshopmoreimpulsively-andthereforemakebad

decisions-whenonline?Bothargumentsareplausible.However,thereisathirdfactor:aquestion

oftouch.Wecanlovethelookbut,inanonlineenvironment,wecannotfeelthequalityofa

texture,(heshapeofthefit,thefallofafoldor,forthatmatter,theweightofanearring.And

physicallyinteractingwithanobjectmakesyoumorecommitted.

WhenmymostrecentbookBrandwashedwasreleased,Iteamedupwithalocalbookstoreto

conductanexperimentaboutthedifferencesbetweentheonlineandofflineshoppingexperience.I

carefullyinslructedagroupofvolunteerstopromotemybookintwodifferentways.Thefirstwas

afairlyhands-offapproach.Wheneveracustomerwouldinquireaboutmybook,thevolunteer

wouldtake(hemovertotheshelfandpointtoit.Outof20suchrequests,sixcustomersproceeded

withthepurchase.

Thesecondoptionalsoinvolvedgoingovertotheshelfbut,thistime,removingthebookand

thensubtlyholdingontoitforjustanextramomentbeforeplacingi(inthecustomer'shands.Of

the20peoplewhowerehandedthebook.13endedupbuyingit.Justphysicallypassingthebook

showedabigdifferenceinsales.Why?Wcfeelsomethingsimilartoasenseofownershipwhen

weholdthingsinourhand.That'swhywcestablishorrccsublishconnectionbygreeting

strangersandfriendswithahandshake.Inthiscase,havingtothenletgoofthebookafterholding

itmightgenerateasubtlesenseofloss,andmotivateustomakethepurchaseevenmore.

Arecentstudyalsorevealed(hepowerof(ouch,inthiscasewhenitcametoconventionalmail.A

deeperandlonger-lastingimpressionofamessagewasformedwhendeliveredinaletter,as

opposedtoreceivingthesamemessageonline.Brainimagingshouedthat,ontouchingthepaper,

theemotionalcenterofthebrainwasactivated,(husformingastrongerbond.Thestudyalso

indicatedthatoncetouchbecomespartoftheprocess,itcouldtranslateintoasenseofpossession.

Thissenseofownershipissimplynotpartoftheequationintheonlineshoppingexperience.

AstheritualsofpurchaseintheIcad-uptoChristmaschange,notonlydowegivelessthought

tothetypeofgiftswebuyG)rourlovedonesbut,throughourowndigitalwishlists,we

increasinglycontrolwhattheybuyforus.Thereality,however,isthatnomatterhowconvinced

wcallarcthatdigitalisthewaytogo.findingrealsatisfactionwillprobablytakemorethanafew

simpleclicks.

11.Accordingtotheauthor,shoppersarereturning(heirpurchasesforallthefollowingreasons

EXCEPTthat.

[A]theyareunsatisfiedwiththequalityofthepurchase

[Blthcyeventuallyfind(hepurchasetooexpensive

[C]theychangetheirmindoutofuncertainty

[D]theyregretmakingthepurchasewithoutforethought

12.Whatisthepurposeoftheexperimentinthebookstore?

[A]Toseewhichpromotionmethodispreferredbycustomers.

[B]Tofindoutthestrengthsandweaknessesofbothmethods.

[C]Totrytosetupanewretailer-customerrelationship.

[D]Tosec(heeffectofanapproachoncustomers'decisions.

13.WhydoestheauthorcitethestudybyBangorUniversityandtheRoyalMailService?

[A]Tocomparesimilarresponsesindifferentsettings.

[B]Toprovidefurtherevidenceforhisownobservation.

[C]Toofferascientificaccountofthebrain'sfunctions.

[D]Todescribeemotionalresponsesinonlineshopping.

14.Whatcanbeinferredfromthelastparagraph?

[A]Rcalsatisfactiondependsonfactorsotherthanthecomputer.

[B]Despiteonlineshoppingwestillattachimportancetogiftbuying.

[C]Somepeoplearestilluncertainaboutthedigitalage.

[D]Onlineshoppingoffersrealsatisfactiontoshoppers.

TextB

MyprofessorbrotherandIhaveanargumentaboutheadandheartaboutwhetherhe

overvaluesIQwhileIlearnmoretowardEQ.Wetypicallyhavethisdebateaboutpeople—canwe

befriendswithareallysmartjerk(怪物)?一butthere'scorollarytoanimalsaswell.I'dloveitif

ourdogcouldfetch(hemorningpaperandthenreadittonicovercoffee,butIactuallycaremuch

moreaboutherloyalandinnocentheart.There'salreadyenoughthinkinggoingonisourhouse,

andweprobablyspendtoomuchtimeinourheads,whereweneedsomerolemodelingisin

instinct,andihat'swhereadogisarovingrevelation.

Ididnotgrowupwithdogs,whichmeantthatmyolderdaughter'srespectfulbutunyielding

determinationtogetonerequiredsomeadjustmentonmypart.Ioftenfeltshewastrainingme:

fromagesof6to9.shegendyschooledmeinvariousbreedsandtheirpersonalities,whisperedto

thedogsweencounteredsotheywouldcharmandpersuademe,demonstratedbyherself-displine

thatshewasreadyfortheresponsibility.AndthuscameourdogTwist,whomIsometimes

mistakeforathirddaughter.

AtfirstIthoughtthechallengewouldbetotrainhertosit,toheel,towalkcalmlybesideusand

notgowildlychasingtheneighbourhoodrabbits.ButIsoondiscoveredhowmuchmorewehadto

learnfromherthanshefromus.

Ifitistrue,forexample,thatthesecrettoachild'ssuccessislessraregeniusthanraw

persistence.Twist'sabilitytostayontaskisamodelfbrusall,especiallyifthetaskistryingto

capturethesunbeamthatflicksaroundthelivingroomasthewindblowsthroughthebranches

outside.Sheneversucceeds,andshenevergivesup.Thisincludeswhensherunssquareinto

walls.

Thenthereisherunfailingpatience,whichbreaksdownonlywhenshesensesthat

dinnertimewas15minutesagoandwehavesomehowfailedtonotice.Eventhensheismore

eagerthanindignant,andherrefusaltowhineshowsarestraintofwhichI,mnotalwayscapable

whenhungry.

ButthelessonIvaluemostistheoneinforgiveness,andTwistfirstofferedthiswhenshe

wasstillveryyoung.Whenshewasabout7monthsold,wctookhertothevettobesprayed（切除

卵巢）.Weturnedherovertoastranger,whopiocceededtoperformaprocedurethatwasprobably

notpleasant.Butwhenthevetreturnedhertous,limpandtender,therewasnorecrimination（反

責），nohowcouldyoudothattome?Itwasas（houghshereallyknewthatwecouldnot

intentionallycauseherpain,andwhileshedidnotunderstand,sheforgaveandcurledupwithher

headonmydaughter'slap.

Isupposewecouldhaveconcludedthatshewasjustblindlyloyalanddocile.Buteventually

weknewbetter.Sheisentirelycapableofdisobedience,asshehasprovedmanytimes.Shewill

ignoreuswhentherearemoreinterestingthingstolookat,rebukeuswhenwearecareless,bark

intothetwilightwhenshehasurgentmessageslosend.Butherpatiencewithourfailingsand

fricklenessandherwillingnesstogiveusascondchanceareadailylessoningratitude.

Myfriendswhogrewupwithdogstellmehowwhentheywereteenagersand（rustednoone

intheworld,theycouldtellihcirdogall（heirsecrets.Itwastheonefriendwhowouldnotgossip

orbetray,couldprovideinthemiddleofthenightthesoft,unbegrudgingcomfortandpeacethat

adolescenceconspirestodisrupt.Anagethatisallaboutgrowthandriskneedssomeanchorsand

weigths,amodelofsteadfastnesswhenallelseisinflux.SometimesIihinkTwist'sdevolion

keepsmygirlsonabenevolentlash,onethathangsquietlyattheirsideastheytrotalongbut

occasionallyyanksthembacktcsafetyandsolidground.

Wc'vcweighedsomanydecisionssocarefullyinraisingourdaughters—whatschooltosend

themtoandwhatchurchtoattend,whentogivethemcellphonesandwithwhatprecautions.Bui

whenitcomestowhatreallyshapestheircharacterandbindsourfamily,Ineverwouldhave

thoughtwewouldowesomuchtoitssmallestmember.

15.Inthefirstparagraph,theauthorsuggeststhat.

[A]apersoncaneitherhaveahighIQoralowEQ

[B]herprofessorbrothercarestoomuchaboutIQ

[C]weneedexamplesofhowtofollowone'sheart

[D]shcprefersdogsthatarccleverandloyal

16.Accordingtothepassage,allthefollowingareTwist'scharacteristicsEXCEPT.

[A]resignation

[BJpatience

[C]forgiveness

[D]tenacity

17.Accordingtothecontext,themeaningoftheword"square"isclosestto.

[A]fast

[B]blindly

[C]straight

[D]stubbomly

18.ThatTwist'sdevotionkeepsmygirlsonabenevolentleashmeansthat.

[AJTwistiscapableoflookingafterthegirls

[BJTwistandthegirlshavebecomefriends

[C|Twistknowshowtofollowthegirls

(DJTwist'sloyaltyhelpsthegirlsgrowup

19.Whatdoestheauthortrytoexpressinthelastparagraph?

[AJDifficukiesinraisingherchildren.

[B]Worriesaboutwhattobuyforkids.

[C]GratitudetoTwistforherrole.

|D|Concernsaboutschoolingandreligion.

TextC

MostWestAfricanlorriesatenotinwhatonewouldcallthefirstflushofyouth,andIhad

learntbybitterexperiencenottoexpectanythingverymuchofthem.But(helorr),thatarrived

totakemeuptothemountainswasworsethananythingIhadseenbefore:ittotteredonthe

bordersofseniledecay.Itstoodthereonbuckledwheels,wheezingandgaspingwithexhaustion

fromhaving(oclimbupthegentleslopetothecamp,andIconsignedmyselfandmyloadstoit

withsometrepidation.Thedriver,whowasacheerfulfellow,pointedoutthathewouldrequire

myassistanceintwoverynecessaryoperations:first,Ihadtokeepthehandbrakepresseddown

whentravellingdownhill,forunlessitwasheldthusalmostlevelwiththeflooritsullenly

refusedtofunction.Secondly,Ihadtokeepasterneyeontheclutch,awilfulpieceof

mechanism,thatseizedeverychancetoleapoutofitssocketwithanoiselikeastrangling

leopard.AsitwasobviousthatnotevenaWestAfricanlorrydrivercouldbesuccessfulin

drivingwhilecrouchedunderthedashboardinapre-natalposition,Ihadtotakeovercontrolof

theseinstrumentsifIvaluedmylife.So,whileIduckedatintervalstoputonthebrake,amid

therichsmellofburningrubber,ournoblelorryjerkeditswaytowardsthemountainsata

steadytwentymilesperhour;sometimes,whenadownwardslopefavouredit,itthrewcaution

tothewindsandcareeredalonginamadcapfashionattwenty-five.

Forthefirstthirtyiniles(heredearthroadwounditswaythroughthelowlandforest,the

gianttreesstandinginsolidranksalongsideandtheirbranchesentwinedinanarchwayofleaves

aboveus.Flocksofhornbillsflappedacrosstheroad,honkingliketheghostsofancienttaxis,

andonthebanks,drapeddecorativelyin(hepatchesofsunlight,theagamalizardslay,blushing

intosunsetcolouringwithexcitementandnoddingtheirheadsfuriously.Slowlyandalmost

imperceptiblytheroadstartedloclimbupwards,loopingitswayinlanguidcurvesroundthe

forestedhills.Inthebackofthelorrytheboyslifteduptheirvoicesinsong:

Homeagain,homeagain,WhenshallIseemahome?WhenshallIseemamammy?I'll

neverforgetmahome

Thedriverhummedtherefrainsoftlytohimself,glancingatmetoseeifIwouldobject.To

hissurpriseIjoinedin.andsowhilethelorryrolledonwardstrailingaswirlingtailofreddust

behindit,theboysin(hebackmaintainedthechoruswhilethedriverandIharmonizedandsang

complicatedtwiddlybits,andthedriverplayedastaccatoaccompanimenton(hehorn.

Breaksintheforestbecamemorefrequentthehigherweclimbed,andpresentlyanewtype

ofundergrowthbegantoappear:massivetree-fernsstandinginconspiratorialgroupsat(he

roadsideontheirthick,squat,andhairjftrunks,thefrondsofleavessproutingfromthetopslike

delicategreenfountains.Theseternsweretheguardiansofanewworld,forsuddenly,asthough

thehillshadshruggedthemselvesfreeofcloak,theforestdisappeared.Illaybehindusinthe

valley,athickpeltofgreenundulatingawayintotheheat-shimmereddistance,whileaboveus

thehillsiderosemajestically,coveredinacoatofrippling,waist-highgrass,bleachedgoldenby

thesun.Thelorrycrepthigherandhigher,theenginegaspingandshudderingwiththis

unaccustomedactivity.Ibegantothinkthatweshouldhavetopushthewretchedthingupthe

lasttwoorthreehundredfeet,buttoeveryone'ssurprisewemadeit.and(helorrycreptontothe

browofihehill,tremblingwithfatigue,spoutingsteamfromitsradiatorlikeadyingwhale.We

crawledtoastandstillandthedriverswitchedofftheengine.

“Wemustwaitsmall-time,enginegethot,heexplained,pointingto(heforequartersofthe

lorry,whichwerebynowcompletelyinvisibleunderacloudofsteam.ThankfullyIdescended

fromthered-hotinsideofthecabandstrolleddowntowheretheroaddippedintothenext

valley.FromthisvantagepointIcouldseethecountrywehadtravelledthroughandthecountry

wewereabout(oenter.

20.Thatittotteredonthebordersofseniledecaymeansthatthelorrywas.

abouttobreakdown

averyoldvehicle

unabletotravelthedistance

[D]adangerousvehicle

Whichofthefollowingwordsinthefirstparagraphisusedliterally?

Flush.

Borders.

Operations.

Gasping.

Welearnfromthefirstparagraphthattheauthorregardstheinadequaciesofthelorryas

[A]inevitableandamusing

[BJ.dangerousandfrightening

[Clnovelandunexpected

[D]welcomeandinteresting

23.Allthefollowingwordsinthelastbutoneparagraphdescribethelorryasahuman

EXCEPT.

trembling

spouting

shuddering

crept

24.Wecaninferfromthepassagethattheauthorwas.

boredbytheappearanceofthegrasslandsahead

reluctanttodoanywalkinginsohotaclimate

unfriendlytowardsthelocaldriverandboys

alittlesurprisedtohavetohelpdrivethelorry

25.Asuitabletitleforthepassagewouldbe.

Ajourneythatscaredme

Ajourneytoremember

ThewildWestAfricanlorry

AcomicjourneyinWestAfrica

TextD

Haveyouevernoticedacertainsimilarityinpublicparksandbackgardensinthecitiesof

theWest?Aubiquitouswoodlandmixoflawngrassesandtreeshasfounditswaythroughout

EuropeandtheUnitedStates,andit'snowspreadtoothercitiesaroundtheworld.Asecologist

PeterGroffmanhasnoted,it'sincreasinglydifficulttotellonesuburbapartfromanother,even

whenthey'relocatedinvastlydifferentclimatessuchasPhoenix,Arizona,orBostoninthemuch

chilliernorth-eastoftheUS.ArdwhydoparksinNewZealandoftenfeaturethesamespeciesof

treesthatgrowontheothersideof(heworldintheUK?

InspiredbytheEnglishandNewEnglandcountrysides,earlyhndscapearchitectsofthe19th

CenturysuchasAndrewJacksonDowningandFrederickLawOlmsteadcreatedanaestheticfor

urbanpublicandprivateopenspace(hatpersiststothisday.Butinthe21stCentury,urbangreen

spaceistaskedwithdoingfarmorethansimplyprovidingaestheticappeal.Fromnaturalsystems

todealwithsurfacewaterrun-offandpollutiontogreencorridorstoincreasinginterestinurban

foodproduction,theurbanparksofthefuturewillbedesignedandengineeredforfunctionalityas

wellasforbeauty.

Imaginetravellingamongthecitiesofthemid-21stCenturyandfindingauniquesetofurban

landscapesthatcapturelocalbeauty,naturalandculturalhistory,andtheenvironmentalcontext.

Theyaretunedtotheirlocality,anddiversewithinaswellasacrosscities.Therearepatchesthat

provideshadeandcooling,placesoflocalfoodproduction,andcorridorsthatconnectboth

residentsandwildlifetothesurroundingnativeenvironment.Theirfunctionsarcmeasuredand

monitoredtomeettheuniqueneedsofeachcityforfoodproduction,wateruse.nutrientrecycling,

andhabitat.Notwogreenspacesarequitethesame.

Plannersarcalreadystarting(oworktowardsthisvision.Andif(hismovementhasa

buzzworditis“hyperftinctiona.ity''-designswhichprovidemultipleusesinaconfinedspace,

andatermcoinedbyRichardPouyatoftheUSForestService.Atthemoment,urbanlandscapes

arehighlymanagedandlimitecintheirspatialextent.Eventhe"green"citiesof(hefuturewill

containextensiveareasofbuildings,roads,railways,andotherbuiltstructures.Thesefuturecities

arelikely(ocontainahigherproportionofgreencoverthan(hecitiesoftoday,withanincreasing

focusonplantingonroofs,verticalwalls,andformerlyimpervioussurfaceslikecarparks.But

builtenvironmentswillstillbeever-presentindensemegacities.Wecangreatlyenhancethe

utilityofgreenspacethroughdesigns(hatprovidearangeofdifferentusesinaconfinedspace.A

hyperfunctionalplanting,forexample,mightbedesignedtoprovidefood,shade,wildlifehabitat,

andpollutionremovalallinthesamegardenwiththerightchoiceofplants,configurations,and

managementpractices.

Whatthismeansisthatwehavetomaximisethebenefitsandusesofurbanparks,while

minimisingthecostsofbuildingandmaintainingthem.Currently,greenspaceandstreetplantings

arcrelativelysimilarthroughouttheWesternworld,regardlessofdifferencesinlocalclimate,

geography,andnaturalhistoryEvendesertcitiesfeaturethesamesizablestreettreesand

well-wateredandwell-fertilizedlawnsthatyoumightseeinmoretemperateclimes.The

movementtoreducetheresourcesandwaterrequirementsofsuchurbanlandscapesinthesearid

areasiscalled"xeriscaping"-aconceptthathasso-farreceivedmixedresponsesintermsof

publicacceptance.ScottYabikuandcolleaguesattheCentralArzonaPhoenixprojectshowed

thatnewcomersioihedesertembracexeriscapingmorethanlong-timeresidents,whoaremore

likelytopreferthewell-wateredaesthetic.Inpart,thismaybebecausexeriscapingisjustified

morebyreducinglandscapingcosts-inthiscasewatercosts-thanbyprovidingdesiredbenefits

likerecreation,pollutionmitigation,andculturalvalue.Fromthisperspective,xeriscapingcan

seemmorelikeacompromisethananasset.

Butthereareotherwaystomakeourparksandnaturalspacesdomore.NanEllin,ofthe

EcologicalPlanningCenterintheUS,advocatesanasset-basedapproachtourbanism.Insteadof

envisioningcitiesintermswhattheycan'thave,ecologicalplannersarebeginningtoframethe

discussionoffuturecitiesintermsofwhattheydohave-theirnaturalandculturalassets.In

Utah'sSaltLakeCity,insteadofcouchingenvironmentalplanningasanissueofresourcescarcity,

thefutureparkisdescribedas"mountainurbanism"andthestrongassociationoflocalresidents

withthenaturalenvironmentofthemountainrangesneartheirhome.Fromthisstartingpoint,the

localclimate,vegetation,paticnsofrainandsnowfall,andmountaintopographyarealldeemed

naturalassetsthatcreateanewperspectivewhenitcomestocreatingurbangreenspace.InCairns,

Australia,thelocalmasterplanembraces"tropicalurbanism"thatconveysasenseofplace

throughlandscapingfeatures,whilealsoprovidingimportantfunctionssuchasshadingand

coolinginthistropicalclimate.

Thegloballyhomogenisedlandscapeaesthetic-whichseesparksfromBostontoBrisbane

lookingworryinglysimilar-v/illdiminishinimportanceasfutureurbangreenspacewillbe

attunedtolocalvaluesandculturalperceptionsofbeauty.Thiswillleadtoafargreaterdiversity

ofurbanlandscapedesignsthanareapparenttoday.Already,weareseeingnewpurposestbrurban

landscapingthatarctransformingthe20thcenturywoodlandparkintobioswalcs-plantings

designedtofilterstormwater-greenroofs,wildlifecorridors,andurbanfoodgardens.However,

untilrecentlywehavebeenlackingthedatasetsandscience-basedspecificationsfordesignsthat

worktoserveallofthesepurposesatonce.

InNewYorkCity,ThomasWhitlowofCornellUniversitysendsstudentsthroughtree-lined

streetswithportable,backpack-mountedairqualitymonitors.Athomeinhislaboratory,heplaces

treebranchesinwindtunnelstomeasurepollutiondepositionontoleaves.Itturnsoutthat

currently,manystreettreeplantingsareineffectiveatremovingairpollutants,andinsteadmay

trappollutantsneartheground.MystudentsandIequippedstreettreeswithsensorsinandaround

thetrunkinLosAngelestomonitorgrowthandwateruseinrealt.melohelpfindwhichspecies

providethelargestcanopiesforthelowestamountofwater.Ratherthanrelyingonassumptions

abouttheroleofurbanvegetationinimprovingtheenvironmentandhealth,futurelandscaping

designswillbeengineeredbasedonempiricaldataandstateoftheartofsimulations.

Newdatasetson(heperformanceofurbanlandscapesarechangingourviewofwhatfuture

urbanparkswilllooklik