雅思阅读 · The Urban Heat Island Effect

环境主题。题型：T/F/NG + 填空。难度：中等（P2）。

正文 Passage

On a hot summer day, the air above a city can be several degrees warmer than the surrounding countryside. This difference, known as the urban heat island effect, is not an illusion. It is a measurable phenomenon caused by the way cities are built.

The main culprit is concrete and asphalt. These materials absorb heat during the day and release it slowly at night, keeping cities warm long after the sun has gone down. Rural areas, with their soil and vegetation, reflect more sunlight and cool down faster. Trees, in particular, play a crucial role: through a process called transpiration, they release water vapour that cools the surrounding air. A city with abundant green space is significantly cooler than one dominated by grey.

Human activity adds to the problem. Air conditioners pump heat out of buildings and into the street, and cars and buses emit waste heat from their engines. Even people themselves generate warmth — a crowded rush-hour subway platform can feel noticeably hotter than an empty one.

The consequences are serious. Heat islands increase energy demand for cooling, which in turn raises greenhouse gas emissions. They worsen air pollution, because warmer air speeds up chemical reactions that form smog. Most importantly, they endanger human health: heatwaves in cities are deadlier than in rural areas, particularly for the elderly and those without air conditioning.

Cities around the world are responding. Some are painting roofs white — a cheap trick that reflects sunlight and can lower building temperatures by several degrees. Others are planting millions of trees, converting parking lots into parks, and requiring new developments to include green roofs covered with vegetation. Singapore, a city-state almost entirely built over, has made "city in a garden" its national motto and devotes nearly half its land to green space.

There is no single solution, but the message is clear: the way a city is designed directly determines how hot it gets. Every tree planted, every pale roof, every green corridor is a step toward a cooler, healthier urban future.

题目 Questions

Questions 1-5: T/F/NG

1. Urban areas are usually cooler than surrounding rural areas.

2. Concrete and asphalt absorb heat during the day.

3. Trees can help cool the air through transpiration.

4. Air conditioners reduce the temperature outside buildings.

5. Singapore has no green space at all.

Questions 6-10: Complete the notes. NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS.

• Heat islands worsen (6) ____________ because warm air speeds up chemical reactions.
• (7) ____________ are most at risk during city heatwaves.
• Painting roofs (8) ____________ can reflect sunlight.
• Singapore's national motto is "(9) ____________".
• Every (10) ____________ planted helps cool the city.

答案 Answers

核心词汇

heat island / asphalt / transpiration / vegetation / smog / emission / green roof / corridor / rural / concrete