For many people who live in cities, parks are an important part of the landscape. They provide a place for people to relax and play sports, as well as a refuge from the often harsh environment of a city. What people often overlook is that parks also provide considerable environmental benefits.

One benefit of parks is that plants absorb carbon dioxide—a key pollutant—and emit oxygen, which humans need to breathe. According to one study, an acre of trees can absorb the same amount of carbon dioxide that a typical car emits in 11,000 miles of driving. Parks also make cities cooler. Scientists have long noted what is called the Urban Heat Island Effect: building materials such as metal, concrete, and asphalt absorb much more of the sun’s heat and release it much more quickly than organic surfaces like trees and grass. Because city landscapes contain so much of these building materials, cities are usually warmer than surrounding rural areas. Parks and other green spaces help to mitigate the Urban Heat Island Effect.

Unfortunately, many cities cannot easily create more parks because most land is already being used for buildings, roads, parking lots, and other essential parts of the urban environment. However, cities could benefit from many of the positive effects of parks by encouraging citizens to create another type of green space: rooftop gardens. While most people would not think of starting a garden on their roof, human beings have been planting gardens on rooftops for thousands of years. Some rooftop gardens are very complex and require complicated

 

engineering, but others are simple container gardens that anyone can create with the investment of a few hundred dollars and a few hours of work.

Rooftop gardens provide many of the same benefits as other urban park and garden spaces, but without taking up the much-needed land. Like parks, rooftop gardens help to replace carbon dioxide in the air with nourishing oxygen. They also help to lessen the Urban Heat Island Effect, which can save people money. In the summer, rooftop gardens prevent buildings from absorbing heat from the sun, which can significantly reduce cooling bills. In the winter, gardens help hold in the heat that materials like brick and concrete radiate so quickly, leading to savings on heating bills. Rooftop vegetable and herb gardens can also provide fresh food for city dwellers, saving them money and making their diets healthier. Rooftop gardens are not only something everyone can enjoy, they are also a smart environmental investment.

The author’s tone in the passage is best described as .........

Câu hỏi liên quan

• According to the reading passage, how did Joseph Pulitzer appeal to the average reader?

• Around what time did the university begin to appear?

• Which of the following can be inferred from the first paragraph?

ZUNIA12

• The author mentions all of the following as requirements for slang expressions to be created EXCEPT ......

• The word “woo” is closest in meaning to __________

• Why did John read about aeroplane?

• The Asiatic lion ............

• According to the passage, in what way did the climate changes in the ice ages differ from the modern ones?

• The writer uses the phrase “On the other hand” in the last paragraph to .......

• Learning to write is ..........

• The word “this” in paragraph 3 refers to ...............

• According to the passage, what way was used to eliminate the spread of smallpox?

• The phrase “in season” in line 1 refers to ________ .

• The passage implies that ..............

• According to the writer, failure in life and less support from parents will ______.

• Which of the following sentences is true?

• It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes that business operated by women are small because ___________.

• According to the passage, Moby Dick is__________.

• What can be inferred about the defense mechanisms of the sea cucumber?

• Which of the following could best serve as the title of the passage?