农地上的太阳能

江西 侯昌玮

主题语境：农业与科技 篇幅：345词 建议用时：7分钟

1It's the picking season at Christian Nachtwey's organic orchard in western Germany and laborers are loading their carts with ripe red Elstar apples,ready to be shipped to European supermarkets.But Nachtwey's farm is also reaping a second harvest: Many of the apple trees grow beneath solar panels that have been producing a large quantity of electricity during this year's unusually sun-rich summer,while providing the fruit below with much-needed shade.

2“The idea is simple,”said Nachtwey,whose farm lies in Gelsdorf,an hour's drive south of Cologne.“To protect the orchard,without reducing the available growing surface and in particular maintaining production,on top of that there's the solar electricity being generated on the same land.”Large-scale solar installations on arable land are becoming increasingly popular in Europe and North America,as farmers seek to make the most of their land and establish a second source of revenue.

3Getting the right mix of crops and solar panels is hard though,because modern fruit varieties are finely adapted to particular growing conditions.Any change can tip the balance,costing farmers revenue if their fruit is damaged,the wrong color or not as sweet as consumers like.That's why Nachtwey is working together with researchers to test which apple varieties thrive under the solar roof,and which types of photovoltaic(光伏的) roofs are best suited for the orchard.To compare the results,some trees are covered with conventional netting normally used to protect sensitive crops from hail (冰雹).

4Juergen Zimmer,an expert with the agricultural services department of Rhineland-Palatinate state,said the apples grown under the solar roofs were slightly less sweet this year than those under the hail nets.“But hardly any of the solar-shaded apples got damaged in the intense sunlight that hit the region on July 24,whereas up to 18% of the uncovered fruit suffered sunburn that day,”he said.“We need at least two to three full years to record all the weather conditions that might occur,and look at the yield and color that the different varieties of trees produce,”said Zimmer.

Reading Check

Detail

1.Why do farmers use solar panels in their orchards?

A.To protect the apples from hail damage.

B.To maximize the use of land and increase income.

C.To increase the sweetness of the apples.

D.To provide shade and reduce sunlight exposure.

Detail

2.It is challenging to find the right mix of crops and solar panels because ________.

A.the solar panels damage the crops

B.the apples need specific growing conditions

C.the solar panels reduce the amount of sunlight

D.the crops under the solar panels are less sweet

Inference

3.What is Juergen Zimmer's attitude towards the solar panels of the orchard?

A.Optimistic.B.Pessimistic.

C.Indifferent.D.Doubtful.

Language Study

Ⅰ.Difficult sentence in the text

That's why Nachtwey is working together with researchers to test which apple varieties thrive under the solar roof,and which types of photovoltaic roofs are best suited for the orchard.这就是为什么纳赫特韦正在与研究人员合作，测试哪些苹果品种能在太阳能屋顶下茁壮成长，以及哪种类型的光伏屋顶最适合果园。

【点石成金】本句中，why引导的是表语从句；两个which引导的都是宾语从句。

Ⅱ.Fill in the blanks with the words and phrases in the box in proper forms.

1.It sounds difficult,but ________full-time work it was easy.

2.You should visit your dentist ________twice a year.

3.Keep your office space looking good,________your desk.

4.The dining-room has a southern aspect which allows us to ________the sun.

5.Deal with these issues ________but swiftly.And always remember to respect your kids.

6.This may seem ________mushrooms,but they do boil down considerably.