New technology could help cities around the world improve people's lives while saving billions of dollars. The free, open-source software developed by the Stanford Natural Capital Project creates maps to visualize the links between nature and human well-being. City planners and developers can use the software to visualize where investments in nature, such as parks and marshlands, can maximize benefits to people, like protection from flooding and improved health. "This software helps design cities that are better for both people and nature," said Anne Guerry, chief strategy officer and lead scientist at the Natural Capital Project. "Urban nature is a multitasking benefactor. The street trees can lower temperatures, helping to keep your apartment cooler on hot summer days. At the same time, they're soaking up the carbon emissions that cause climate change, creating a free, accessible place to stay healthy through physical activity and just making your city a more pleasant place to be." By 2050, experts expect over 70 percent of the world's people to live in cities -- in the United States, more than 80 percent already do. As the global community becomes more urban, developers and city planners are increasingly interested in green infrastructure, such as tree-lined paths and community gardens that provide a stream of benefits to people. But if planners don't have detailed information about where a path might encourage the most people to exercise or how a community garden might buffer a neighborhood from flood risk while helping people recharge mentally, they can't strategically invest in nature. "We're answering three crucial questions with this software: Where in a city is nature providing what benefits to people, how much of each benefit is it providing and who is receiving those benefits?" said Perrine Hamel, lead author on a new paper about the software published in Urban Sustainability and Livable Cities Program Lead at the Stanford Natural Capital Project at the time of research. The software, called Urban InVEST, is the first of its kind for cities and allows for the combination of environmental data, like temperature patterns, with social demographics and economic data, like income levels. Users can input their city's datasets into the software or access a variety of open global data sources, from NASA satellites to local weather stations. The new software joins the Natural Capital Project's existing InVEST software suite, a set of tools designed for experts to map and model the benefits that nature provides to people. What is the primary purpose of the open-source software developed by the Stanford Natural Capital Project? A. To calculate the financial value of urban projects.B. To simulate climate change scenarios in cities.C. To create maps that show the relationship between nature and human well-being.D. To predict traffic patterns in urban areas. What benefit do street trees provide according to Anne Guerry? A. They enhance the architectural beauty of the city.B. They help lower temperatures and reduce carbon emissions.C. They exclusively provide a pleasant place for physical activities.D. They create commercial spaces for city dwellers. What can be inferred about the urban areas by the year 2050? A. The majority of the world's population will likely prefer living in rural areas.B. Urban living will be less common than it is today.C. More than two-thirds of the global population will reside in cities.D. City planners will have reduced interest in green infrastructure.
New technology could help cities around the world improve people's lives while saving billions of dollars. The free, open-source software developed by the Stanford Natural Capital Project creates maps to visualize the links between nature and human well-being. City planners and developers can use the software to visualize where investments in nature, such as parks and marshlands, can maximize benefits to people, like protection from flooding and improved health.
"This software helps design cities that are better for both people and nature," said Anne Guerry, chief strategy officer and lead scientist at the Natural Capital Project. "Urban nature is a multitasking benefactor. The street trees can lower temperatures, helping to keep your apartment cooler on hot summer days. At the same time, they're soaking up the carbon emissions that cause climate change, creating a free, accessible place to stay healthy through physical activity and just making your city a more pleasant place to be."
By 2050, experts expect over 70 percent of the world's people to live in cities -- in the United States, more than 80 percent already do. As the global community becomes more urban, developers and city planners are increasingly interested in green infrastructure, such as tree-lined paths and community gardens that provide a stream of benefits to people. But if planners don't have detailed information about where a path might encourage the most people to exercise or how a community garden might buffer a neighborhood from flood risk while helping people recharge mentally, they can't strategically invest in nature.
"We're answering three crucial questions with this software: Where in a city is nature providing what benefits to people, how much of each benefit is it providing and who is receiving those benefits?" said Perrine Hamel, lead author on a new paper about the software published in Urban Sustainability and Livable Cities Program Lead at the Stanford Natural Capital Project at the time of research.
The software, called Urban InVEST, is the first of its kind for cities and allows for the combination of environmental data, like temperature patterns, with social demographics and economic data, like income levels. Users can input their city's datasets into the software or access a variety of open global data sources, from NASA satellites to local weather stations. The new software joins the Natural Capital Project's existing InVEST software suite, a set of tools designed for experts to map and model the benefits that nature provides to people.
What is the primary purpose of the open-source software developed by the Stanford Natural Capital Project?
- A. To calculate the financial value of urban projects.
- B. To simulate climate change scenarios in cities.
- C. To create maps that show the relationship between nature and human well-being.
- D. To predict traffic patterns in urban areas.
What benefit do street trees provide according to Anne Guerry?
- A. They enhance the architectural beauty of the city.
- B. They help lower temperatures and reduce carbon emissions.
- C. They exclusively provide a pleasant place for physical activities.
- D. They create commercial spaces for city dwellers.
What can be inferred about the urban areas by the year 2050?
- A. The majority of the world's population will likely prefer living in rural areas.
- B. Urban living will be less common than it is today.
- C. More than two-thirds of the global population will reside in cities.
- D. City planners will have reduced interest in green infrastructure.
题目解答
答案
解析
考查要点：本题主要考查学生对文章主旨、细节理解及推理判断的掌握能力。
解题思路：
- 第一题需定位文章首段，抓住软件的核心功能描述；
- 第二题需结合Anne Guerry的引言，提取关键信息；
- 第三题需根据时间推断（2050年）锁定原文数据，注意百分比表述的转换。
破题关键：
- 主旨句定位（第一题）：首段明确说明软件功能；
- 直接引用匹配（第二题）：引言内容与选项高度一致；
- 数据推断逻辑（第三题）：将“over 70%”转化为“more than two-thirds”。
第1题
关键句：首段首句明确指出软件用途——“create maps to visualize the links between nature and human well-being”。
选项分析：
- C选项直接对应“创建地图展示自然与人类福祉的关系”，其他选项均偏离文章核心功能。
第2题
关键句：Anne Guerry提到“street trees can lower temperatures”和“soaking up carbon emissions”。
选项匹配：
- B选项“帮助降低温度并减少碳排放”完整涵盖两个关键点，其他选项均为干扰项。
第3题
数据推断：原文明确“By 2050, over 70% of the world's people to live in cities”，需将“over 70%”对应为“more than two-thirds”。
选项排除：
- C选项表述与原文数据一致，其他选项均与原文矛盾。