The environmental impact of death has inspired an innovative solution. 死亡對環境的衝擊啟發了一項創新的解決方案。
Throughout the ages, death has been the only certainty. We will all, at some time, take our final breath, and as our heart beats for the last time, depart▼ this world and go into the hereafter▼. The destiny of our soul has been debatedendlessly by religion and discussed at length by philosophers▼ and other thinkers. However, what becomes of our physical bodies is a lesser mystery. Our bodies are usually cremated▼ or buried — be it six feet under▼or at sea. As the world's population has doubled to seven billion in only half a century, the environmental impact of disposing▼ of the departed has become an increasingly important issue that needs to be addressed. Burning bodies in coffins requires significant amounts of energy and creates plumes▼ of smoke that pollute the air, while burials▼ in tombs take upvaluable space in overcrowded▼ cities. One possible solution to the problem has been devised by Anna Citelli and Raoul Bretzel from Italy. The Capsula Mundi project is an organic and biodegradable▼ burial capsule▼ that will turn the deceased▼'s body into nutrients▼ for a tree. The body is placed in the fetal▼ position inside an egg-shaped capsule made from potatoes and corn. The pods▼ will then be buried beneath a tree chosen by the deceased. It is envisioned that thousands of memorial trees will replace cemeteries▼ full of tombstones. This is in contrast to the current situation that requires trees to be chopped down in order to manufacture coffins and rocks to be mined▼ to make tombstones. The concept is still in the planning stages but common sense tells us that this innovation will eventually take root.
1. What is mentioned about death? (A) It is no longer a certainty. (B) Only religious leaders and philosophers know what happens to our soul after we die. (C) What happens after death is not agreed upon. (D) What happens to our physical bodies is a mystery. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. What is the main reason why disposing of the dead has become an important issue? (A) The world's population has increased dramatically. (B) Space used for cemeteries is running out in overcrowded cities. (C) Pollution has increased because of the population growth. (D) More people want to be cremated. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. What is NOT true of the Capsula Mundi project? (A) It is an idea developed by a couple of Italians. (B) It could potentially▼ solve a serious environmental problem. (C) It is a solution to a growing problem. (D) It has successfully been implemented in Italy. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. According to the article, what benefits does the Capsula Mundi project have by contrast with traditional methods of disposing of the departed? (A) Trees will require less fertilizer▼ to grow. (B) Trees will be grown instead of chopped down. (C) The deceased will no longer have to wait so long to be buried or cremated. (D) Potatoes and corn will finally have a method of being recycled.
▼ depart vt. & vi. 離開；出發 ▼ hereafter n. 將來；未來 ▼ philosopher n. 哲學家 ▼ cremate vt. 火葬 ▼ six feet under 六尺之下（喻人死亡後被埋葬） ▼ disposing n. 處理，處置 ▼ plume n. 羽狀物（如煙霧等） ▼ burial n. 埋葬；葬禮 & a. 埋葬的 ▼ overcrowded a. 過度擁擠的 ▼ biodegradable a. 生物能分解的 ▼ capsule n. 膠囊 ▼ deceased n. 亡者 & a. 已故的 ▼ nutrient n. 營養物，養份（可數） 衍: nutrition n. 營養（不可數） ▼ fetal a. 胎兒的 ▼ pod n. 容器；吊艙 ▼ cemetery n. 墓地，公墓 ▼ mine vt. & vi. 採礦 ▼ potentially adv. 潛在地 ▼ fertilizer n. 肥料
at length 詳細地 同: in detail Sarah described how she got robbed at length. 莎拉詳細地描述她遭搶劫的過程。
take up... 佔據……（空間或時間） The table takes up too much space in the dining room. 這張桌子佔據飯廳太多空間。
in contrast to... 與……成對比／對照 contrast n. 對比，對照 In contrast to David's fast-paced lifestyle, mine seems rather dull. 與大衛快節奏的生活方式相對照之下，我的生活顯得相當無趣。
chop down... / chop... down 將……砍下 The lumberjacks decided to chop down all the dead pine trees in the forest. 伐木工們決定把這片森林中所有凋零的松樹砍掉。 ＊lumberjack n. 伐木工人
take root 生根；扎根；深植人心 Democracy is taking root in that country. 在那國家裡，民主已逐漸深入人心。
agree upon / on... 同意／贊成…… The couple finally agreed on a date for the wedding. 這對情人最後終於在婚期上達成共識。
Our bodies are usually cremated or buried — be it six feet under or at sea. 注意 be it A or B 無論是 A 還是 B Helen enjoys watching dance, be it ballet or modern dance. 海倫很喜歡欣賞舞蹈，無論是芭蕾舞還是現代舞。
inspire vt. 激發，激勵 衍: inspire sb to V 激勵／啟發某人做…… The book inspired Karen to major in archaeology at college. 那本書啟發凱倫在大學時期主修考古學。 ＊archaeology n. 考古學
innovative a. 創新的，革新的 Rachel's innovative photography won her worldwide acclaim. 瑞秋創新的發明贏得了全世界的讚譽。
certainty n. 確定性 衍: with certainty 確定地 I can't say with certainty whether or not Susan will come to the party. 我沒有把握蘇珊是否會來參加該派對。
destiny n. 命運 Patrick strongly believes that we control our own destinies. 派屈克堅信命運掌握在我們自己手中。
debate vt. & n. 辯論；爭論 The two teams debated the topic of whether cloning should be legal. 這兩隊辯論複製生物是否合法這個議題。 Anna excitedly told her parents that she had won the debate. 安娜興奮地告訴父母自己贏得了那場辯論比賽。
endlessly adv. 不斷地，無止境地 No teenager wants to be known as the teacher's pet because he or she will be made fun of endlessly outside of class. 沒有一位青少年想被冠上老師寵兒的稱號，因為他們在課堂外會不斷被別人嘲笑。 ＊a teacher's pet 受老師寵愛的人
bury vt. 埋葬；埋藏 The volcano erupted, burying the entire town in a layer of ash. 那座火山爆發，把整座城鎮埋在一層灰燼裡。
double vi. 增加一倍 & vt. 使加倍 The small town is booming and has doubled in size in the last 10 years. 這座小鎮正蓬勃發展，在過去十年來規模拓展了一倍。 Jason made some high-risk investments in the stock market and doubled his money in only three months. 傑森在股票市場從事高風險的投資，短短三個月內賺了一倍的錢。
address vt. 設法解決，處理 The school addressed the issue of bullying by installing cameras in the hallways. 校方藉由在走廊安裝監視器來解決霸凌問題。
significant a. 重大的，重要的 反: insignificant a. 不重要的 The scientist made a significant discovery during his research. 這位科學家在做研究時有了重大的發現。 Space exploration has taught us how insignificant our planet is in the universe. 太空探測讓我們知道我們的地球在宇宙中多麼渺小。 ＊exploration n. 探測；探索
valuable a. 珍貴的，寶貴的 同: of value All the books in this library are valuable, particularly the ones on the top shelf. 這間圖書館裡所有的書籍都很有價值，尤其是放在最上面那層架上的。
devise vt. 設計，發明出 Matt devised an ingenious solution to conserve energy at home. 麥特想出一個節省家用能源的妙招。 ＊ingenious a. 巧妙的，聰明的
envision vt. 展望；想像 We envision a bright and prosperous future for our new company. 我們展望自己的新公司有個光明成功的未來。
dramatically adv. 劇烈地，大大地 衍: dramatic a. 大大的；戲劇性的 Temperatures have been dropping dramatically due to the incoming storm. 由於一場風暴即將來襲，氣溫一直在急遽下降。 The movie is dramatic and full of intriguing characters. 那部電影很有戲劇性且充滿了吸引人的角色。 ＊intriguing a. 引人入勝的，令人感興趣的
implement vt. 實施，執行 Our new manager is planning to implement sweeping changes to the company. 我們新經理打算在公司執行全面性的改革。 ＊sweeping a. 全面的，廣泛的
