51. What is the major finding of the UN environmental study?
- A. Human activity has rendered Mother Earth almost uninhabitable.
- B. Humans are doing more damage to the earth than it can cope with.
- C. Environmental problems have considerably weakened human prosperity.
- D. Environmental damage is more serious in developed countries these days.
答案：B
答案句：Degradation of the world's natural resources by humans is rapidly outpacing the planet's ability to absorb the damage, a recent UN environmental study has found.
参考译文：最近一项联合国环境研究发现，人类对世界自然资源的消耗正迅速超过地球吸收这种破坏的能力。
定位线索：题干“major finding of the UN environmental study”→答案句取自第1段“a recent UN environmental study has found”；文中“rapidly outpacing the planet's ability to absorb the damage”对应选项B“doing more damage to the earth than it can cope with”（“outpacing”对应“more damage than”，“ability to absorb”对应“cope with”）。
解析：题干问联合国研究的主要发现，答案句直接陈述了研究发现：人类对自然资源的消耗速度超过地球吸收破坏的能力，这正是选项B的同义转述。选项A“几乎无法居住”程度过重，原文未提及；选项C“削弱人类繁荣”是研究结论的后续影响，非主要发现；选项D“发达国家更严重”原文未提及，属于无中生有。
52. What is said about water scarcity in some of the poorest regions?
- A. It is getting so serious that there is little hope of solution.
- B. It largely accounts for their slow economic development.
- C. It can hardly be relieved if no drastic measures are taken.
- D. It is primarily caused by the acceleration of climate change.
答案：C
答案句：Water scarcity is the curse of some of the poorest regions on Earth, leaving developing countries increasingly unable to feed themselves, and causing hardship for millions of people. There appears little prospect of this desperate situation being remedied without radical action being taken.
参考译文：水资源短缺是地球上一些最贫困地区的祸根，使发展中国家越来越无法自给自足，并给数百万人带来苦难。如果不采取激进措施，这种绝望的局面似乎几乎没有得到改善的前景。
定位线索：题干“water scarcity in some of the poorest regions”→答案句取自第2段“Water scarcity is the curse of some of the poorest regions”；文中“little prospect of this desperate situation being remedied without radical action”对应选项C“can hardly be relieved if no drastic measures are taken”（“little prospect”对应“hardly”，“without radical action”对应“if no drastic measures”）。
解析：题干问关于最贫困地区水资源短缺的说法，答案句明确指出“没有激进措施，这种绝望局面几乎没有改善前景”，即“不采取激烈措施就难以缓解”，对应选项C。选项A“几乎没有解决希望”偷换概念，原文强调“没有激进措施”这一条件，并非绝对无望；选项B“主要导致经济缓慢”原文未提及；选项D“主要由气候变化加速导致”原文提到气候变化是威胁之一，但未说“主要”，属于程度过重。
53. What does Achim Steiner say about the environmental condition?
- A. It will deteriorate worldwide.
- B. It is attracting global attention.
- C. It is being slowly remedied globally.
- D. It will shrink the world's population.
答案：A
答案句：“If current trends continue, and the world fails to improve patterns of production and consumption, then the state of the world's environment will continue to decline,” warned UN executive director Achim Steiner.
参考译文：联合国执行主任阿希姆·施泰纳警告说：“如果目前的趋势继续下去，世界未能改善生产和消费模式，那么世界环境的状况将继续恶化。”
定位线索：题干“Achim Steiner say about the environmental condition”→答案句取自第3段“warned UN executive director Achim Steiner”；文中“the state of the world's environment will continue to decline”对应选项A“It will deteriorate worldwide”（“continue to decline”对应“deteriorate”）。
解析：题干问施泰纳关于环境状况的说法，答案句直接引用其警告：如果当前趋势继续，世界环境状况将继续恶化，即“全球范围内恶化”，对应选项A。选项B“吸引全球关注”原文未提及；选项C“正在慢慢改善”与原文“continue to decline”相反；选项D“将减少世界人口”原文未提及，属于无中生有。