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THE UK is facing a future construction crisis because of a failure to plant trees to
produce wood,a trade body has warned.Confor chiefs believe urgent action is needed
to reduce the country's reliance on timber imports and provide a stable supply of wood
for future generations.Currently only 20 percent of the UK's wood requirement is homegrown while it
remains the second-largest net importer of timber in the world,bringing in around£7.5
billion annually.Coming at a time of fresh incentives from the UK government for landowners to
grow more trees,the trade body says these don’t go far enough and fail to promote
the benefits of planting them to boost timber supplies
"Not only are we facing a carbon crisis now,but we will also be facing a future
construction crisis because of a failure to plant trees to produce wood,"said Stuart
Goodall,chief executive of Confor."For decades we have not taken responsibility for
investing in our domestic wood supply,leaving us exposed to fluctuating prices and
fighting for future supplies of wood as global demand rises and our own supplies fall."The UK has ideal conditions for growing wood to build low-carbon homes and is a
global leader in certifying that its forests are sustainably managed,Confor say.While
around three quarters of Scottish homes are built from Scottish timber,the use of
home-grown wood in England is only around 25 per cent.The causes of the UK's current position are complex and range from outdated
perceptions of productive forestry to the decimation of trees from grey squirrels.It also
encompasses significant hesitation on behalf of farmers and other landowners to
invest in longer term planting projects.While productive tree planting can deliver real financial benefits to rural economies
and contribute to the UK‘s net zero strategy the focus of government support
continues to be on food production and the rewilding and planting of native woodland
solely for biodiversity.The recently launched Woodland Creation Offer which pledges farmers and
landowners£10000 for each hectare planted,failed to mention timber production,albeit the forestry Commission's Richard Stanford has since spoken of the importance
of it.Stuart added:"While food production and biodiversity health are clearly of critical
importance,we need our land to also provide secure supplies of wood for construction
manufacturing and to contribute to net zero
"While the UK government has stated its ambition for more tree planting,there has
been little action on the ground.Confor is now calling for much greater impetus behind
those aspirations to ensure we have enough wood to meet increasing demand."26.lt can be learned from Paragraph 1 that UK need to
A.increase domestic wood supply
B.reduce demand for timber
C.lower wood production costs
D.lift control on timber imports
正确答案:A
27.According to Confor,UK government fresh incentives
A.can hardly address construction crisis
B.are believed to come at wrong time
C.seem to be misleading
D.too costly to put into practice
正确答案:A
28.The UK exposure to fluctuating wood prices is the result of
A.government's inaction on timber import
B.inadequate investment for wood
C.competition among traders at home
D.wood producers’motive to maximize profits
正确答案:B
29.Which of following causes the shortage of wood supply?
A.excessive timber consumption in construction
B.unfavorable conditions in UK
C.outdated technology for wood production
D.farmers'unwillingness to plan trees
正确答案:D
30.What does Goodall think US government should do?
A.Subsidize the building
B.Pay attention to rural economy
C.Provide support for productive tree planting
D.Give priority to pursue net-zero strategy
正确答案:C