Understanding how nature responds to climate change will require monitoring key life cycle1 events-flowering, the appearance of leaves, the first frog calls of the spring - all around the world. But ecologists cant be everywhere so theyre turning to non-scientists, sometimes called citizen scientists, for help.

　　Climate scientists are not present everywhere. Because there are so many places in the world and not enough scientists to observe all of them, theyre asking for your help in observing signs of climate change across the world. The citizen scientist movement encourages ordinary people to observe a very specific research interest - birds, trees, flowers budding, etc. - and send their observations to a giant database to be observed by professional scientists. This helps a small number of scientists track a large amount of data that they would never be able to gather on their own. Much like citizen journalists helping large publications cover a hyper-local beat2, citizen scientists are ready for the conditions where they live. All thats needed to become one is a few minutes each day or each week to gather data and send it3 in.

　　A group of scientists and educators launched an organization last year called the National Pheonology4 Network. Phenology is what scientists call the study of the timing of events in nature.

　　One of the groups first efforts relies on scientists and non-scientists alike to collect data about plant flowering and leafing every year. The program, called Project BudBurst, collects life cycle data on a variety of common plants from across the United States. People participating in the project - which is open to everyone - record their observations on the Project BudBurst website.

　　People dont have to be plant experts -they just have to look around and see whats in their neighborhood, says Jennifer Schwartz, an education consultant with the project. As we collect this data, well be able to make an estimate of how plants and eommunities5 of plants and animals will respond as the climate changes.

　　詞匯：

　　Frog n. 蛙 Ecologist n.生態學家 Phenology n.物候學 Bud v.發芽，萌芽;n.芽，花蕾

　　Neighborrhood n.近鄰;鄰近地區 Database n.數據庫

　　Professional adj.專業的，職業的;n.職業選手，專業人員

　　注釋：

　　1. life cycle：生命周期，即生物發展過程的系列變化。

　　2. hyper-local beat: beat 在此做名詞用，意思是：某類資訊報道，如，a business beat; 商業專題報道。這是近年來出現的新詞。Hyper-local beat 即 hyper-local news，指 的是被傳統資訊報道方式所忽略的小型社區或居民居住區里發生的相關信息報道。在美 國由此而誕生了 hyper-local news website，專門對主流媒體所沒有覆蓋的地區所發生 的事件進行報道，其形式多以網民，即短文中所提及的 citizen journalists，上傳所 在社區發生的事件報道、照片或視頻為主。這是網絡時代產生的又一新生事物。

　　3. data 是復數形式，但常用做單數，所以這里的代詞是 it。另參見 最后 一段As we collect this data, ...。這里的 data 也用作單數。

　　4. phenology：物候學或生物氣候學，是氣候學和生態學的邊緣學科，主要研究氣候環境 對生物的影響。

　　5. communities：生態學詞匯：生物群落，記載比較相似的環境條件下在特定自然區域或 環境中生活和互相影響的一群植物和動物。

　　練習：

　　1. Ecologists turn to non-scientist citizens for help because they need them

　　A) to provide their personal life cycles. B) to observe the life cycle of plants.

　　C) to collect data of the life cycle of living things. D) to teach children knowledge about climate change.

　　2. What are citizen scientists asked to do?

　　A) To develop a specific research interest and become professional scientists.

　　B) To send their research observations to a professional database.

　　C) To increase their knowledge about climate change.

　　D) To keep a record of their research observations.

　　3. In All thats needed to become one... , what does the word one stands for?

　　A) a citizen journalist. B) a citizen scientist. C) a scientist. D) a citizen.

　　4. What is NOT true of Project BudBurst?

　　A) Only experts can participate in it. B) Everybody can participate in it.

　　C) It collects life cycle data on a variety of common plants. D) It has its own website.

　　5. What is the final purpose of Project BudBurst?

　　A) To study when plants will have their first buds.

　　B) To find out the types of plants in the neighborhood.

　　C) To collect life cycle data on a variety of common plants from across the

　　United States.

　　D) To investigate how plants and animals will respond as the climate changes.

　　答案與題解：

　　1. C第一段和第二段的第一句告訴我們，要在世界范圍內觀察氣候對大自然中生物生命周 期的影響，數量有限的科學家不可能足跡遍及天下，為此科學家求助于普通公民的參與 。 所以 C 是正確選擇。

　　2. B第二段第三句中 encourage ordinary people to observe的主語是 The citizen scientist movement，即公民參與科學觀察的運動。所以 D 不是正確選擇。A 和 C 不符 合文章的句意，因此也不是正確的選擇。這個句子的大意是：這一運動鼓勵普通公民根 據自己的興趣愛好進行科學觀察，并將觀察結果送交數據庫，讓專門領域的科學家做進 一步的觀察。B 正確表達了這個意思。

　　3. B one 在 這 里 是 一 個 代 詞 ， 其 前 置 詞 是 citizen scientists ， 而 不 是 citizen journalists，這里的 one 指的是 one of citizen scientists。所以 A、C 和 D 都不是 正確選擇。這個句子的意思是，只要每天或每星期花上幾分鐘收集數據并發送出去，就能成為一個公民科學家。

　　4. A 文章最后一段說，這個計劃向所有人開放，所以應選擇 A。B，C，D 所述內容都在該段中提到。

　　5. D C 表述的內容是 Project Budburst 所要做的工作，但其最終的目的不僅僅是收集數 據，而是研究氣候變化對生物生命周期的影響。因此，D 才是正確答案。

　　Understanding how nature responds to climate change will require monitoring key life cycle1 events-flowering, the appearance of leaves, the first frog calls of the spring - all around the world. But ecologists cant be everywhere so theyre turning to non-scientists, sometimes called citizen scientists, for help.

　　Climate scientists are not present everywhere. Because there are so many places in the world and not enough scientists to observe all of them, theyre asking for your help in observing signs of climate change across the world. The citizen scientist movement encourages ordinary people to observe a very specific research interest - birds, trees, flowers budding, etc. - and send their observations to a giant database to be observed by professional scientists. This helps a small number of scientists track a large amount of data that they would never be able to gather on their own. Much like citizen journalists helping large publications cover a hyper-local beat2, citizen scientists are ready for the conditions where they live. All thats needed to become one is a few minutes each day or each week to gather data and send it3 in.

　　A group of scientists and educators launched an organization last year called the National Pheonology4 Network. Phenology is what scientists call the study of the timing of events in nature.

　　One of the groups first efforts relies on scientists and non-scientists alike to collect data about plant flowering and leafing every year. The program, called Project BudBurst, collects life cycle data on a variety of common plants from across the United States. People participating in the project - which is open to everyone - record their observations on the Project BudBurst website.

　　People dont have to be plant experts -they just have to look around and see whats in their neighborhood, says Jennifer Schwartz, an education consultant with the project. As we collect this data, well be able to make an estimate of how plants and eommunities5 of plants and animals will respond as the climate changes.

　　詞匯：

　　Frog n. 蛙 Ecologist n.生態學家 Phenology n.物候學 Bud v.發芽，萌芽;n.芽，花蕾

　　Neighborrhood n.近鄰;鄰近地區 Database n.數據庫

　　Professional adj.專業的，職業的;n.職業選手，專業人員

　　注釋：

　　1. life cycle：生命周期，即生物發展過程的系列變化。

　　2. hyper-local beat: beat 在此做名詞用，意思是：某類資訊報道，如，a business beat; 商業專題報道。這是近年來出現的新詞。Hyper-local beat 即 hyper-local news，指 的是被傳統資訊報道方式所忽略的小型社區或居民居住區里發生的相關信息報道。在美 國由此而誕生了 hyper-local news website，專門對主流媒體所沒有覆蓋的地區所發生 的事件進行報道，其形式多以網民，即短文中所提及的 citizen journalists，上傳所 在社區發生的事件報道、照片或視頻為主。這是網絡時代產生的又一新生事物。

　　3. data 是復數形式，但常用做單數，所以這里的代詞是 it。另參見 最后 一段As we collect this data, ...。這里的 data 也用作單數。

　　4. phenology：物候學或生物氣候學，是氣候學和生態學的邊緣學科，主要研究氣候環境 對生物的影響。

　　5. communities：生態學詞匯：生物群落，記載比較相似的環境條件下在特定自然區域或 環境中生活和互相影響的一群植物和動物。

　　練習：

　　1. Ecologists turn to non-scientist citizens for help because they need them

　　A) to provide their personal life cycles. B) to observe the life cycle of plants.

　　C) to collect data of the life cycle of living things. D) to teach children knowledge about climate change.

　　2. What are citizen scientists asked to do?

　　A) To develop a specific research interest and become professional scientists.

　　B) To send their research observations to a professional database.

　　C) To increase their knowledge about climate change.

　　D) To keep a record of their research observations.

　　3. In All thats needed to become one... , what does the word one stands for?

　　A) a citizen journalist. B) a citizen scientist. C) a scientist. D) a citizen.

　　4. What is NOT true of Project BudBurst?

　　A) Only experts can participate in it. B) Everybody can participate in it.

　　C) It collects life cycle data on a variety of common plants. D) It has its own website.

　　5. What is the final purpose of Project BudBurst?

　　A) To study when plants will have their first buds.

　　B) To find out the types of plants in the neighborhood.

　　C) To collect life cycle data on a variety of common plants from across the

　　United States.

　　D) To investigate how plants and animals will respond as the climate changes.

　　答案與題解：

　　1. C第一段和第二段的第一句告訴我們，要在世界范圍內觀察氣候對大自然中生物生命周 期的影響，數量有限的科學家不可能足跡遍及天下，為此科學家求助于普通公民的參與 。 所以 C 是正確選擇。

　　2. B第二段第三句中 encourage ordinary people to observe的主語是 The citizen scientist movement，即公民參與科學觀察的運動。所以 D 不是正確選擇。A 和 C 不符 合文章的句意，因此也不是正確的選擇。這個句子的大意是：這一運動鼓勵普通公民根 據自己的興趣愛好進行科學觀察，并將觀察結果送交數據庫，讓專門領域的科學家做進 一步的觀察。B 正確表達了這個意思。

　　3. B one 在 這 里 是 一 個 代 詞 ， 其 前 置 詞 是 citizen scientists ， 而 不 是 citizen journalists，這里的 one 指的是 one of citizen scientists。所以 A、C 和 D 都不是 正確選擇。這個句子的意思是，只要每天或每星期花上幾分鐘收集數據并發送出去，就能成為一個公民科學家。

　　4. A 文章最后一段說，這個計劃向所有人開放，所以應選擇 A。B，C，D 所述內容都在該段中提到。

　　5. D C 表述的內容是 Project Budburst 所要做的工作，但其最終的目的不僅僅是收集數 據，而是研究氣候變化對生物生命周期的影響。因此，D 才是正確答案。