# Living walls – a successful environmental project - 科目：雅思阅读真题（Part 1） - 最近考试：2025.8.30 - 题目数：13 - 来源页：https://www.yaquan.site/paper/a633fdf7-fccb-44af-8c35-eae0c510cc64（在线机考练习与音频请访问该页面） - 数据更新：2026-10-31 ## 题目原文 Gardens planted on vertical walls are useful as well as decorative A Canadian entrepreneur Alan Darlington, president of Nedlaw Living Walls and holder of a PhD in plant sciences, admits that people may have a point when they say that academics don't necessarily make good businessmen. While good ideas come up in university labs and classrooms all the time, he acknowledges that bringing them to the marketplace requires a different skill set. Yet Dr Darlington's combination of two exciting green technologies into a single breakthrough innovation is not only a laboratory success story, but the heart of what is today a multi-million-dollar business. And, he says, 'I've been a part of the whole sequence, from working in the lab to making it work as a business.' B In fact, Dr Darlington's invention was originally designed with space exploration projects in mind. His work at the University of Guelph's Controlled Environment Systems research facility in Ontario, Canada, involved finding methods to recycle the air which astronauts breathe inside a lunar module or space station. He and his team hit upon the idea of integrating two ideas: the use of natural microbes to deal with polluted air, and the use of plants to restore a contaminated environment. C 'I guess the big moment was when we saw how we could take those two general ideas … and just tweak them slightly, so the system would work indoors,' Dr Darlington explains. 'There were all kinds of mathematics and engineering, but it was really just "If we did this and this – wow". At the same time, once we started working on the system, we said, "Well, they're not really making many lunar bases". So for his idea to work in business terms, he needed to find a better market for it than space was likely to offer. He therefore began to think about using the same technology to remove harmful substances from the air people breathe inside buildings right here on Earth. 'Developing the project required another three years,' says Dr Darlington. 'It took that long to take an idea that was working really well in a laboratory, and translate it into something that would be effective on an industrial scale,' he recalls. D For this phase, the funding he obtained from the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) was key. This organisation provides support to help industries get research done at academic institutions in Ontario. But it may also help recent graduates who have a business idea that originated with the university, by supporting them for up to two years while they get it off the ground. E As a result of this support, Dr Darlington was able to set up a company, Nedlaw Living Walls, in 2001. The first living wall, set up in the University of Guelph's new Humbert campus facility in 2004, was followed by another in Toronto the same year. Currently, some 150 living walls are flourishing inside buildings across North America, and they have led to Nedlaw receiving a number of prestigious awards. F The projects advertise themselves better than anything else could, according to Dr Darlington. For example, since they installed their largest-ever living wall at Drexel University's Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building in Philadelphia, the company has been contacted by many local people impressed by what they have seen. G Soaring as high as five storeys in some cases, brilliant with the cascading greenery of foliage, ferns and flowering plants, the living walls provide an environment which can make being indoors seem like a walk through the rainforest – and they also save companies a lot of expense. The walls include a system which actively moves air over the plants' leaves, roots and growth medium, eliminating at least 90 per cent of the dust present in the air. So business owners don't have to worry about using ventilation systems to bring in fresh air from outside – they can simply let the living wall clean the air for them. There is some evidence that they may cut down sickness among staff who work in the environment, and businesses which have installed them have also found that they improve productivity by making employees feel more cheerful and motivated. As well as ten employees based in their Ontario headquarters, Nedlaw employs teams of subcontractors to look after the walls in distant cities. The plants get monthly maintenance visits as part of the package. H "There is a potential for reduced capital and operating expenses," says Dr Darlington. "We have the numbers to support what we're doing, so we can actually substantiate our claims about the improvement in air quality and productivity in a building. In fact, as building firms look for new and better ways to construct the spaces where people work and live, a living wall may well be the most obvious sign of such progressive thinking, acting as a marker of dedication to the green movement and green design." ## 题目与答案 ### 1. Stages in the commercial development of Living Walls Darlington's initial research focused on how the air in the environment which 1_____ live in could be used again. ↓ Stages in the commercial development of Living Walls Darlington's initial research focused on how the air in the environment which 1_____ live in could be used again. ↓ **答案**：astronauts 原文定位：His work at the University of Guelph's Controlled Environment Systems research facility in Ontario, Canada, involved finding methods to recycle the air which astronauts breathe inside a lunar module or space station 同义替换：「research」↔「work」；「could be used again」↔「recycle」 ### 10. 10 Dr Darlington believes that some academics may lack the ability to turn their ideas into commercially successful ventures. 10 Dr Darlington believes that some academics may lack the ability to turn their ideas into commercially successful ventures. - TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN **答案**：TRUE 原文定位：Canadian entrepreneur Alan Darlington;admits that people may have a point when they say that academics don't necessarily make good businessmen. While good ideas come up in university labs and classrooms all the time, he acknowledges that bringing them to the marketplace requires a different skill set 同义替换：「believes」↔「acknowledges」；「some academics may lack the ability」↔「academics don't necessarily make good businessmen」；「turn their ideas into commercially successful ventures」↔「bringing them to the marketplace」 ### 11. 11 Dr Darlington switched the focus of his project from space to Earth because of technical problems. 11 Dr Darlington switched the focus of his project from space to Earth because of technical problems. - TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN **答案**：FALSE 原文定位：At the same time, once we started working on the system, we said, "Well, they're not really making many lunar bases". So for his idea to work in business terms, he needed to find a better market for it than space was likely to offer. He therefore began to think about using the same technology to remove harmful substances from the air people breathe inside buildings right here on Earth ### 12. 12 It was difficult for Dr Darlington to persuade his team to spend another three years developing the project. 12 It was difficult for Dr Darlington to persuade his team to spend another three years developing the project. - TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN **答案**：NOT GIVEN 原文定位：Developing the project required another three years,' says Dr Darlington. 'It took that long to take an idea that was working really well in a laboratory, and translate it into something that would be effective on an industrial scale,' he recalls 同义替换：「spend another three years developing the project」↔「Developing the project required another three years」；「It was difficult for Dr Darlington to persuade his team」↔「」 ### 13. 13 Once a living wall has been established, it survives without any further care. 13 Once a living wall has been established, it survives without any further care. - TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN **答案**：FALSE 原文定位：As well as ten employees based in their Ontario headquarters;Nedlaw employs teams of subcontractors to look after the walls in distant cities;The plants get monthly maintenance visits as part of the package 同义替换：「without any further care」↔「look after the walls」 ### 2. Darlington's team discovered a method which involved using 2_____ and plants. ↓ Darlington's team discovered a method which involved using 2_____ and plants. ↓ **答案**：microbes 原文定位：He and his team hit upon the idea of integrating two ideas: the use of natural microbes to deal with polluted air, and the use of plants to restore a contaminated environment 同义替换：「team」↔「team」；「discovered a method」↔「hit upon the idea」；「plants」↔「plants」 ### 3. Darlington received 3_____ to support the project from Ontario Centres of Excellence. ↓ Darlington received 3_____ to support the project from Ontario Centres of Excellence. ↓ **答案**：funding 原文定位：For this phase, the funding he obtained from the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) was key 同义替换：「received」↔「obtained」；「from Ontario Centres of Excellence」↔「from the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE)」 ### 4. Darlington founded a company and installed the first living wall. ↓ The installation of more living walls resulted in several 4_____ for Nedlaw. Darlington founded a company and installed the first living wall. ↓ The installation of more living walls resulted in several 4_____ for Nedlaw. **答案**：awards 原文定位：Currently, some 150 living walls are flourishing inside buildings across North America, and they have led to Nedlaw receiving a number of prestigious awards 同义替换：「resulted in」↔「have led to」；「several」↔「a number of」；「Nedlaw」↔「Nedlaw」 ### 5. The advantages of living walls Living walls: create a pleasant environment similar to a 5_____ The advantages of living walls Living walls: create a pleasant environment similar to a 5_____ **答案**：rainforest 原文定位：Soaring as high as five storeys in some cases, brilliant with the cascading greenery of foliage, ferns and flowering plants, the living walls provide an environment which can make being indoors seem like a walk through the rainforest – and they also save companies a lot of expense 同义替换：「create a pleasant environment」↔「provide an environment」；「similar to」↔「seem like」 ### 6. remove almost all the 6_____ from the air remove almost all the 6_____ from the air **答案**：dust 原文定位：The walls include a system which actively moves air over the plants' leaves, roots and growth medium, eliminating at least 90 per cent of the dust present in the air 同义替换：「remove」↔「eliminating」；「almost all」↔「at least 90 per cent」；「from the air」↔「present in the air」 ### 7. make it unnecessary to install 7_____ equipment make it unnecessary to install 7_____ equipment **答案**：ventilation 原文定位：So business owners don't have to worry about using ventilation systems to bring in fresh air from outside – they can simply let the living wall clean the air for them 同义替换：「make it unnecessary」↔「don't have to worry about using」；「equipment」↔「systems」 ### 8. reduce employee 8_____ reduce employee 8_____ **答案**：sickness 原文定位：There is some evidence that they may cut down sickness among staff who work in the environment, and businesses which have installed them have also found that they improve productivity by making employees feel more cheerful and motivated 同义替换：「reduce」↔「cut down」；「employee」↔「staff」 ### 9. encourage positive feelings and so increase 9_____ encourage positive feelings and so increase 9_____ **答案**：productivity 原文定位：There is some evidence that they may cut down sickness among staff who work in the environment, and businesses which have installed them have also found that they improve productivity by making employees feel more cheerful and motivated 同义替换：「encourage positive feelings」↔「making employees feel more cheerful and motivated」；「increase」↔「improve」 --- 以上内容由鸭圈雅思真题库（www.yaquan.site）提供，收录近期雅思考试真题回忆，支持在线机考模式免费练习。