[1]No matter where we live, we all depend on the soil beneath our feet. Nearly every meal begins in the ground. Healthy soil stores more carbon than all of the world’s forests together, and it cleans much of the water we drink. A single spoonful holds more living things than there are people on Earth. The soil is food, water and climate. It is part of who we are. That is why it must be ( )( )((7)), ( )((8))( ).
[2]Today, we know the soil is fragile. Careless farming, building and mining have damaged it, and the damage is growing. Yet the problem is so large that no single farmer or town can solve it alone, and so small that ordinary choices matter. This is what brings us here. (1) a partnership between farmers and the land. And our region is ready to lead.
[3]This summit has three main focuses: restoring damaged land, cutting pollution from farming, and research. On each one, our region is putting real money on the table. Each is a proposal for cooperation. But only together (2) the ground we have lost.
[4]Let me give you three examples. First, today our region and the presidency of the Council are launching the Healthy Fields Coalition. The Coalition is calling for the adoption, in 2026, of a legally binding agreement on the protection and sustainable use of farmland that crosses national borders. We need an agreement that would govern shared soils fairly. We are so close, but we need to push.
[5]Second, our region can show that cooperation works. The Marlow River Basin, for example, is today (9) a haven for wild bees, earthworms and birds, because in 2018 farmers, towns and mining firms overcame their differences to protect it. We can do it again. Studies show that at least a third of farmland needs a cover of plants (3) fertile through the winter. We have seen the extraordinary power of recovery in the Marlow Basin, and the Healthy Fields Coalition would launch a recovery wave of its own.
[6]Every problem is an opportunity for new ideas. But we need a clear and ambitious goal. We need a mission, like the Green Fields Plan of the last decade. That brings me to my third example, (4) the ‘Living Fields Mission’, with €200 million in funding from our largest research programme and other sources. The Mission will focus on our five river valleys and test specific solutions to defined problems. In the Marlow Valley, for example, our aim is to stop and reverse the loss of topsoil, in particular from heavy rain and ploughing. Throughout its lifetime, the Mission will move from trial to widespread use and bring to market new ways to heal the land. It is a regional mission, but open to all who want to contribute. On the Danner Plateau, for instance, we are already working with every neighbouring state, because the choices of one matter to all those who share its rivers. This is the power of (11) land diplomacy, and its unique ability to overcome differences and improve lives.
[7]Finally, the soil is still largely a mystery to humankind. That is why we are building (12) a living map of the soil. We are linking our assets — like the Meridian satellites; field equipment such as sensors, drones and rovers; and high-performance computing. We will gather the raw data and turn (5) real-time knowledge and longer-term forecasts. We are putting the power of the digital revolution at the service of our farmers. Let me give you an example. Dry regions the size of whole countries are drying further, which is lowering water tables and threatening small farms and village wells. But there is more. It is also changing the way wind lifts dust and nutrients from dry fields. The process brings ancient minerals from the deep soil to the surface, (6) a boost to crops, but it is also releasing more carbon dioxide. We need to understand these processes better. A living map can do that, and much more.
[8]Thanks to our members, a living map should be operational by 2025. It will make soil knowledge open to farmers, scientists and policy-makers around the world. It will bring about (10) a framework for global cooperation. It is about putting in place the tools to achieve the commitments we make at this Summit. Together, with the living map, we will turn the lights on in the soil.
(9) The phrase “a haven,” as used in the passage, is closest in meaning to ________. 解答番号 9
(10) The phrase “a framework,” as used in the passage, is closest in meaning to ________. 解答番号 10
(11) The phrase “land diplomacy,” as used in the passage, is closest in meaning to ________. 解答番号 11
(12) The phrase “a living map of the soil,” as used in the passage, is closest in meaning to ________. 解答番号 12
(14) Which of the following statements best captures the main message of this passage? 解答番号 14
