ENVIRONMENT REPORT - Rooftop Gardens

ENVIRONMENT REPORT -June 28, 2002: Rooftop Gardens

By Cynthia Kirk
Chicago City Hall
This is the VOA Special English ENVIRONMENT REPORT.

Officials in Chicago, Illinois, are hoping to help the environment by planting gardens on the tops of buildings.
They say plants and trees have the ability to clean the air and decrease the temperature. They say rooftop gardens
can keep buildings cooler, save energy and extend¹ the useful life of a roof.

Almost half of the streets, parking² areas for cars, and buildings in Chicago have dark colored
surfaces. More than sixty percent of Chicago’s rooftops are dark in color.
During the summer, dark-colored surfaces take in and trap³ heat from the sun. This
causes the temperature to rise higher in the city than in surrounding areas.

This is known⁴ as the urban⁵ heat island effect. It is felt most in the summer when
temperatures are already high. More energy is needed to cool buildings as a result of
the temperature increase. The heat island effect also increases air pollution.

Not all cities experience the heat island effect. It depends on the weather and the
condition of streets, buildings and other man-made⁶ structures⁷. It also depends on the
number of natural areas with plants and trees, such as parks and gardens. In addition to Chicago, several North
American cities experience the heat island effect. They include Atlanta, Georgia; Baton⁸ Rouge⁹, Louisiana, and
Toronto, Canada.

The city of Chicago’s Department of Environment wants building owners to do what they can to reduce the

heat island effect. City officials say one way to do this is by planting gardens on the roofs of buildings. One
example is the rooftop garden on Chicago ’s City Hall. Workers planted trees and other plants on the roof. They
chose native plants that need less water. Many kinds of insects and birds have made their homes in the rooftop
garden. Workers also replaced surfaces with light-colored materials. They say this has helped reduce energy use
inside the building to keep the building cooler.

Officials say the Chicago City Hall rooftop garden also helps prevent rainwater from overflowing¹¹ in the streets.
The water is taken in by the plants, trees and soil. Officials say the overflow¹⁰ of rainwater would be reduced if
enough buildings in the city had rooftop gardens.

This VOA Special English ENVIRONMENT REPORT was written by Cynthia Kirk.

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1 extend   

v.伸开；展开，伸展；扩大；加大

参考例句：

• Can you extend your visit for a few days more?你能把你的访问再延长几天吗？
• The examinations extend over two weeks.考试持续两个星期。

2 parking   

n.停车，停机，停放

参考例句：

• A bus is parking on the road.路上停着一辆公共汽车。
• Next you must learn how to back a car into a parking space.下一步你应该学会如何把车倒入停车的空地。

3 trap   

vt.使陷入困境，使受限制；设陷，坑害；n.陷阱，诡计；困境；活板门，存水弯；（双轮）轻便马车；vi.设圈套，设陷阱

参考例句：

• The hunter laid a trap for the tiger.猎人设置了陷阱捕捉老虎。
• Cheese is very good for luring a mouse into a trap.奶酪是引诱老鼠上钩的极好的东西。

4 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

5 urban   

adj.都市的，住在都市的，习惯于都市的

参考例句：

• Traffic is a major urban problem.交通是城市的一个主要问题。
• The spread of urban areas endangers wildlife.扩大城市面积危害着野生物。

6 man-made   

adj.人造的，合成的，人为的

参考例句：

• Nylon is a man-made fibre.尼龙是一种人造纤维。
• Many countries have sent up man-made satellites to circle the earth.许多国家已经发射人造卫星围绕地球运转。

7 structures   

n.结构( structure的名词复数 )；[生物学]构造；机构；构造物v.组织( structure的第三人称单数 )；安排；制定

参考例句：

• All three structures dated to the third century and were tentatively identified as shrines. 这3座建筑都建于3 世纪，并且初步鉴定为神庙。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Flexibility of labour was obtained through the breakup of old trade union structures. 打破了旧的工会结构之后，雇用劳工可以灵活处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 baton   

n.乐队用指挥杖

参考例句：

• With the baton the conductor was beating time.乐队指挥用指挥棒打拍子。
• The conductor waved his baton,and the band started up.指挥挥动指挥棒，乐队开始演奏起来。

9 rouge   

n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红

参考例句：

• Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty.女人往面颊上涂胭脂，使脸更漂亮。
• She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty.她天生漂亮，不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。

10 overflow   

v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出

参考例句：

• The overflow from the bath ran on to the floor.浴缸里的水溢到了地板上。
• After a long period of rain,the river may overflow its banks.长时间的下雨天后，河水可能溢出岸来。

11 overflowing   

n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
• The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。