Why is Africa building a Great Green Wall 建造非洲“绿色长城”

Nowadays a massive wall being built in Africa is encouraging people from 20 countries to join forces for a large?scale project for the common good. The Great Green Wall is an ambitious plan to grow drought?resistant （抗旱的） trees across about 6，000 miles of land at the southern edge of the Sahara desert， a region known as the Sahel. It runs the width of the continent， from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea.

The area was once green and mostly covered in grassland. But frequent droughts have changed its makeup. Now， “More than anywhere else on Earth， the Sahel is on the frontline of climate change and millions of locals are already facing its destructive impact，” according to the project website.

After years of working on a solution， leaders from 11 African countries signed on to the project in 2007. Today， there are over 20 countries involved.

The Great Green Wall covers 780 million hectares （公顷） of dry and semi?dry land， and the area is home to 232 million people. Men and women of all ages joined to plant drought?resistant trees. Just over a decade into the project， about 15 percent has been completed. And as the project greens the dry landscape， not only is life coming back to the land， but millions of people who live there have found food and water security， more jobs and a reason to stay.

Once finished， the Great Green Wall should be the largest living structure on the planet， three times the size of the Great Barrier Reef. “There are many world wonders， but the Great Green Wall will be unique and everyone can be a part of its history，” said Dr. Dlamini?Zuma， chairman of the African Union Commission， in a statement on the projects website. “Together， we can change the future of African communities in the Sahel.”

[阅读检测]

1. What can we know about the Great Green Wall？

A. It is being constructed throughout Africa.

B. It is financed by most African countries.

C. It is widely supported by people of all ages.

D. It is the highest existing structure globally.

2. What is the second paragraph intended to show？

A. The causes of frequent droughts.

B. The side effects of climate change.

C. The worsening threats to the Sahel.

D. The reason for the Great Green Wall.

3. What is the benefit from the Great Green Wall for the local people？

A. Their working environment is safer.

B. Their living conditions are improving.

C. Their economic income is increasing.

D. Their physical health is getting better.

4. What is Dr. Dlamini?Zuma talking about in the last paragraph？

A. The uniqueness of the project. B. The significance of the project.

C. The promising future of the planet. D. The wonders related to the project.

[语言学习]

难句分析

And as the project greens the dry landscape， not only is life coming back to the land， but millions of people who live there have found food and water security， more jobs and a reason to stay. 而且因為该项目绿化了干旱的土地，不仅这里的生命得以恢复，而且数百万生活在那里的人们食物和水得到了保障，他们找到了更多的工作，并找到了留下来的理由。

该句为主从复合句，句中as引导时间状语从句，not only...but also...为并列的两个分句，在but also之后的分句中who引导定语从句修饰people。