University.

The study found that while population and wealth concentrate by the sea，crops must be grown further and further away from where people live. So highlands and mountain areas are increasingly important from this point of view.

Over the past century there has been a clear tendency that cropland and pasture(牧场)areas have grown mostly in areas outside the population hotspots，and decreased in coastal areas. This will most probably only continue in the future，adds Professor Olli Varis from Aalto University.

Even though people and wealth continue to accumulate in coastal areas，their growth is even faster in inland and mountainous areas，the study reveals. This contradicts the existing studies. In the future，the world will be less diverse in terms of urbanization and economic output，when assessing it from a geospatial (地理空间) point of view.

For the analysis，researchers used several global gridded(网格化的) datasets. They first created geographical zoning in relation to the elevation and proximity to coast. This was then used to study the factors included in the study，which were grouped into five clusters: climate，population，agriculture，economy，and impact on the environment. For the factors with temporal extent，the researchers also assessed their development over a time period of 1900-2050.

【语篇解读】　本文是说明文。文章主要讲述了未来海平面上升给人类带来的潜在威胁。

3. What can be known about those living close to sea coast?

A. They will survive sea level rise.

B. They have been accustomed to sea level rise.

C. They suffer more floods than storms.

D. They are most easily affected by sea level rise.

答案　D　[细节理解题。根据第一段中的"These people are the most sensitive to the rise of sea level as well as to the increased number of floods and intensified (加剧的 )storms"可知，这些人最容易受到海平面上升所带来的影响。]

4. Why will highlands and mountain areas become more important?