The United Nations" weather agencysays 2010 was one of the warmest yearson record,
providing further evidence thatthe planet is slowly but surely heating
(无法处理)up.
The World Meteorological Organization says globalaverage temperatures last year
were just over half a degreeCelsius higher than the 1961~1990 period, slightly abovethe
temperature of 2005, and a little higher again over thatof 1998, which were previously
two of the top threewarmest years on record.
Michel Jarraud, an official in the World MeteorologicalOrganization, said, "We can
indeed report that 2010 is nowgoing to rank as the warmest year on record at the same
level as 2005 and 1998. "
The ten warmest years after records began in 1854 haveall occurred since 1998. Rising
global temperatures over the last century arecausing climate experts to worry.
The Geneva-based global weather agency says that lastyear"s extreme weather-notably
the heat wave in Russiaand monsoon(季风,雨季)flooding in Pakistan--hascontinued into
the new year.
Michel Jarraud also said, "What we can say is that withglobal warming some of these
events will become morefrequent or more intense. "
The UN agency contributes the extreme weatherpatterns to El Nino and La Nina,
which constantlydominated the world climate in 2010, bringing warm effectsand cooling
effects respectively.
Apart from extreme weather conditions, the WM() alsonoticed further melting of Arctic
sea-ice.ln December 2010,ice cover around the region registered its lowest level, 1. 35million
square kilometers below the 1979-2000 Decemberaverage.
B. the average temperatures of 1998 and 2005 were higher than that of 2010
C. 1998,2005 and 2010 were among the warmest tenycars on record
D. the earth is becoming cooler and cooler
B. The heat wave in Russia.
C. The monsoon flooding in Pakistan.
D. El Nino and La Nina.
B. Controlled.
C. Affected.
D. Raised.
B. 2010 was one of the warmest years on record.
C. The Arctic sea-ice is melting.
D. The extreme weather in 2010 and its effects.
A nearly ice-free Arctic Ocean inthe summer may happen three timessooner than scientists
have assessed.New research says the Arctic might lose
most of its ice cover in summer in as few as 30 years insteadof by the end of the century.
The amount of the Arctic Ocean covered by ice at theend of summer by then could be
only about 1 million squarekilometers. That"s compared to today"s ice extent c范围)of4. 6
million square kilometers. So much more open watercould be an advantage for shipping
and for extracting(开采)minerals and oil from the seabed, but it raises the questionof
ecosystem change.
While the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007 assessed what might
happen in the Arctic in the future based on results from more than a dozen globalclimate
models, two researchers said that the dram4tic dropsin the extent of ice at the end of
summer in 2007 and 2008called for a different approach.
Out of the 23 models now available, the newpredictions are based on the six most
suited for assessing sea ice, according to Muyin Wang, a climate scientist in a university
of Washington, and James Overland, an oceanographer. Wang and Overland sought
models that best matched what has actually happened in recent years,because, "if a
model can"t do today"s conditions well, howcan you trust its future predictions?" Wang
says. "
In recent years the combination of unusual warmtemperatures from natural causes
and the global warmingsignal have worked together to provide an earlier summersea-ice
loss than was predicted when scientists consideredthe effects from human-caused
carbon dioxide alone," saysOverland.
Scientists don"t expect the Arctic to be totally ice free,figuring that ice still will be
found along northern Canadaand Greenland where powerful winds sweeping across
theArctic Ocean force ice layers to slide on top of each other,making for a very thick
ice cover.
B. opinions from government officials
C. examples that were provided by the author
D. researchers" assessment of the global climate models
B. That there will be a very thick ice cover in northern Canada.
C. That the sea-ice loss was the effect of the unusual climate change.
D. That the temperature will be very low in the futurebecause of the sea ice.
B. 6
C. 12
D. 23
B. the cause of global warming
C. the new research about the Arctic sea-ice
D. how to do research with models .
a new study thatreveals forests help to block out the sun.
Scientists in the UK and Germanyhave discovered that trees release achemical that thickens
clouds abovethem, which reflects more sunlight andcools the earth. The research suggeststhat
chopping down forests could speed
up global warming, and that protecting existing trees couldbe one of the best ways to
deal with the problem.
Dominick Spracklen, of the Institute for Climate andAtmospheric Science at Leeds
University, said, "We thinkthis could have quite a great effect. You can think of forestsas
climate air conditioners. "
The scientists looked at chemicals called terpenes(萜烯) that are released from
northern forests across northernregions such as Canada, Scandinavia and Russia. The
chemicals give forests a special smell, but their function haspuzzled experts for years.
Some believe the trees releasethem to communicate, while others say they could offer
protection from air pollution.
The team found the terpenes react in the air and formaerosols(气雾剂).They help to
turn water vapour(蒸气)in the atmosphere into clouds.
Spracklen said the team"s computer models showedthat the aerosols doubled the
thickness of clouds about1,000 meters above the forests, and would reflect an extra5%
sunlight back into space.
He said, "It might not sound a lot, but that is quite astrong cooling effect. The climate
is such a finely balancedsystem that we think this effect is large enough to reduce
temperatures over quite large areas. It gives us anotherreason to preserve forests. "
Becausetreesrelease . moreterpenesinwarmerweather, the discovery suggests that
forests could act as anegative feedback (反馈) on climate, which slows the rise in
temperature.
B. growing more trees in the world
C. releasing aerosols above the forests
D. releasing terpenes in the air
B. They help thicken the clouds that reflect sunlight.
C. They make the temperature rise in cold northernarea s.
D. They help trees grow better.
B. reducing harmful chemicals in the air
C. producing a large amount of oxygen
D. reducing the earth"-s temperature
行病) of sleepiness in the nation."I can"t think of a single study that hasn"t found Americans getting less
sleep than they ought to," says Dr David.Even people who think they are sleeping enough would probably
be better off with more rest.
The beginning of our sleepdeficit crisis can be traced back to the invention of the light bulb a century
ago.From diary entries and our personal accounts from the 18th and 19th centuries,sleep scientists have
reached the conclusion that the average person used to sleep about 9.5 hours a night."The best sleep habits
once were forced on us,when we had nothing to do in the evening down on the farm,and it was dark." By
the 1950s and 1960s,the sleep schedule had been reduced dramatically,to between 7.5 and 8 hours,and
most people had to wake to an alarm clock."People cheat in their sleep,and they don"t even realize they"re
doing it," says Dr David."They think they"re okay because they can get by on 6.5 hours,when they really
need 7.5,8 or even more to feel ideally energetic."
Perhaps the most merciless robber of sleep,researches say,is the complexity of the day.Whenever
pressures from work , family, friends and community increase , many people consider sleep the least
expensive item on their programme."In our society,you"re considered dynamic if you say you need only
5.5 hours" sleep.If you"ve got to get 8.5 hours,people think you lack drive and ambition."
To determine the consequences of sleepdeficit , researchers have put subjects through a set of
psychological and performance tests requiring them,for instance,to add columns of numbers or recall a
passage read to them only minutes earlier."We"ve found that if you"re in sleepdeficit,performance suffers,"
says Dr David."Shortterm memory is weakened,as are abilities to make decisions and to concentrate."
B.The epidemic of sleepiness in the modern times.
C.The history of people"s sleeping patterns.
D.The minimum of our sleeping hours.
B.Some people can remain energetic with only 6.5 hours"sleep a night.
C.If they get 18.5 hours"sleep,people will be full of drive and ambition.
D.People"s metal power suffers if they are lacking in sleep.
B.they knew what was best for their health
C.they had no electricity
D.they were not so dynamic and ambitious as modern people are
B.the pressures of the day
C.the sufficient energy modern people usually have
D.loud noises in modern cities
B.Branches of knowledge studied in a school.
C.Persons or things being treated in a certain way or being experimented on.
D.Any member of a state apart from the supreme ruler.
adults around the world.
Sleep might be one answer to the problem.A new study has found that elementary school students
who slept too little were more likely to gain pounds.In the United States today, some 9 million children
over the age of 6 are obese (too fat).
Past studies have shown a link between sleeping less and weighing more, but scientists have had a
tough time determining"which_came_first, the_chicken_or_the_egg", says Julie C. Lumeng of the
University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.In other words, it hasn"t been clear whether kids who weigh too
much have trouble sleeping, or whether sleeping less leads to weight gain.Both scenarios (情况) seemed
equally possible.
To get a better idea of which causes which, Lumeng and his colleagues interviewed the parents of
785 third graders from around the United States.The parents answered questions about how well their
kids slept that year.Three years later, the parents answered the same questions.By sixth grade,18
percent of kids involved in the study were obese.The scientists found no relationship between weight
and the students"race or gender.It also didn"t matter how strict their parents were.Obesity struck all of
these groups equally.
Instead, sleep seemed to be the key factor.Over the 3 years of the study, the children averaged a
healthy 9.5 hours of sleep a night.Some kids, however, slept a lot more-or less-than others.For the sixth
graders, every hour of sleep above the 9.5hour average was linked to a 20 percent lower risk of being
obese.Sleep appeared doubly important for the third graders.Every extra hour of sleep they got was
linked to a 40 percent drop in obesity by third grade.
"I expected we"d find that this (sleep link with obesity) was just a_bunch_of_bunk, " says Lumeng,
a pediatrician.But their findings were convincing.No matter how her team looked at the link, "we
couldn"t make it go away."
1. According to the research, ________.
A. 9 million people in America have a weight problem
B. not enough sleep contributes to a gain in weight
C. sixth graders need more sleep than third graders
D. lack of sleep has become the most deadly killer
2. The statement "which came first, the chicken or the egg" suggests that________.
A. scientists are sure about the causes of children"s obesity
B. it"s easy to decide the cause and effect of this problem
C. scientists are still confused about the cause and effect of the problem
D. you"ll develop obesity if you eat chicken and eggs
3. Recent studies show that a child"s weight is influenced by the________.
A. amount of sleep
B. parents"attitude to him
C. race or gender
D. performance in school
4. The underlined part in the last paragraph most probably means something________.
A. acceptable
B. understandable
C. reliable
D. unreasonable
and cross deserts to bring Yemenis the goods more valuable than oil.It is one that only the rich can afford, with the supply regularly being cut off.Others must rely on scarce rain or charity to fight thirst.
Experts say Yemen is going to be the first country in the world to run out of water.The capital, Sanaa, will run out of drinking water as early as 2025, says a report by the World Bank.
Hannan, an 18yearold from Lahej, said that only the rich could prepare for cuts in supply."In a good
week we"ll have a water supply all week but then the following week there will be water only for a day or
two, " she said.
She and her husband, a factory worker, pay 3,000 riyals (99 yuan) for a week"s supply of water
from a touring water truck when the taps run dry.With an income of only 20,000 riyals (660 yuan) a
month, this means the family often spend half their money on water.
"There are a lot of people who can"t afford it and they have to rely on their neighbors to help, " she
said.
The average person in Yemen survives on onefifth of what the World Health Organization considers
to be enough water.
In Taiz, in the south, tap water is available only once every 45 days.In the mountainous Malhan district
in the north, women and children climb a 1,500m mountain to collect water from a spring, often in the
small hours to avoid long queues.
Yemen is located in Southwest Asia, bordering the Arabian and Red Sea.Yemeni people have lived
on scarce water supplies for thousands of years but that problem has been made serious by conflict in the
area, the fastgrowing population and the use of water to grow a drug called qat.With one of the world"s
highest rates of population growth-3.46 percent, Yemen is the poorest Arab country.
The government is considering desalinating (淡化) seawater, but this would be expensive and it may
now be too late.The only other solution is to cut down on farming, but that means importing even more
food.
1. The passage aims to________.
A. analyze the reasons why Yemen lacks water
B. suggest some solutions to the water issue in Yemen
C. present how serious the water problem is in Yemen
D. encourage the world to help Yemenis who are suffering from water shortages
2. When Hannan said that only the rich could prepare for cuts in supply, she meant that________.
A. rich people drank more water than the poor
B. rich people could buy water from the water trucks if there was a water supply cut
C. she had a rich neighbor who often helped her during water supply cuts
D. the rich were not affected by water supply cuts
3. Which of the following may be a reason why Yemen is short of water?
A. The country has had no rain for a long time.
B. The population of Yemen is growing fast.
C. The government has failed to reduce farming.
D. People can"t afford the water from government water trucks.
4. The best title for the passage is "________".
A. Never take water for granted
B. The water truck-the commonest sight in Yemen
C. The first country to run out of water in the world
D. No water for Yemen
- 1He________live in the south, so it is hard for him to_______
- 2为了让人们感受丢弃塑料袋对环境造成的影响,某班环保小组的6名同学记录了自己家中一周内丢弃塑料袋的数量,结果如下:(单位:
- 3中国特色社会主义理论体系就是包括_____等重大战略思想在内的科学理论体系,是马克思主义中国化的最新理论成果。 [
- 4下列现象属于“气候”的是[ ]A、明晨气温将下降7~8度 B、东边日出西边雨 C、受台风影响,风力增加到十级D、
- 5—It’s so nice to enjoy the sunshine here on the green grass.
- 6如图,把△ABC纸片沿DE折叠,使点C落在四边形BADE内部点F的位置.(1)已知∠CDE=50°,求∠ADF的大小;(
- 7读图,从中可获得的信息不包括 A.黄河流域比长江流域分布更多
- 8设正实数,满足,求证:
- 9“在什么时间都爱开心,笑容都会飞翔。就算会摔倒站得起来,永远不会沮丧,在所有天气,拥有叫人大笑的力量……”动画片《喜羊羊
- 10如图是镁和氯两种元素的有关信息,则下列说法错误的是( )A.镁原子结构图中X=8B.氯元素的原子序数为17C.镁元素与
- 1阅读理解。 Miss Hong: Attention, please. As you know, Mr. S
- 2阅读短文,选出选项问题。 BEUING-No Car Day was first started by 34 ci
- 3My computer must be infected with virus (病毒), for it will __
- 4在观察外部形态时,可以发现鲫鱼身体的腹面呈白色,这有利于躲避A.空中的敌害B.水上面的敌害C.水侧面的敌害D.水下面的敌
- 5(坐标系与参数方程选做题)已知直线(为参数)相交于、两点,则
- 6如图,四条表示方向的射线中,表示北偏东60°的是[ ] A.B.C.D.
- 7求下列关于x的函数的定义域和值域: (1)y=;(2)y=log2(-x2+2x);(3)。
- 8下列溶液与KOH溶液反应,能生成蓝色沉淀的是( )A.FeCl3溶液B.MgCl2溶液C.CuCl2溶液D.FeCl2
- 9大前提:柏拉图主张知识是人先天固有的。小前提:亚里士多德是柏拉图的学生。结论:亚里士多德也认为知识是人先天固有的。该推论
- 10在青蛙的繁殖季节,雌蛙与雄蛙抱对的生物学意义是( )A.表示友好B.确定“配偶”C.使产在水中的卵受精D.孵卵