文章大意:本文是一篇说明文。文章主要讲解,澳大利亚的一群艺术家、建筑师和研究人员从飞机的黑匣子汲取灵感,设计了地球的黑匣子,这可以用来记录全球变暖引起的物理变化以及人类对它们的地缘政治反应,且在环境问题上,对于领导人可以起到警示作用。
In autumn 2021, as leaders from across the globe gathered on Glasgow to talk about the impact of human-caused climate change, a group of artists, architects and researchers in Australia came a way to document the planet’ send by storing data in a massive metal stone in Tasmania. Known as Earth’s Black Box, the project, equal parts art installation and time capsule, aims to document the physical changes caused by global warming and humanity’s geopolitical response to them.
The installation’s name is a nod to a common aviation practice. The commercial airplane and private aircraft are equipped with a “black box”, a mechanism that automatically logs important flight details like altitude, airspeed and equipment functionality. These boxes, which are usually bright orange rather than black, are designed to withstand extreme temperatures as well as immense amounts of force and pressure. They are sometimes the only objects that survive a plane crash intact, allowing investigators to reconstruct a timeline of what went wrong in the aftermath.
Earth’s Black Box draws inspiration from these mechanisms. The vault (穹顶) will be made from specially designed, 3-inch-thick reinforced steel, chosen for its resistance to fire and water damage as well as its toughness and firmness. Along with the University of Tasmania and a collective of artists, an Australian communications firm plans to build the 33-foot-long vault in a remote part of western Tasmania. They chose the location for its relative geological and geopolitical stability. Unlike ar airplane’s flight recorder, however, Earth’s Black Box is not meant to withstand total planetary destruction. If Earth were to somehow explode, for instance, it probably wouldn’t survive. Instead, the artists and data scientists behind the project think of it as a way to log the progression of Earth’s current ecological collapse, which is already profoundly changing the environment.
“At its core, the box is intended to be a symbol of the disastrous situation we find our-selves in,” says Curtis, an expert on the project. “And more importantly, it’s intended to hold our leaders to account by being an unmissable structure that reminds them that their actions or inaction will be recorded for generations to come. ”
8. What is the purpose of Earth’s Black Box?
A.To keep a record. | B.To perform monitoring. |
C.To handle downloads. | D.To make predictions. |
9. What does the underlined word "intact" in paragraph 2 probably mean?
A.Bright and colorful. | B.Inactive and disconnected. |
C.Complete and undamaged. | D.Important and multifunctional. |
10. How is the steel used to build the Earth’s Black Box’s vault?
A.Leaky, tough and firm. | B.Hot, breakable and explosive. |
C.Damp, physically stable and eco-friendly. | D.Water-resistant, heat-resisting and solid. |
11. What is the best title for the text?
A.Global Leaders Are Aiming at Global Warming |
B.Human-caused Climate Change Is Having a Big Impact |
C.Earth’s Black Box Warns of Its End Due to Climate Change |
D.Earth’s Black Box Can Save Us from Disastrous Situations |