Living in the Valley
We had been living in our valley for sixteen months when we first realised the dangers that could exist in the surrounding hills and threaten our very survival. Until that time, we had felt safe and sheltered in our valley below the protecting hills.
Soon snow began to fall. Within a day it lay some 15 centimetres deep. It almost completely blocked out the lane and made the streamside path slippery and dangerous. But on the neighbouring heights the snow was much deeper and stayed for longer. Up there the wind was fierce.
And yet we knew that there was reason for us to worry. The snow and wind were certainly inconvenient but they did not really trouble us greatly.
In a short time the snow started to melt. Day after day, we watched clouds pile up high over the hills to the west Grey clouds extended over the valleys.
The snow was gradually washed away as more and more rain streamed from the clouds, but high up in the hills the reservoir (水库) was filling and was fast approaching danger level. And then it happened—for the first time in years the reservoir overflowed. There in the heights it was like the Niagara Falls, as the water flowed over the edge of the dam and poured into the stream below.
A.We can thus enjoy, rather than fear, the huge clouds that hang over the valley. |
B.Deep in our valley we felt only sudden fits of wind; trees swayed but the branches held firm. |
C.It was the year when the storms came early, before the calendar even hinted at winter. |
D.They twisted and turned, rising eastwards and upwards, warning of what was to come. |
E.It was the river, the Ryburn, which normally flowed so gently, that threatened us most. |
F.The river seemed maddened as the waters poured almost horizontally down to its lower stretches. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】An earthquake is one of the most common natural disasters. It may cause great damage. So it is wise to learn some simple safety tips to protect yourself or your family members.
Fragile items, like those made of glass should usually be placed on a lower surface, near the ground instead of placing them on cupboards higher up. Never place them near your bed, sofas and other furniture where you would be sitting or lying down. When there is a strong movement, these pieces will fall on the floor directly and on you.
There is a strong chance of short circuits (短路) and fire breakouts during an earthquake. Make sure you turn off electrical connections and gas immediately when an earthquake happens.
During an earthquake, lie beneath an object that is not easily damaged. Do not go near objects that could directly fall on you. Never use the elevator to go down. Stay inside until the shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries happen when people inside buildings try to go out. Use the staircases at all times.
If you are outdoors, do not take shelter under a tree, streetlights, electric poles or tall buildings. If you are driving, stop your car and stay in a safe place. Do not park your car under a tree or any tall object.
If trapped in debris (瓦砾堆), cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing. Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can find you. Use a whistle (哨子) if one is available. Never shout for help. Shouting can cause you to breathe in dangerous amounts of dust. Do not light a match because you may burn yourself. Do not move about or kick up dust.
1. The purpose of the passage is to tell readers ________.A.the damage caused by earthquakes | B.the rescue work after earthquakes |
C.what to do about earthquakes | D.how to prevent earthquakes |
A.go out the building at once | B.turn off power and gas immediately |
C.take shelter under a tree | D.drive to a safe place |
A.Cover their mouth with a handkerchief. | B.Tap on a pipe or wall for help. |
C.Use a whistle for help. | D.Light a fire for help. |
【推荐2】Two and a half months before the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins, forecasters have already predicted and warned that warm sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic and the development of a La Niña in the Pacific may create a “perfect storm” of the conditions needed for major hurricanes.
Key to the formation of any tropical cyclone (气旋) is the combination of warm ocean temperatures and the absence of what is known as wind shear (风切变). Alex DaSilva, a forecaster, explains that wind shear occurs when wind changes direction and speed at different heights in the atmosphere. When there’s much wind shear, it essentially knocks down those clouds and prevents tropical systems from really intensifying. Besides, hurricanes also need surface water to be at a temperature of 26 degrees Celsius or higher. That warm water, and the warm air just above it, provides fuel for the storm. The record data for February are 1.2 degrees Celsius above normal.
Over periods ranging from three to seven years, the waters of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean alternately (交替地) warm and cool as a result of a repeatedly occurring climate pattern called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). During an El Niño, sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific increase, and those warmer temperatures affect the path of the Pacific jet stream, which in turn brings drier, warmer weather to the northern United States and Canada, and wetter conditions to the Gulf Coast of Mexico and southeast. El Niño reduces the possibility of Atlantic hurricane formation because it lowers hurricane activity and increases wind shear. La Niña has just the opposite effect of El Niño. During the 2023 season, ENSO was in an El Niño phase. By the time the 2024 season starts, it is likely to have shifted fully into a La Niña.
“If a tropical storm system comes into this area, it could rapidly intensify, potentially close to land,” DaSilva cautions. “And that’s why people need to be on alert and have their hurricane plans ready. Because any system with these kinds of conditions can explode very quickly. That’s what we’re concerned about.”
1. Where can you probably read this article?A.https://www.thecut.com/culture/ |
B.https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/sports |
C.https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/ |
D.https://www.smithsonianmag.com/category/innovation/ |
A.Dying down. | B.Falling away. | C.Breaking down. | D.Becoming stronger. |
A.Generate less wind shear. | B.Bring more rainfall to the Gulf Coast. |
C.Block the path of the Pacific jet stream. | D.Cause higher temperature in Canada. |
A.To remind people to get prepared. | B.To report the Atlantic hurricanes. |
C.To compare El Niño and La Niña. | D.To introduce some geographic knowledge. |
【推荐3】“Earthquake!” The word flashed in my brain. A roaring sound filled my ears. I tried to hide beneath my desk. The desk did a wild tap dance, slipping and sliding towards the center of the room. I twisted (扭曲) my body and grabbed at the windowsill (窗沿) behind me, somehow kicking free of my dancing chair. I tried to stand. My legs skated away as if on a bucking escalator (弯曲的自动扶梯).
My fingers shook, grasped and held the windowsill tightly. Somewhere through the roar sounded the terrified scream of some wounded animals. I looked behind me and tried to steady my gaze on the other kids but the scene was a dizzy nightmare. Some of the class were sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by chairs and desks. One girl was screaming. A boy was trying to move across the floor to the door in a crazy overarm crawl (肩上爬行).
I cried aloud, “I’m going to die. I’m going to die. Save me. I’m not ready to die. I’m not ready!”
I moved forward on my knees and pressed my face against my clenched fingers (握紧拳头). Suddenly I realized that the rocking had stopped. Perhaps I wasn’t going to die.
1. The roaring sound was made by ____________________.A.a wounded animal | B.people screaming |
C.children running | D.an earthquake |
A.afraid | B.angry |
C.injured | D.impatient |
A.injuries suffered by the writer |
B.effects of a bad nightmare |
C.disorder in the classroom |
D.the writer’s fear of death |
A.fear | B.hope | C.sorrow | D.excitement |
【推荐1】The Arctic will soon be free from ice, experts say. The change is bound (必定的) to take place, but the global warming and climate change are changing the earth’ s landscape (地形) rapidly, causing panic worldwide.
Experts say that the Arctic sea ice is melting (融化) quite faster than expected and it can affect not just the region, but Earth in general. A scientist even says that next year, or maybe the year after that, the Arctic will be free of ice.
Peter Wadhams, a scientist, said that the melting trend led to his statement. “Most people expect this year will see a record low in the Arctic’s summer sea-ice cover. Next year or the year after that, I think it will be free of ice in summer and by that I mean the central Arctic will be ice-free,” Peter Wadhams, director of the Scott Polar Institute in Cambridge, said in an interview with the Guardian. “You will be able to cross over the North Pole by ship,” Peter Wadhams added. He strongly believes that although some pieces of ice will remain, the Arctic basin may be free of sea ice in the next two years starting in the summer of 2017.
Wadhams’ study says that melting sea ice will have a great influence on the planet since the sea ice is more able to reflect (反射) sunlight compared to water that can only reflect 10% of the sunlight. Once the sea ice melts, the water can only reflect a small amount of sunlight. This means that the Earth will receive and absorb more sunlight, making the planet even hotter.
The year 2016 has already broken records of the hottest temperature ever recorded and the trend doesn’t seem to show any decrease in global warming. “It doesn’t look like the ice is healing and growing back,” Tom Wagner, NASA’ s manager for cryosphere (冰冻圈) research said in a statement.
Like Wadhams, scientists and researchers all over the world are lecturing around to educate people to help lighten global warming that has already changed the planet’s landscape.
1. What does the author think of global warming and climate change?A.Anxious. | B.Unbelievable. | C.Misunderstood. | D.Happy. |
A.The melting of the Arctic sea ice only has a great effect on this region. |
B.It’s impossible that the Arctic will be free from ice in one or two years. |
C.What experts say has caused worldwide fear and great anxiety. |
D.The speed of the Arctic sea ice being melted is beyond expectation. |
A.the water will reflect more sunlight | B.more heat will be taken in by the earth |
C.more water will cover the earth | D.there will be more hours of daylight |
【推荐2】White sand beaches of the Cocos Islands, which are known as a splendid tourist destination surrounded by greenish blue water, have now been filled with wastes like abandoned plastic water bottles, toothbrushes and cigarette lighters.
Jennifer Lavels, a marine scientist, went to these tropical islands with her research team. Knowing that lots of beaches were polluted by plastic wastes, the team conducted a careful scientific examination on the coast, only to find the problem caused by pieces of trash humans left was worse than expected.
Not all plastics are to blame. They are necessary in places like hospitals and airplanes , and make our vehicles lighter and more efficient. However , other plastics, especially disposable(一次性的) plastics , account for the growing mess on the beaches. Islands all over the world are jammed with plastics. And the Cocos Islands are no exception.
It requires the greatest effort of all time to control plastic pollution in modern society. No matter how tall the hurdles are , something has to be done.
Apparently, demand for disposable plastics must be reduced greatly. “Why don't we carry around bags that we can use over and over again?” asked Richard Gross, a chemist who researches innovative ways to make more sustainable plastics. “Let's carry about reusable lunch boxes. We should understand how serious the situation is.”
Although it is important for individuals to make an effort to avoid using disposable plastics, it is also generally believed that only with international rules can such a deep- rooted, common, and worldwide disaster be tackled.
However, the U.N, which engages in dealing with accelerating climate change and public health crises , obviously isn't paying enough attention to calling for international action on plastic pollution. As a result, billions of plastic products will still be produced every year, many of which will end up in the ocean.
Nowadays, fish are eating plenty of plastics, and people eat those fish. It remains unrevealed how it will affect human health, but clearly the amount of plastics used has increased many times in the last several decades, and if this tendency goes on , by 2050 an enormous amount of carbon will be released into the already carbon-saturated
(碳饱和的)skies.
1. Why does the author mention the Cocos Islands in the first paragraph?
A.To admire the white sand on the islands. |
B.To present the problem of plastic pollution. |
C.To introduce a newly-made scientific study. |
D.To show the damage of the islands caused by tourists. |
A.People don't take the problem seriously. |
B.The problem is too tough to deal with. |
C.The problem is as difficult as jumping over tall hurdles. |
D.Measures must be taken whatever difficulty there is. |
A.It's doubtful. | B.It's favourable. | C.It's uncaring. | D.It's cautious. |
A.Ocean pollution caused by plastics |
B.Cocos Islands——An unforgettable attraction. |
C.A scientific research on disposable plastics. |
D.Disposable plastics——A major concern in the world |
【推荐3】Climate change is making people sick, according to a pair of influential reports on the connections between global warming and health.
Dr. Renee Sala, an emergency room physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, says governments who want to support public health must stop financially supporting the fossil fuel industry. “Climate change and air pollution have the same root cause—the burning of fossil fuels,” she says.
Longer, more intense heat waves are a particularly deadly effect of global warming around the world, and older people are most at risk. Over the past 20 years, the number of people over 65 who have died as a result of extreme heat has increased more than 50%, the Lancet report says. At least 296,000 people died because of heat in 2018, the most recent year for which global data are available.
According to the same survey, more countries are providing climate and weather information to doctors and hospitals. Helping hospitals and doctors prepare for climate-driven disasters is increasingly important. Sala says the 2020 pandemic (疫情) made clear how ill-equipped the public health equipment is to handle major disasters. She says the failures of the health system this year in the US should be a wake-up call to spend more money protecting health, especially in communities where poor people have been exposed to pollution and denied adequate health care.
Dr. Georges Benjamin, director of the American Public Health Association, says the global economic recovery from the pandemic is an opportunity to adapt to climate change. For example, urban areas without green space are increasingly dangerous heat islands that trap hot air and pollution. Planting trees, reducing highway and industrial pollution and investing in new housing are all ways to address (应对) climate change, he argues. “It’s preventable,” Benjamin says. “We don’t have to live this way.”
1. How does the author develop the third paragraph?A.By giving examples. | B.By listing figures. |
C.By making comparisons. | D.By proving causes and effects. |
A.It improves health care for doctors. |
B.It helps them to prevent climate change. |
C.It is a wake-up call to improve the health system. |
D.It can prepare them for the climate-related disasters. |
A.People’s health is connected with climate change. |
B.Economic developments threaten the environment. |
C.Action should be taken to deal with climate change. |
D.The 2020 pandemic offers a chance to adapt to climate change. |
A.Society. | B.Technology. | C.Health. | D.Economy. |