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题型:阅读理解-阅读单选 难度:0.65 引用次数:138 题号:15902285

Coastal cities around the globe are sinking by up to several centimeters per year, on average, satellite observations reveal. The one-two punch of sinking land and rising seas means that these coastal regions are at greater risk of flooding than previously thought, researchers report in the April 16 Geophysical Research Letters.

Matt Wei, an earth scientist at the University of Rhode Island in Narragansett, and colleagues studied 99 coastal cities on six continents. “We tried to balance population and geographic location,” he says. While subsidence (下沉) has been measured in cities previously, earlier research has tended to focus on just one city or region. This investigation is different. Wei says, “It’s one of the first to really use data with global coverage.” Wei and his team relied on observations made mostly from 2015 to 2020 by a pair of European satellites. Instruments onboard beam microwave signals toward Earth and then record the waves that bounce back. By measuring the timing and intensity of those reflected waves, the team determined the height of the ground with millimeter accuracy. And because each satellite flies over the same part of the planet every 12 days, the researchers were able to trace how the ground deformed over time.

The largest subsidence rates — up to five centimeters per year — are mostly in Asian cities like Tianjin, China; Karachi, Pakistan; and Manila, Philippines, the team found. What’s more, about one-third, or 34, of the analyzed cities are sinking in some places by more than a centimeter per year. That’s a worrying trend, says Dario Solano-Rojas, an earth scientist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City who was not involved in the research. These cities are being hit with a double whammy: At the same time that sea levels are rising due to climate change, the land is sinking. “Understanding that part of the problem is a big deal,” Solano-Rojas says.

Wei and his colleagues think that the subsidence is largely caused by people. When the researchers looked at Google Earth imagery of the regions within cities that were rapidly sinking, the team saw mostly residential or commercial areas. That’s a tip-off that the culprit (元凶) is groundwater extraction, the team concluded. Landscapes tend to settle as water is pumped out of aquifers (含水层). But there’s reason to be hopeful. In the past, Indonesia’s Jakarta, for example, was sinking by nearly 30 cm/yr, on average. But now subsidence there and in other places has slowed, possibly due to recent governmental regulations limiting groundwater extraction.

1. How does Matt Wei and his colleagues’ research differ from previous ones?
A.It centers on observing European satellites.
B.It adopts comprehensive data on a global scale.
C.It demonstrates subsiding land and rising seas risk coastal regions.
D.It makes the connection between waves and the height of the ground.
2. What can we know from the third paragraph?
A.Most Asian cities are sinking at the rate of five centimeters per year.
B.Dario Solano-Rojas is in charge of statistical analysis in the research.
C.Some cities are in a difficult situation with land sinking and sea rising.
D.Cities subsiding at largest rates account for one third of the analyzed cities.
3. What is a cause of the subsidence according to the passage?
A.Launching satellites flying over the same part of the earth.B.Governments’ regulations on limiting water usage.
C.Rising seas flooding some coastal regions regularly.D.Pumping groundwater out for certain purposes.
4. What is the author’s attitude toward slowing down subsidence?
A.Optimistic.B.Skeptical.C.Tolerant.D.Conservative.

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【推荐1】It’s no secret that your personal characteristics directly affect how you interact with the world, but you might be surprised at just how deep it goes. Experts think that your personality can even affect how you exercise and influence what sports are suitable for you.

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Highly sensitive people may be more uncomfortable with group exercise classes or team sports where they feel their every move is being observed. Additionally, they may feel more upset over an ineffective or poor workout, says researcher Elaine Aron.

For such people, individual or non-competitive activities like biking, running and hiking are ideal.

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To get better exercise results, Type A people need to be aware that following an exercise plan too strictly may limit their progress. They should be more flexible and listen to their body, especially when they are in pain.

Type B Personality

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Type B individuals succeed in creative and co-operative environments, so team sports and group gym classes may be perfect.

Remember, there are plenty of ways you can adapt a fitness plan to suit your needs, regardless of your characteristics. Just keep in mind what you like.

1. Why might highly sensitive people be unwilling to take part in group sports?
A.They will feel like they are being evaluated.
B.They don't like socializing with other people.
C.They don't consider themselves to be athletic.
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2. Type A personalities can be best described as_________.
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3. What is the purpose of the text?
A.To help people understand what personality type they are.
B.To explain how personal characteristics affect exercise habits.
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D.To describe different types of workouts that are available today.
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【推荐2】Cancer researchers urged people on Wednesday to take more vitamin D to lower risk of cancer, saying studies showed a clear link. “Our suggestion is for people to increase their intake, through diet or a vitamin supplement,” Dr. Cedric Garland said in a telephone interview.

Garland’s research team reviewed 63 studies, including several large long-term ones, on the relationship between vitamin D and certain types of cancer worldwide between 1966 and 2004. “There’s nothing that has this ability to prevent cancer,” he said, urging governments and public health officials to do more to fortify foods with vitamin D. Garland is part of a University of California at San Diego Moores Cancer Center team that published its findings this week online in the American Journal of Public Health. Vitamin D is found in milk, as well as in some fortified orange juice, yogurt and cheeses, usually at around 100 international units (IU) a serving. People might want to consider a vitamin supplement to raise their intake to 1000 IUs per day, Garland said, adding that it was well within the safety guidelines established by the National Academy of Sciences.

The authors said that taking more vitamin D could be especially important for people living in northern areas, which receive less vitamin D from sunshine.

African Americans, who don’t produce as much of the vitamin because of their skin colour, could also benefit significantly from a higher intake, the authors said.

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