Terribly hot weather, pouring downpours... Scientists have long suspected that global warming can cause extreme weather events. Now experts have numbers to support that idea.
The burning of fossil fuels has been leading to a buildup of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere. This CO2 is a greenhouse gas. That means it can trap heat in the air. As a result, our planet’s temperature has been rising. And this global wanning will account for a growing share of ever more frequent extreme weather events.
Many governments hope to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius above temperatures that were typical before the Industrial Revolution. It will be hard for nations to achieve that. But even if they do, global warming still will be responsible for nearly all heat extremes. Global warming also will be to blame for about 2 out of every 5 extreme rains and snowfalls. “This is a considerable fraction of major weather events,” says climate scientist Peter Stott.
So far. Earth has warmed about 0.85 degree Celsius since 1750. That’s about when the Industrial Revolution got its start. That’s also when fossil fuel use took off, spewing(喷出) lots of CO2 into the air, MOverall, the new study shows that relatively small rises in global temperature translate into large increases in the likelihood of extremes. Stott says.
Erich Fischer and Reto Knutti analyzed 25 different computer models of global climate. These analyses looked at different climate periods, from preindustrial times to the present. The analyses also predicted what weather events were likely to be like in the future. This period was predicted to be warmer by 2 and 3 degrees Celsius.
The computer looked at when extreme heat and precipitation(冰雹) occurred during each climate period. It focused on events of unusual heat or heavy precipitation. Before the Industrial Revolution, such extremes typically would have occurred only once in every 1,000 days.
“But since the globe has been warming, such extremes are no longer nearly as rare. These new findings provide ‘a global statement’,” Fischer says. “You can still get the biggest heat that you have ever seen without any human changes.”
1. The second paragraph is mainly about| A．what damage the global wanning caused |
| B．how the global warming came into being |
| C．where the global warming is becoming serious |
| D．why fossil fuels have to be forbidden |
| A．it is reasonable for climate change to happen |
| B．there is no serious effect of the global warming now |
| C．the influence of the global warming is great |
| D．the extreme weather happens in small numbers |
| A．will happen more often than before | B．happens once in every 1,000 days |
| C．strikes every region without differences | D．has become a rare phenomenon across the planet |
| A．Extreme weather is becoming common now. | B．The role of global warming in extreme weather. |
| C．Earth has suffered from extreme weather. | D．Global warming makes Earth hotter and hotter. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Is there link between humans and climate change or not？ This question was first studied in the early 1900s． Since then， many scientists have thought that our actions do make a difference． In 1997， the Kyoto Protocol explained our role in the Earth's changing atmosphere and set international limits for gas emissions from 2008 to 2012． Some countries have decided to continue these reductions until 2020． More recently， the Paris Agreement， stuck by nearly 200 countries， also aims to limit global warming． But Just now how much warmer it will get depends on how deeply countries cut carbon emissions．
3.5℃
This is how much temperatures would rise by 2100 even if nations live up to the initial Paris promises to reduce carbon emissions； this rise could still put coastal cities under water and drive over half of all species to extinction．
2℃
To meet this minimum goal， the Agreement requires countries to tighten emissions targets every five years． Even this increase could sink some islands， worsen drought （干旱） and drive a decline of up to a third in the number of species．
1.5°C
This is the most ambitious goal for temperature rise set by the Paris Agreement， after a push by low﹣lying island nations like Kiribati， which say limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C could save them from sinking．
0.8℃
This is how much temperatures have risen since the industrial age began， putting us 40% of the way to the 2°C point．
0℃
The baseline here is average global temperature before the start of the industrial age．
1. If nations could only keep the initial promises of the Paris Agreement， what would happen by the year 2100？| A．The human population would increase by one third． |
| B．Little﹣ever 50% of all species would still exist． |
| C．Nations would not need to tighten their emissions targets． |
| D．The Agreements minimum goal would not be reached． |
| A．0.8℃ |
| B．1.5℃ |
| C．2℃ |
| D．3.5℃ |
【推荐2】Have you heard the news? Climate change is impacting the way our world works. Whether you believe it is a human-made condition or a natural cycle doesn’t matter at this point.
Record-breaking heat struck the Pacific Northwest in June. When the first heat dome (热穹顶) formed in 2021, it sent temperatures through the roof in places where there is no air conditioning in homes. Portland and Seattle both reached more than 108°F, with the former topping out at 116°F.
What can we do to make changes? It starts by switching from the burning of fossil fuels. By reducing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that reflects heat and sunlight, we can dissipate (消散) the heat more easily.
We’re running out of time to act. Things will keep getting worse until changes are made.
| A．We know the world is getting warmer. |
| B．Long-term drought advances the problem. |
| C．It will take all of us to battle this problem together. |
| D．In July, another heat dome formed in Northern California. |
| E．Once summer comes along, 100 degree days begin to appear. |
| F．It’s not just during the day that we need to worry about things. |
| G．Climate change can also cause some regions to be abnormally cool. |
【推荐3】Several years ago, Jason Box, a scientist from Ohio, flew 31 giant rolls of white plastic to a glacier (冰川) in Greenland. He and his team spread them across 10,000 feet of ice, then left. His idea was that the white blanket would reflect back the rays of the sun, keeping the ice cool below. When he came back to check the results, he found it worked. Exposed ice had melted faster than covered ice. He had not only saved two feet of glacier in a short time. No coal plants were shut down, no jobs were lost, and nobody was taxed or fired. Just the sort of fix we’re looking for.
“Thank you, but no thank you.” says Ralph King, a climate scientist. He told Grey Childs. author and commentator, that people think technology can save the planet, “but there are other things we need to deal with, like consumption. They burned $50,000 just for the helicopter” to bring the plastic to the glacier. This experiment, quote-unquote, gives people false hope that climate change can be fixed without changing human behavior. It can’t. Technology won’t give us a free ride.
Individuals respond to climate change differently. Climatologist Kelly Smith is hardly alone in her prediction that someday soon we won’t be climate victims, we will be climate Choosers. More scientists agree with her that if the human race survives. The engineers will get smarter, the tools will get better, and one day we will control the climate. but that then? “Just the mention of us controlling the climate sent a small shiver down my back, Grey writes.” “Something sounded wrong about stopping ice by our own will,” he says.
Me? I like it better when the earth takes care of itself, I guess one day we will have to run the place, but for the moment, sitting at my desk, looking out at the trees bending wildly and the wind howling, I’m happy not to be in charge.
1. Why does the author mention Jason Box’s experiment in the first paragraph?| A．To introduce a possible solution to climate change. |
| B．To describe a misleading attempt to fix the climate. |
| C．To report on a successful experiment on saving the glacier. |
| D．To arouse people’s attention to the problem of global warming. |
| A．The fight against climate change will not succeed. |
| B．Technology is not the final solution, let alone its high cost. |
| C．It’s best to deal with climate change without changing our behavior. |
| D．Jason’s experiment plays a significant role in fixing climate change. |
| A．Favorable | B．Tolerant | C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
| A．But should we fix the climate? |
| B．Is climate change a real problem? |
| C．How can we take care of the earth? |
| D．What if all the glaciers disappeared? |
【推荐1】For many creatures, the ocean is a terrifying place. Several marine animals have declined as a result of overfishing and pollution. But cephalopods(头足动物) — a type of invertebrate(无脊椎动物) that includes octopuses, cuttlefish, and squid, have seen a dramatic increase in their numbers over the past 60 years.
Zoe Doubleday, a scientist at the University of Adelaide, in Australia, conducted a study of cephalopods recently. She points out that their population rise is due to the animals’ unique traits.
The creatures can change their color and body shape. They are fast-growing and live for only one or two years. "This allows them to adapt to changing environmental conditions more quickly than other marine species," Doubleday says.
"Rising sea temperatures may be speeding up the animals’ life cycle. They may be growing faster and producing more young. "
Cephalopods live in all of the world’s oceans. They can be found in waters from the freezing polar regions to the warm tropic regions. Because they adapt so easily to their environment, the animals are called "the weed of the sea" .
Will octopuses, cuttlefish, and squid take over the world one day? Some people may wonder. According to Doubleday, that is unlikely. The rise in cephalopod populations could slow down if the animals run out of prey(被捕食的动物) and start feeding on one another. Overfishing could also have an impact on their numbers.
For now, the cephalopod population boom is good news for them and some other sea creatures. "Increases in cephalopod populations could benefit predators(捕食性动物) such as marine mammals and seabirds, which rely on cephalopods for food," Doubleday says.
1. What has caused the number of some marine animals to reduce?| A．Ship transportation. | B．Global oil production. |
| C．Rising sea temperatures. | D．Overfishing and pollution. |
| A．habits | B．features |
| C．hobbies | D．looks |
| A．have a very long life cycle | B．change their shapes with season |
| C．prefer to live in the warm waters | D．adapt to the environment quickly |
| A．Cephalopods | B．Weed of the Sea |
| C．Who will take over the world? | D．The problems faced by marine animals |
【推荐2】On a normally peaceful residential road outside Hague, Dutch, the sound of machines and tools announces a not-so-quiet housing revolution. Four workers standing on a scissor lift guide a facade(立面)40 feet wide and one story tall into place against the existing wall. Its brickwork pattern and the windows, perfectly fit the building’s existing frame and openings.
This new building skin was one of a dozen such facades to be attached to local buildings. The project is part of a concerted effort to transform energy-inefficient public housing into a set of extremely low emission homes-without having to open a wall. The building was being wrapped in the equivalent of a winter jacket. A similarly premade, lightweight material, complete with solar panels, would be placed on the roof, too.
In Netherlands, a big number of greenhouse gas emissions result from energy loss in residential buildings. But retrofitting(翻新)homes to improve efficiency and reduce carbon footprint too often remains cumbersome and costly. The work requires a great many contractors(承包商)and up-front financing that is off-putting for homeowners, despite the long-term environmental and financial benefits.
The Dutch government began to face this climate challenge a decade ago by seed-funding, a nonprofit program known as Energiesprong. The initial investment helped bring together engineers, construction companies, financiers and house owners who figured out a way to mass-produce home retrofits.
House owners can now simply add an energy retrofit to that process, with attractive new facades and roofs. An automatic device takes precision measurements of a building’s entire outside in a matter of hours. The information is uploaded wirelessly to large factories where walls, windows, doors and solar roof’s are produced and fit together for the target building. Completed facades and roofs are trucked to the site and attached. Often, the building owner or residents see their annual energy costs fall to zero thanks to solar panels that sell extra power to the electricity supply in the country, at least during the summer.
1. Why does the author mention the scene of fixing a facade?| A．To provide examples. | B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To make comparisons. | D．To support the argument. |
| A．Unrealistic. | B．Unnecessary. | C．Unmanageable. | D．Uncontrollable. |
| A．They cost less than before. | B．They can meet various needs. |
| C．They are still time-consuming | D．They have brought in benefits. |
| A．Power Is Generated on House Roofs | B．New Stylish Buildings Are Available |
| C．Buildings Can Be Wrapped in Jackets | D．Greenhouse Gas Emissions Are Controllable |
【推荐3】The World’s Four Large Nature Reserves (保护区)
●Ross Sea Marine Reserve
Built in October 2016, the Ross Sea in Antarctica is home to the world’s largest marine reserve, covering 598,000 square miles in the Southern Ocean. The Ross Sea hasn’t been harmed by humans or damaged by overfishing or pollution. However, the rising demand for seafood and the low cost of fuel may encourage some fishermen to brave the journey.
●South Georgia Marine Protected Area
The South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are about 800 miles southeast of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. Over half of South Georgia Island is ice covered, so there’re no people who are always living here. But the area is a rich environment that supports major populations of seabirds and marine mammals including globally threatened species.
●Greenland National Park
Greenland National Park, in the northeast of the Arctic country, isn’t a traditional national park. The only people who arrive here are those hunters from the nearby town of Ittoqqortoormiit. There live different animals such as polar bears, caribou, musk oxen or foxes.
●Chagos Marine Protected Area
The Chagos Archipelago is a group of seven atolls (环礁) which form 55 small islands in the Indian Ocean about 310 miles south of the Maldives. The 397,678-square-mile area was made to be a marine re serve in 2010 because it contains the world’s largest coral atoll, along with some of the planet’s cleanest water. It also supports different kinds of sharks—shortfin mako, blue, ocean whitetip and whale sharks.
1. What can we know about Ross Sea Marine Reserve?| A．It is built to produce seafood. | B．It has a very clean environment. |
| C．It is the newest reserve in the world. | D．It has a large number of visitors every year. |
| A．It is home to rare animals. | B．It is a park with few visitors. |
| C．It is very attractive to visitors. | D．It is suitable for sea life. |
| A．Greenland National Park. | B．Ross Sea Marine Reserve. |
| C．Chagos Marine Protected Area. | D．South Georgia Marine Protected Area. |
【推荐1】You probably know about the Titanic, but it was actually just one of three cutting-edge ocean ships back in the day. The Olympic class ships were built by the Harland & Wolff ship makers in Northern Ireland for the White Star Line Company. The Olympic class included the Olympic, the Britannic and the Titanic. What you may not know is that the Titanic wasn’t even the flagship of this class. All in all, the Olympic class ships were wonders of sea engineering, but they seemed doomed (注定) to suffer disasters.
The Olympic launched first in 1910, followed by the Titanic in 1911, and lastly the Britannic in 1914. The ships had nine decks, and White Star Line decided to focus on making them the most luxurious ships on the water.
Stretching 269.13 meters, the Olympic class ships were wonders of naval technology, and everyone thought that they would continue to be so for quite some time. However, all suffered terrible accidents on the open seas but the Olympic was the only one to survive and maintain a successful career. The Titanic was the first to sink after famously hitting a huge iceberg in 1912. Following this disaster, the Britannic hit a naval mine in 1916 and subsequently sank as well.
Each ship was coal-powered by several boilers constantly kept running by exhausted crews below deck. Most recognizable of the ship designs are the ship’s smoke stacks (烟囱), but the fourth stack was actually just artistic in nature and served no functional purpose. While two of these ships sank, they were all designed with double hulls (船体) believed to make them “unsinkable”, perhaps a mistaken idea that led to the Titanic’s and the Britannic’s miserable end.
The Olympic suffered two crashes with other ships and went on to serve as a hospital ship and troop transport in World WarⅠ. Eventually, she was taken out of service in 1935, ending the era of the luxurious Olympic class ocean liners.
1. Why does the author mention “the Titanic” at the beginning?| A．To tell its unknown story. | B．To remind readers of its glory. |
| C．To introduce the Olympic class ships. | D．To arouse readers’ interest in the ship. |
| A．Their unscientific designs. |
| B．Their captains’ misjudgment. |
| C．The assumption that they possessed the latest technology. |
| D．The belief that they could never sink with a double-layer body. |
| A．It performed safely on the sea. | B．It had a career of more than 30 years. |
| C．It was the model of modern engineering. | D．It was used for multiple purposes. |
a. The Olympic was retired from service.
b. Harland & Wolff ship makers built the Olympic.
c. The Britannic suffered a disastrous accident.
d. The Titanic sank due to a huge iceberg.
e. The Titanic launched.
| A．b-e-c-d-a | B．b-e-d-c-a | C．b-e-a-d-c | D．e-b-d-a-c |
【推荐2】London has just signed to be the first National Park City. Sadiq Khan, mayor of London, along with several organizations and individuals, signed the London National Park City Charter(宪章) on Monday.
London is already extremely park-like. With a large number of urban parks and waterways and 8.4 million trees, it has a lower urban density (密度) than many other major cities. It is also home to 15,000 species.
The charter aims to improve the lives and well-being of people and wildlife by improving the natural environment of the city. In practical terms, that means trying to reach the goal of turning 50% of the city into green space by 2050. That can be achieved by asking residents to change empty lots and yards into gardens, planting more trees throughout the city and even cutting holes in garden fences. Adding green roofs to existing buildings is also part of the plan,
One way to help achieve its goal is pairing development with conservation. London is expected to add some 2 million new residents to its current population by 2040, meaning it needs thousands and thousands of new homes. Home developers can play a role by surrounding new homes with parks or nature reserves.
"Inspired by the aims and values of the world’s national parks, the London National Park City is fundamentally about making life better in the capital through both small everyday things and long-term strategic thinking." says Daniel Raven-Ellison, founder of the concept.
"It's about lifting our ambitions; going further to make the city greener, healthier and wilder; improving our mental health, cleaning our air; making the city richer in wildlife: freeing children to play and meet friends outdoors again; solving the climate crisis and bring more joy to the city." He added.
Timothy Beatley, an urban planner, says countless cities have already woken up to the idea that greening and improving natural connections make urban life much better. "The basic idea is that nature in cities is not optional but absolutely essential to a happy, healthy and meaningful life." He says.
1. What are mentioned in paragraphs 3 and 4 about the green move?| A．The conflicts caused by the charter. |
| B．Different voices about the move. |
| C．Specific ways to expand green space. |
| D．Challenges the move will run into. |
| A．skeptical | B．critical |
| C．reserved | D．favorable |
| A．A green and meaningful life in London |
| B．London to be "National Park City" |
| C．Reasons for more green space in London |
| D．Green ways to make London park-like |
【推荐3】For several months, Cara has been working up the courage to approach her mom about what she saw on Instagram. Not long ago, the 11yearold girl, like all the other kids in this story, discovered that her mom had been posting her photos for much of her life. “I’ve wanted to bring it up. It’s strange to see myself up there, and sometimes there are pictures I don’t like of myself, ”she said.
Like most other modern kids, Cara grew up immersed(沉迷…之中) in social media. While many kids may not yet have accounts themselves, their parents, schools, sports teams, and organizations have been organizing an online presence for them since birth. The shock of realizing that details about your life have been shared online without your permission or knowledge has become an important experience in the lives of many teenagers. Recently a parenting blogger(博主) wrote in a Washington Post essay(散文) that despite(不顾) her 14yearold daughter’s horror at discovering that her mother had shared years of highly personal stories and information about her online, she simply could not stop posting on her blog and social media. The writer said that promising her daughter that she would stop posting her publicly on the Internet would mean shutting down a vital part of herself, which isn’t necessarily good for herself or her daughter.
But it’s not just crazy mommy bloggers who construct a child’s online identity; plenty of average parents do the same. There’s even a special word for it: sharenting. Almost a quarter of children begin their digital lives when parents upload their photos to the Internet, according to a study conducted by the Internetsecurity firm AVG. The study also found that 92 percent of kids under the age of 2 already have their own unique digital identity.
1. How does Cara feel about her mom’s behavior?| A．It’s aggressive. | B．It’s appropriate. |
| C．It’s annoying. | D．It’s favorable. |
| A．Because it filled up her blog. | B．Because it showed off her success. |
| C．Because it recorded her stories. | D．Because it meant a lot to her. |
| A．A quarter of students. | B．Most ordinary parents. |
| C．Kids under the age of 2. | D．Some crazy bloggers. |
| A．Children’s New Trouble | B．Social Media |
| C．Kids’ Online Performance | D．Mommy Bloggers |
