Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing the world today. The scientific consensus (共识) is clear: the Earth’s climate is changing, and human activities are the primary cause. However, there is still debate among some politicians and members of the public about the reality of global warming and the extent to which humans are responsible.
One major source of controversy is the role of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases in causing global warming. Some skeptics (怀疑者) argue that other factors, such as changes in solar radiation or natural cycles of climate change, could be responsible for the warming trend observed in recent decades. However, the overwhelming majority of scientists agree that the evidence points to human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels, as the main driver of global warming.
Another point of contention is the potential impacts of climate change on the economy and society. While some argue that the costs of transitioning to cleaner energy sources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions would be too high, others point out that the costs of inaction could be even greater. Rising sea levels, more frequent and severe weather events, and damage to ecosystems could have significant economic and social consequences.
Despite the ongoing debate, many countries and international organizations have taken steps to address the threat of climate change. The Paris Agreement, signed by 195 countries in 2015, aims to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with a goal of limiting the increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. To achieve this, countries have pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase investments in renewable energy and other low-carbon technologies.
1. What do most scientists agree on about climate change?| A．The Earth’s climate is not changing and global warming is a false alarm. |
| B．The Earth’s climate is changing but humans are not to blame. |
| C．The Earth’s climate is changing and humans are the major reason. |
| D．The Earth’s climate is changing but the cause is unknown. |
| A．Changes in solar radiation. | B．Natural cycles of climate change. |
| C．Burning of fossil fuels. | D．Other greenhouse gases. |
| A．Reduced air pollution. | B．severe weather events. |
| C．Rising sea levels land. | D．damage to ecosystems. |
| A．A treaty to deal with the threat of climate change. |
| B．A global effort to increase greenhouse gas emissions. |
| C．An international plan to limit the use of fossil fuels. |
| D．An agreement to deny the problem of climate change. |
相似题推荐
Across America, libraries used to reach out to readers by sending bookmobiles into school parking lots, street corners and rural byways (侧道). Now, those rolling reading rooms are becoming fewer.
One town in northern New England just lost its bookmobile. The Cobleigh Public Library in Lyndonville, Vt., had managed to keep its van (有蓬货车) rolling until about a month ago, when it died.
If you want to hear first-hand what it’s like to go through a whole month without a single visit from the bookmobile, just ask the preschoolers at a daycare centre.
“We miss the bookmobile,” one child says. “Yeah, we miss the bookmobile until it comes here,” says another.
Now that the bookmobile has broken down, librarians have to bring books in their own cars for story hour. Daycare provider Anneka Bickford says it’s not as exciting as having a big, brightly painted van roll into the driveway and open its doors so the kids can choose their own books.
“It’s getting the children involved with what a library is, how to check out books and how to return books,” Bickford says. “They would do programs with the children; singing, dancing, themes—so it’s the excitement of the library that we can’t give to the children.”
It’s not the first bookmobile to bite the dust. Over the years, Vermont’s large number has reduced to three or four. Lyndonville’s head librarian, Cindy Karasinski, says replacement costs have risen quickly.
“New bookmobiles are expensive; just one of them costs $90,000,” she says, “so that seems not the way we are going to go.” Sadly, Karasinksi says, money that used to support bookmobiles has nearly dried up.
However, not everyone hopes the Cobleigh bookmobile gets a second chance. Some in town feel the bookmobile has served its purpose and become a financial burden (财政负担).
1. What’re bookmobiles? (no more than 5 words)2. What can kids do with the help of bookmobiles in the opinion of Anneka Bickford? (no more than 15 words) .
3. What does the underlined phrase “bite the dust” in Paragraph 7 most probably mean? (no more than 5 words)
4. What leads to the disappearance of bookmobiles? (no more than 10 words)
5. What’s your own opinion on bookmobiles according to the passage? (no more than 25 words)
【推荐2】A YOUNG girl raises her hand in class to answer the teacher’s question. She proudly gives the correct answer when her classmates start to giggle . Among them, she hears somebody call her a “know-it-all” and sees another roll his eyes. She doesn’t dare to speak up again because confident women are often called“ “bossy”.
Despite decades of advances, it seems that women continue to face prejudice when it comes to holding a position of power.
Laila Farah, an associate professor at DePaul University in Chicago in the US, said the reason for this stereotype lies in history.
“This is an old phenomenon which reflects the fact that many people think females don’t have the same brain capability compared to the male brain,” Farah said.
What’s more, the prejudice is so deep in our society that it has become hard to ignore. “Gender bias is found in the media, schools, the workplace-basically everywhere,” Farah said. “It is learned in infancy and goes from toys chosen to assuming females aren’t good at math.”
Another reason for confident women being called bossy is that “some people aren’t used to women being confident enough to speak their minds”, said high school junior Jessica Bella from Illinois. Embarrassing women by calling them “bossy” has caused some of them to tone down their confidence.
In a study done by the Girls Leadership Institute, a program that helps girls develop strong leadership skills, many girls said the biggest thing holding them back from participating in class was being judged.
“Sometimes, I know I have the right answer in class, but I don’t raise my hand because I don’t want to be annoying, ” said high school junior Emily Grigg from Illinois.
Still, some women have bravely stood up against this stereotype.
“If women in leadership positions are considered to be bossy, then I like to do all I can to prove that wrong. We all have an equal opportunity to present our knowledge no matter how that may come across, ”said Christina Jakubas, an English teacher from Illinois.
Maybe what we need to do is turn being bossy into something empowering for women. After all, bossy people get the job done.
1. Why does the author write about the experience of a girl raising her hand in class?| A．prove that confident women tend to be bossy |
| B．explain why bossy women are unpopular in groups |
| C．explore what stops women from being themselves |
| D．show how women should fight against gender bias |
| A．Females failing to do as well as males in math. |
| B．Gender bias becoming hard to ignore in society. |
| C．Women who hold a position of power facing prejudice. |
| D．Females not having the same brain capabilities as males. |
| A．Confident women tend to possess strong leadership skills. |
| B．Bossy women usually get their jobs done better than men. |
| C．Females in leadership positions should try to avoid being bossy, |
| D．Females should ignore negative comments and bravely speak their minds |
| A．Health | B．Society | C．Politics | D．Entertainment |
【推荐3】More than one billion young people risk damaging their hearing through the overuse of smartphones and other audio devices, the UN warned Tuesday, proposing new safety standards for safe volume levels.
Currently, about five percent of the global population, or some 466 million people, including 34 million children, suffer from disabling hearing loss. Young people are particularly likely to develop such risky listening habits. Around half of those between the ages of 12 and 35, or 1.1 billion people, are at risk due to “long and severe exposure to loud sounds, including music they listen to through personal audio devices,” the UN health agency said.
In a bid to safeguard hearing, the World Health Organization and International Telecommunications Union issued an international standard for the manufacture and use of audio devices. WHO considers a volume above 85 decibels for eight hours or 100 decibels for 15 minutes as unsafe. The safe listening devices and systems standard calls for a "sound allowance" software to be included in all audio devices, to track the volume level and duration of a user's exposure to sound, and to evaluate the risk posed to their hearing. This system could alert a user if they have dangerous listening habits.
WHO is also calling for parental as well as automatic volume controls on audio devices to prevent dangerous use. While some smartphones and other audio devices already offer some of these features, the UN would like to see a uniform standard used to help protect against disabling hearing loss.
"Think of it like driving on a highway, but without a speedometer in your car or a speed limit," Shelly Chadha of the WHO told reporters in Geneva. "What we've proposed is that your smartphones come fitted with a speedometer, with a measurement system which tells you how much sound you're getting and tells you if you are going over the limit".
1. What is the purpose of proposing new safe volume standards?| A．To warn people of dangerous listening habits. |
| B．To help protect against disabling hearing loss. |
| C．To promote the development of audio devices. |
| D．To prevent the manufacture and use of audio devices. |
| A．In paragraph 2. | B．In paragraph 3. |
| C．In paragraph 4. | D．In paragraph 5. |
| A．It is safe to listen to music under any circumstances. |
| B．It is important to keep track of the risk for the users. |
| C．It is necessary to have users alerted by their parents. |
| D．It is acceptable to keep the volume at 90 decibels for 15 minutes. |
| A．Turning Down the Volume. |
| B．Making Good Use of Smartphones. |
| C．The Rise and Fall of Audio Devices. |
| D．The Safety Standards for Volume Levels. |
【推荐1】Los Angeles is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, attracting thousands of families each year. This is because there are many great attractions for people of all ages to enjoy on your next holiday. Let’s look at some of the best places you can go in the City of Angels.
Santa Monica Pier
One of the best ways to keep everyone in the family entertained is by going to an amusement park. You can choose to visit Santa Monica Pier. This location has appeared in a range of television shows and movies, making it one of the most popular locations in California. Also, there is no price of admission. This ensures that it is an affordable area to explore with your family.
The Hollywood Walk Of Fame
Intended to honor the stars of television and movies, this has become one of the most iconic tourist attractions in Los Angeles. You can find the stars of your favorite celebrities. In addition, there are plenty of street performers who dress up in costumes. For a small tip, you will be able to have your picture taken with them. In addition, this area features a range of theatres and cinemas.
Getty Centre
This is one of the biggest museums in Los Angeles. You can view everything from modern art to pieces from the Middle Ages. It also has a 134,000-square-foot Central Garden. This area features over 500 different types of plants. There are plenty of exhibits designed to entertain children, such as peep-hole walls and family activities.
Griffith Observatory
If you are interested in stargazing, you’ll love the Griffith Observatory. Often, you will be able to view some of the most interesting astrological events for free. This makes it the perfect place for you to teach your children more about the way the universe works.
1. Where can you go if you’re interested in movie stars?| A．Santa Monica Pier. | B．The Hollywood Walk Of Fame. |
| C．Getty Centre. | D．Griffith Observatory. |
| A．Astronomy enthusiasts. | B．Movie goers. |
| C．University graduates. | D．Plants observers. |
| A．To entertain children. | B．To introduce free trips. |
| C．To recommend attractions. | D．To record family activities. |
【推荐2】Football T-shirts are more commonly connected with boys than girls. This can often cause a problem when you want to find a cool shirt for a girl. That is not to say that there are no cool shirts out there for girls to wear. The problem is that they are often harder to find than the ones for boys.
You can get custom (订制的) shirt printed for girls from a number of custom print stores. Of course you have to make sure that they are legally allowed to use the logos (商标) and colours of the team you want to support.
You can also go through official channels to get the shirt you want. The official channels will generally be the large sportswear stores or the official stores of the teams. These stores will be able to use the colours of the teams and even put the name of the person who the shirt is for on it.
If you do not feel like you have to try the T-shirts on, then an online store may be your best choice. The reason for this is that you can visit various stores and find the best ones.
If you want to see what the T-shirt looks like in real life, then going to a store is the best choice. Large sportswear stores often have football shirts. These are the best places to go if you do not live close to an official store. And these stores usually have lower prices than the official stores.
1. According to the text, football T-shirts ________.| A．are all made by boys | B．are seldom loved by girls |
| C．are only designed for boys | D．are difficult to find for girls |
| A．could use any colours and logos as they like |
| B．should be operated by the football teams |
| C．could print anything that official stores sell |
| D．should legally use your favourite logos |
| A．Football players. | B．Clothes store owners. |
| C．Female football fans. | D．Physical education teacher |
【推荐3】How China’s Youth Travel
The rapid development and popularization of the Internet and We-Media have created new types of professions among China’s youngsters in terms of travelling, such as travel bloggers, vloggers and experiencers.
“The world is so big, I want to have a look,” “Have a spur-of-the-moment trip (说走就走的旅行)” are popular memes among China’s young netizens in recent years, showing their desires to get away from the mundane (平淡的) life and work to see the world.
In China, an increasing number of youngsters have already embarked on their journey to explore the world. They are recording their travel experiences and telling their stories in a way that is completely different from the last generation. Their articles, pictures and videos are also influencing many others’ travel decisions.
Booking independent tours online has become a norm for young travellers. Last-minute travel decisions are often made, especially among post-90s and post-00s, who tend to have shorter predetermined period to book tickets or rent cars, according to the travel agencies Skyscanner and Ctrip.
For domestic travel, red tourism has gained much popularity in the past years to remember the history and the heroic martyrs dedicated to the country. Also, overseas travel is more accessible than previous decades with people aged from 18 to 29 taking up over half of the total tourist number.
The number of tourists who visit the Belt and Road countries also saw an increase from 15.49 million in 2015 to 27. 41 million in 2017, seeing an annual growth rate of 15.34%, according to the data provided by CTA.
CTA predicts that youngsters’ travel preferences will continue to boost the development of good-quality travel market in the future, featuring different themed travels such as summer travel, ice and snow travel, night travel, self-driving tour, cruise tour, sports travel and so on.
1. What does the underlined word ”memes“ in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．popular ideas | B．facial expression | C．travel bloggers | D．travel articles |
| A．Having a spur-of-the-moment trip. | B．Embarking on their journeys to explore the world. |
| C．Booking independent tours online. | D．Recording their travel experiences. |
| A．To dedicate to the country. |
| B．To remember the history. |
| C．To boost the development of good-quality travel market. |
| D．To feature different themed travels. |
| A．cruise tour | B．summer travel | C．self-driving tour | D．overseas travel |
【推荐1】The earth is warming. The past years are the warmest on record. Greenhouse gases from human activities are responsible for 1.1°C of average warming in the 20th century. What we’re experiencing is different from the global average. We experience extreme weather — serious heatwaves, violent storms and historic floods.
We won’t feel the impact of our efforts for decades. But we must know our future today so we can act now. To develop the best strategies for adaptation, we need climate models to predict the climate in different areas over decades. Unlike predicting the weather, climate models are difficult modeling the physics, chemistry and biology of the atmosphere, waters, ice, land and human activities.
Greater resolution (分辨率) is needed to model changes in the global climate. Scientists estimate that it will demand billions of times more computing power than what’s available. It will take decades to achieve that through the ordinary course of computing advances.
For the first time, we have the technology to do that. We can achieve million-x speedups by combining three technologies: GPU-accelerated computing; breakthroughs in physics-informed neural (神经的) networks and AI supercomputers, along with vast quantities of data to learn from. With these techniques, we may have within our grasp the billion-x leap needed to do the climate modeling. And with more accurate predictions, people and nations will act correctly.
This week, plans to build the world’s most powerful AI supercomputer used to predict climate change are announced. Named Earth-2, the system will create a digital twin of the Earth. The system would be the climate change to Cambridge-l, the world’s most powerful AI supercomputer for healthcare research.
1. What caused 1.1°C of average warming in the 20thcentury?| A．Violent storms. | B．Human activities. |
| C．Historic floods. | D．Serious heatwaves. |
| A．It will cost billions of money. |
| B．The climate changes frequently. |
| C．Technology now can’t meet the needs. |
| D．The model of the earth is too difficult to build. |
| A．By using many computers together. | B．By raising billions of money. |
| C．By combining three technologies. | D．By studying a large amount of data. |
| A．A notebook. | B．A diary. | C．A travel guide. | D．A newspaper. |
【推荐2】A three-year drought has left millions of people in Syria, Iraq and Iran with little water. A new study says it would not have happened without human-caused climate (气候) change.
The team looked at temperature and rainfall levels. And they compared what happened in the last three years to many different computer models of the conditions in a world without human-caused climate change. They concluded that without the world warming 1.2℃ since the mid-19th century, there would not be such a serious drought at all.
“Human-caused climate change is already making life extremely hard for tens of millions of people in West Asia,” said study co-writer Mohammed Rahimi. “With every degree of warming, Syria, Iraq and Iran will become even harder places to live.
Computer models did not find any considerable signs of climate change in the low rainfall, Otto said. But evaporation (蒸发) of water in lakes, rivers, and wetlands was much higher than it would have been without climate change-increased temperatures. The study writers found that the drought conditions in Syria and Iraq are 25 times more likely because of climate change, and in Iran, 16 times more likely.
“Drought is not unusual to the Middle East area. But fights make the area even more likely to have a drought because they have weakened water systems,” said study co-writer Rana El Hajj. “This is already touching the limits of what some people are able to stand. As long as we keep burning fuels that affect climate change and continue to explore new oil and gas fields, these kinds of events will only get worse,” she added. “This will continue to destroy lives and keep food prices high.”
1. What caused the drought according to the study?| A．Rising temperatures. | B．Cold weather. |
| C．Loss of wetlands. | D．Forest damage. |
| A．They become wise. | B．They explore more oil. |
| C．They are ready to help. | D．They lead a hard life. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Uncaring. | C．Worried. | D．Positive. |
| A．Education. | B．Technology. | C．Health. | D．Environment. |
【推荐3】Several art projects are on show to warn people of the climate change happening around us.
Video on the walls
Photographer Camille Seaman has traveled to both the North Pole and the South Pole, where she has captured the disappearing ice in photographs and video. Camille Seaman made a video with some of her most powerful photos of melting ice for people in four coastal cities to display on their buildings. The video ends with a prediction that sea level will rise by 2050 without relative action.
Mural (壁画)changing color
Temperatures in Austin, Texas, are on the rise, and climate change will put the city at higher risk of extended drought, wildfires, intense rain and flooding. Artist Lope Gutiérrez-Ruiz designed a unique mural that changes color as it gets hotter. This art work calls for people to change the world and change climate change, underlining the importance of individual actions to the collective future.
Public billboard (广告牌)
Artist Christine Sun Kim released a public billboard on the 710 Freeway called The Sound of Temperature Rising. It points to the reality of climate disaster that has become all too clear on the West Coast and the need for significant change now. The illustration features a graph (图表) of music notes that get progressively longer and redder.
Anti-Extinction Library
Globally, species are disappearing at an unheard-of rate. In response, architect Mitchell Joachim created The Anti-Extinction Library in New York. The sculptural piece is not only beautiful but also functional. Their unique egg-shaped library has a special freezer storing test tubes with the frozen cells and DNA of rare animals and plants. It’s important for people to realize we must quickly work to protect the rights of different species in our area.
1. What is the key feature of the mural?| A．It lights up at night. |
| B．It moves with the wind. |
| C．It plays music when it rains. |
| D．It changes color with temperature. |
| A．Camille Seaman’s. | B．Lope Gutiérrez-Ruiz’s. |
| C．Christine Sun Kim's. | D．Mitchel l Joachim’s. |
| A．To praise artists’ participation. |
| B．To call for people to take action. |
| C．To show the severe result of climate change. |
| D．To facilitate the combination of art and climate. |
