Temperatures around the North Pole have greatly increased in the last 50 years — changing a long-term natural cooling trend. Now the Arctic is warmer than at any time during the last 2000 years, according to a major new study.
The study, based on an analysis of tree rings and other things, provides compelling evidence that greenhouse gases released since the start of the industrial revolution are causing global warming.
An author, Darrel Kaufman said, “Scientists have known for a while that the current period of warming was coming after a long-term cooling trend. But our reconstruction quantifies the cooling with greater certainty than before.”
The research — published in the journal Science — comes from a team of British and American scientists who followed summer Arctic temperatures to the time of the Romans by studying natural signals in the landscape. Their reconstruction found that the Arctic got cooler in the summer months between 1 AD and 1900, thanks to a natural “wobble” (摇摆) in the Earth’s orbit around the Sun.
The wobble slowly increased the distance between the Earth and the Sun during the Arctic summer, reducing the summer temperatures by around 0.2 degree every thousand years and causing the “Little Ice Age” that led to freezing winters in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
But during the 20th century, temperatures began to rise greatly — though the amount of sunlight reaching the Arctic during the summer was continuing to fall. The decade between 1999 to 2008 was the warmest in the last 2000 years, the research found. The research has shown that Arctic temperatures rose three times faster during the 20th century than the rest of the Northern Hemisphere.
Some researchers have predicted that the Arctic could be free from sea ice in the winter within the next few decades if the temperatures continue to rise.
1. The new research shows that _______.A.greenhouse gases are causing global warming |
B.the Arctic has been free from sea ice in the winter |
C.the Arctic keeps a long-term natural cooling trend |
D.the Earth will be too hot for human beings to live on |
A.shows an interesting phenomenon |
B.is quite convincing |
C.causes global warming |
D.is rather surprising |
A.recent cooling is more obvious than before |
B.people fail in stopping the climate changes |
C.the Arctic has been continuously cooling before |
D.the Arctic is getting cooler in the summer months |
A.the wobble causes the temperature in the Arctic to rise |
B.Arctic temperatures rise more slowly than before |
C.global warming cannot be prevented by human beings |
D.the Arctic would be cooling without greenhouse gases |
A.The “Little Ice Age”. |
B.A Long-term natural cooling. |
C.The warmest Arctic in 2000 years. |
D.A natural “wobble” in the Earth’s orbit. |
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【推荐1】A camera has captured footage of two wild giant pandas in a national park in southwest China's Sichuan Province.
The clips, taken in the Xuebaoding section of the Giant Panda National Park, include two pandas wandering in the daytime and moving alone at night. It is particularly rare to see two wild giant pandas walking together, the administration of the park said on Friday.
In the video, a giant panda walked up to a tree and sniffed it carefully. Then a second panda, looking like a quiet “little girl”, approached, looking at the ground, perhaps in search of food. Later, the first panda turned around, rubbing its bottom back and forth as if scratching or dancing, a typical marking behavior in animals. After that, it lay on the ground, waving its hands and feet around, as if to amuse its companion.
According to a staff member at the administration, the camera was set up on Dec. 23, 2019 in a location that was often visited by the furry animals.
Wildlife protection experts said the video was likely taken in April, the breeding(繁殖) season for wild giant pandas. The two adult pandas were very harmonious together, with no fighting, leading to the conclusion that they were probably a male and a female engaged in courting and playing.
In 2017, China announced a plan to build the Giant Panda National Park to help the endangered animals strengthen their relations, bringing together pandas on six mountains in three provinces, Gansu, Shaanxi and Sichuan.
1. The underlined word “clips” in Paragraph 2 probably means “__________”.A.cameras | B.national parks |
C.giant pandas | D.videos |
A.To help itself lie on the ground. |
B.To attract the female panda. |
C.To ease the discomfort. |
D.To search for food. |
A.Pandas often like to fight in April. |
B.Only adult pandas can live in harmony. |
C.Giant pandas were better protected after 2017. |
D.China started to help all the endangered animals in 2017. |
A.In a fashion magazine. | B.In a travel brochure. |
C.In a storybook. | D.In a newspaper. |
【推荐2】A nine-year-old boy has set a new 5km parkrun world record for his age group. Louis Robinett, a member of the Poole Runners junior athletics club, shaved 13 seconds off the previous world record, which was set in California in 2017, after he crossed the line in 17 minutes and 40 seconds.
Louis, who broke the record at the Poole parkrun in Dorset on Saturday, said, “I’m on top of the world right now. It’s a huge deal to break a world record. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family and the team at Poole Runners.”
Louis was accompanied on the parkrun by Dion Garner, a member of his athletics club, as all under-11s in the 5km event must run within arm’s length of an adult. Garner said of Louis’s achievement, “His natural talent, combined with his dedication and spirit, is mind-blowing. He loves the sports and has really practiced a lot.” A spokesman for Poole Runners said, “With his new world record, Louis has raised the bar for young athletes everywhere. This isn’t just a win for Louis, it’s a new benchmark (标准) for youth sports, inspiring children all over the world to aim higher.”
Parkrun was started by 13 friends as a weekly event in Bushy Park, southwest London, in 2004. By 2015 more than 80,000 people were gathering in parks around the world each Saturday to participate in a parkrun. Only three years later about a quarter of a million people were taking part in parkruns each week, in 1,500 events spread across 20 countries. In comparison, 48,000 runners took part in the London Marathon this year.
1. What is the previous 5km parkrun world record?A.17 minutes and 27 seconds. | B.17 minutes and 23 seconds. |
C.17 minutes and 40 seconds. | D.17 minutes and 53 seconds. |
A.Surprised and thankful. | B.Modest and satisfied. |
C.Grateful and proud. | D.Thrilled and shocked. |
A.Effort. | B.Persistence. | C.Determination. | D.Strength. |
A.Parkrun is ancient but increasingly popular. | B.Standards are needed to make parkrun formal. |
C.Parkrun originates from pals’ run during the week. | D.Over 20 countries are competing to host a parkrun. |
The news soon caused heated discussion across China, with many believing the incident to involve a cultural conflict between the East and West,while others view it as a form of discrimination against Chinese in the United States.
The United States is a diverse society, and in many cases, Chinese dancers are tolerated and even appreciated. Meanwhile, the United States is a society based on the rule of law, and due to cultural differences, local regulations seem to be very different from those in China. As a result, some old Chinese ladies dancing in New York’s Sunset Park found themselves caught in an embarrassing situation. Locals and immigrants from other nations view such noise as a violation of their right to enjoy tranquility. Calling the police is regarded as the most efficient way to solve such a problem.
Before, these ladies probably did not understand local customs and rules. However, since the incident took place, they should perhaps know a little better next time and keep the noise to a minimum. People from different nations are often supposed to reach compromises, respecting and tolerating each other.
Whatever your choice of entertainment, it is important not to affect other people’s lives. Square dancing is only one of many activities during which people should mind their behavior.
As for U.S. police practice, there might still be some room for improvement. Some were said to be rather rude, leading to the so-called “racial discrimination,” which is a sensitive topic in U.S. society.
If the involved parties could be more tolerant, and solve such problems without involving the court, perhaps immigrants would mix more.
1. The writer mentions the incident in Paragraph 1 to __________.
A.show his opinion | B.make complaints |
C.bring up the topic | D.criticize the local police |
A.entertainment | B.quietness |
C.freedom | D.quality |
A.Go back to China. |
B.Fight for their right. |
C.Ask America to change its law. |
D.Keep the noise lower. |
A.He thinks all parties involved should be more tolerant. |
B.He strongly supports the action of the local police. |
C.He considers it a shame for senior Chinese ladies to do so. |
D.He suggests such kind of problem should be solved in the court. |
【推荐1】There are just two species of flowering plant native to the Antarctic peninsula (半岛), which are now growing at record rates as temperatures rise and ice begins to melt, according to a new study. One is Antarctic hair grass, which grew as much in 2009—2019 as it had in the previous 50 years; the other is Antarctic pearl wort, which has seen the speed of growth increase five times over the same period.
A team led by Nicoletta Cannone, a researcher from the University of Insubria, Italy, measured the growth of Antarctica’s two native plants at sites on Signy Island. The results were shocking: the sites have not only seen faster growth, but they have become more densely populated by the plants each year, which indicates the climate has got warmer.
According to nonprofit Discovering Antarctica, the region’s temperatures have warmed by an average of 3°C as a result of human-caused climate change, meaning once stable ice shelves are now narrowing down. In some parts, that has given way to land now habitable to the two plant species.
Peter Convey, at the British Antarctic Survey, told the New Scientist: “The most novel feature of this is not that something is growing faster but that we’re starting to see what is almost like a step change or a tipping point.” And Matthew Davey, at the Scottish Association for Marine Science in Oban, UK, added: “Increasing expansion is now clearly evident in the region. This research gives us the first all-sided data showing how fast and how dense the plant community may expand.”
The researchers acknowledged there could be other factors at play causing the plants’ growth, such as the decreasing fur seal population—but this also is linked to climate change. Meanwhile, as the land becomes more habitable, non-native species could also occupy the land and grow more than native plants, which could in turn destabilize long-established local ecosystems.
“If we estimate what we observed on Signy Island to other sites in Antarctica, a similar process can also occur,” said Cannone “This means the Antarctic landscape and biodiversity could change rapidly. And that really concerns all.”
1. According to the article, what factors play a role in the fast growth of the two native plants?A.The climate getting warmer. |
B.The fur seal population rising. |
C.The non-native plants occupying the land. |
D.The quality of the soil of the land improving. |
A.Strengthen. | B.Change. | C.Benefit. | D.Narrow. |
A.The decrease of fur seal population. |
B.The occupation of non-native species. |
C.The impact of human-caused climate change. |
D.The rapid change in Antarctic landscape and biodiversity. |
A.Scientists Working in Antarctica. |
B.Native Flowering Plants in Antarctica. |
C.The Effect of Global Warming on Antarctica. |
D.Non-native Plant Species in Antarctica. |
【推荐2】Artificial intelligence (Al) has the potential to develop more efficient methods of farming in order to fight global warming.
Global warming threatens every aspect of our everyday lives, including crop production. It will reduce the soil moisture (水分) in areas close to the equator according to a study. We are already seeing the negative impact of these changed growing conditions on our crop production. Climate change harms poorer countries that do not have the money to import food. The result is growing food insecurity. However, agriculture is not just affected by global warming — agriculture is part of a vicious (恶性的) cycle in which farming leads to global warming, which in turn destroys agricultural production. The process of clearing land for agriculture results in widespread deforestation (毁林) and contributes to 40 percent of global methane production. Therefore, to deal with climate change, it is necessary to ensure reforestation — but how? What is the path to efficient, environmentally-conscious farming?
This is where AI enters the scene. Farmers use AI for methods such as precision agriculture; they can monitor crop moisture, soil composition, and temperature in growing areas, enabling farmers to increase production by learning how to take care of their crops and determine the ideal amount of water to use. Furthermore, this technology may help reduce deforestation by allowing humans to grow food in urban areas. It could be especially beneficial for countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, where much of the population lives in cities.
However, AI is far from a silver bullet — it could actually contribute to global warming as well. Due to the large amount of data that AI needs to process, training a single AI releases five times the emissions that an average car would give off during its lifetime. Further, securing access to AI on a global scale may pose some challenges. Countries will need experts in the field who can successfully use the technology and Internet connection, neither of which are always readily available. Therefore, there is still a long way for developing countries to take advantage of the benefits of AI.
Given these concerns, global leaders must consider the potential costs, and the environmental consequences of data processing before developing AI for use in agriculture.
1. What can we learn about today’s agriculture from paragraph 2?A.It is the main challenge of reforestation. |
B.Poorer countries rely on it more than before. |
C.It is still dependent on deforestation for more land. |
D.It is both a victim and a cause of global warming. |
A.Building farming communities in cities. |
B.Abandoning traditional farming methods. |
C.Making the most of agricultural resources. |
D.Balancing farming with farmers’ everyday lives. |
A.There are technical barriers in developing countries. |
B.The relevant technology is still under development. |
C.The process of developing Al is difficult. |
D.There is no one-size-fits-all AI technology. |
A.The benefits of agricultural AI |
B.The future of farming: AI and agriculture |
C.A block to environmentally-conscious agriculture |
D.Global warming and agriculture: a vicious cycle |
【推荐3】To adapt to climate change, some flowers are darkening their color to protect themselves from the sun’s radiation, new research shows.
The study suggests that over the past 75 years, the ultraviolet (UV) pigments (紫外线色素) in flowers have increased in response to rising temperatures and a thinning ozone layer (臭氧层). The flowers won’t look any different to humans, but insects consider the higher levels of UV pigments as a darker color, which could be confusing when they try to find out colorful flowers to land on.
The UV-absorbing pigments in flowers work like sunscreen and protect sensitive cells from harmful radiation, Matthew Koski, a plant ecologist at Clemson University, says. He and his team hoped to determine if changes in pigments were a result of environmental change — and if so, what are the plants responding to?
The team collected dried, pressed plants across North America, Australia, and Europe. In total, they studied 1,238 samples from 42 different species dating back to 1941. Then, using a UV-sensitive camera, they photographed flower petals from each species to see how the pigment level changed over time. Next, they paired the photographs with historic local temperature and ozone level data from the time the plant was picked.
The researchers found that the changes in pigments differ by species, a result of the flower’s structure. Flowers with open, exposed pollen (花粉) had more UV-absorbing pigments when ozone levels were low and radiation was high. But flowers with pollen surrounded by the petal responded to temperature, not ozone levels.
As climate change continues to intensify, these changes in flowers’ color can affect plant-insect interactions. When the whole flowers get darker, insects might miss the flowers entirely. “This has a negative influence on plant reproduction.” Koski says.
1. What is the cause of flowers’ color changing according to the research?A.The impact of climate crisis. | B.The loss of natural habitats. |
C.The harm of nuclear radiation. | D.The thickening of ozone layer. |
A.Photographs of flowers from different species. |
B.Analysis of how levels of UV pigments change over time. |
C.Collection of abundant samples from various species. |
D.Historic local temperature and ozone level database. |
A.It exists in flowers with exposed pollen only. |
B.It responds to temperature and sea levels. |
C.It remains the same regardless of species. |
D.It varies depending on the flower’s structure. |
A.Concerned. | B.Indifferent. | C.Unclear. | D.Optimistic. |