California’s snowpack is more than two-and-a-half times larger than average (平均水平) right now, according to the state’s Department of Water Resources. As the weather gets warmer, it’s going to melt (融化). Scientists say there’s no question we need the snow.
“The melting of snow has always been important every single year in California,” said scientist Dr. Pat Abbott.
This comes as the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report shows almost two-thirds of the state is not experiencing drought (干旱), a huge improvement over the past few months. Unluckily, the snowpack can’t make certain that we’ll stay that way.
“Drought is part of California,” said Dr. Abbott. “We’ve had a temporary respite. That doesn’t mean it has gone away completely. It will be back sooner than we would like.”
The snow can be a valuable protection against wildfires, but only if it melts slowly. “Plants stay healthy. They have taken in enough water and are less likely to catch on fire for a longer time,” said Dr. Abbott. “If it becomes too hot, say in early June, and all that snow is melted and gone, the plants don’t get more water and start drying out. By the time we get to the end of the summer, it’s easier for them to catch fire. The bigger the fires are, the greater the challenge is for our firefighters.”
A quick melt can also flood places near the Sierra Nevada (a mountain range in eastern California) that got more rain than they could deal with this winter. That includes places like Tulare Lake (in the Central Valley of California), which was dry for years until this winter. Now, it’s more than 100 square miles in size and flooding communities around it.
The area is expecting even more flooding when the snowpack melts. But Dr. Abbott says floods like this are a necessary risk for water the state has needed for years. “The snow we’ve gotten this winter is highly positive,” said Dr. Abbott. “On the other side, nothing is ever 100%.” Dr. Abbott says the snow is also helping to fill Northern California’s man-made lake, which helps provide water we need.
1. What do the underlined words “temporary respite” in paragraph 4 mean?A.Close look. | B.Short break. | C.Clear goal. | D.Long history. |
A.The snow’s melting speed matters. |
B.It is costly to reduce the risk of wildfires. |
C.Some plants died because it was too dry. |
D.Plants will be hurt if the snow melts slowly. |
A.It calls for more attention. |
B.It does good to California. |
C.It may cause unnecessary worries. |
D.It will cause danger in the long run. |
A.California’s snowpack: a wonderful view |
B.Snowpack in California: a record snowfall |
C.Snowpack in California: advantages and risks |
D.California’s snowpack: the past and the present |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Why the East Coast has had such a weak winter
Overall, winter across the East Coast this year has been pretty weak. “I was in shorts and a T-shirt,” said Jeff Weber, a research meteorologist (气象学家) at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Meteorologists descended upon Boston in mid-January for the annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society. January is Boston's coldest month, but during the weather conference, meteorologists experienced 75 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures.
A major reason is that the polar vortex (极地涡旋) — which is a circulating stream of air that forms over the Arctic during winter — has stayed rigid and in place, keeping its cold air mostly locked up north. Consequently, little of this exceptionally chilly air has got into the U.S. this winter.
Arctic blasts (北极寒流), like those in January 2019, happen when the polar vortex becomes unstable, allowing frigid air to spill south. “But this winter, instead of a weak polar vortex, we’ve had strong polar vortex conditions,” said Andrea Lang, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Albany who researches changes in seasonal winter weather.
The polar vortex has stayed strong because other weather systems, sometimes originating from the Pacific. Ocean, haven’t come along and knocked the spinning vortex out of place.
A frequent culprit (问题的起因) in disturbing the polar vortex is a powerful stream of air traveling some 30,000 to 35,000 miles up in the atmosphere (where jets fly) which we commonly call the jet stream. The jet stream shoots from west to east around Earth at speeds of 120 to 250 miles per hour, but can become dramatically wavier when it’s disturbed by strong storm activity or encounters masses of hot or cold air.
But this winter season, the meandering (蜿蜒前进的) jet stream has not knocked the polar vortex off its pole, explained Lang. Instead, the jet stream has bent dramatically south, right through the heart of the central U. S.
Atmospheric scientists are deeply interested in why a perturbed polar vortex has become more frequent. There’s evidence that the incessantly warming Arctic — the fastest-warming place on Earth — has led to a weaker and less stable polar vortex, which means more outbreaks of freezing Arctic air. Just not this winter — so far, anyway.
1. What does Jeff Weber mean by saying what he wore?A.To introduce his dressing style. | B.To express his feeling then. |
C.To prove the abnormal weather. | D.To show his love of winter. |
A.It was as warm as that of this year. |
B.It was very cold owing to the arctic blast. |
C.The polar vortex stayed rigid and in place. |
D.The polar vortex was weak and unstable. |
A.Fixed. | B.Frozen. | C.Heated. | D.Disturbed. |
A.By bending north and knocking it off. |
B.By moving from east to west around Earth. |
C.By waving and meandering powerfully. |
D.By turning to the south dramatically. |
【推荐2】No matter where you live in the world, natural disasters are always a threat. Of course, we humans take steps, both at an individual and social level, to prepare ourselves for the possibility of natural disasters. But preparing for these events requires understanding the types of natural disasters, what causes them, and the dangers they cause.
A technical term for a period of very cold weather, a cold wave is a type of natural disaster where the temperature drops rapidly over the course of 24 hours. While cold weather in itself isn’t necessarily enough to cause a natural disaster, a rapid dropping of the temperature could lead to lots of problems for communities in a region.
Interestingly, there isn’t an precise temperature threshold (起点) that must reach to be. Rather, cold waves are classified (分类) by how fast the temperature falls. Since what’s considered to be “cold” varies widely from region to region, local weather services will use local weather averages to determine if a weather event is actually a cold wave.
There are many reasons why a cold wave might occur. One of the most common causes of a cold wave is the arrival of a very strong high pressure system from the polar regions. Alternatively, movement in the jet streams can also drive very cold weather southward in just a matter of hours.
The primary danger of a cold wave is, indeed, the cold weather itself. This can lead to a higher risk of hypothermia (低温症) and other cold-related injuries. Additionally, cold weather can cause ice and frost to build up quickly, damaging basic facilities. Cold waves are also particularly dangerous for aircraft and other machinery. Extreme cold can use up vehicle batteries or cause petrol to come together. So, whenever in extreme cold weather, people need to be careful.
1. Why do people need to understand natural disasters?A.To remove nervousness. | B.To encourage research. |
C.To get ready for its possibility. | D.To build professional departments. |
A.By an exact temperature. | B.By classified temperature. |
C.By local climate standards. | D.By fallen temperature in summer. |
A.Sudden big wind. | B.Heavy snow. |
C.Rapidly rising temperature. | D.A powerful pressure system from polar areas. |
A.A natural program. | B.A climate disaster. |
C.A scientific method. | D.A scientific experiment. |
In England, people can also have summer in winter, or have winter in summer. So in winter they can swim sometimes, and in summer sometimes they should take warm clothes.
When you go to England, you will see that some English people usually take an umbrella (伞) or a raincoat with them in the sunny morning, but you should not laugh at them.
If you don’t take an umbrella or a raincoat, you will regret (后悔) later in the day.
1. Why do people in England often talk about the weather?
A.Because they may have four seasons in one day |
B.Because they often have very good weather |
C.Because the weather is warm just like in spring |
D.Because the sky is sunny all day |
A.sunshine and snow | B.black clouds |
C.summer and winter | D.spring and autumn |
A.warm | B.cool | C.cold | D.rainy |
A.their friends ask them to do so |
B.it often rains in England |
C.they are going to sell them |
D.they are their favorite things |
【推荐1】Environmental health is defined as the control of the factors in the environment that may have harmful effects on people’s physical, mental, or social well-being. Because natural disasters expose people to danger by bringing up or threatening their immediate environment, effective management of environmental health after a natural disaster is of great importance.
The environmental health measures that must be considered after a natural disaster include the supply of appropriate shelter for individuals or groups of people left homeless, the distribution of safe and accessible water, and the protection and distribution of safe food products and so on.
To effectively manage environmental health during and after a disaster, it is important that a state of preparation is in effect before the event actually occurs. During an emergency, success lately depends on making good, rapid judgment and appropriate response measures. High-level decision makers, therefore, must be familiar with sound measures beforehand and should be given an accurate judgment of the disasters specific effects as quickly as possible.
This book is intended to serve as a guide for those who may be called upon to make emergency decisions after disaster strikes. The recommended environmental health measures have been listed in the order of priority in which they should be taken during an emergency. However, each natural disaster is unique in the degree or type of emergency. In response to any given disaster, decision makers may find it necessary to change the priority assigned to any particular measure.
1. Why is it significant to take effective measures after a natural disaster?A.Victims may be at strike without immediate controls. |
B.Victims may be at the risk of losing their properties. |
C.Victims may be exposed to poisonous or radioactive minerals. |
D.Victims may be threatened by environmental health problems. |
A.Good preparation beforehand is vital. |
B.Rapid judgment is quite beneficial. |
C.Effective measures sound familiar. |
D.Slow responses sound ineffective. |
A.A researcher quite into environment health. |
B.An organizer to handle domestic disastrous situations. |
C.A possible decision-maker to handle a disaster emergency. . |
D.A holidaymaker fond of the topic of effective management. |
A.Perfection. | B.Preference. |
C.Possibility. | D.Popularity. |
【推荐2】Although billions of locusts(蝗虫) appearing on East African countries greatly panicked farmers in 2020, they managed to see through this unexpected crisis. “Their success primarily results from a technology-driven anti-locust operation,” said Mr. Cressman, an officer in the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Normally, these locusts live alone across the deserts of North Africa, Southwest Asia and the Middle East. But when rains arrive, they change from a slightly brown into a deep yellow and form groups of more than 15 million insects per square mile. Such quantities of locusts can consume the equivalent amount of food in a single day as more than 13 000 people.
Locust trackers in Sudan and Eritrea find the insects by using a tablet-based program to transmit data to authorities so experts can design appropriate control strategies. But people who want to use this system might encounter a technological problem: The version of the tablets that the locust-tracking program was written for is not manufactured and newer tablets are unsuitable for the software.
Rather than rewriting the locust-tracking software for newer tablets, Mr. Cressman thought creating a simple smartphone app would make anyone collect data like an expert. He sought help from Dr. Hughes, who had already created PlantVillage to track a crop pest. Borrowing from this blueprint Dr. Hughes and his colleagues completed eLocust3m, which anyone with a smartphone can use. The app presents photos of locusts at different stages of their life cycles, which helps users diagnose what they see in the field. The locations are then automatically recorded by GPS and algorithms(算法) double check submitted photos. If necessary, pesticide-spraying aircraft will take position.
The F.A.O. estimates that this effort in East Africa has prevented the loss of agricultural products with a commercial value of $ 1.5 billion, saving the livelihood of 34 million people.
1. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 2?A.Summarize the previous paragraph. | B.Provide scientific data for readers. |
C.Add some background information. | D.Introduce a new topic for discussion. |
A.The low adaptability of the software. | B.Too many versions of new tablets. |
C.The complex process of transmitting data. | D.The urgency of rewriting the software. |
A.Cressman created a smartphone app. |
B.ELocust3m is based on PlantVillage. |
C.Operating ELocust3m needs much training. |
D.Users should record where they find locusts. |
A. | B. | C. | D. |
【推荐3】Over the last two days in December last year, nearly 30 tornadoes caused great damage across six states — from Arkansas in the south to Illinois in the midwest. More than 100 tornado warnings were issued — the most ever for a day. The tornado in Kentucky caused at least 50 people’s deaths. which was described as the worst in this state’s history.
As one of the largest countries in the world, the United States is also one of the most geographically various countries — from deserts to forests to miles of coastline. While this comes with many advantages, it unfortunately leaves the country easily damaged by all kinds of natural disasters.
Different parts of the United States face different types of natural disasters. The west coast is at risk of wildfires, earthquakes, and even volcanic eruptions. The southern part of the country is frequently hit by tornadoes, and the east coast faces the threat of serious hurricanes every year. Midwestern areas near rivers are often flooded by huge floods, and these are the worst floods in American history.
The governments reviewed the weather event in each state’s history that caused the highest number of deaths to determine the worst natural disaster in every state. Thanks to their location and geographic research, some states made preparations ahead of time to avoid mass-casualty (重大伤亡的) weather events.
However, many other parts of the country have been less fortunate, experiencing massive storms and floods. Many such events, like the 1900 hurricane that hit Galveston of Texas, killed so many people that it was impossible to get an exact number of final deaths, especially, during that time.
American weather continues to become more changeable. In 2018, there were 14 weather events that caused over $1 billion in damage. And in many parts of the country, these weather events could become even more destructive (毁灭性的) because of global warming.
1. What do we know from the numbers in paragraph 1?A.Less and less natural disasters hit America. |
B.Tornadoes were the greatest threat to Americans. |
C.The tornado in Kentucky was the worst in America. |
D.America suffered from serious natural disasters. |
A.The natural disasters in different parts of US. |
B.The earthquakes in the west coast of US. |
C.The hurricanes along the east coast of US. |
D.The worst floods in American history. |
A.Controllable. | B.Unchangeable. | C.Pleasant. | D.Worrying. |
【推荐1】Many international students studying abroad in America have several supposed ideas about American culture. After visiting the country, many international students showed the culture shock they received in America. Here are some culture shocks in America that most of the international students came across.
It's surprising to note that kids, the youth and adults refer to each other with their first names, This is a very uncommon sight. Many international students might find it surprising and take time to adjust to this tradition.
Another culture shock is that, in America, there could be only one or two classes a day. Usually, they’re conducted in the afternoon or in the evening. This means the students get enough time to sleep late, wake up around noon and have time for different chores (琐事). Besides, having convenience in the schedule of classes, students also enjoy long hours of breaks.
Among the many culture shocks in America, multiple languages are quite common there. Many international students would move to America, believing that the only language is English. However, that's not the case. The citizens commonly speak languages such as Spanish, French, German, Chinese and others, So if you're comfortable with any of the above-mentioned languages, you might get surprises.
Many international students are used to using kilograms, metres, litres, degrees centigrade as the units of weight, length, volume, temperature. But they might be perplexed to see a different metric system in America. There, pounds, feet and Fahrenheit are usually used as units for measurements. This system is quite puzzling to comprehend at the beginning for many international students.
Many international students might find various culture shocks in America depending on the background they come from. Thus, they may need a long time to adjust themselves to the unfamiliar environment.
1. What may make international students surprised at school?A.Adults are often referred to with their titles. |
B.The number of classes is fewer than expected. |
C.Kids refer to adults with their family names. |
D.Students can freely do different chores in class. |
A.English there is easy to understand. |
B.All of them can speak English fluently. |
C.There are several other official languages. |
D.They may be able to use their native languages there. |
A.Interested. | B.Frightened. | C.Confused. | D.Excited. |
A.Multicultural Experiences Are Waiting for You |
B.International Students Are Welcome to America |
C.Culture Shocks International Students May Experience in America |
D.Reasons Why There Are a Large Number of Culture Shocks in America |
【推荐2】Global warming always reminds us of rising sea levels and extreme weather, but it may actually bring other less obvious, long-term changes. How might they influence our lives in the future? Let’s take a look.
Making food less nutritious
The more serious global warming is, the more greenhouse gases the atmosphere contains. According to Science Advances, foods are found to contain low levels of key nutrition when they’re exposed to high levels of greenhouse gases. “If we do nothing, there is potential for negative impacts on human health,” US health researcher Kristie Ebi told the Washington Post.
Ending racial differences
With rising temperatures, more lands in the world will turn into deserts. Many people will be forced to leave their homelands and live elsewhere. In turn, this could mean that the appearance of people could become more similar. “In just 125 years, there may be far fewer people with really dark skin or pale skin,” US biologist Scott Solomon told the Daily Mail. “More and more people will have olive and brown-colored complexions (肤色).” More importantly, this could mean racism may become a thing of the past.
Making insects hungrier
Human beings or other mammals can keep a stable body temperature, while insects usually adapt their body temperature based on the environment. According to Science Daily, insects will become hungrier and need more food in warmer surroundings. That’s because a higher body temperature can increase insects’ metabolism (新陈代谢). “In addition, warmer temperatures will increase the reproductive rates of insects,” Curtis Deutsch, a professor at Washington University in the US, told Science Daily.
Helping scientists find historic sites
Due to global warming, the UK experienced an extremely hot and dry summer last year. As a result, many grassy areas in the country turned yellow or even dried out completely. Because of this, many unusual and interesting patterns hidden in some of these areas were exposed. After studying some of these patterns, scientists found Neolithic (新石器时代的) monuments and a Roman farm, which are believed to date back to around 5,000 years ago.
1. What is this passage mainly about?A.The harmful effects of global warming. |
B.The possible causes of global warming. |
C.Some ways to slow down global warming. |
D.The influences of global warming on our lives. |
A.Brown. | B.Pale. | C.White. | D.Dark. |
A.An ancient farm with patterns. |
B.Unusual patterns in some areas. |
C.New landscapes with monuments. |
D.Grassy areas with different colors. |
【推荐3】When Central Bucks South became one of the first Philadelphia-area high schools to close due to fear of novel coronavirus exposure in early March, 16-year-old Andrew Chen of 10th grade knew that things were not going to return to normal as quickly as some of his friends hoped.
But still, the change from seeing his friends on the swim team during daily practices to learning alone at home was jarring. “I only have three years here at South, and it pains me to see one of them being wasted,” Chen said.
The coronavirus has turned everyone’s life upside down, but for students, the destruction is particularly serious. Schools closed and graduation ceremonies were canceled. Summer plans, like camps and internships(实习), are up in the air.
But right now, many students are trying to stay connected, struggling with misinformation, and figuring out the best ways they can help through online method.
For Josh Harycki, 17, a senior student at the Ship-ley School in Philadelphia, the best way to contribute was to create a “social distancing pledge(承诺)” for young people.
“I saw a lot of younger generations not paying attention,” he said. “They were still going out, hanging out with people. I thought that there had to be a way to reach younger folks, who were probably not watching the news.”
Harycki launched a call to action on social media and then built a website with a map that tracked the locations of people who’d signed the pledge. The site also shares links to accurate sources of information like the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Harycki knows that his friends are worried they can’t connect with their friends in the same way, so he created the social distancing pledge to stress that while everyone might be physically distant, they’re still connected.
“Part of what we’re highlighting is that you might feel like you’re the only one taking this seriously, but our map shows that you’re not alone,” he said.
1. What does the underlined word “jarring” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?A.natural | B.necessary | C.unpleasant | D.reasonable |
A.To show the right reaction to the closure of school. |
B.To show how the coronavirus affected students’ lives. |
C.To explain what worried students most when schools closed. |
D.To present the different views of students about the coronavirus. |
A.Friends who are worried and bored. | B.Folks taking the coronavirus seriously. |
C.Younger generations trying to contribute. | D.Young people who are not aware of the situation. |
A.To show young people that they are still connected. |
B.To order young people that they should stay at home. |
C.To follow those people infected with the coronavirus. |
D.To inform students of latest news about the coronavirus. |