Europe’s series record-breaking hot and dry summers have broken an easy link to climate change. Climate models show Europe warms faster than the rest of the planet and the Arctic melting eventually causes massive ocean currents (洋流) and regional hot air circulation patterns.
Arctic melting is adding roughly 6000 cubic kilometers of water or more to the ocean per decade. As that fresh-water pours into the North Atlantic Ocean, it sits on top of heavier ocean salt-water and stops mixing. With less heat being stirred in from below, the surface water gets colder than usual during the fall and winter months, says Marilena Oltmanns, a climate scientist at the U.K. National Oceanography Centre. This phenomenon may explain the so-called “cold blob”, an area of sea in the North Atlantic that NASA nodeling suggests is one of the few spots on Earth getting colder.
To explore how the fresh water from Arctic ice might be affecting weather, Oltmanns and her colleagues developed a way to combine data from satellites, and weather stations. They found when the freshwater-caused cold blobs were more intense, the boundary was sharper, bringing more powerful westerly (向西的) winds. As a result, the stronger westerlies move a warm ocean flow from roughly 45°N to 60°N. That shift can continue into the next summer. And like a barrier, this warm current, curls up and around the British Isles, allowing a mass of hot, dry air to camp out over Europe.
“The study convincingly puts meat on the bones of an expectation I and others have had for a while — that the cold blob south of Greenland would influence North Atlantic weather patterns, as well as those downstream over Europe,” says Jennifer Francis, a climate scientist at Woodwell Climate Research Center.
1. What does the underlined word “cold blob” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Climate models. | B．Ocean current. |
| C．Cold water zone. | D．Air circulation patterns. |
| A．Introduce the form of cold blob. |
| B．Present a phenomenon of climate changes in Europe. |
| C．Survey some data for the study. |
| D．Analyze the reason of hot and dry summer in Europe. |
| A．Approving. | B．Indifferent. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Human activities change climate models. |
| B．Arctic melting contributes to European heat waves. |
| C．Climate changes have little impact on ocean currents. |
| D．Global warming results in the rise of the temperature. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】“OK class. Count off by fives.”
Group projects also give you a chance to get to know kids you might not know or talk with — maybe the quiet kid in the third row, or the boy who lived down the street when you were in kindergarten.
| A．Few of us act alone in the real world. |
| B．Why is this type of project so popular in school? |
| C．With group work, you can actually learn more in less time. |
| D．Maybe your group will pick you to tell the whole class about your project. |
| E．Group projects are also a great way to practice skills you’re not so sure of. |
| F．When your teacher gives you that instruction, you know what’s coming next. |
| G．One key to a good meeting is having a leader who should help the group stay focused. |
There is a saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Although eating properly is important, being kind to others is also good for your health. Recent studies show that people who do kind acts are more relaxed, happier, and healthier than other people.
In one study at Arizona State University, researchers found that many volunteers experienced a sudden feeling of joy, followed by a long period of calmness, after doing a kind act. This feeling, called “a helper’s high”, may actually help reduce stress as the body produces natural painkillers.
Stress can cause serious health problems. It can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease, and it can also lead to overeating and sleeping problems. However, the study found that volunteers had fewer stress-related health problems when they did helpful things for other people.
The study also found that people who did nice things for others felt better about themselves as well. They had higher self-respect, and were happier. Many believe this is because volunteers spend more of their time with other people. People who are more outgoing are often healthier.
Another study at the University of Michigan’s Survey Research Center confirmed the health benefits of volunteering. A ten-year study of 2,700 men in Michigan showed that people who volunteered lived longer than those who didn’t. Although you shouldn’t need a reason to be helpful, it is nice to know that kindness may help you live longer.
1. According to Paragraph 1, what do recent studies show?2. According to the passage, what serious health problems can stress cause?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
>When volunteers did helpful things for other people, they had fewer stress-related health problems, felt better about others and respected others more.
4. Besides the benefits mentioned in this passage, what do you think are some other benefits of volunteering? Why? (In about 40 words)
【推荐3】How many of the phone numbers of your closest and dearest can you remember? How about birthdays or the addresses of post offices?
If you suspect the numbers you can remember are fewer than you have ever been able to before, there is a very good chance that you are right. It’s likely that you are exhibiting a phenomenon known as “digital amnesia” or “Google effect” — a phrase created by a cyber-security group Kaspersky Lab to describe forgetting information that you trust a digital device to store and remember for you.
According to a study carried out last year, digital technology is not just transforming the way we live and work; it is changing the way we think, learn, behave, and remember. More than half of the 6,000 European adults surveyed in the study remembered the phone number of the house they had lived in when they were 10 years old but they were unable to recall the phone numbers of their current workplaces due to the development of digital technology.
When faced with a question, 36 percent of those surveyed said they would jump online to locate an answer before they even bothered trying to recall whether they already knew the answer. Travelers have no problem using electronic map-readers to find remote locations, but almost one in four reported that as soon as the thing stopped working, they didn’t know what to do.
Dr Maria Wimber, a lecturer at the University of Birmingham’s School of Psychology, said, “Looking up information online, instead of trying to recall it ourselves, makes us shallower thinkers. Given that our brains clearly have a capacity limit, smartphones can strengthen our memory, because they store information outwards, and thereby free up our brain capacity.” She said, “Forgetting is in no way a bad thing.”
Across the world, scientists are currently trying to work out how our addiction to high-tech devices is affecting us. They are studying everything from what technology is doing to cognitive (认知的) development in the young to whether adults have started using their smartphones instead of thinking to puzzle things out.
1. What does “digital amnesia” refer to?| A．People pay less attention to cyber security. |
| B．People enjoy recalling their past experiences. |
| C．People lack the motivation to learn something new. |
| D．People turn to digital devices for stored information. |
| A．Digital technology is developing very badly. |
| B．People benefit much from technology in every aspect. |
| C．People’s thinking ability weakens due to technology. |
| D．The simplified life is more suitable for modern people. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Objective. | C．Unclear. | D．Worried. |
| A．The level of people’s addiction to their phones. |
| B．The relationship between technology and mental health. |
| C．The possibility of technology replacing humans’ thinking. |
| D．The related studies about people’s reliance on technology. |
Based on a fourth-century Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) text, together with her team, she managed to get artemisinin(青蒿素）from sweet wormwood through trial and error and developed an important drug that has significantly reduced death rates among patients suffering from malaria. Tu delivered a speech titled Artemisinin is a Gift from TCM to the World. She has urged more research into the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine and called for joint efforts worldwide to fight against malaria and develop more potential uses for TCM, which she called a "great treasure" with thousands of years' history and empirical knowledge. She said that by combining TCM with modem scientific technologies, "more potential can be discovered in searching for new drugs " .
According to the WHO, more than 240 million people in sub-Saharan Africa have benefited from artemisinin, and more than l. 5 million lives are estimated to have been saved since 2000 thanks to the drug. Apart from its contribution to the global fight against malaria, TCM played a vital role in the deadly outbreak of SARS across China in 2003.
Besides treating viruses, TCM has been most effective in diagnosing diseases, cultivating fitness, treating difficult multisource illnesses, and using nonmedical methods such as acupuncture (钟刺疗法) and breathing exercises.
However, TCM, which is based on a set of beliefs about human biology, is seldom understood or accepted by the West. Tu's success will bring more recognition and respect for TCM, experts say. The Western world should learn to appreciate the value of the treasures of TCM, which will lead to more basic scientific research into ancient TCM texts and ways to explore research findings worldwide.
1. In this passage the author mentions _ prize( s) that Tu Youyou received.
| A．one | B．two | C．three | D．four |
| A．medicine | B．animal. | C．plant | D．disease |
| A．This success may encourage Easterners to learn more about Chinese medicine. |
| B．Nothing remains to be done in researching into TCM theories and texts. |
| C．More research into the value of TCM should be carried out worldwide. |
| D．TCM only contributes to the fight against malaria and SARS in China. |
| A．TCM is based on thousands of years of practice in China. |
| B．Nobel winner, Tu Youyou, strongly supports TCM research. |
| C．Artemisinin is now widely used to fight against Malaria. |
| D．Westerners will appreciate the value of the treasures of TCM. |
【推荐2】It seems that we are one step closer to finding alien life and maybe a future home for humanity. Scientists from NASA have found a new solar system filled with planets that look like the Earth and could even support life.
The group of seven planets, which orbits a star called Trappist-1, is 39 light years away from the Earth in the constellation of Aquarius(水瓶座). And three of them are in the “habitable zone” - the area around a star where water is most likely to be found. This is important because water is necessary for life.
“This is an amazing planetary(行星的) system - not only because we have found so many planets, but because they are all surprisingly similar in size to the Earth”, astronomer Michael Gillon from the University of Liege in Belgium told The Independent.
Trappist-1 is a “dwarf star(矮星)” which is colder and shines dimmer than our sun. If a person were on one of the seven planets, everything would look a lot darker than usual. The amount of light heading toward our eyes would be about 200 times less than we get from the sun, according to The Independent.
Because of that, Trappist-1, together with many other dwarf stars, was never on the list of places where scientists looked for alien life. But Michael Gillon, lead researcher behind the discovery, decided to give dwarf stars a chance. He built a telescope in Chile to observe 60 of the closest dwarf stars, and it turned out that Trappist-1 was worthy of the effort.
The researchers hope that they can spend more time watching the newly found planets to learn more about them. Even though more research is needed before determining whether these planets could really support life, the discovery is still encouraging. It shows just how many Earth-size planets could be out there.
“[The discovery] gives us a hint that finding a second Earth is not just a matter of if, but when,” NASA scientist Thomas Zurbuchen told The Telegraph.
1. What can be learned about the new solar system from the text?| A．It contains a sun and planets like the Earth. |
| B．There are aliens on the planets. |
| C．Water can be found on all of the planets. |
| D．Seven planets move around Trappist-1. |
| A．Trappist-1 and other dwarf stars don’t provide as much heat and light as our sun can |
| B．Scientists did not find a good place to observe dwarf stars according to the passage. |
| C．It is impossible to find alien life on the planets of Trappist-1 and other dwarf stars. |
| D．Scientists have observed dwarf stars, but they failed to find the possibility of survival. |
| A．Less bright. | B．More powerful. |
| C．Stronger. | D．Less beautiful. |
| A．Scientists have found a second Earth. |
| B．A new solar system may become home for humans. |
| C．Scientists are planning to explore another planet. |
| D．People will move to another Earth soon. |
【推荐3】Federal regulators Wednesday approved a plan to create a nationwide emergency alert (警报) system using text messages delivered to cell phones.
Text messages have exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly among young people. The wireless industry’s trade association, CTIA, estimates (估计) more than 48 billions text messages are sent each month.
The plan comes from the Warning Alter and Response Network Act, a 2006 federal law that requires improvement to the nation’s emergency alter system. The act tasked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with coming up with new ways to alter the public about emergencies.
“The ability to deliver accurate and timely warning and alters through cell phone and other mobile services is an important next step in our efforts to help ensure that the American public has the information they need to take action to protect themselves and their families before, and during, disasters and other emergencies,” FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said following approval of the plan.
Participation in the alter system by carriers — telecommunication companies — is voluntary, but it has received solid support from the wireless industry.
The program would be optional for cell phone users. They also may not be charged for receiving alters.
There would be three types of messages, according to the rules.
The first would be a national alter from the president, likely involving a terrorists attack or natural disaster. The second would involve “approaching threats,” which could include natural disasters like hurricanes or storms or even university shootings. The third would be reserved for child abduction (绑架)emergencies, or so-called Amber Alerts.
The service could be in place by 2010.
1. What is the purpose of the approval plan?| A．To warn people of emergencies via message. |
| B．To popularize the use of cell phone. |
| C．To estimate the monthly number of messages. |
| D．To promote the wireless industry. |
| A．CTLA. | B．the Warning Alert and Response Network |
| C．FCC | D．federal regulators |
| A．the US federal government | B．mobile phone users |
| C．the carriers themselves | D．the law of the United States |
| A．They must accept the alert service. |
| B．They may enjoy the alert service for free. |
| C．They must send the alerts to others. |
| D．They may choose the types of messages. |
| A．a child loses his way | B．a university shooting happens |
| C．a natural disaster happens | D．a terrorist attack occurs |
| A．Cell Phone Alerts Protecting Students |
| B．Cell Phone Alerts by Wireless Industry |
| C．Cell Phone Alerts Natural Disasters |
| D．Cell Phone Alerts Coming Soon |
【推荐1】Warming seas across the globe are endangering coral reefs, a key ecosystem that supports marine life to live and thrive. As a possible way to save them from extinction, scientists have recently frozen and revived groups of adult corals for the first time, according to a recent study.
Freezing biological materials, or “cryopreserving” them, refers to keeping them in a deep freeze for long periods without affecting the cells viability (活性), according to the Science Times website.
This method usually cools them to very low temperatures, commonly to-196℃. Since cells would normally die at such a low temperature due to the formation of ice inside, scientists need to monitor the freezing rate and choose the freezing medium carefully.
Researchers in the US experimented with freezing pea-sized pieces of a common coral in Hawaii. After removing the microbes on the corals, they sealed the corals in metal containers filled with a chemical solution that partially dehydrated (脱水) them and helped control ice growth.
When the corals reached a temperature of around -200 ℃, the remaining water in the corals solidified into a glassy form. The corals were still alive, with their life-driving functions becoming extremely slow. After being cryopreserved for a few minutes, the researchers pulled the corals out and placed them in warm water. In two minutes, they started consuming oxygen — a sign of them staying alive.
Previously, researchers had already successfully cryopreserved coral larvae (幼虫), according to a study in 2018. However, the larvae can only be collected when corals spawn (产卵), which happens just a few nights each year. “That’s putting a lot of eggs in one basket,” US marine scientist Liza Roger told Science News.
This breakthrough offers more hope to the worlds corals, said Roger. However, there’s more work to be done. A few days after thawing (解冻), the corals became “stressed out” from the process and were killed by the bacteria they normally live in harmony with. The researchers are working on using antibiotics to help them survive for a longer period of time.
1. What happened to the corals when they were cryopreserved?| A．They died temporarily. |
| B．Their life functions slowed down. |
| C．They remained alive and unchanged. |
| D．They fed on microbes in the containers. |
| A．It is not a reliable solution. |
| B．It needs a large number of eggs. |
| C．It holds promise for restoring corals. |
| D．It requires overly expensive technology. |
| A．Finding a suitable freezing medium. |
| B．Identifying the bacteria on the corals. |
| C．Expanding the collection of coral larvae. |
| D．Maintaining the corals health after thawing. |
| A．Bringing dead corals back to life. | B．Freeze and revive coral larvae. |
| C．Find a way to preserve corals. | D．Study the conditions of coral growth. |
【推荐2】Due to climate change and changes in land use, wildfires are predicted to rise by up to 14 percent by 2030, 30 percent by 2050 and 50 percent by the end of this century, and even areas once considered safe from major fires such as the Arctic, will “very likely” experience a major increase in burning, according to a new report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
The report, Spreading like Wildfire: The Rising Threat of Extraordinary Landscape Fires, says that wildfires and climate change are “mutually exacerbating”. Wildfires are made more serious by climate change through increased drought, high air temperatures, low humidity, lightning, and strong winds. Meanwhile, climate change is made worse by wildfires, mostly by damaging sensitive and carbon-rich ecosystems like rainforest.
Wildfires can threaten people’s health and lives, pollute water, destroy crops and reduce land available to grow food. Costs of rebuilding after areas are struck by wildfires can be beyond the means of low-income countries. Wildlife, as well as natural habitats, is also rarely spared. All these slow progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
While the situation “is certainly extreme, it not yet hopeless”. The publication calls on governments to adopt a new “Fire Ready Formula,” with two-thirds of spending devoted to planning, prevention, preparedness, and recovery, with one-third left for response. Currently, direct responses to wildfires typically receive over half of related expenditures (开支), while planning and prevention receive less than one percent. “We have to minimize the risk of extreme wildfires by being better prepared: invest more in fire risk reduction and change from passive response to prevention and preparedness,” said Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director.
Setting up data and science-based monitoring systems, strengthening regional and international cooperation, restoring ecosystems and thinning forests around areas where nature and human living spaces meet are just a few suggested examples of investments into prevention, preparedness and recovery.
1. Why does the author speak of the Arctic?| A．To introduce the climate change of it. |
| B．To stress the importance of protecting it. |
| C．To warn people of the wildfire damage. |
| D．To show the rising tendency of wildfires. |
| A．Wildfire control. | B．Rebuilding costs. |
| C．The possible damage. | D．The slowing progress. |
| A．Surrounding busy towns with thick forests. |
| B．Restoring wetlands as well as wildlife species. |
| C．Investing more money in putting out wildfires. |
| D．Fitting cameras to strengthen regional cooperation . |
| A．Wildfires and climate change worsen each other. |
| B．The researchers are pessimistic about wildfire control. |
| C．Prevention receives half of related spending currently. |
| D．Many governments have adopted “Fire Ready Formula”. |
【推荐3】Each summer I teach at the Cranberry Lake Biological Station, a remote wilderness field school in the Adirondacks.
One of our best teachers return s every summer. There are hundreds of sandy places for a snapping turtle (鳄龟) nest, but this turtle chooses to lay her eggs in the warm open sand of our volleyball court. Our students are excited to snap photos as eggs leave her body. It is a highlight of their field biology summer. But they also want to play volleyball. So the class carefully uncovers the eggs and takes them to another site the students have prepared and measured to be sure it’s a good place for warm, dry sand, so the babies will hatch (孵化) .
The turtle shows me that my life is thanks to the kindness of nature’s creatures who share this beautiful world with us. We’ve been ignoring the many other living things on this planet because of our way of taking without giving back. Science, armed with models to predict the coming changes, is a powerful tool for addressing these crises. But it is not the only one. As a scientist, I hear the certain data, and also a message, carried by snapping turtles: The Earth asks more of us than gratitude.
A few years ago, there was a second mother in just the same spot on our volleyball court. The next day there was another. And another. In all, more than a dozen snapping turtles came among us in a dozen days. Why would lonely things walk into a community of 100 humans? When our students went to find suitable sites for the repeated groups of eggs, they found that as the lake level rose, they had to seek out higher ground. It seemed to me that the snapping turtles had become climate refugees.
I believe the turtles madly climbing to higher places are trying to tell us something important. They’re showing us that we’re dangerously close to a huge climate disaster, and lots of plants and animals are quickly going extinct. They want us to notice and take action before it’s too late.
1. What do the students do after the turtle comes?| A．Find a nest for her in advance. | B．Photo the course of her laying eggs. |
| C．Clean the volleyball court completely. | D．Lead her to a good place for birth. |
| A．Species actually owe a lot to the earth. | B．Humans should quit their culture of taking. |
| C．The earth asks gratitude of human beings. | D．Science isn’t powerful enough to save wildlife. |
| A．They were eager to live in a community. | B．They found the volleyball court the best nest. |
| C．They gradually adapted to a life on land. | D．They displaced themselves for climate change. |
| A．To appeal people to protect wildlife. | B．To amuse people with interesting turtle stories. |
| C．To introduce the survival ability of turtles. | D．To show the wisdom of turtles in laying eggs. |
