This phenomenon happens when pavement, buildings, and other infrastructure (基础设施) replace natural land cover. Large amounts of paved and dark colored surfaces—such as roofs, roads, and parking lots—absorb, rather than reflect, the sun’s heat, causing surface temperatures and overall ambient (周围的) air temperature to rise. Unlike soil, paved areas contribute to runoff, which means that as paved areas increase, the amount of water available for evaporation (蒸发) decreases. Moreover, urban areas have fewer trees and less natural vegetation which help to control the heat by providing shade and blocking solar radiation. The surfaces of leaves also provide water for evaporation which cools the air, further worsening the heat island effect.
In particular, during summer, more energy is required to cool the insides of building and for refrigeration, thereby creating additional heat output. This in turn leads to higher ambient air temperatures, which can also significantly increase the formation of urban smog in an area, degrading local air quality. Such a situation may directly affect public health with individuals more likely to suffer from heat exhaustion and the effects of asthma (哮喘).
1. The underlined part in Paragraph 2 means ________.
A.Due to dark colored roads, urban areas are becoming hotter each year |
B.Dark colored surfaces reflect the sun’s heat, causing air temperatures to rise |
C.Because urban surfaces absorb heat, air and surface temperatures increase |
D.Rising ambient air temperatures lead to urban surfaces absorbing more heat |
A.The lack of trees |
B.The demand for refrigeration |
C.The blocking of solar radiation |
D.The construction of infrastructure. |
A.ignoring | B.improving |
C.highlighting | D.worsening |
A.giving typical examples |
B.following the time order |
C.presenting the effect and analyzing the cause |
D.analyzing a problem and seeking the solution |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Students at Eindhoven University of Technology didn’t just want to build a car that wouldn’t pollute the air; they wanted to create one that could actually clean it up.
The college team has just exhibited a battery-powered car that absorbs CO2. Their car, called the Zem, is equipped with a special filter (过滤器) that cleans up the CO2 produced by other cars on the road.
The Zem was born out of a challenge to build a completely carbon-neutral vehicle. Its body panels (金属板) were 3D printed to reduce waste and minimize the production of CO2. Recycled plastics were also used throughout the outside and inside. The car’s powertrain, which consists of small battery packs and a 22-kWh motor, also makes use of regenerative braking to increase efficiency.
The real difference maker, though, is the vehicle’s special CO2 filter. The Zem purifies (净化) the air through the special filter while driving, capturing the CO2 and storing it. It is able to absorb two kg of CO2 for 20,000 miles a year, meaning ten cars could store as much carbon dioxide as an average tree — a significant amount when considering the world’s billion cars are currently one of its leading sources of emissions.
Even if the technology isn’t adopted, the team hope that their car can inspire automakers to start making cleaner vehicles. “We want to encourage the industry by showing what is already possible,” the leader of the team said. “If 35 students can design, develop and build an almost carbon-neutral car in a year, then there are also opportunities and possibilities for the industry.”
The Zem is the second zero-emission vehicle we’ve seen come out of the Eindhoven University of Technology. Last year, another team of students created the Stella Vita, a solar-powered vehicle that could travel up to 450 miles a day. We can’t wait to see what the school’s students come up with next.
1. Why can the Zem absorb CO2?A.It is battery-powered. | B.It has a special filter. |
C.It is created by using 3D printing. | D.It has reusable body panels. |
A.It is time-consuming. | B.It is financially secure. |
C.It is physically demanding. | D.It is environmentally-friendly. |
A.It can capture the CO2 and dispose it. |
B.It is able to absorb CO2 as much as a tree. |
C.It has a huge potential to reduce pollution. |
D.It can run 20,000 miles on a single charge. |
A.Invest in research. | B.Inspire confidence. |
C.Innovate further. | D.Introduce technology. |
【推荐2】Abdullah was born in Terengganu, a state on the eastern coast of the Malaysian Peninsular, known for its beautiful tropical islands. Growing up on the coast, he felt a close bond with the ocean. After being adopted as a child, he would escape from his strict home to the seaside to free himself.
The local adults would consider him a strange diving instructor, “who spent his days in the water and spoke to corals (珊瑚) as if they were people”. For a long time, he worked unknown to the public and at times in poverty. But it was this closeness to the sea that led him to study the marine (海洋的) environment, and later, earn a scholarship in Oceanography at the Florida Institute of Technology. With the travels across the globe that this research involved, Abdullah learned about the extensive degradation (退化) in the marine ecosystem. He was enthusiastic about the need to take action to restore the damaged and dying coral reefs.
Abdullah set up Ocean Quest Global in Malaysia in 2010, an environmental organization focusing on coral reef protection. It was buoyed by volunteers working throughout Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. Its founder has spent most of his life on the coral reefs of Malaysia, observing their behavior and life cycles, and conducting his own research.
In less than a decade, Abdullah’s organization had expanded to several countries like Thailand, Brunei, and the Philippines. It has over 800 trainers across the world, working on 180 islands, roost of them in Thailand. Most recently, the organization has been actively working on the restoration of Maya Bay on Ko Phi Phi Leh Island, Thailand. It is also building the first subtropical coral nursery in Egypt, reports the diving industry portal, ADEX Ocean Vision.
1. Why would Abdullah go to the seaside in his childhood?A.To connect with nature. | B.To learn to dive. |
C.To admire the scenery. | D.To enjoy freedom. |
A.The damaged dying coral reefs. | B.The related research. |
C.The worsened marine ecosystem. | D.The locals’ requirement. |
A.Determined. | B.Ignored. | C.Supported. | D.Started. |
A.The coral nursery in Egypt is much more popular. |
B.Abdullah’s organization has a powerful influence. |
C.The reefs throughout Southeast Asia are restored. |
D.Abdullah is bound to have made a large fortune. |
【推荐3】Jeremi Swietochowski was doing his homework when he heard a thump (重击声). A bird had flown into the window and fallen onto the balcony (阳台) Swietochowski rushed to check on it. “Just when I was about to open the door. it flew away,” he said.
Not all birds are so lucky. According to a study, between 365 million and a billion birds are killed each year in the United States by flying into glass.
“Birds, of course, don’t mean to fly into buildings. It’s the reflectivity (反射性) of the windows that tricks (欺骗) them,” says Christine Sheppard. director of the glass-collisions (玻璃碰撞) program at the American Bird Conservancy. “When birds see reflections of trees-to them, they are just more trees that they can fly into.”
Sheppard and others, including environmentalists and building designers. work to make buildings bird-friendly to lower the number of bird collisions.
One method is to use less glass. Another is to cover a glass building with some kind of screen. The Orange Cube, in Lyon, France, is a good example of this method. The screen can be seen by birds, but it doesn’t block natural light. A third method is to use special glass. This was done in New York City. on a huge glass building called the Javits Center. It used to be one of the city’s deadliest buildings for birds.
Officials agreed to use patterned glass to take the place of some glass in2009. Building designer Daniel Piselli worked on the project. “We need to consider what humans need and what birds need” Piselli says. He notes that with glass. “the main thing is to put something on it that birds can see so they are not tricked by reflections and people can still enjoy daylight through the glass.”
Work on the Javits Center project was completed in 2014. “We ended up bringing down collisions by more than 90%,” Piselli says.
1. Why did the author think the bird was lucky?A.It wasn’t hurt by an enemy. | B.It could fly freely in the sky. |
C.It received good care from its owner. | D.It wasn’t killed after hitting the window. |
A.They need to stop to have a rest. | B.They want to play tricks on humans. |
C.They’re trying to get inside the buildings. | D.They’re confused by reflections in the windows. |
A.Reasons for making friends with birds. | B.Ways to make buildings safer for birds. |
C.The disadvantages of glass windows. | D.Great examples of new high buildings. |
A.It was very successful. | B.It was unacceptable to bird lovers. |
C.It took longer to complete than expected. | D.It played a big role in stopping air pollution. |
【推荐1】I traveled to Hawaii several months ago, in part to cover a story on invasive plants and animals and their impact on the state. As I worked on this story, I kept thinking about the fact that some plants and animals become uncontrollably invasive when they’re brought into a new ecosystem, while others don’t. For example, over the past two hundred years or so, there have been approximately 20, 000 non-native plant species either intentionally or accidentally brought into Hawaii alone. But only a small part of those plants — 200 species or so — have become invasive, threatening the environment, the economy, or human health.
An example from Hawaii’s forests: the invasive plant strawberry guava thrives as it gives off a chemical that prevents all other plants from growing nearby, and it also absorbs more water than native species. What makes these particular species so successful? Most of the reasons involve how a particular species interacts with its new environment. First, invasive species may be highly adaptable to a variety of climates. Second, they are usually quite fecund (多产的), which ensures that they can multiply rapidly. Third, they are usually threatening when it comes to resources like nutrients and space, easily crowding out their native counterparts (对应的物种). And finally, invasive species thrive when there are no natural enemies or pests in their new space.
How can we eradicate invasive species once they’re in place? Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible to do that — conservationists would have to notice that the species is a problem before its population has established and grown to an uncontrollable size. Instead, most conservationists battling invasive species aim for control in key ecological pockets.
It is a constant battle, though, and humans are always playing catch-up. If you’re thinking of planting unusual plants in your garden or keeping a foreign pet, perhaps reconsider and go for a native one. You never know when they might escape and tip over an ecosystem.
1. What does paragraph 1 mainly tell us?A.A substantial number of species in Hawaii are severely endangered. |
B.Not all uncontrollably invasive species threaten the environment. |
C.A small number of plants are intentionally introduced. |
D.Not all non-native species become invasive. |
A.The first reason. | B.The second reason. |
C.The third reason. | D.The last reason. |
A.Unclear. | B.Hopeless. | C.Uncaring. | D.Disapproving. |
A.Avoid the battle between native and foreign pets. |
B.Create an ideal ecosystem for the pet. |
C.Prevent the pet from escaping. |
D.Get a native pet. |
【推荐2】Sports fandom is about more than just entertainment. It can boost your self-esteem (自尊) and make you happier — and you don’t have to root for the winning team to gain the benefits.
Being a sports fan is a “very psychologically healthy activity,” says Daniel Wann, professor at Murray State University whose research program centers on the psychology of sport fandom. Fandom connects us to other like-minded people, which satisfies our human need for belonging, he says.
These relationships are significant: People who identify as sports fans have higher levels of self-esteem, lower levels of loneliness and tend to be more satisfied with their lives compared to those who aren’t interested in sports, Wann says. Fans tend to have more access to social support, help and resources as well. Research suggests that when people have support from their communities, they have better health.
Beyond bonding, fans get to enjoy the psychological benefits of winning, even if they have nothing to do with the players or games, says Stephen Reysen, associate professor at Texas A&M University-Commerce who studies identity and fandom.
“Individuals feel that the fan interest (in this case a sport team) is a part of them,” Reysen says. “So when the team is winning, you feel like you are winning even though you are not a player.”
Of course, teams sometimes lose.
So, why do people continue to put their faith behind teams that tend to lose? People who feel a strong psychological connection to a team are more likely to root for a team when they’re having a losing season, Reysen says.
“Sports fandom has nothing to do with the outcome of a game,” Wann says. For example, if a pizza restaurant continually got your order wrong, you’d likely switch to a more reliable one. But because being a fan is so central to people’s identities, people are willing to accept defeat and continue to be loyal to a team.
Being part of a fan community can also help people cope with losses. A 2019 study found that watching a football game with other fans helps to ease the negative psychological effects of losing.
“For fans of the losing team, sharing the pain may have protected them from losing self-esteem,” Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, co-author of the study and professor of communication at The Ohio State University said in a release.
1. According to the passage, why do sports fans feel happier?A.Because they could gain the benefits from the winning team. |
B.Because they can share pains and happiness with people who have the common interests. |
C.Because they could have a low level of self-esteem. |
D.Because most of them are optimistic. |
A.Sports fans have support from their favorite teams. |
B.Sports fans have higher levels of loneliness. |
C.Sports fans are likely more content with their lives. |
D.Sports fans tend to compare themselves to those who aren’t interested in sports. |
A.display their identities |
B.have a boost of self-esteem |
C.not support the team any more |
D.have a negative psychology period |
A.Being part of the team. |
B.Ordering a pizza in a different restaurant. |
C.Sharing the pain with family members. |
D.The loyalty to the team. |
A.Sports fans have a closer relationship with other like-mined people. |
B.Sports fans have higher self-esteem and are more satisfied with their lives. |
C.Sports fans always put their faith behind their favorite teams. |
D.Sports fandom has nothing to do with the outcome of a game. |
【推荐3】What if one day Facebook, Twitter and Instant Messenger just weren’t there?
Provost Eric Darr of Harrisburg University of Science and Technology in Pennsylvania tells NPR’s (National Public Radio) Guy Raz that he wanted his students to not only think about this question, but live it.
“Often there are behaviors, habits, ways we use technology that we may ourselves not even be able to express clearly because we’re not aware of them,” Darr says.
So this week, Darr will enforce a campus-wide social media blackout — no Facebook, no Twitter, no instant messaging — nothing.
Social Media Exile
Access to these popular social media tools will be blocked from campus computers through the week. This is not a disciplinary (纪律上的) exercise, Darr says, but an academic one. At the end of the week, students will write reflective essays about their time without social media.
Three Harrisburg University students, Ashley Harris, Gio Acosta and Oluyemi Afuape, volunteered to discuss the experiment, and it turns out they have mixed feelings.
Afuape isn’t a big fan of Facebook, and says he doesn’t expect to be challenged by the blackout. But Harris is going to have a hard time not posting her whereabouts to friends.
“My biggest problem is not being able to find people,’’ Harris says, “because I use Facebook and Twitter to find people at school, to see where they’re at.”
Even before hearing about the blackout, Acosta found it necessary to cut himself off the constant social media chatter.
“I had my phone set to receive Facebook, texts, tweets — and ring — so I had to turn that off between 3 and 6 in the morning so I can actually sleep during that time” Acosta says. “If you don’t set the limits, it’s a 24-hour thing.”
Hope From The ‘Post-Facebook’ Generation
Outspoken social media critic Jaron Lanier (who was also named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of the year) says Harrisburg University’s experiment may be too extreme. He would prefer that students donate a penny to charity every time they access social media.
“Because that would create awareness, they would be aware of how much they were doing,” Lanier says, “making the use of it into something that’s more conscious and more considered.”
Lanier is mainly worried that social media creates superficial ties rather than lasting friendship. But he says he’s optimistic about the “post-Facebook generation” — teenagers he hears from in high schools who don’t identify with Facebook.
Lanier hopes this generation will spark something of a renaissance (新生), declaring, “No, we are individuals; we invent ourselves; we’re not going to have some third-party advertising business define us. We invent our own taste, and furthermore, we decide what friendship means.”
1. What do the underlined words “live it” in Paragraph 1 probably refer to?A.Making a living without the Internet. |
B.Leading a life without social media. |
C.Experiencing the popularity of social media. |
D.Being aware of the importance of technology. |
A.The experiment lasted a week and was very successful. |
B.Only three students participated in the experiment. |
C.The participants had terrible feelings toward the cutoff. |
D.The experiment had something to do with students’ schoolwork. |
A.The university should do the experiment in a more moderate way. |
B.The experiment should include the “post-Facebook generation”. |
C.Students should donate some money to the experiment. |
D.The experiment can make the students more conscious and considered. |
A.The disadvantages of social media. |
B.Some people’s views on social media. |
C.A university’s experiment on social media. |
D.Challenges to the “post-Facebook generation”. |
1. According to the statistics, what is the world average of freshwater resource per person?
A.6,122 cubic kilometers. |
B.241 cubic kilometers. |
C.3,642 cubic kilometers. |
D.244,973 cubic kilometers. |
A.Guyana. | B.Brazil. | C.Iceland. | D.China. |
A.Bhutan. | B.Seychelles. | C.Suriname. | D.Canada. |
【推荐2】Swimming with Wild Dolphins in Kaikoura, New Zealand
Many of my most adventurous travel stories come from my time living in New Zealand.
In November 2018, I decided to live life to the fullest and say yes to all of the adventures that came my way in the country. This travel story is one of my favorite adventures: swimming with wild dolphins in Kaikoura.
I woke at 4 a.m. to a pitch-black hostel room, my eight roommates all still sound asleep at the early hour. I snuck out on tiptoes to change, crammed a cheese roll in my mouth, and dragged the suitcase holding a year of my life to the Kaikoura dolphin-watching tour office. With just a few hours of sleep in my system and more adrenaline(腺上肾素) than I had jumping out of a plane, I tugged on my insulated wetsuit in a blur.
The moment we dove off the water, I was shocked awake. No amount of coffee, tea, or sugar has ever given me such an intense wake-up. It turns out, the ocean is freezing at 5 a.m., before the sun has risen and in early-spring.
Don’t be scared off by the temperature, though, because 5 a.m. is when the dolphins are most playful!
For five seconds, I struggled to breathe through the cold. Then, the wetsuit flooded with water and I was warm.
A moment later, I was face to face with a wild dusky dolphin, one of the smallest species of dolphin in the world! Swimming with it, the dolphin twirled at the surface of the water while it spun in spirals beneath me.
I hummed strange Dory-esque whale noises to draw the attention of more members of the pod, including a tiny baby dolphin no bigger than my calf. He seemed most interested in the strange bug-eyed thing that kept getting tangled in her own flippers.
The sun rose, warming my back as I continued to flounder amongst the most elegant animals in the ocean. It was the most beautiful sight, watching as the dark blue of the ocean turned a sunny turquoise, brightening our swimming companions for the first few hours of dawn.
The practice of swimming with wild dolphins is banned in the North Island, where the species of Hector’s dolphins are in decline. But in Kaikoura, the practice is thriving and actually helping to restore the dolphin populations.
1. Why did the author begin to be keen on adventures?A.Because she was bored with her plain life. |
B.Because she wanted to imitate her roommates. |
C.Because she determined to live the fullest life. |
D.Because her passion for animals aroused her interest in adventures. |
A.Nothing but coffee, tea or sugar often kept her awake the whole night. |
B.It never occurred to her that the temperature of the ocean could be so low. |
C.She often woke up at night because of drinking too much coffee, tea or sugar. |
D.The temperature of the ocean was not worth mentioning to the author. |
A.Worthwhile. | B.Regretful. |
C.Exhausted. | D.Romantic. |
A.try more adventurous activities in daily life |
B.play with favourite animals as often as possible |
C.prepare in advance for possible danger during adventures |
D.spare no effort to preserve the dolphin populations |
Probably not. But that’s what kids in Yemen are experiencing. Experts said Yemen is going to be the first country in the world to run out of water. According to a report, the capital, Sanaa, will run out of drinking water as early as 2025.
Because of the shortage, the government often cuts the water supply. Hannan, an 18-year-old from Lahej, told the Times: “In a good week we’ll have a water supply all week. But then the following week there will be water only for a day or two.”
Hannan said only rich people have enough water to use. They can buy water from the shops or from the water truck. Private companies own the trucks. They travel around the city every day to sell water – at very high prices.
“A lot of people can’t afford it,” she said.
The average person in Yemen uses 100 to 200 cubic meters of water per year. That is far below the international water poverty line of 1,000 cubic meters.
The government is thinking of making use of seawater. But it will cost a lot and it may not happen soon enough to help the people of Yemen.
1. The purpose of the text is to _______.
A.tell us what life is like in Yemen |
B.draw our attention to water shortage |
C.remind us how important water is |
D.show us ways of solving problems |
A.buying water from shops |
B.drinking dirty water |
C.suffering from water shortage |
D.washing clothes with used water |
A.what her life is like |
B.how beautiful Lahej is |
C.how people use water fully |
D.how heavy the traffic in Lahej is |
A.has found a practical solution |
B.only cares about rich people |
C.may try to make use of seawater |
D.can do nothing about the water supply |
A.Sanaa will run out of water in 10 years |
B.Hannan is a teenager from a rich family |
C.the capital of Yemen is developing fast |
D.private companies make a lot of money |