1 . Record-breaking. Abnormal. Dangerous. That’s how the National Weather Service described the heat wave hitting much of North America.
The heat wave has already broken all-time high temperature records in places unaccustomed to such extreme heat. For example, Oregon’s capital city, Salem, recorded the highest temperature in its history on Sunday: 130F, breaking the old mark by 4 degrees. The temperature hit 104F in Seattle. It was an all-time record for the city better known for rain than heat and was the first time the area reached such a high temperature since records began being kept in 1894.
Weather forecasters said the heat wave was caused by an extended “heat dome”which allowed hot air from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic to stream northward over much of North America.
This current heat wave was yet more evidence of the impact of human-caused climate change. “When it comes to record-breaking heat events, the study has been run for event after event in region after region in year after year. And the answer is almost always the same,” said Kristie Ebi, a professor at the University of Washington “The days-long heat wave is a taste of the future as climate change reshapes global weather patterns.”
“Another aspect that we see connected to climate change but that we don’t hear about as much is the fact that there is also a lot more water in the atmosphere now. As we warm the oceans and warm the air, there is more evaporation(蒸发)and that wetter air makes us feel hotter,” added weather forecaster, Jennifer Francis. “A combination of high temperature and moisture(湿度)in the air means dangerous conditions for the young, elderly or others who are not healthy. Please drink plenty of water; stay out of the sun and in air-conditioned rooms.”
1. What was the previous temperature record in Salem?A.104F. | B.126F. | C.130F. | D.134F. |
A.The climate change. | B.The northward air streams. |
C.The extended "heat dome". | D.The moisture in the atmosphere. |
A.The Dangerous Heat Wave Will Last Long |
B.A Heat Wave Roasts Much of North America |
C.Measures Must Be Taken to Protect the Young and Elderly |
D.The "Heat Dome" Is Expected to Cover the Pacific Northwest |
A.In a first aid guidebook. | B.In a weather forecast. |
C.In a news report. | D.In a professor's lecture. |
Tourists have been warned not to take sand and seashells from beaches in Sardinia, an Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea. More than 40 people,
The last time Yunnan caught national attention was when some Asian elephants left their home and
The Effects of a Warmer World Are Visible in Animals’ Bodies
For humans, adapting to climate change will mostly be a matter of technology. More air conditioning, better-designed houses and bigger flood defences may help mitigate the effects of a warm world.
Ryding, a phd candidate at Deakin University, in Australia, shows that is already happening. Climate change is already altering the bodies of many animal species, giving them bigger beaks, limbs and ears. In some species of Australian parrot, for instance, beak size has increased by between 4 % and 10 % since 1871.
All that dovetails (吻合)nicely with evolutionary theory. “Allen’s rule”, named for Joel Asaph Allen, who suggested it in 1877, holds that warm-blooded-animals in hot places tend to have larger appendages (附属物) than those in less hot regions.
Ms Ryding examined museum specimens, comparing their bodies to those of their modern counterparts. She is not the first researcher to take that approach.
Studying a broader range of animals will help firm up exactly what is happening. Much of Ms Ryding’s data concern birds, with less information available for other taxa (类群). But it seems clear that the world of the future is not just going to be hotter than humans are used to.
A.And there are other ways to adapt, too. |
B.The animals living in it will look different, too. |
C.Larger wings are heavier, and bigger legs cost more energy to grow. |
D.Animals will have to rely on changing their bodies or their behaviour. |
E.But it is hard to prove that climate change was the cause of an anatomical (结构上的) change. |
F.Since any evolutionary adaptation comes with trade-offs, it is unclear how far the process might go. |
G.Such adaptations boost an animal's surface area relative to its body volume, helping it to shed excess heat. |
strive for greatness wipe out die out be committed to be to blame in one's attempt to get ahead up to in short take action set so apart at risk of boil down to |
Human beings are no stranger to extinctions, where entire species
There is a long list of reasons why so many species
However, it's not too late to
6 . Stefani Shamrowicz lives in Colorado. The 24-year-old woman has spent 23 days picking up126 bags of rubbish across the country
Having over a month off from her job at a campus recreation center, Stefani Shamrowicz decided to take a trip to help clean up the environment.
She's now driven over 70 hours through Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana Florida,Georgia,Tennessee,Kentucky,Ohio,Pennsylvania,and New York-cleaning up everything from pee-filled bottles to lawn ornaments. About 80 percent of the rubbish was drinking bottles. Stefani said she had found a few fast-food toys and a tire with a pair of cowboy boots in it and her aim wasn't to shame, but rather encourage people to do what they can
Collecting anywhere from one to 16 bags at a time, Stefani's been discouraged. She felt she wasn't doing enough. She said there was a place that had an ocean of rubbish and she pushed out four bags, but then she broke down because she realized how much rubbish there was and it felt like four bags didn't do anything. But she remembered to just do what she could, especially since she had gone beyond her goal. She said she dedicated that to her parents because they raised her to be an independent person and had been very supportive on the trip
People donated $10 a bag for Stefani to clean up in their name, which she uses for lodging and gas. The person's name is written on how many bags they've donated towards and Stefani posted a picture on her Instagram when they were filed, thanking them for helping clean up the cit she was in.
People online and in person have responded positively to the project. Stefani recalled people sent her pictures of bags of trash they picked up. Once, when she started doing a bag on the beach in Florida,two ladies saw her and started helping her fill the bag.
With her job resuming June 1, Stefani is now back home but she has so many good things to say about her unique U.S.road trip.There's litter everywhere, so I'm just happy to be able to make a little bit of an impact everywhere I go. Cleaning up this litter is a huge thank you for all the joy and good times national parks and nature in general has brought to my life,”she said.
1. Why did Stefani drive ower70 hours across the USA?A.To call on people to donate money |
B.To earn a living by classifying rubbish. |
C.To encourage people to protect the environment. |
D.To enjoy the scenery of the national parks and nature |
A.People offered their help along her journey |
B.Her parents make joint efforts to support her. |
C.People begin to donate their money for her project. |
D.Many people take action to clean up the environment |
A.Discouraged. | B.Anxious | C.Surprised. | D.Pleased. |
A.Cleaning up rubbish is a tough task. | B.A kind act can make a big difference |
C.Believing in oneself is the key to success. | D.One will realize his dream if he persists in it. |