1 . Scientists in Antarctica have recorded, for the first time, unusually warm water beneath a glacier (冰川) the size of Florida that is already melting and contributing to a _______ in sea levels.
The researchers, _______ on the Thwaites Glacier,recorded water temperatures at the base of the ice of more than 2 degrees Celsius, _______ the normal freezing point.
It is _______ how fast the glacier is deteriorating (恶化): Studies have forecast its total collapse in a century and also in a few decades. The presence of _______ water in the grounding line may support estimates at the faster range.
That is _______ because the Thwaites, along with the Pine Island Glacier, _______ as a brake (阻力) on part of the much larger West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Together, the two bigger glaciers are currently _______ ice that, if melted, would raise the world’s oceans by _______ than a meter over centuries, an amount that would put many coastal cities under water.
“Warm waters in this part of the world, as ________ as they may seem, should serve as a ________ to all of us about the potential dire (非常糟糕的) changes to the planet ________ out by climate change,” said David Holland, a lead ________ on the expedition.
While scientists may not yet be able to definitively ________ how soon glaciers like the Thwaites will melt, human-caused climate change is a key ________. The biggest predictor of “how much ice we will lose and how quickly we will lose it,” Dr. Moon said, “is human action.”
1. A.rise | B.improvement | C.decline | D.development |
2. A.travelling | B.walking | C.living | D.working |
3. 4. A.unclear | B.uneasy | C.uncommon | D.unlikely |
5. A.dirty | B.deep | C.cold | D.warm |
6. A.familiar | B.controversial | C.ambiguous | D.significant |
7. A.acts | B.sees | C.views | D.regards |
8. A.taking off | B.passing on | C.holding back | D.writing down |
9. A.stronger | B.more | C.better | D.other |
10. A.remote | B.funny | C.strange | D.likely |
11. A.warning | B.notice | C.discussion | D.explanation |
12. A.pulled | B.thrown | C.brought | D.taken |
13. A.reporter | B.resident | C.fisher | D.researcher |
14. A.date | B.think | C.predict | D.answer |
15. A.character | B.factor | C.role | D.figure |