1 . “The era of global warming has ended and the era of global boiling has arrived,” the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, said after scientists confirmed July 2023 was the world’s hottest month on record.
“Humanity is in the hot seat,” Guterres told a press conference on Thursday. “For vast parts of North America, Asia, Africa and Europe, it is a cruel summer. For the entire planet, it is a disaster. And for scientists, it is clear that humans are to blame. Climate change is here, it is terrifying, and it is just the beginning. The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived.”
Guterres urged politicians to take swift action. “The air is unbreathable, the heat is unbearable, and the level of fossil fuel profits and climate inaction is unacceptable. Leaders must lead. No more hesitancy, no more excuses, and no more waiting for others to move first. There is simply no more time for that.”
“It is still possible to limit global temperature rise to 1.5℃and avoid the very worst of climate change but only with dramatic, immediate climate action. We have seen some progress, but none of this is going far enough or fast enough. Accelerating temperatures demand accelerated action.”
The WMO secretary general, Petteri Taalas, said, “The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is more urgent than ever before. Climate action is not a luxury but a must.”
Other climate scientists confirmed the findings. Karsten Haustein at Leipzig University found the world was 1.5℃ hotter in July 2023 than in the average July before industrialisation.
Marina Romanello, a climate and health researcher at University College London, said, “We have data showing how the very foundations of health are being undermined by climate change. But we still have time today to turn the tide and to ensure a liveable future for us and our children.”
1. What made Guterres feel worried?A.Global economy. | B.Natural disasters. |
C.Serious pollution. | D.Rising temperatures. |
A.To appeal to quick action. | B.To change people’s concept. |
C.To frighten the general public. | D.To make his report vivid. |
A.By analyzing some facts. | B.By quoting some experts. |
C.By offering statistics. | D.By giving explanations. |
A.Global Bailing: It Is Time to Act. |
B.Global Boiling: Who Is to Blame? |
C.Global Boiling: It Isn’t That Serious |
D.Global Boling: What Measure Should Be Taken? |
People may find it unbelievable that two hundred years ago people did not link illness
3 . American researchers say they have developed a method to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the sea. The researchers say the process can be an additional way to help reduce CO2 from the environment to fight the effects of climate change.
Plants and currents in the ocean absorb large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. The sea is estimated to have drawn in about 30 percent of carbon emissions since the Industrial Revolution. But carbon emissions also make oceans more acidic (酸性的). It can hurt coral reefs, which are sensitive to ocean acidity. Reef damage then do damage to the growth of many kinds of sea life.
Gaurav Sant, director of UCLA’s Institute for Carbon Management, said the technology is meant to use the ocean’s natural abilities to reduce carbon levels in the sea. The process sends an electrical charge through seawater flowing through tanks on a large boat. That sets off a series of chemical reactions that turn the carbon emissions into a solid mineral that includes calcium carbonate (碳酸钙). The seawater then returned to the ocean and can pull more carbon dioxide out of the air. The calcium carbonate settles to the sea floor.
The process has already been demonstrated in California. Researchers are working on plans to launch another project in Singapore. The two projects are expected to be fully operational by 2025. Researchers say they are expected to remove thousands of tons of CO2 per year. If successful, the plan is to build additional centers to remove millions of tons of carbon each year.
But experts say even if that amount of carbon can be removed, that is still thousands of times less than what will be needed to effectively reduce climate change. Margaret Leinen, director of an ocean research center, said, “While the process will likely be effective, I question how much effect it will have on climate change over a long period.” Sant said the success of such technology will greatly rely on “how fast you can build the centers”.
1. What can we learn about carbon emissions from the text?A.Most of them are taken in by the oceans. |
B.They can harm many kinds of sea life indirectly. |
C.Removal of them poses a serious threat to coral reefs. |
D.They will decrease ocean acidity when absorbed by seawater. |
A.How a series of reactions form. |
B.How an electrical charge is sent. |
C.How the carbon emissions turned into a solid material. |
D.How the ocean reduces carbon levels with its own natural abilities. |
A.Opposed. | B.Concerned. | C.Approving. | D.Disbelieving. |
A.The approaches to protecting coral reefs. |
B.The construction of industrial-sized centers. |
C.The process of reducing CO2 from the environment. |
D.The techniques to remove calcium carbonate from the sea floor. |
4 . The Sequoia National Park in California’s southern Sierra Nevada mountains is best known for the Giant Forest, a collection of 2,000 trees that includes half of the Earth’s largest and longest-living trees. This past weekend, the ancient wonders came dangerously close to being burned by the KNP Complex Fire. But thanks to resourceful firefighters, the precious treasure has been saved.
The firefighters had taken the standard measures of clearing brush and setting controlled fires long before the fire began heading toward the Giant Forest. But they knew more needed to be done. On September 17, 2021, they took the unusual step of covering the base of some of the oldest trees with protective aluminum “blankets”. High on the list was General Sherman, the world’s largest tree by volume. The park officials believed the specialized foil(锡纸)would help block some of the heat from the fires and enhance the natural insulation(隔热)provided by the ancient trees’ thick bark. They were right!
On Sunday, September 19, 2021, the officials reported that the extra prevention measures, which also included 24-hour timed sprinklers(洒水装置)on General Sherman and the nearby park buildings, had worked. Jack Owen, a spokesman for the KNP Complex Fire Information Office, said, “There are no trees that have been burned yet, as far as in the Giant Forest. Firefighters are pouring everything they can into it as long as it’s safe. That area is looking good.”
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the rest of the national park. The KNP Complex Fire has burned through 21,777 acres. Meanwhile, the Windy Fire, which started further south on the Sierra slopes on the same night, has burned over21, 598 acres. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and allow firefighters to gain control of the massive fires, which are now beginning to threaten nearby communities.
1. What did the firefighters first do to protect the Giant Forest from fire?A.Cover it with specialized foil. |
B.Put it on the list of protective steps. |
C.Set up a fire prevention belt around it. |
D.find out the features of the complex fire. |
A.To stop some heat from the fire from developing. |
B.To stop the fire from spreading. |
C.To keep tree roots from losing water. |
D.To test the survival ability of the trees. |
A.Firefighters are ready to leave the area. |
B.General Sherman is relatively safe. |
C.Nearby buildings have been abandoned. |
D.Some trees in the Giant Forest have been cut down. |
A.Worried. | B.Optimistic. | C.Discouraged. | D.Unconcerned. |
5 . Every year about 40,000 people attempt to climb Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. They bring with them lots of waste. The
Hearing these stories, I’m
However, I soon discovered that much has changed since the days of disturbing reports of
The best of a Kilimanjaro
Does Kilimanjaro deserve its
A.crowds | B.stories | C.reporters | D.settlements |
A.age | B.face | C.name | D.position |
A.crazy | B.doubtful | C.serious | D.pessimistic |
A.grass | B.stones | C.camps | D.equipment |
A.new | B.special | C.necessary | D.significant |
A.paying off | B.blowing up | C.fading away | D.spreading out |
A.experiment | B.experience | C.atmosphere | D.intervention |
A.view | B.reason | C.quality | D.purpose |
A.holding on to | B.going back to | C.living up to | D.giving way to |
A.changes | B.permits | C.improves | D.dominates |
A.add | B.match | C.count | D.imagine |
A.lake | B.road | C.desert | D.village |
A.Directly | B.Finally | C.Obviously | D.Frequently |
A.fresh | B.little | C.artificial | D.permanent |
A.reward | B.ecology | C.history | D.reputation |
1. 活动目的;
2. 活动内容(时间, 地点等);
3. 活动反响。
注意:
1. 写作词数应为80左右。
2. 请按照如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
A Volunteer Activity Celebrating World Water Day
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. How much in total will be used in earthquake relief?
A.£60 million. | B.£100 million. | C.£160 million. |
A.By contacting the radio program. |
B.By calling a charity organization. |
C.By leaving personal information at a website. |
A.To forecast the weather of this week. |
B.To praise sponsors in the disaster relief. |
C.To update information about the earthquake. |
8 . Sounds from human activity flood across the oceans, causing trouble to ocean creatures. And climate (气候) change may make some places even louder.
Researchers have expected the oceans to get noisier because of increasing human activity. “The more goods you buy, the more shipping you have, so the more noise you have.” says Luca Possenti, a scientist studying sound in the ocean at the Royal Netherlands Institute. But Possenti and his co-worker realized that climate change might also influence how sound travels through the water.
Human-caused climate change is changing ocean temperatures, salt levels and acidity (酸度). So Possenti’s team used computers to model how those factors (因素) influence noise levels across the world’s oceans.
When waters become more acidic, they can’t take in sound at some wavelengths as well, so those sounds can travel further, adding to the noise in some areas. This effect is relatively small. Other changes impact the sound level more, the researchers found. Changes to temperature and salt levels can change how well different layers (层) of the ocean mix, which, in turn, impacts how sound travels.
The team predicted (预测) models of the world in about 70 years if climate change continues. And then they compared them with models of the world now. In the North Atlantic, they saw an increase in sound levels in the upper 125 meters of the ocean. This was caused mostly by ice melting (融化) off of Greenland, forming a cold layer of water near the ocean’s surface. Sound traveling through water tends to go toward the coldest area. As a result, sound waves tended to get stuck in the cold top layer-spreading further out across the water, instead of traveling deeper. That increased the noisiness at this depth in the North Atlantic. The models suggested that a single ship could sound about five times as loud underwater because of this. Considering all the ship traffic between Europe and North America, that may stress animals, many of which communicate, and catch food with sound.
1. How is paragraph 2 developed?A.By quoting an expert. | B.By using examples. |
C.By making comparisons. | D.By presenting research findings. |
A.Effects of temperature changes. | B.Some risk factors for a nosier sea. |
C.Impacts of acidity on wavelengths. | D.Ways oceans mix and sound travels. |
A.Sea animals will be protected from noises. |
B.Added meltwater does more harm than good. |
C.Greenland is hit the hardest by climate change. |
D.The result of the research is based on prediction. |
A.Increase in salt levels. | B.Failure of acidity control. |
C.Change in the ocean depths. | D.Formation of a cold water layer. |
1. 我是李华,谨代表我校写信对你们的努力和帮助表示真诚的感谢。否则我们的城市可能会遭受更大的破坏。
2. 令人震惊的是,重庆受高温和干旱袭击,导致烈火发生。
3. 你们来了,及时提供了援助。
4. 尽管许多志愿者极其疲惫,依然专心于运送物资。
5. 正是你们不懈的努力和决心结束了这次自然灾害。(强调句)
6. 我们被你们深深感动,我们决定竭尽全力使我们的城市更美好。
Dear volunteers,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
Dear Sir/Madam,
A few days ago,
I can’t express my gratitude too much.
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua