Climate varies from place to place. A desert, for example, is known as a dry climate     1     little water falls during the year. In polar regions, however,     2    (rise) global temperatures mean that ice sheets and glaciers are melting at an alarming rate from season to season. This contributes     3     sea level rise in     4    (variety) regions of the planet.

The cause of current climate change is larger human activities, like burning fossil fuels, such as natural gas, oil and coal. Burning these materials     5    (give) off greenhouse gases into the Earth's atmosphere. It is these greenhouse gases     6     cause the Earth's average temperature to rise. The warming of the planet has     7    (effect) on the local and regional climates. Throughout the Earth's history, climate has     8    (continual) changed. When occurring naturally, this is     9     slow process that has taken place over hundreds or thousands of years. The human-influenced climate change that is happening now is occurring at a much     10    (fast) rate.

    1     (see) from outer space, Earth is a blue planet, due to the fact that the ocean covers over 70 per cent of its surface. According to a new study published in the journal Science, the ocean plays a great role in     2     (slow) down global warming.     3     The New York Times reported, it is “    4     important buffer(缓冲物) ”. 

The oceans can absorb 93 per cent of the heat trapped by the greenhouse gases which humans release into the atmosphere. And the other 7 per cent     5     (absorb) by the air, land and ice caps, according to an     6     (analyse). 

“If the ocean wasn’t absorbing as much heat, the surface of the land would heat up much     7     (fast) than it is right now,” said professor Malin L. Pinsky at Rutgers University in the US. “In fact, the ocean is saving us from rapid warming right now.” 

However, the ocean itself, as Discover Magazine noted, is heating up 40 per cent faster on average than the United Nations     8    (believe) five years ago. That means if the ocean temperatures increase     9    this speed, the high water temperatures “will kill off marine ecosystems, raise sea levels and make     10     (hurricane) more destructive (破坏性的) ”, The Guardian reported.

China's winter, from December to February, will be chiller than usual, according to a nationwide weather outlook    1    (release) by authorities on Wednesday.

The forecast, made    2    (joint) by the National Climate Center and the Ministry of Water Resources, said cold air will be frequent    3    northwestern and southern parts of China, including the    4    (province) of Gansu, Qinghai, Shaanxi and Guizhou, as well as the Xinjiang Uygur and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous regions,     5    temperatures an average of 1℃ to 2℃     6    (low) than in previous winters.

It    7    (add) that long-lasting and large-scale freezing weather or snowstorms will be less likely    8    (occur) in the south this winter, but shorter episodes of such weather    9    (witness) .

Meanwhile, 20 percent to 50 percent more precipitation than normal will batter North China this winter, while in the south it will decrease by    10    same amount, the forecast said.

The size of fish in the oceans is shrinking. A new report from Canada states fish may shrink by as much as a quarter in the coming decades, which mainly     1     (result) from global warming. The research team conducted tests on the effect of     2     (rise) ocean temperatures on the size and number of over 600 species of fish. They concluded that most fish are likely to shrink by 14-24 percent by the year 2050. The biggest changes     3    (see) clearly in tropical regions. There is     4     (little) oxygen in warmer water so fish cannot grow normally and many will migrate to cooler waters.

Lead researcher Professor William said: “We were surprised to see such a large decrease in fish size. Marine fish are generally known to respond to climate change     5     changing distribution and seasonality. But the unexpectedly big effect     6     climate change could have on body size suggests that we may be missing a big piece of the puzzle of understanding climate change effects in the ocean.” He added that overfishing and pollution will     7     (worse) the problem. “Our work shows a very     8     (worry) future for the oceans,     9     it is very important to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop better fish management policies     10     (adapt) to these changes,” he said.

The geography of the Arctic Circle makes it a tough place to call home. In the winter, the nights    1    （length）until the sun barely shines. In the extreme north, the ground is permanently frozen. The hardy Inuit（因纽特人）    2    （be）the native people of northern Alaska, Canada and Greenland.    3    （traditional）, they hunted Arctic animals for food, especially caribou（驯鹿）, seals and whales. The Inuit used animal skins for clothing and for shelter.

Most traditional Inuit    4    （family）had both a summer and a winter home. During the summer, many Inuit lived in tents    5    （cover）with caribou or seal skins. In the winter, some Inuit built snowhouses,    6    provided shelters from freezing temperatures. They could construct    7    snowhouse in about two hours. To begin, they cut hard-packed snow into blocks. The blocks were from 2 to 3 feet long and 1 to 2 feet wide. Next, the blocks    8    （pile）together perfectly into a spiral（螺旋形）. The spiral was wound upward in smaller and smaller circles to form the dome-shaped（圆顶形的）home. On top of the dome, a hole was cut out to provide fresh air. Finally, the Inuit dug an entrance    9    the snowhouse.

Today, most Inuit live in modern housing. But the tradition of    10    （build）snowhouses is still passed down from one generation to another.

It is discovered that the birds that people value most are endangered     1     climate change. In the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica, we spent four years identifying and     2     (count) birds in a range of landscapes and habitats. Then, we     3     (ask) hundreds of people in all those places — farmers, birdwatchers, people in cities — to rank the birds we had counted.

The birds that people rank highest are     4     (general) found in rainforests, with their ecosystems most     5     (threaten) by climate change. In this particular part of the world, we're seeing the drought period get longer and the rainy season get     6     (short) in certain years. Climate is becoming more unpredictable. As the forest dries out, the     7     (condition) for birds are becoming more extreme. For one thing, if trees don't get enough water     8     (grow) their leaves in the rainy season, then birds and other animals struggle to find enough food and nesting material for their breeding season. In the future, we predict that rainforests will become dry forests,     9     means we may be seeing less of those birds. That's not only     10     loss for biodiversity but also for people's history and culture.