文章大意：本文是说明文。Hayhoe的书——《拯救我们：一位气候科学家在分裂的世界中寻求希望和治愈的案例》是有关气候变化的最重要的书籍之一。文章主要介绍了这本书。
9 . Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World is one of the most important books about climate change to have been written. Hayhoe is a gifted public speaker and Saving Us is a follow-up to her awesome TED talk in 2018, “The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it.”
One of the many refreshing aspects of this book is that Hayhoe recounts both her successes and her failures to communicate, through which she has gathered evidence about what works and what does not. Much of the book’s advice is common sense, all backed up not just by Hayhoe’s experience but also with convincing research by psychologists and social scientists.
Hayhoe advises against trying to engage with a small minority, the “Dismissives”, who “angrily reject the idea that human-caused climate change is a threat; they are most receptive to misinformation and conspiracy theories (阴谋论)”. There is a warning that offering up more facts about climate change can actually increase polarisation (两极化) among them.
The book includes amusing examples of her encounters with the “Dismissives”, almost entirely older men—including an engineer who was unconvinced about the evidence but with whom she was able to establish mutual (相互的) respect through a shared passion for knitting (打毛线衣) —and is packed with inspiring accounts of how she has won over even the most suspicious of crowds. Her motto is “bond, connect and inspire”, which represents her approach of always looking for points of commonality.
She also tells of a man who approached her after an event in London in 2019. He had been so inspired by her TED talk that he had started to speak to everybody he could in his neighborhood of Wandsworth. He showed her details of 12, 000 conversations that had taken place as a result, claiming that they had helped to convince the government to declare a climate emergency and to switch investments from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
And so, while it may feel difficult to influence the outcome of the COP26, Hayhoe’s uplifting book makes a persuasive case that we can all do our bit to bring about success just by talking about the issue.
1. What does the book mainly focus on?
| A．Promoting people’s insight into climate change. |
| B．Introducing presentation skills with TED talks. |
| C．Developing critical thinking through literature. |
| D．Sharing communication tips on climate change. |
2. Which of the following best describes the advice in the book?
| A．Humorous but one-sided. | B．Novel and interesting. |
| C．Well-based and workable. | D．Serious and hard to follow. |
3. How did Hayhoe win over the “Dismissives”?
| A．By changing their political identity. |
| B．By challenging their fundamental beliefs. |
| C．By seeking common ground built on a shared interest. |
| D．By providing more facts about climate change. |
4. What does the author intend to say by telling the story in paragraph 5?
| A．The shift to clean energy is unstoppable. |
| B．Conversations can influence climate decision-making. |
| C．Policymakers turn a blind eye to market changes. |
| D．We should call on people to prepare for the climate crisis. |
