In recent years, climate change has had a great impact
According to climate scientists, a key climate process,
Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap some of the heat,
The evidence shows that the rise in temperature has led to an increase in extreme weather and natural
角色：你是Mary。
任务：(1) 与Tom谈论关于气候变化相关活动的话题；
(2) 根据谈话内容回答问题。
（一）听对话，补全句子。
1. Our club will have an
2. It is not a very
（二）请先根据中文提示将3个问句补充完整，然后听录音的回答，记录重要信息。
3. 你是何时开始关注气候变化的？
4. 你最初采取什么措施应对气候变化？
5. 青少年如何参与环保活动？
How can
（三）现在请根据前面所听到信息，完成题目的回答，每空不超过3个词。
6. How long has Tom been taking part in their club activities?
—For
7. What can new participants do in the club activities?
—They can watch some
8. Who inspired Tom to pay attention to climate change?
—His
9. What fact did Tom’s childhood environmental books mainly talk about?
—There was an increasing threat to
10. What does Tom think is the best way to participate in climate change activities?
—Devoting yourself to
3 . Endangered polar bears are breeding (繁殖) with grizzly bears (灰熊), creating “pizzaly” bears (灰北极熊), which is being driven by climate change, scientists say.
As the world warms and Arctic sea ice thins, starving (饥饿的) polar bears are being forced ever further south to relieve (减轻) hunger, where they meet grizzlies, whose ranges (范围) are expanding northwards. And with that growing contact between the two come increasing hybrids (杂交种).
With characteristics that could give the hybrids an advantage in warming northern habitats, some scientists guess that they could be here to stay. “Usually, hybrids aren’t better suited to their environments than their parents, but these hybrids are able to search for a broader range of food sources,” Larisa DeSantis, an associate professor of biological sciences at Vanderbilt University, told Live Science.
The rise of “pizzly” bears appears with polar bears’ decline: their numbers are estimated to decrease (减少) by more than 30% in the next 30 years. This sudden fall is linked partly to “pizzly” bears taking up polar bears’ ranges, where they outcompete (超越) them, but also to polar bears’ highly specialized diets.
“Polar bears mainly consumed (消耗) soft foods even during the Medieval Warm Period, a previous period of rapid warming,” DeSantis said, referring to fat meals such as seals. “Although all of these starving polar bears are trying to find alternative (可替代的) food sources, like seabird eggs, it could be a tipping point fo r their survival.” Actually, the calories they gain from these sources do not balance out those they burn from searching for them. This could result in a habitat ready for the hybrids to move in and take over, leading to a loss in biodiversity (生物多样性) if polar bears are replaced.
“We’re having massive impacts with climate change on species,” DeSantis said. “The polar bear is telling us how bad things are. In some sense, ‘pizzaly’ bears could be a sad but necessary. compromise given current warming trends.”
1. Why do polar bears move further south?| A．to create hybrids. | B．to expand territory. |
| C．to relieve hunger. | D．to contact grizzlies. |
| A．Broader habitats. |
| B．More food options (选择). |
| C．Climate preference. |
| D．Improved breeding ability. |
| A．Because “pizzly” bears take up polar bears’ ranges. |
| B．Because polar bears cannot find enough food. |
| C．Because “pizzly” bears take up polar bears’ food. |
| D．Because the ice melts so fast. |
| A．A rare chance. | B．A critical stage (关键阶段). |
| C．A positive factor. | D．A constant change. |
| A．Polar bears are changing diets for climate change. |
| B．Polar bears have already adjusted to climate change. |
| C．“Pizzly” bears are on the rise because of global warming. |
| D．“Pizzly” bears have replaced polar bears for global warming. |
4 . Rising sea levels, extremes of weather and more droughts and floods will all destroy the world’s energy systems as global warming picks up its pace, a new report has found.
Energy companies are quite often cited as part of the problems of climate change, generating the lion’s share of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, amounting to around 60% of the total. But they will also suffer as global warming worsens.
Many large plants are particularly threatened by floods because they lack protection from sudden storms. Electricity distribution networks are also likely to be affected.
Christoph Frei, secretary general of WEC, said governments must play a key role in ensuring the world’s important infrastructure is protected. Climate change is certain to affect the energy sector. We need powerful policy frameworks to unlock the long-term investments that are urgently needed to deliver the future we want. Leadership will be required at all levels.
Despite efforts to increase energy efficiency, the amount of energy used globally is still set to rise. But the effects of this could be reduced if companies spend more energy on renewable and low-carbon forms of energy.
However, there is little sign so far that energy companies around the world have got this message. Fossil fuels continues to dominate new investment in energy generation capacity, according to the International Energy Agency. Besides, we have failed in creating a global price for carbon emissions, which could help to reverse this trend.
Another key focus must be energy distribution networks, according to the report, as new technology can be used to make them “smart”, saving energy by distributing energy from generators to users in more intelligent ways.
“The time has come to get real about the challenges facing the energy sector,” Frei said.
Philipes Joubert, executive chairman of WEC’s global electricity initiative and former president of Alstom Power, said large companies are taking note. “Leading businesses in this sector are increasingly realising that business as usual is no longer acceptable.”
1. The energy companies are also sufferers because _________.| A．they are responsible for climate change |
| B．their greenhouse gas emissions make up 60% of the total |
| C．some sudden natural disasters have a great effect on them |
| D．the government provides no protection for them |
| A．Positive. | B．Concerned. | C．Optimistic. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．Energy Companies Are to Blame for Their Behaviours |
| B．Renewable and Low-carbon Forms of Energy Will Be a Trend |
| C．Energy Distribution Networks Must Be Smarter |
| D．The World’s Energy Systems Suffer from Climate Change |
5 . Since the beginning of the summer in 2022, China has been burning hot under the worst heatwave in decades. A number of people in Zhejiang, Henan, Jiangsu and Sichuan provinces were diagnosed with thermoplegia (热射病), the most severe form of heatstroke, and some even died of this disease.
In a warming world, the risks of heatwaves are increasing. According to a study, the number of deaths caused by heatwaves in China has increased rapidly since 1979, from about 4000 persons per year in the 1980s to nearly 16000 persons per year in the 2010s.
“Over the past four decades, the main drivers of the large increase in heatwave-related deaths in China are the rapid increase in the frequency of heatwaves, followed by population growth, population aging, and rising baseline mortality (基线死亡率),” said Prof. Huang Cunrui, a researcher from Tsinghua University.
High temperatures would accelerate the loss in soil moisture (水分) and hurt the growth of corn, cotton, trees and fruits. What’s more, each additional degree of warming will increase crop losses to insects by 10-25 percent, threatening food security for billions of people. China has witnessed a range of extreme weather events, including heavy rainfall, flooding, tornadoes and record heatwaves this year.
Experts say that while extreme summer heat is not entirely new, these sorts of occurrences could be something that becomes a standard part of life, requiring people to start learning how to cope with heatwaves that may continue for the rest of summer and well into the future.
Remember that even healthy, young athletes can be harmed by extreme heat, so every activity, indoors or outdoors, should be evaluated when extreme heat hits. We are supposed to stay safe during extreme heat events, such as drinking plenty of water, looking for shade or remaining in shade when outside, and avoiding cooking large meals that can add heat to your indoor environment.
1. Compared with the 1980s, the deaths from heatwaves per year in the 2010s has increased by _or so.| A．twice | B．three times | C．four times | D．five times |
| A．The larger amount of outdoor workers. |
| B．The aging of the population. |
| C．The rise in the number of the total population. |
| D．The increasing frequency of heatwaves. |
| A．decline. | B．regulate. | C．quicken. | D．advocate. |
| A．In a sports journal. | B．In a brochure. |
| C．In a newspaper. | D．On a poster board. |
6 . An international team of researchers, led by Dr Christine Batchelor of Newcastle University, UK, used clear pictures of the seafloor to show just how quickly a former ice cover retreated (退去) at the end of the last Ice Age, about 20,000 years ago.
The team mapped more than 7,600 small-scale landforms across the seafloor. The ridges (山脊) are less than 2.5m high and are spaced between about 25 and 300 metres apart. These landforms are understood to have formed when the ice cover’s retreating edge moved up and down with the tides (潮汐), pushing seafloor into a ridge every low tide. Given that two ridges would have been produced each day, the researchers were able to work out how quickly the ice cover retreated. Their results, reported in the journal Nature, show the former ice cover rapidly retreats at a speed of 50 to 600 metres per day.
The seafloor landforms also give light into the way in which such rapid retreat can happen. Dr Batchelor and co-workers noted that the former ice cover had retreated fastest across the flattest parts of its bed.
“An ice can go away from the seafloor and retreat quickly when it becomes buoyant (有浮力的),” explained co-author Dr Frazer Christie. “This retreat only happens across relatively flat beds, where less melting (融化) is required to thin the overlying ice to the point where it starts to float (漂浮).”
The researchers believe that the quick retreat could soon be observed in parts of Antarctica. This includes at West Antarctica’s vast Thwaites Glacier. The authors of this new study suggest that it could go through quick retreat because it has recently retreated close to a flat area of its bed.
“Our findings suggest that present-day rates of melting are enough to cause quick short retreat across flat-bedded areas of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, including at Thwaites,” said Dr Batchelor. “Satellites (卫星) may well know this ice-cover retreat in the near future, especially if we continue our climate warming.”
1. What is the purpose of Paragraph 1?| A．To provide some advice for the readers. |
| B．To add some background information. |
| C．To make the story interesting. |
| D．To bring in the topic. |
| A．Where the ice cover’s retreating lies. |
| B．Why the ice cover’s retreating is formed. |
| C．What the result of ice cover’s retreating is. |
| D．How the speed of ice cover’s retreating is worked out. |
| A．To give an example of quick retreat. |
| B．To tell where it is located. |
| C．To compare different types of retreat. |
| D．To explain why it is important. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Anxious. |
| C．Positive. | D．Doubtful. |
7 . In the last 100 years, the global temperature has gone up by around 0.75℃. Such a small increase is causing sea levels to rise and
Sea levels in the UK have increased by around 10 cm in the last 100 years and experts
As a result of the changing
The biggest
| A．attacking | B．ignoring | C．threatening | D．discovering |
| A．limitation | B．reduction | C．increase | D．improvement |
| A．extinction | B．escape | C．change | D．development |
| A．argue | B．explain | C．doubt | D．predict |
| A．Surprisingly | B．Consequently | C．Immediately | D．Usually |
| A．climate | B．height | C．period | D．environment |
| A．forcing | B．allowing | C．causing | D．helping |
| A．animal | B．species | C．plants | D．population |
| A．wasted | B．needed | C．supplied | D．stored |
| A．produces | B．includes | C．requires | D．provides |
| A．transporting to | B．searching for | C．planting in | D．cutting down |
| A．questions | B．activities | C．procedures | D．disasters |
| A．challenge | B．disadvantage | C．adventure | D．influence |
| A．consider | B．deny | C．stop | D．hate |
| A．time | B．energy | C．inspiration | D．knowledge |
8 . Most of us know about hurricanes, droughts, and floods. But from time to time, nature delivers a weather event that is really unusual.
One day in 2005, people in a small town in Serbia saw an unusual sight. It was raining frogs! Without any warning, they found their streets filling with the little jumping creatures. “There were thousands of them,” one person told a local newspaper. “I thought perhaps a plane carrying frogs had exploded (爆炸),” said another. Scientists believe a tornado passed over a lake and sucked (吸) up the frogs. It then dropped them on the town, far away. Surprisingly, many survived the fall to the ground.
As if tornadoes aren’t dangerous enough, some can actually be made of fire. When a wildfire reaches very high temperatures, it causes the air to heat up and then rise. Cooler air moves quickly to replace the hot air. This create s strong winds, which suck up the fire. When this happens — like it did in 2014, in Denver, United States-a fire tornado is created. A tornado like this can become 15meters wide and grow as tall as a 40-store y building. It is one of nature’s most frightening creations.
In 1942, hundreds of thousand-year-old skeletons (骨架) were found under the ice of Lake Roopkund in the Himalayas. Many had holes in their skulls-but they weren’t hurt in any other way. For years, the cause of their deaths was a mystery. Today, scientists think they were killed by giant hailstones. Hailstones are balls of ice that form when raindrops turn into ice. The ice pieces increase in size until the wind cannot hold them up. This results in hailstones falling to the ground, often at speeds of over 160 kilometers an hour. For the unlucky people at Lake Roopkund, there was nowhere to run. Sadly, they were all killed that day.
1. Why did the frogs appear in Serbia one day in 2005?| A．A large flood washed the frogs down. | B．The frogs were brought by heavy rains. |
| C．A plane carrying the frogs had exploded. | D．The frogs were dropped by a strong wind. |
| A．Hot air rises from the fire. | B．Strong winds suck up the fire. |
| C．Cooler air removes the hot air. | D．Wildfires reach high temperatures. |
| A．They were turned into ice balls. | B．They had no signs of injury. |
| C．They showed the force of nature. | D．They were hundreds of years old. |
| A．When Strange Weather Strikes | B．Protect Ourselves In Disasters |
| C．The Great Power of Nature | D．What Causes Extreme Weather |
9 . According to a related new research, tropical cyclones (热带气旋), ranging from hurricanes to typhoons, are moving more slowly across the planet than they did years ago, meaning that they get more destructive power and last longer.
It may seem like a good thing that cyclones move at a slower speed, but in fact it’s quite the opposite. Although the cyclones are moving slower across the ground, they still get high wind speeds inside, which on the contrary makes hard rains stay longer over communities.
“Nothing good comes out of a slowing storm,” says James Kossin, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Center for Weather and Climate in Madison, Wisconsin. “It can increase storm surge. It can increase the amount of time when structures suffer from strong wind. And it increases rainfall.”
According to Kossin’s findings, changing storm patterns are causing greater destruction in another way. He mentioned that the speed of global tropical cyclones slowed by an average of 10 percent from 1949 to 2016. The speed of the storms slowed even more as they made landfall in some areas. In the western North Pacific, it dropped by nearly a third. That means there will be more time for a storm with much moisture (水汽) to give off more of it in each area.
Basing his research on the details of nearly 70 years’ storms, Kossin did not try to determine the cause of the slowdown. Even so, the shift is, exactly as he and other cyclone experts said, the expected result of climate (气候) change.
Kossin’s work was considered to be “important and new” and “extremely valuable” by Christina Patricola, a scientist with the Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division of California’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
It is Kossin’s hope that a model showing which communities are likely to be at the highest risk could be developed by scientists. Given that in some regions, the storms are moving pole ward and gaining in strength as well, places not normally passed by could be affected by unusually heavy rainfall as a result. “These are not good things to be combining,” he says.
1. Why are cyclones moving more slowly more destructive?| A．They get higher wind speeds inside. | B．They cause more serious climate change. |
| C．They move poleward and affect more areas. | D．They make rains and winds stay longer in a place. |
| A．It has much wetter air than other areas. | B．The speed of storms there slows more. |
| C．The storms there cause greater damage. | D．It has higher risk of being hit by storms. |
| A．To show Kossin’s work has been recognized. | B．To explain the importance of studying storms. |
| C．To attract more attention to research on storms. | D．To stress Kossin’s authority in the scientific filed. |
| A．Health. | B．Science. | C．Education. | D．Entertainment. |
10 . How Weather Affects Our Mood
The weather supplies many metaphors (隐喻) for our changeable minds. Moods can brighten and darken, futures can be under a cloud, and relationships can be stormy.
Of the many aspects of weather, sunshine is the most closely tied to mood. Although the link is weaker than many people imagine, sunlight has repeatedly been found to increase positive moods and reduce tiredness.
Indeed, the effects of weather on mood depend on our behavior and on how we think.
| A．Similarly, grey weather may encourage serious and calm thinking |
| B．Aspects of weather beyond heat and sunshine have also been shown to affect mood |
| C．Weather provides a vivid language for describing our emotional atmosphere |
| D．Temperature can also affect our mind and behavior |
| E．But the effects of weather on mood are not entirely biological |
| F．Anything that changes our moods can affect our behavior |
| G．Basically, weather will only influence us if we are outdoors experiencing it |
