1 . Two and a half months before the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins, and almost six months before it enters its peak (高峰), weathermen are already predicting (预测) that it could be particularly active.
Officially, hurricane season begins from June 1 and runs through November. One reason is that sea surface temperatures in the tropical (热带的) Atlantic are already at record highs.
Meanwhile, another significant potential factor in this year’s hurricane season is taking shape thousands of miles away in the Pacific. Over periods ranging from three to seven years, the waters of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean warm and cool in turn as a result of a repeating climate pattern called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). El Niño makes Atlantic hurricanes less likely to form but La Niña does.
During the 2023 season, ENSO was in an El Niño period. However, by the time the 2024 season starts, it will have changed into a “neutral(中立)” period, but that by the peak months, it is likely to have changed fully into a La Niña.
“How quickly that change occurs can affect everything as well,” says DaSilva, a lead hurricane weatherman. “There’s a lag time. So, while we expect the change to occur in mid-summer, it may not be until late summer or fall where we really see those effects across the Atlantic basin.” As a result, he says, this year’s hurricane season could remain particularly active deep into November.
Of course, no report can predict when individual storms will come or the paths they will take, but DaSilva warns that those who live in areas likely to suffer hurricanes, especially around the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, should prepare. “If a tropical storm system comes into this area, it could rapidly strengthen, potentially close to land,” he also warns. “And that’s why people need to be careful and have their hurricane plans ready. Because any system with these kinds of conditions can explode very quickly. That’s what we’re concerned about.”
1. What is the function of Paragraph 1?| A．To give advice. | B．To explain the season. |
| C．To introduce the topic. | D．To inform a weather report. |
| A．The hurricane season has entered its peak. |
| B．A repeating climate has changed weather in summer. |
| C．The sea surface temperatures are the highest of all time. |
| D．El Niño makes Atlantic hurricanes more likely to form. |
| A．A time delay. | B．A time in a zone. |
| C．A time waste. | D．A time in advance. |
| A．It can be exactly predicted ahead of time. |
| B．People needn’t worry about hurricane season. |
| C．It may be eventually controlled by weathermen. |
| D．People can’t be more careful about hurricane season. |
2 . A forest in Staffordshire (in the UK) transformed into a hi-tech laboratory. Researchers here are investigating how the trees use carbon, and it’s difficult to find out. In an unusual experiment, extra carbon dioxide is piped to the trees, to create the kind of atmospheric conditions expected in the middle of the century. And instruments measure how the forest reacts.
The scientist in charge says there’s still a lot to learn. And he worries that governments and companies are rushing to plant trees as an easy answer to climate change. “If you try and use trees to tidy up the mess that we’re making through emissions, you are putting those trees into a very rapidly changing climate and they will struggle to adapt,” said Professor Rob MacKenzie, University of Birmingham.
This device tracks the movement of carbon dioxide. In a healthy forest, the gas is not only absorbed by the trees but some is released as well. What scientists here are finding out is the way carbon flows into a forest and out of it is a lot more complicated than you might think. So, if mass tree planting is meant to be a solution to tackling climate change, the trees are going to have to be monitored and cared for, over not just decades, but may be centuries as well.
Of all the challenges, the task of planting is the simplest. Shelby Barber from Canada can do an amazing 4,000 trees in a day. “People talking about planting millions billions of trees around the world. Is it possible do you think, physically?” asked BBC.
“It’s definitely possible with the right amount of people, the right group of people. I’ve personally, in three years, planted just over half a million trees.” said Professor Rob MacKenzie.
Once planted, the trees need to survive, and experts are mixing different types to minimize the risk of disease. “It’s a bit like making sure you don’t put all your eggs in one basket, you’re spreading out your risk. And then if one part of that woodland fails, for whatever reason, it gets a disease or it can’t tolerate future climatic conditions, there are other parts of the forest that are healthy and able to fill in those gaps.” said Eleanor Tew of Forestry England.
Suddenly there’s momentum to plant trees on a scale never seen before. So what matters is doing it in a way that ensures the forests thrive — so they really do help with climate change.
1. Why is extra carbon dioxide piped to the trees in the experiment?| A．To predict the future atmospheric conditions. |
| B．To imitate the possible air condition in the future. |
| C．To create an instrument to measure atmospheric conditions. |
| D．To investigate the quality of air condition in the future. |
| A．oxygen | B．carbon dioxide | C．mess | D．purified gas |
| A．Minimizing the area of the woodland. |
| B．Studying future climatic conditions. |
| C．Planting different types of trees. |
| D．Avoiding mixing different species. |
| A．It should be advocated in terms of efficiency and convenience. |
| B．It is the most effective solution to fighting climate changes. |
| C．It will do more harm than good to the health of the environment. |
| D．It needs to be studied further as a measure against climate change. |
3 . Wealthy nations need to give as much as ten times current levels of funding to help developing countries adapt to climate change, the United Nations said in a report.
If developing nations can’t adjust to climate change, rich countries will also feel the consequences, says Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which prepared the report. “The idea that you can have a wall around your state and somehow protect yourself is simply unrealistic,” Andersen says. The report comes as world leaders prepare to gather for a climate conference. Organizers hope to make people realize the growing gap between current levels of aid for climate adaptation and what they say is required as climate shocks get worse.
Climate adaptation refers to steps to better protect people against the consequences of climate change— for example, moving communities away from coastlines and other areas. But much of the climate focus from rich countries’ leaders has been on limiting global warming by encouraging countries to burn less coal, oil and gas to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
At the United Nations climate meeting in Glasgow, countries promised to double the amount of funding available for adaptation to developing countries by 2025. But even if nations succeed in that, it’d still be insufficient for the need. Besides, it’s often spent in ways that aren’t likely to be effective over time, the report said. Adaptation efforts tend to be narrow, focus on short-term needs and fail to take future risks into account, it said.
The risk is that countries will soon experience climate shocks to which they simply can’t adapt, Andersen says. Relocation (搬迁), arguably the most extreme and expensive form of adaptation, will soon become vital, according to Andersen. “In most low-lying coastal areas, planned relocation is the last strategy,” Andersen says. “The longer wealthy countries kick this can down the road, the higher the price in human lives.”
1. Why did the UNEP prepare the report?| A．To plan for the upcoming meeting. | B．To raise money for climate change. |
| C．To draw attention to climate adaptation. | D．To call on poor countries to build walls. |
| A．Taking measures to reduce it. | B．Dealing with its consequences. |
| C．Funding developing countries. | D．Protecting people in poor countries. |
| A．Positive. | B．Tolerant. | C．Indifferent. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．Rich countries will suffer more. | B．Humans will face a hard choice. |
| C．More people will have to relocate. | D．Living expenses will rise dramatically. |
4 . Atmospheric (大气层的) rivers are long and narrow bands of water vapor (水蒸气) in Earth’s atmosphere, which are called “large rivers in the sky”. These rivers form over warm ocean waters. They are huge. They can be 930 miles long and one-third that wide.
Like real rivers, they carry huge amounts of water. These large streams of small water drops are blown by wind over land. When that happens, the water vapor cools down and condenses (凝结). Atmospheric rivers can be good. They bring water to dry areas. However, they can cause huge, fast-moving storms. Some cause snowfalls that bury towns. They are also the main cause of floods on the U.S. West Coast.
Atmospheric rivers are hard to predict. But scientists are working to change that. Marty Ralph, a scientist who works at the University of California, directs the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E). They created the first computer model to predict atmospheric rivers on the U.S. West Coast. This model uses a program that runs on a computer to create a model of a real-world event. CW3E also studies atmospheric rivers using planes. Pilots drop instruments into atmospheric rivers to collect information like temperature and wind speed, which helps with forecasting.
Will climate change affect atmospheric rivers? Climate change happens naturally over a long period of time. But today, it is largely caused by human activities and is causing the Earth to warm, which affects atmospheric rivers.
Atmospheric rivers are pushed by the wind. Those winds are driven by the temperature differences between the poles and the equator (赤道). But the poles are also warming faster than areas near the equator. That makes the temperature difference between the areas smaller. This can make winds weaker.
Climate change might not cause more atmospheric rivers. But there may be very, very wet seasons and very, very dry seasons. Such a seesaw in rainfall could make it harder to manage what water there is.
1. What can we learn about atmospheric rivers?| A．They can be 930 miles long and 465 miles wide. |
| B．They are easy to predict as scientists are working on it. |
| C．They are bands of water vapor forming over warm ocean waters. |
| D．They are the main cause of floods in the U.S. |
| A．Why it is hard to predict atmospheric rivers. |
| B．Whether scientists can predict atmospheric rivers. |
| C．How technology helps the prediction of atmospheric rivers. |
| D．How scientists are working on the forecasts of atmospheric rivers. |
| A．Growth. | B．Drop. | C．Prediction. | D．Change. |
| A．A textbook. | B．A science magazine. | C．An academic article. | D．A news report. |
5 . “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 Boiling: 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? |
6 . Time is running short to address climate change, but there are possible and effective solutions on the table, according to a new UN climate report released in March.
Only swift, dramatic, and sustained emission (排放) cuts will be enough to meet the world’s climate goals, according to the new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a body of climate experts that regularly summarize the state of this issue.
“We are walking when we should be running fast,” said Hoesung Lee, IPCC chair, in a press conference announcing the report in March. To limit warming to 1.5℃ above preindustrial levels, the target set by international climate agreements, annual greenhouse-gas emission will need to be cut by nearly half between now and 2030, according to the report. It calculates that the results from actions taken now will be clear in global temperature trends within two decades.
“We already have the technology and the know-how to get the job done,” said Inger Andersen, executive director of UN Environment Programme, during the press conference. “Stopping climate change will still be complicated, and long-term emission cuts may largely rely on technologies, like carbon dioxide removal, that are still unproven at scale. In addition to technological advances, cutting emission in industries that are difficult to transform will involve many factors.”
But in the near term, there’s a clear path forward for the emission cuts needed to put the planet on the right track. There are some of the tasks with the lowest cost and highest potential to address climate change during this decade, such as developing wind and solar power, cutting methane (甲烷) emission from fossil-fuel production and waste, protecting natural ecosystems that trap carbon, and using energy efficiently in vehicles, homes, and industries.
1. What is the author’s attitude towards tackling climate change?| A．Positive. | B．Worried. | C．Skeptical. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．It’s impossible to achieve the climate goal. |
| B．He knows how to cut emission efficiently. |
| C．The pace of global warming is speeding up. |
| D．He is dissatisfied with current emission cuts. |
| A．Policy. | B．Market. | C．Funding. | D．Technology. |
| A．Emission cutting is urgent. |
| B．Climate change is unstoppable. |
| C．Global warming is becoming complicated. |
| D．Meeting climate goals needs cooperation. |
7 . An ancient chemical process enabled Earth to become a fertile place packed with life. Now researchers are imitating this process in an attempt to slow global warming. Every plant, animal, and person owes their life to a series of chemical reactions: photosynthesis, which turns water and carbon dioxide into food using sunlight. As benefit receivers of photosynthesis, humans depend on plants in a sort of carbon seesaw (跷跷板). Plants take in CO₂ and release O₂. We do the opposite, taking in O₂ and releasing CO₂.
This seesaw is part of the much broader carbon cycle that has affected the radiation balance of our planet. Cutting down plenty of forests and the burning of carbon-based fossil (化石) fuels cause the levels of CO₂, a major greenhouse gas, to rise. And plants on Earth along with other natural parts of the carbon cycle can’t restore the balance on their own.
But what if we could copy what plants do to seize some of that extra CO₂ to make fuels constantly, instead of relying so heavily on fossilized carbon?“ Artificial photosynthesis is a really attractive approach,” says Jillian Dempsey, a chemist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. “You’re able to store the energy of the sun in the bonds of molecules (分子).”
A hydrogen device with 12.6% efficiency that Agbo recently built was less than one inch across. For artificial photosynthesis to become practical, it needs to produce enough fuels to compete with the world’s existing energy supply of relatively inexpensive and abundant fossil fuels. It will take a lot of time and money before artificial photosynthesis can compete with fossil fuels. But the needed expenses won’t come close to the social cost of climate change. A recent survey of more than 2,000 economists projected the economic damages from climate change will reach $1.7 trillion per year by 2025 and roughly $30 trillion per year by 2075. Artificial photosynthesis could inch us back toward a better balance on the planet’s carbon seesaw.
1. What is researchers’ purpose to copy photosynthesis?| A．To release some of the extra CO₂. |
| B．To reduce the cost of using fossil fuels. |
| C．To reduce the speed of global warming. |
| D．To turn water and carbon dioxide into artificial sunlight. |
| A．Plants can turn carbon dioxide into food using sunlight. |
| B．Carbon seesaw is part of the less broader carbon cycle. |
| C．Avoiding the burning of fossil fuels can help protect the environment. |
| D．Carbon seesaw makes a difference to the radiation balance of the earth. |
| A．Lack of mass production. |
| B．Its negative effect on the environment. |
| C．Disturbing the balance of the planet’s carbon seesaw. |
| D．Inability to store the energy of the sun in the bonds of molecules. |
| A．How Does the Artificial Device Works? |
| B．Wide Application of Artificial Device Is a Long Way to Run |
| C．Copying Nature to Fight Climate Change |
| D．Copying Photosynthesis to Change Society |
8 . UK summers are likely to regularly see temperatures above 40℃ even if humanity manages to limit global warming to 1.5℃, meteorologists (气象学家) have warned.
The UK is already seeing increasingly extreme weather, with 2022 the third warmest, fifth wettest and eighth sunniest year on record-the first to fall into the top 10 for all three variables. Data published in State of the UK Climate 2022 report revealed the average winter temperature for last year was 5.3℃, which is 1.6℃ higher than the 1981 to 2010 average.
That makes December 2021 to February 2022 the fifth warmest winter on record, while the average temperature last summer was 14.8℃, 0.4℃ above the 1981 to 2010 average.
Early August 2022 saw maximum temperatures hit 34℃ on six continuous days, with five “tropical nights” above 20℃, making it one of the most significant heatwaves to affect southern England in the past 60 years, the report’s authors said.
Comparing data from the Central England Temperature series, which goes back to 1772, the research found the early 21st century in this region has been 0.5℃ to 1℃ warmer than 1901 to 2000 and 0.5℃ to 1.5℃ warmer than 1801 to 1900.
Liz Bentley, chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, which publishes the report, said the world was already seeing extreme heat as a result of warming of 1.1℃ to 1.2℃ above pre-industrial levels.
“If you take that up by another 0.3℃, these (heatwaves) are just going to become much more intense—we’re likely to see 40℃ in the UK although we have never seen those kinds of temperatures (before),” she said.
“As we hit 1.5℃ of global warming, that’s going to not just become something that we see once or twice, it’ll start to become something that we see on a much more regular basis.” Mike Kendon, climate scientist at the Met Office and lead author of the report, said the figures indicated a new normal for the UK.
1. What does paragraph 2 intend to tell us?| A．The weather was not as wet as before. | B．The rise in temperature in winter is mild. |
| C．The weather has changed but not so serious. | D．Figures show signs of extreme weather. |
| A．Extremely hot weather appeared in southern England. |
| B．Early August 2022 had only a few days’ hot weather. |
| C．Six continuous days’ extreme weather brought little harm. |
| D．It became the wettest season in the past 60 years or so. |
| A．Periodic. | B．Normal. | C．Changeable. | D．Rare. |
| A．Extreme Weather Hit the UK | B．What Extreme Weather Looks Like |
| C．Where the Future Weather Will Go | D．What We Can Do with Extreme Weather |
9 . Satellites in space measure temperatures over large areas of the ocean. They are, however, less specific when it comes to measuring temperatures along the coast. However, there is a new solution.
Scientists want people who do water sports to help them gather coastal climate data. This includes surfers, divers and fishermen. The idea came from new data collected by scientists who are also surfers. The group was led by a scientist in England named Bob Brewin. The group designed a surfboard that could be their laboratory. The results show different water temperatures than what the satellites have shown.
Coastlines are important to the economy. Large amounts of people use them for business and fun. Coastlines are also important for the environment because they are home to many different plants and animals.
Brewin says satellite data alone cannot be trusted. So, his team wants volunteers to gather data during their water activities. The information the volunteers find will be used along with satellite readings. The scientists think this will result in more accurate information. “We can begin to understand how our coastal environment is responding to climate change,” Brewin said.
They want surfers to check water surfaces and divers to measure temperatures deeper in the water. The information would then go into the scientists’ database. Meanwhile, a group of scientists from Europe had another idea. The group is interested in boots that some fishermen use. These boots sense water temperatures. The scientists think the fishermen who wear those boots could be connected to a datacollection system.
Many water sports take place in areas that are important for sea life. These locations can be difficult to check, Brewin says. For example, ocean waves can ruin data-collection floats and boats. So,coastal sea surface temperature records are poor.
1. What’s the problem with satellites?| A．They can’t measure temperatures over the ocean. |
| B．They can’t locate coasts very accurately. |
| C．They might provide unreliable data. |
| D．They break down frequently. |
| A．They turned a surfboard into a lab. |
| B．They did research on water sports. |
| C．They made efforts to learn surfing. |
| D．They made friends with fishermen. |
| A．Analyze satellite readings. |
| B．Compare data from different sources. |
| C．Wear boots designed by Brewin’s group. |
| D．Go into waters of different depths to collect data. |
| A．Surfers face great danger. |
| B．Beaches cover huge areas. |
| C．Data-collection boats are too big. |
| D．Waves damage the measuring equipment. |
10 . In recent years, extreme weather has been on the rise. From wildfires in California, US to record-breaking rainfall in northern China this summer and most recently the flood in Libya which claimed thousands of lives, Earth seems to be whipped by extreme climate and weather patterns.
Climate whiplash (气候鞭打), or weather whiplash, refers to a quick change from one extreme weather pattern to another. It is caused by global warming. A warmer atmosphere can hold more steam. As the Earth gets warmer, more water is contained in the atmosphere. Once the temperature gets colder, it often rains more heavily. This explains why a drought is often followed by extremely heavy rain.
The region hit hardest by climate whiplash is California. Over the past decade, California has experienced lasting droughts, wildfires, heavy rainfalls, and floods. It seems that the state is either on fire or in flooding with little in between. Researchers estimate that by the end of this century, the frequency of climate whiplash will jump by 25 percent in northern California as Earth continues to become warmer.
Apart from wildfires and floods, studies showed that climate whiplash also has an impact on water quality. During dry days, the fertilizer (肥料) farmers use for plants cannot be absorbed by thirsty and dying plants. Then the following heavy rain washes the remaining fertilizer into rivers, polluting the water.
How can we deal with climate whiplash? The key lies in fighting global warming. That is to say, humans have to largely reduce the use of fossil fuels (化石燃料). Climate whiplash would happen more frequently in the future, should we fail to fight global warming effectively. Therefore, it is urgent that nations around the world double down on efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
1. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．The effects of global warming. | B．The causes of global warming. |
| C．The results of climate whiplash. | D．The principle behind climate whiplash. |
| A．It has resulted in reduced droughts. |
| B．It is expected to occur more frequently. |
| C．It has primarily affected northern California. |
| D．It causes more floods here than in other US states. |
| A．Unabsorbed plant fertilizer is washed into the water. |
| B．More plastic waste is brought into the water by floods. |
| C．Dry weather affects pollutant concentrations in water. |
| D．Heavy rains carry more industrial waste into the water. |
| A．It is not as serious as commonly believed. |
| B．It can be solved by reducing fossil fuel usage. |
| C．It is linked with our efforts to fight global warming. |
| D．It will cause the global temperature to rise annually. |
