1 . A new study has found that water in the air, not just heat, is important in measuring global warming. The researchers say, when considering humidity and heat, the temperature increase is two times greater than earlier estimates.

The researchers also note, temperature by itself is not the best way to measure the effects of climate change and using temperature underestimates conditions in the tropical areas of the world.

The study was published on January 31 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers team show that the energy created in extreme weather, such as storms, is related to the amount of water in the air. For this reason, they decided to use a special atmospheric measurement to show the amount of heat in an area of air. It is expressed in a scientific measurement for temperature known as degrees Kelvin.

Ramanathan is one of the writers of the study. He is a climate scientist at the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. “There are two factors of climate change: temperature and humidity. And so far, we have measured global warming just in terms of temperature,” he says. “Warm air can hold more water than cold air. For every degree Celsius that air temperature increases, it can hold seven percent more water. When the water vapor in the air becomes liquid, it releases heat or energy. That’s why when it rains, now it pours.”

Ramanathan added that water vapor is a powerful heat-trapping gas in the atmosphere that increases climate change. From 1980 to 2019, the average world surface air temperature increased by 0.79 degrees Celsius. But when they considered energy from humidity, their temperature measurement had increased by 1.48 degrees Celsius. In the tropics, the warming was as much as 4 degrees Celsius.

Wuebbles is a climate scientist at the University of Illinois. He was not part of the study. But Wuebbles said the idea makes sense because water vapor is important in extreme rainfall. He said, “Both heat and humidity are important.”

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The combination of water and heat decreases average surface temperature.

B．The reason why it pours is that cold air can hold more water than warm air.

C．Scientists adopt temperature degrees Kelvin as a special atmospheric measurement.

D．Scientists used both temperature and humidity to measure global warming in the past.

2. How does Ramanathan illustrate his findings in the fifth paragraph?

A．By making comparisons.	B．By taking examples.
C．By analyzing reasons.	D．By giving definitions.

3. What is Wuebbles’ attitude to this new study?

A．Critical.

B．Objective.

C．Skeptical.

D．Appreciative.

4. Which of the following may be the best title for the passage?

A．Extreme Weathers Are Closely Related to Air Heat Amount

B．A New Study Focuses on Global Warming Solutions

C．Humidity Is Also Important in Measuring Climate Changes

D．Two Climate Scientists Develop a Scientific Method

2 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. removed; B. guaranteed; C. quality; D. ranks                 E. threats; F. access; G. long-term; H. unproductive        I. effective; J. overlooking; K. characterize

Coffee’s Climate Crisis

Howard Schultz wants to know if I drink coffee. The Starbucks boss is sitting on a balcony     1     the company’s leafy farm in the Costa Rican province of Alajuela, where I’m told the coffee — harvested and roasted on-site — is a must-try. Like more than 60% of Americans, I drink coffee at least once a day. The Costa Rican blend Schultz pours me has a special taste that mixes citrus and chocolate flavors.

But the future of my cup of Costa Rican Arabica is not     2    , Schultz says. After nearly four decades at Starbucks, he is leaving at the end of June, and in the role of executive chairman for almost 15 months, he has been looking past Starbucks’ day-to-day operations to its     3     challenges and opportunities. Climate change     4     high among them. As temperatures rise and droughts intensify, good coffee will become increasingly difficult to grow and expensive to buy. Since governments are reacting slowly to the problem, companies like Starbucks have stepped in to save themselves, reaching to the bottom of their supply chains to ensure reliable     5     to their product. “Make no mistake,” Schultz tells me, “climate change is going to play a bigger role in affecting the     6     and integrity of coffee.”

This farm, with its verdant vistas and a trickling waterfall, seems far     7     from the rising sea levels, unbearable heat and destructive storms that     8     climate change. But global warming is exactly why Starbucks bought the 600-acre plot in 2013, and why Schultz makes the 3,500-mile trip from Seattle a few times a year as he has done on this March day. The farm is Starbucks’ field laboratory into the     9     posed to coffee by climate change and its testing facility for how it can adapt to the challenge. Schultz hopes that the research here will inform agricultural practices for millions of farmers across the globe, including the ones that supply the company. “We have to be in the soil, growing coffee, to understand firsthand how to fix the situation,” he says. Study after study has laid out the threat climate change poses to the coffee industry. Rising temperatures will bring drought, increase the range of diseases and kill large swaths of the insects that pollinate coffee plants. About half of the land around the world currently used to produce high-quality coffee could be     10     by 2050, according to a recent study in the journal Climatic Change.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Climate change is already affecting wildlife all over the world, but certain species are suffering more than others. Polar animals     1     icy natural habitat is melting in the warmer temperatures are     2     (particular) at risk. In fact, experts believe that the Arctic sea ice is melting at a shocking rate — 9% per decade! Polar bears need sea ice to be able to hunt, raise their young and as places to rest after long periods of swimming. Certain seal species, like ringed seals (环斑海豹), make     3     (cave) in the snow and ice to raise their pups, feed and mate.

It's not just polar animals that are in trouble. Apes like orangutans, which live in the rainforests of Indonesia, are     4     threat as their habitat     5     (cut) down, and more droughts cause more bushfires.

Sea turtles (海龟) rely on nesting beaches     6     (lay) their eggs, many of which are threatened by rising sea levels. Did you know that the temperature of nests     7     (determine) whether the eggs are male or female? Unfortunately, with temperatures on the rise, this could mean that more females are born than males,     8     (threaten) future turtle populations.

Climate change won't just affect animals; it's already having     9     impact on people, too. Most     10     (affect) people are some of the people who grow the food we eat every day. Farming communities, especially in developing countries, are facing higher temperatures, increased rain, floods and droughts.

4 . Climate change in the coming decades could lead to an increase in cases of kidney stones(肾结石), according to a research by scientists in the United States.

A research team from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia knew from previous studies that high temperatures and dehydration (脱水) increase the risk of developing kidney stones. The researchers said incidence (发生率) of the condition has increased in the last 20 years.

The scientists created a model to estimate the impact of heat on future kidney stone presentations in the southeastern US state of South Carolina, which has a higher incidence of kidney stone disease. The model predicted that the number of cases will increase between 2.2 percent and 3.9 percent by the year 2089, depending on projected daily temperatures under two climate change circumstances. In the first case, greenhouse gas emissions (排放物) are cut to an middle level as humans shift to using lower-emissions sources of energy, while in the second, emissions continue at the current rate. Meanwhile, in the first case, average temperatures increase by 2.3℃ by 2100, compared with 3.6℃ in the second. These projections were taken from studies made by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

In comments with a news release, Gregory E Tasian, a urologist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and senior author of the study, said, “While it is impossible to predict with certainty how future policies will slow or speed greenhouse gas emission and anthropogenic (人为的) climate change, and to know exactly what future daily temperatures will be, our analysis suggests that a warming planet will likely cause an increased burden of kidney stone disease on healthcare systems. As researchers, we have a duty to explore the burden of climate change on human health.”

1. Why does the author talk about temperature increase?

A．To find the reason of climate change.

B．To estimate the burden of kidney stones.

C．To predict the strength of greenhouse gas emissions.

D．To confirm the increasing incidence of kidney stones.

2. How did the scientists start the study?

A．By creating a model.	B．By predicting the effect.
C．By collecting information.	D．By measuring temperatures.

3. What can be inferred about global warming?

A．It will increase daily temperatures greatly.

B．It will be predicted by the model accurately.

C．It will likely have bad effects on human health.

D．It will be certainly controlled by future polices.

4. What is the scientists’ attitude to the impact of climate change on kidney stones?

A．Ambiguous.	B．Concerned.
C．Cautious.	D．Doubtful.

5 . Several years ago, Jason Box, a scientist from Ohio, flew 31 giant rolls of white plastic to a glacier (冰川) in Greenland. He and his team spread them across 10,000 feet of ice, then left. His idea was that the white blanket would reflect back the rays of the sun, keeping the ice cool below. When he came back to check the results, he found it worked. Exposed ice had melted faster than covered ice. He had not only saved two feet of glacier in a short time. No coal plants were shut down, no jobs were lost, and nobody was taxed or fired. Just the sort of fix we’re looking for.

“Thank you, but no thank you.” says Ralph King, a climate scientist. He told Grey Childs. author and commentator, that people think technology can save the planet, “but there are other things we need to deal with, like consumption. They burned $50,000 just for the helicopter” to bring the plastic to the glacier. This experiment, quote-unquote, gives people false hope that climate change can be fixed without changing human behavior. It can’t. Technology won’t give us a free ride.

Individuals respond to climate change differently. Climatologist Kelly Smith is hardly alone in her prediction that someday soon we won’t be climate victims, we will be climate Choosers. More scientists agree with her that if the human race survives. The engineers will get smarter, the tools will get better, and one day we will control the climate. but that then? “Just the mention of us controlling the climate sent a small shiver down my back, Grey writes.” “Something sounded wrong about stopping ice by our own will,” he says.

Me? I like it better when the earth takes care of itself, I guess one day we will have to run the place, but for the moment, sitting at my desk, looking out at the trees bending wildly and the wind howling, I’m happy not to be in charge.

1. Why does the author mention Jason Box’s experiment in the first paragraph?

A．To introduce a possible solution to climate change.

B．To describe a misleading attempt to fix the climate.

C．To report on a successful experiment on saving the glacier.

D．To arouse people’s attention to the problem of global warming.

2. Which statement would Ralph King most probably agree with?

A．The fight against climate change will not succeed.

B．Technology is not the final solution, let alone its high cost.

C．It’s best to deal with climate change without changing our behavior.

D．Jason’s experiment plays a significant role in fixing climate change.

3. What is Grey Childs’s attitude to human’s controlling the climate?

A．Favorable

B．Tolerant

C．Doubtful.

D．Unclear.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．But should we fix the climate?

B．Is climate change a real problem?

C．How can we take care of the earth?

D．What if all the glaciers disappeared?

6 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. existing   B. matters   C. plunging   D. identifying   E. regulatory   F. removal G. failure   H. race     I. reached   J. increased     K. declined

Reasons to be Hopeful

The climate emergency is the biggest threat to civilization we have ever faced. But there is good news: we already have every tool we need to beat it. The challenge is not    1    the solutions, but rolling them out with great speed.

Some key sectors are already racing ahead, such as electric cars. They are already cheaper to own and run in many places—and when the purchase prices equal those of fossil—fuelled vehicles in the next few years, a critical tipping point will be    2    .

Electricity from renewables is now the cheapest form of power in most places, sometimes even cheaper than continuing to run    3    coal plants. There's a long way to go to feed the world's huge energy demand, but the    4    costs of batteries and other storage technologies seem promising.

And many big companies are realizing that a    5    to invest will be far more expensive as the impacts of global heating destroy economies. Even some of the biggest polluters, such as steel, have seen the green writing on the wall.

Stopping the    6    of forests requires no technology at all, but it does require government action. While progress is poor, countries such as Indonesia have shown    7    action can be effective. Protecting and restoring forests, particularly by empowering local people, is a strong tool.

In the climate crisis, every fraction of a degree    8    and so every action reduces people's suffering. Every action makes the world a cleaner and better place to live-by, for example, cutting the air pollution that ends millions of lives a year.

The real fuel for the green transition is a combination of those most valuable and intangible of commodities: political will and skill. The supply is being    9    by demands for action from youth strikers to chief executives, and must be used to face down powerful vested interests (既得利益者), such as the fossil fuel, airlines and cattle industries. The     10    for a sustainable, low-carbon future is on, and question at core is how much faster we need to go.

7 . Solutions to Climate Change

There are personal lifestyle changes that you can make and that, to some extent, can help reduce your carbon impact. Not all are right for everybody. But applying just a few of them could make a difference.

Move closer to work.

Transportation is one of the leading sources of greenhouse gas emissions.     1     One way to dramatically cut transportation fuel needs is to move closer to work, use mass transportation, or switch to walking, cycling or some other modes of transport that does not require anything other than human energy.

Consume less.

    2     Whether by quitting an automobile or employing a reusable grocery sack, cutting back on consumption results in fewer fossil fuels being burned to extract, produce and ship products around the globe.

    3    

A potentially simpler and even bigger effect can be produced by doing more with less. Citizens of many developed countries are energy-wasters, whether by speeding in a gas-wasting vehicle or leaving the lights on when not in a room. Similarly, employing more efficient refrigerators, air conditioners and other appliances can cut electricity bills.     4     You can turn the lights or your computers off when you leave the office.

Stop cutting down trees.

When purchasing wood products, such as furniture or flooring, buy used goods or, failing that, wood proved officially to have been sustainable harvested. The Amazon rainforest and other forests are more than the lung of the earth.     5    

A．Be energy efficient.

B．Use few electrical appliances.

C．But it doesn’t have to be that way.

D．Such efforts can also be usefully employed at work.

E．They may also be humans’ short-term hope for limiting climate change.

F．The easiest way to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions is simply to buy less stuff.

G．Citizens spend more money on electricity to power devices when they’re off than when they’re on.

8 . As we sip our coffee and read the daily headlines, climate changes can seem like a distant threat. But travel a few thousands miles to the source of your caffeine fix, and the threat is all too real.

The coffee farmers are now seeing violent downpours that drown their plants in Mexico, where the climate used to be stable and mild, but the temperature now see-saws between extreme cold and heat, which greatly affects their harvest. Unfortunately, farmers across South America, Asia and Africa are also watching coffee plants decrease as droughts and downpours attack their crops as a result of global warming. The consequences of all this could soon work their way through the pipeline to your local coffee shop.

The problem arises, in part, from refinement (改进) of our taste. Two main breeds of commercial coffee Arabica and Robusta gain special reputation. The former is by far the world’s favourite, accounting for about 70% of the coffee we drink. However, the Arabica plants have been bred from a very small stock taken from the mountains of Ethiopia-giving it very little genetic diversity and making it particularly difficult to adapt to climate change. Besides, the plant grows best between a very narrow range of relatively mild temperatures (18 to 22℃ ) and needs gentle, regular rainfall. The delicate Arabica plants just can’t cope with the new and unpredictable conditions that come with global warming.

All of these paint a depressing picture for the future. Researchers predict that the land suited to farming Arabica could drop by as much as 50% by 2050. Classic coffee-producing region, such as Vietnam, India and most of Central America, will be hit particularly hard. Some of the farmers feel that the subject has almost become taboo, “We talk very little about climate. We already know how it is—and that there is nothing we can do.”

1. What does the author imply at the beginning?

A．The origin of coffee is at risk.

B．Coffee consumers like reading newspaper.

C．The origin of coffee is visited by consumers.

D．Coffee consumers do care about the weather very much.

2. What do we know about coffee planters?

A．They become victims of extreme weather.

B．Those in Mexico suffer the greatest loss.

C．Some of them take measures to cut the losses.

D．They try to meet the market demand for coffee.

3. What is the disadvantage of Arabica?

A．Its market share is low.

B．It can only be planted in Etiopia.

C．It has disease-causing genes.

D．It has high demands for environment.

4. The underlined word “taboo” in the last paragraph refers to something that is ________.

A．easily understood.	B．rarely mentioned.
C．hardly avoided.	D．heatedly discussed.

9 . Leaf peeping (窥叶) is a beloved yearly activity in many parts of the world, including parts of the United States. Leaf peeping is when people travel to see the beautiful colors of fall leaves. However, recent fall leaf peeping seasons have been changed by weather conditions.

A lack of rain causes leaves to turn brown and die before they can reach the best color. Heat waves cause leaves to fall before autumn even arrives. And extreme weather events, like hurricanes, take the leaves off trees altogether. Climate change also creates longer—term threats that could harm leaf peeping. The spread of diseases and insects is also tied to warming temperatures. These are all affecting famous fall colors.

Scientists say that this is likely to continue as the planet warms. Typically, by the end of September, some leaves turn colors throughout the U.S. However, this year, trees in many areas are still green. For example, on September 29^th, Maine forest officials reported less than 40 percent color change of the leaves and only moderate (适度的) leaf drop. By contrast, across Denver and Burlington, high temperatures have left dead, dry edges of leaves early in the season. In some parts of Oregon, the heat wave leads to a condition called “leaf scorch”. Leaf scorch is when leaves brown too early. Leaves lose their color early and then quickly fall to the ground. This leads to a shorter and less beautiful leaf peeping season.

Fall tourism brings billions of dollars into the US every year, which indicates that the economic influence of poor leaf peeping seasons is significant. Conservationists say that is one good reason to work to preserve forests and reduce the use of fossil (化石) fuels. Effective measures should be taken not only for the convenience of leaf peeping but also for the survival of animals. And eventually, for the balance between man and nature, which counts most.

1. What’s the second paragraph mainly about?

A．The influences of global warming.	B．The seriousness of climate change.
C．The causes of poor autumn colors.	D．The consequences of warmer autumn.

2. What can we know from paragraph 3?

A．A majority of the leaves in Maine remain green.

B．The leaves turn colors as usual throughout the U.S.

C．High temperatures in Denver cause the total death of leaves.

D．The heat wave in Burlington leads leaves to brown too early.

3. What is the major concern of conservationists?

A．The survival of animals.	B．The development of economy.
C．The convenience of leaf peeping.	D．The balance between man and nature.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Climate Change Affecting Autumn’s Colors.

B．Global Warming Threatening Forest Trees.

C．Researching Ways to Enjoy Leaf Peeping.

D．Exploring Reasons for the Decrease of Trees.

10 . The tornadoes that recently struck the U.S. are some of the most destructive and deadly in history. The death in Kentucky, the hardest hit state, reached 80 on Monday, with dozens still unaccounted for. The scale of destruction and timing of the tornadoes so late in the year — most tornadoes occur in the spring and summer — is fueling discussion about how climate change may have influenced this deadly disaster.

“In my 40 years as a meteorologist (气象学家), this was one of the most shocking weather events I’ve ever witnessed,” says Jeff Masters, at Yale Climate Connections. “Watching these storms on Friday night, my thought was, ‘Is no season safe?’ Extreme tornadoes in December. That was mind blowing to me.”

Unlike heat waves and floods, the link between a wanning world and tornadoes is complex and uncertain. Scientists have several theories about how tornado behavior may change. Tornadoes in December are possible. But it remains to be seen whether climate change will strengthen or increase the frequency of tornadoes.

According to NOAA’s data, there has been a recorded increase in the number of observed tornadoes since 1950, which experts believe is largely due to better technology such as Doppler radar. There’s been no observed increase in the frequency of major tornadoes over time. For example, 59 of the most severe F5 tornadoes in the U.S. have occurred since 1950. But if the storm that destroyed Kentucky turns out to have been an F5, it will have been the first since 2013 — bringing to an end the longest recorded period so far.

Nevertheless, “given the general influence of global warming on the atmosphere, it makes sense that it should be having an impact on tornadoes too,” says Victor Gensini, an extreme weather expert at Northern Illinois University. “Instead of asking: ‘Did climate change cause this tornado?’ It’s better to operate under the assumption that climate change did play a role,” he says.

While the science on climate change and tornadoes isn’t clear, meteorologists are predicting that conditions benefiting tornadoes will continue this month. “I’m worried about the rest of the year to be honest. I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet.” Gensini says.

1. What is one difference between the recent tornadoes and the ones in the past?

A．They hit only Kentucky.	B．They happened in December.
C．They caused no deaths.	D．They caught people unprepared.

2. What can be inferred in paragraph 3?

A．Waves and floods often follow tornadoes.

B．There is an agreement on how tornadoes may change.

C．Climate change will make tornadoes the most deadly disaster.

D．Scientists are unsure about how climate change influences tornadoes.

3. Which statement may Victor Gensini agree with?

A．The climate change most likely has an effect on tornadoes.

B．The tornadoes have nothing to do with climate warming.

C．The science on climate change is advancing very quickly.

D．The climate change will make tornadoes much less frequent.

4. What does the underlined phrase “out of the woods” mean in the last paragraph?

A．Out of forest.	B．Out of difficulty.
C．Out of danger.	D．Out of question.