1 . Recently, we have already shown that climate change has led to a dramatic increase in storm surge risk in New York City, making devastating events like Hurricane Sandy more likely.
What can we say about the role of climate change in the unprecedented disaster that is unfolding in Houston with Hurricane Harvey? There are certain climate change-related factors that we can, with great confidence, say worsened the flooding.
Sea Level rise attributable to climate change-some of which is due to coastal subsidence(下沉) caused by human disturbance such as oil drilling-is more than half a foot(15cm) over the past few decades. That means the storm surge was half a foot higher than it would have been just decades ago, meaning far more flooding and destruction.
In addition to that, sea surface temperatures in the region have risen about 0.5℃(close to 1F) over the past few decades from roughly 30℃(86F) to 30.5℃(87F), which contributed to the very warm sea surface temperatures(30.5-31℃, or 87-88F). There is a simple thermodynamic(热力学的) relationship known as the Clausius-Clapeyron equation that tells us there is a roughly 3% increase in average atmospheric moisture content for each 0.5℃ of warming. Sea surface temperatures in the area where Harvey intensified were 0.5-1℃ warmer than current-day average temperatures, which translates to 1-1.5℃ warmer than “average” temperatures a few decades ago. That means 3-5% more moisture(水分) in the atmosphere. That large amount of moisture creates the potential for much greater rainfalls and greater flooding. The combination of coastal flooding and heavy rainfall is responsible for the devastating flooding that Houston is experiencing.
Not only are the surface waters of the Gulf of Mexico unusually warm right now, but there is a deep layer of warm water that Harvey was able to feed upon when it intensified at near record pace as it neared the coast. Human-caused warming is penetrating down into the ocean. It’s creating deeper layers of warm water in the Gulf and elsewhere. Harvey was almost certainly more intense than it would have been in the absence of human-caused warming, which means stronger winds, more wind damage and a larger storm surge.
Finally, the more tenuous but potentially relevant climate factors: part of what has made Harvey such a devastating(毁灭性的) storm is the way it has stalled near the coast. It continues to strike Houston and surrounding regions with a seemingly endless flood, which will likely top out at nearly 4ft(1.22m) of rainfall over a days-long period before it is done. The stalling is due to very weak prevailing winds, which are failing to steer the storm off to sea, allowing it to spin around and wobble back and forth. This pattern, in turn, is associated with a greatly expanded subtropical high pressure system over much of the US at the moment, with the jet stream pushed well to the north. This pattern of subtropical expansion is predicted in model simulations of human-caused climate change. More tenuous(微弱的), but possibly relevant still, is the fact that very persistent, nearly “stationary” summer weather patterns of this sort, where weather anomalies(both high-pressure dry hot regions and low-pressure stormy/rainy regions) stay locked in place for many days at a time, appears to be favoured by human-caused climate change.
In conclusion, while we cannot say climate change “caused” Hurricane Harvey, what we can say is that it exacerbated several characteristics of the storm in a way that greatly increased the risk of damage and loss of life. Climate change worsened the impact of Hurricane Harvey.
1. What’s the main purpose of writing the passage?| A．To offer tips on climate change. |
| B．To advocate paying more attention to current climate change urgently. |
| C．To share experiences on avoiding climate change. |
| D．To criticize human-caused climate change. |
| A．worsened | B．caused |
| C．favoured | D．increased |
| A．Climate change made Hurricane Harvey more deadly |
| B．Sea level rise sea and surface temperatures changed Hurricane Harvey |
| C．Hurricane Harvey and its characteristics |
| D．The climate change-related factors and human-caused warming |
I: Introduction CP: Central point P: Point Sp: Sub-point(次要点) C: Conclusion
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
2 . Five meteorologists (气象学家) who were trapped for two weeks after polar bears surrounded their weather station are now able to leave after the creatures were chased away. Their supervisor told NBC News early Wednesday.
Russian officials had feared the siege could last for another month, the time it would take to reach the islands in the Kara Sea, high in the Arctic Circle. But on Tuesday night a research ship took a detour (绕道) to assist those weathermen, station supervisor Vasily Shevchenko told NBC News. The ship run by Russia’s state-run oil firm Rosneft frightened away the bears using its helicopter, before resupplying the weather station with more food and puppies (幼犬). The puppies are not yet big enough to deter the bears, but the station is planning to draft in a replacement adult guard dog as soon as possible.
Some of the bears had taken to sleeping directly outside the windows of remote outpost. There was no risk of the researchers starving because they had a year’s worth of food, but they were forced to take dangerous trips to a nearby building, holding a gun for protection, according to Shevchenko.
Polar bears are an endangered species. In Russia, it’s a crime to shoot them unless in self-defense. The bears usually leave the islands in the summer, but this time they were trapped by the melting ice, an apparent sign of climate change, according to Shevchenko. “They’ve stayed on the island because there is nowhere for them to go,” he said.
The animals suffer from global warming because it shrinks the floating ice that forms their main hunting ground. According to the environmental group the World Wide Fund for Nature, known as the WWF, this has got some polar bears to go near human habitats in search of food.
1. What did the research ship do to help the five meteorologists?| A．Drive them home. |
| B．Shoot all the bears. |
| C．Use its helicopter to scare the bears away. |
| D．Supply the weather station with more money. |
| A．stop | B．respect |
| C．protect | D．raise |
| A．Sea Pollution. | B．Climate change. |
| C．Humans’ hunting. | D．Animals’ hunting |
| A．People in Russia can hunt bear for money. |
| B．The melting ice will kill all the polar bears. |
| C．The five meteorologists hated the bears very much. |
| D．WWF made some contributions to protecting polar bears. |
3 . It’s always been a rule in my family, spoken or unspoken, that you don’t waste food. With six children herself and having grown up in an even larger family through the Great Depression, my mother would never tolerate throwing out the amounts of food we see routinely these days in the dumpster. We were told simply to clean our plates, no matter whether we liked the taste or if we were not hungry or not. So this subject is deep in my genes and upbringing.
Estimates are that nearly one third of all food produced is wasted. USDA estimates 31% of food available at retail (零售)level is wasted. 12% of landfill material is food. 28% of agricultural land produces food which is wasted, says the FAO. 18% of vegetables, and 12% of the apple crop are lost at the farm level in the United States., say experts.
Luckily, there’s an “ugly food” movement picking up steam. “Ugly” foods are those that sellers and buyers often reject because of their appearance, like misshapen vegetables and bruised（擦伤的） fruits. Farmers dump them. Supermarkets and restaurants reject them. Now supermarkets and restaurants reject them. Consumers historically have avoided them. Now supermarkets feature the ugly. It’s fashionable. More artful terms are favored. A French supermarket chain is selling “inglorious” foods. The British chain ASDA uses “wonky（歪斜的）” (which to American ears might sound as bad as “ugly.”) Canada’s Loblaws uses “naturally imperfect.” Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who has cast himself as a promoter of the “good food movement,” has signed on with some British chains to support their efforts.
With the effort of Kretschmann Farm CSA’s we’ve taken the line that rather than throw away things which would be classified by others as ugly, inglorious, or imperfect, we would just give them to you and you could decide. Either we throw them away, or you can. Oftentimes this adds to the volume of the box, or makes it a little more urgent to consume (because sometimes those rejected foods are just very ripe!).
1. When the author was a kid, he .| A．often suffered from hunger |
| B．was not allowed to waste food |
| C．had to wash plates after a meal |
| D．didn’t like the taste of his food |
| A．Coming to an end. |
| B．Facing a challenge. |
| C．Making a selection. |
| D．Becoming more popular. |
| A．provides perfect food for customers |
| B．sells food mot of which is very ripe |
| C．tries to bring ugly food to customers |
| D．encourage the consumption of food |
4 . Coffee drink is widespread. When people argue about whether coffee is good for health, they’re usually thinking of the health of the coffee drinker. Is it good for your heart? Does it increase blood pressure? Does it help you concentrate? However, coffee affects the health of the human population in other ways, too.
Traditionally, coffee bushes were planted under the shade of taller trees. However, more and more farmers in Latin America are deforesting the land to grow full sun coffees. At first, this increases production because more coffee bushes can be planted if there aren’t any trees. With increased production come increased profits.
Unfortunately, deforesting for coffee production immediately decreases the local wildlife habitat, because native birds nest and hide from predators（捕食者）in the tall trees and migrating birds rest there.
Furthermore, in the long term, the full-sun method also damages the ecosystem because more chemical fertilizers and pesticides（杀虫剂）are needed to grow the coffee. The fertilizers and pesticides kill insects that eat coffee plant, and then the birds eat the poisoned insects and also die. The chemicals kill or sicken other animals as well, and can even enter the water that people will eventually drink.
Fortunately, farmers in Central and South America are beginning to grow more coffee bushes in the shade. We can support these farmers by buying coffee with such labels as "shade-grown" and "bird-friendly".
Sure, these varieties might cost a little more. But we're paying for the health of the birds, the land, ourselves, and the planet. I think it’s worth it.
1. Which opinion does the author agree with?| A．People should buy full-sun coffee. |
| B．Shade-grown coffee should be supported. |
| C．Farmers should change the places to grow coffee. |
| D．Pesticides should be forbidden in coffee planting. |
| A．It can protect the ecosystem. |
| B．It can promote people's health. |
| C．It can provide mare nests for birds. |
| D．It can increase the production of coffee. |
| A．They cut down trees. |
| B．They move to other countries. |
| C．They turn grassland into farmland. |
| D．They buy more land from other farmers. |
| A．It is quite worthwhile to buy shade-grown coffee at any cost. |
| B．Farmers all have realized the importance of protecting the environment now. |
| C．South American farmers are taking action to plant coffee in the traditional way. |
| D．The full-sun method does good to the health of human beings in the long run. |
5 . What do people do with their old, out of date but still useful computers? Most people don’t know
Finally, some companies are thinking of ways
In some countries, laws have been passed, too. Computer companies have to pay for collecting and recycling their
Yet while many people are throwing away good computers, others cannot afford
