Climate change will bring and has already brought a wide variety of threatening destruction to human existence. Some of these are well-known and already operative, like the wildfires racing along California’s freeways or the permanent droughts that have been upsetting Mediterranean farmers. But are these all terrible disasters we can come up with that are brought about by climate change?
Absolutely not. None of the challenges posed by our warming climate has appeared larger in the popular imagination than sea-level rise, as global populations and wealth are heavily concentrated in low-lying coastal cities. The best available models suggest that 37 million people currently live in places that will be below high tide by 2050-in an optimistic low-carbon-emissions scenario (设想).
Or rather, that’s what such models suggested before this week. On Tuesday, a new study revealed that those alarming statistics were wildly inaccurate. The actual impacts of sea-level rise are going to be much, much worse.
Previous estimates of the impact that rising tides would have on coastal cities relied on essentially a three-dimensional map of Earth obtained from satellite readings. But those readings were fundamentally unreliable because they often measured the planet’s upper surfaces — such as treetops and tall buildings — rather than its ground level. These mistakes led scientists to overestimate the elevation (海拔) of many regions of Earth.
In a new study published by the journal Nature Communications, scientists from Princeton, University detail this methodological problem, then use artificial intelligence to determine the previous literature’s error rate. Their research yields some amazing updates to our conventional understanding of what the next century has in store for our coastlines.
In its optimistic scenario, the Princeton study projects that lands currently occupied by 150 million people will lie below high tide in 2050. But as warming destroys many of the world’s agricultural regions, climate change could accelerate migration from rural areas to coastal cities.
The new study does include one piece of slightly encouraging news. While previous models suggested that 28 million humans currently live in places that already lie below high tide, the actual number is closer to 110 million — which means seawalls and other barriers have proven sufficient to keep many cities dry even as sea levels have risen around them. Still, the scale of barrier construction necessary to save low-lying cities from collapse is now, apparently, far greater than previously understood when the task already looked terribly expensive, particularly for developing countries.
If the Princeton researchers’ projections are correct, avoiding mass death and suffering in the coming decades will require not only rapidly reducing carbon emissions and strengthening construction of seawalls but also furthering mass migrations away from low-lying cities and islands and toward higher ground.
1.The first paragraph is mainly intended to .
A.introduce the topic of this passage
B.show various disasters caused by climate change
C.call on people to fix attention on climate change
D.lay emphasis on the seriousness of climate change
2.All the following statements are true EXCEPT .
A.the Princeton study reveals an optimistic picture of sea rising. . .
B.the three-dimensional map produced by satellite is not accurate
C.some measures are mentioned by the writer to deal with sea rising
D.more people are likely to live in coastal cities in the coming years
3.We can see something encouraging from the Princeton study that .
A.it’s cheap to construct seawalls as well as other barriers
B.the scale of barrier construction is much greater than before
C.developed countries have less trouble in dealing with rising sea levels
D.seawalls do have the function to prevent coastal cities being drowned
4.What can be a suitable title for the passage?
A.How to protect cities from rising seas.
B.Rising seas are going to drown more cities.
C.Climate change is endangering human existence.
D.Less emission of carbon, fewer fires and droughts.
高三英语阅读理解简单题
Climate change will bring and has already brought a wide variety of threatening destruction to human existence. Some of these are well-known and already operative, like the wildfires racing along California’s freeways or the permanent droughts that have been upsetting Mediterranean farmers. But are these all terrible disasters we can come up with that are brought about by climate change?
Absolutely not. None of the challenges posed by our warming climate has appeared larger in the popular imagination than sea-level rise, as global populations and wealth are heavily concentrated in low-lying coastal cities. The best available models suggest that 37 million people currently live in places that will be below high tide by 2050-in an optimistic low-carbon-emissions scenario (设想).
Or rather, that’s what such models suggested before this week. On Tuesday, a new study revealed that those alarming statistics were wildly inaccurate. The actual impacts of sea-level rise are going to be much, much worse.
Previous estimates of the impact that rising tides would have on coastal cities relied on essentially a three-dimensional map of Earth obtained from satellite readings. But those readings were fundamentally unreliable because they often measured the planet’s upper surfaces — such as treetops and tall buildings — rather than its ground level. These mistakes led scientists to overestimate the elevation (海拔) of many regions of Earth.
In a new study published by the journal Nature Communications, scientists from Princeton, University detail this methodological problem, then use artificial intelligence to determine the previous literature’s error rate. Their research yields some amazing updates to our conventional understanding of what the next century has in store for our coastlines.
In its optimistic scenario, the Princeton study projects that lands currently occupied by 150 million people will lie below high tide in 2050. But as warming destroys many of the world’s agricultural regions, climate change could accelerate migration from rural areas to coastal cities.
The new study does include one piece of slightly encouraging news. While previous models suggested that 28 million humans currently live in places that already lie below high tide, the actual number is closer to 110 million — which means seawalls and other barriers have proven sufficient to keep many cities dry even as sea levels have risen around them. Still, the scale of barrier construction necessary to save low-lying cities from collapse is now, apparently, far greater than previously understood when the task already looked terribly expensive, particularly for developing countries.
If the Princeton researchers’ projections are correct, avoiding mass death and suffering in the coming decades will require not only rapidly reducing carbon emissions and strengthening construction of seawalls but also furthering mass migrations away from low-lying cities and islands and toward higher ground.
1.The first paragraph is mainly intended to .
A.introduce the topic of this passage
B.show various disasters caused by climate change
C.call on people to fix attention on climate change
D.lay emphasis on the seriousness of climate change
2.All the following statements are true EXCEPT .
A.the Princeton study reveals an optimistic picture of sea rising. . .
B.the three-dimensional map produced by satellite is not accurate
C.some measures are mentioned by the writer to deal with sea rising
D.more people are likely to live in coastal cities in the coming years
3.We can see something encouraging from the Princeton study that .
A.it’s cheap to construct seawalls as well as other barriers
B.the scale of barrier construction is much greater than before
C.developed countries have less trouble in dealing with rising sea levels
D.seawalls do have the function to prevent coastal cities being drowned
4.What can be a suitable title for the passage?
A.How to protect cities from rising seas.
B.Rising seas are going to drown more cities.
C.Climate change is endangering human existence.
D.Less emission of carbon, fewer fires and droughts.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Around the world coral reefs(珊瑚礁) are facing threats(威胁) brought by climate change and great changes in sea temperatures. While ocean warming has been the primary focus for scientists and ocean policy managers, cold events can also whiten corals. A new study by scientists compared damaged to corals exposed to heat as well as cold stress. The results show that cool temperatures can cause more damage in the short term, but heat is more destructive(破坏性的) in the long run.
Climate change is widely known to produce warming conditions in the oceans, but extreme cold-water events have become more frequent and serious as well. In 2010, for example, coral reefs around the world faced on of the coldest winters and one of the hottest summers on record.
During a unique experiment, corals under cold temperatures suffered greater damage in just days compared with heat treated corals. Yet the researchers found that corals were eventually able to adjust to the cold conditions, make their health stable and continue to grow. However, over the long term corals subjected to heat suffered more greatly than those in cold, with evidence of severe whitening and growth stoppage, which leads to death.
The coral’s ability to adjust to cool temperatures surprised the researchers, who say the study’s results show the complexities(复杂性) of monitoring coral health in response to different environmental factors(因素).
“Global warming is associated with increases but also decreases of temperatures,” said Deheyn, one of the researchers. “Not much has been known about the comparative effects of temperature decrease on corals. These results are important because they show that corals react differently to temperature differences, which is important for future management of coral reefs in the field of climate change.”
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Corals are unable to adjust to temperature changes.
B. Cold temperature causes greater damage to corals.
C. Hot temperature helps coral reefs to grow quickly.
D. Heat and cold damage corals in their own ways.
2.We can learn from the passage that .
A. scientists used to pay no attention to the effect of cold events on corals
B. 2010 witnessed one of the greatest temperature differences on record
C. corals prefer warmer conditions to cold temperatures in the long run
D. global warming has nothing to do with the decrease of temperature
3.According to the research, .
A. corals may continue to grow in cold events after a few days
B. cold events help corals grow more quickly in a short time
C. corals show no response to hot temperatures in the first days
D. corals are whitened mainly because of warm temperatures
4.Scientists reached the conclusion through .
A. news report B. scientific study C. great imaginationD.natural conditions
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Climate change has already begun to impact our planet in more ways than we can think.
1. Saving the environment starts with us and it is our responsibility to act against these terrible changes to preserve the planet for future generations.
Make your commute green. Millions of people drive to work every day. 2. However, the downside to this is that millions of cars emit greenhouse gases that destroy our atmosphere. There are always other options that you can utilize to make your commute to work eco-friendly. For starters, taking public transportation to work is a great way to cut out emissions. Riding your bike to work is also incredibly helpful to the environment and is a great method to get exercise.
Be more conservative with energy usage. Becoming more energy efficient is a great way to prevent pollution. 3. Make sure to turn off lights and unplug devices that you are not using anymore when you are done with them. Replace your light bulbs with energy-efficient light bulbs to help you save electricity too.
Recycle. Manufacturing plants emit a large number of greenhouse gasses per year. It is unavoidable in the production of goods that we use on a regular basis. However, a cleaner alternative would be to invest in recycling. 4. The professionals will take these items to a processing plant where they will be remade into other recyclable materials again.
5. Focusing your efforts to spread awareness about renewable energy is the best way to create a positive impact in your community. By informing others about how renewable energy is better than fossil fuels (化石燃料), you will persuade others into investing in the idea.
A.Educate yourself and others.
B.Encourage the use of renewable energies.
C.It’s simply unavoidable in our modern-day society.
D.Be sure to collect your abandoned paper, plastic and electronics.
E.Fortunately, there are always things we can do to fight against it.
F.This requires you to cut down on energy usage in your household.
G.Recycling is a cost-effective and eco-friendly process that eliminates waste.
高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
I don’t know what the change in his thinking.
| A．brings in | B．brought about | C．brought up | D．has brought up |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Climate change will increase US wildfires,and the smoky air will cause terrible problems in areas far beyond those burned,reports an environmental group Thursday.
Two-thirds of Americans,or nearly 212 million,lived in states suffering from wildfire smoke three years ago,according to the report by the Natural Resources Defense Council(NRDC).These areas,which had smoke for at least a week,were nearly 50 times greater than those burned directly by fire.
“It affects a much wide area of the United States than people have realized.” says author Kim Knowlton,a Columbia University health professor,adding the smoke can move up to hundreds of miles.She says the smoke contains air pollution and can cause several kinds of diseases.
Texas was hit hardest in 2011,when smoke stayed for at least a week in areas that are home to 25 million people,according to NRDC’s report.Illinois,which recorded no wildfires within its borders,came second with
nearly 12 million people affected by smoke that moved in from elsewhere.The other eight states with the most people in touch with smoky air were,in descending order: Florida,Missouri,Georgia,Louisiana,Michigan,Alabama,Oklahoma and Iowa.
Nearly two dozen states had no wildfires within their borders in 2011,but eight of them still had at least one week of smoky air: Illinois,Missouri，Iowa,Kansas,Nebraska,Indiana,Wisconsin and Ohio.
Only 18 states and the District of Columbia had no people in touch with at least a week of smoke that year,although five of them—Alaska,California,Hawaii,Nevada and Utah—had a large area burned by wildfires.
The problem will only get worse.Knowlton says.Scientific research shows climate is causing higher temperatures and health problems.
1.We can learn from the first two paragraphs that_______.
A. climate change killed many Americans
B. there are fewer states burned by wildfires
C. every state had wildfire smoke for at least a week
D. most Americans suffered from wildfire smoke 3 year ago
2.Which of the following states had wildfires within its borders in 2011?
A. Iowa. B. Kansas.
C. Ohio. D. California.
3.The underlined word “descending” in the fourth paragraph probably means _______.
A. going down B. coming true
C. looking practical D. turning back
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. Climate change causes more wildfires.
B. Wildfire smoke becomes a serious health problem.
C. More wildfires cause climate changes.
D. Air pollution becomes a terrible problem.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
China has made efforts to respond to _______ climate change, and set targets to control greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
| A．/; / | B．/; the | C．the; / | D．the; the |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
We already know the fastest, least expensive way to slow climate change: Use less energy. With a little effort, and not much money, most of us could reduce our energy diets by 25 percent or more—doing the Earth a favor while also helping our wallets.
Not long age. My wife, PJ, and I tried a new diet—not to lose a little weight but to answer an annoying question about climate change. Scientists have reported recently that the world is bending up even faster than predicted only a few years ago, and that the consequences could be severe if we don’t keep reducing emissions（排放）of carbon dioxide（CO2）and other greenhouse gases that are trapping heat in our atmosphere.
We decided to try an experiment. For one month we recorded our personal emissions of CO2. . We wanted to see how much we could cut back, so we went on a strict diet. The average US household（家庭）produces about 150 pounds of CO2 a day by doing common-place things like turning on air-conditioning or driving cars. That’s more than twice the European average and almost five times the global average, mostly because Americans drive more and have bigger houses. But how much should we try to reduce?
For an answer, I checked with Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth. In his book, he had challenged readers to make deep cuts in personal emissions to keep the world from reaching extremely important tipping points, such as the melting（融化）of the ice sheets in Greenland or West Antarctica. “To stay below that point, we need to reduce CO2 emissions by 80 percent,” he said.
Good advice, I thought. I’d opened our bedroom windows to let in the wind. We’d gotten so used to keeping our air-conditioning going around the clock. I’d almost forgotten the windows even opened. We should not let this happen again. It’s time for us to change our habits if necessary.
1.Why did the author and his wife try a new diet?
A. To take special kinds of food B. To respond to climate change.
C. To lose weight D. To improve their health
2.The underlined words “tipping points” most probably refer to
A. freezing points B. burning points C. melting points D. boiling points
3.It can be inferred from the passage that
A. it is necessary to keep the air-conditioning on all the time
B. it seems possible for every household to cut emissions of CO2
C. the average US household produces about 3,000 pounds of CO2 a month
D. the average European household produces about 1,000 pounds of CO2 a month
4.Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A. Saving Energy Starts at Home
B. Changing Our Habits Begins at Work
C. Changing Climate Sounds Reasonable
D. Reducing Emissions of CO2 Proves Difficult
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
We already know the fastest, least expensive way to slow climate change: Use less energy. With a little effort, and not much money, most of us could reduce our energy diets by 25 percent or more—doing the Earth a favor while also helping our wallets.
Not long ago, my wife, PJ, and I tried a new diet—not to lose a little weight but to answer an annoying question about climate change. Scientists have reported recently that the world is bending up even faster than predicted only a few years ago, and that the consequences could be severe if we don’t keep reducing emissions（排放）of carbon dioxide（CO2）and other greenhouse gases that are trapping heat in our atmosphere. 21世纪We decided to try an experiment. For one month we recorded our personal emissions of CO2. . We wanted to see how much we could cut back, so we went on a strict diet. The average US household（家庭）produces about 150 pounds of CO2 a day by doing common-place things like turning on air-conditioning or driving cars. That’s more than twice the European average and almost five times the global average, mostly because Americans drive more and have bigger houses. But how much should we try to reduce? For an answer, I checked with Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth. In his book, he had challenged readers to make deep cuts in personal emissions to keep the world from reaching extremely important tipping points, such as the melting（融化）of the ice sheets in Greenland or West Antarctica. “To stay below that point, we need to reduce CO2 emissions by 80 percent,” he said.
Good advice, I thought. I’d opened our bedroom windows to let in the wind. We’d gotten so used to keeping our air-conditioning going around the clock. I’d almost forgotten the windows even opened. We should not let this happen again. It’s time for us to change our habits if necessary.
1. Why did the author and his wife try a new diet?
A. To take special kinds of food B. To respond to climate change.
C. To lose weight D. To improve their health
2.The underlined words “tipping points” most probably refer to .
A. freezing points B. burning points C. melting points D. boiling points
3.It can be inferred from the passage that 2___. ..
A. it is necessary to keep the air-conditioning on all the time ..
B. it seems possible for every household to cut emissions of CO2
C. the average US household produces about 3,000 pounds of CO2 a month.
D. the average European household produces about 1,000 pounds of CO2 a month.
4.Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A. Saving Energy Starts at Home B. Changing Our Habits Begins at work
C. Changing Climate Sounds Reasonable D. Reducing Emissions of CO2 Proves Difficult
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
As we know, the earth's climate has changed over time.The present rate of climate change depends, in large part, on human activities.Today, people all over the world are making everyday choices that help the environment.Small actions matter.In other words, climate change is your business.
A woman in Nicaragua buys fluorescent (荧光的) light bulbs that are 80 percent more energysaving than traditional ones. Many governments are now subsidizing energysaving lights to encourage people to turn to them.Consumers are discovering that the newgeneration bulbs help them save money in the long run.
Agriculture accounts for about 14 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions (排放) , and transporting the food around adds to the environmental cost.There is a team of young vegetable growers in the United Kingdom who want to encourage kids to start planting their own fruit and vegetables.
A young lawyer wearing business clothes rides her bicycle to work in a large U．S.city.She's been biking to work every day for the past two years and says it's a lot easier than many people think.A recent study shows that more Americans bike or walk to work today than before.
A university student from southeastern China carries a reusable shopping bag to cut back on disposable (一次性的) plastics.Some large shopkeepers have removed paper and plastic bags, and consumers are responding.
In Canberra, Australia, summers are hot and winters cold.To save electricity, Adam Wilson in Canberra uses an energysaving heating system, and he keeps the temperature lower than he did in years past.He still makes it through the summer without air conditioning.
1.The passage mainly tells us that________.
A．climate change is concerned with everyone
B．the global warming is getting worse
C．saving energy is of great necessity
D．human is to destroy the environment
2.The underlined word “subsidizing” in Paragraph 2 probably means “________”．
A．charging B．producing
C．giving allowance to D．taking advantage of
3.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A．The governments don't expect consumers to use the newgeneration bulbs.
B．Agriculture should be responsible for part of the global gas emissions.
C．Many people in Nicaragua go to work on foot or by bike.
D．University students from China always carry disposable shopping bags.
4.We can learn from the last paragraph that________.
A．the climate in Canberra is mild all the year round
B．an energysaving heating system will come into use
C．Adam Wilson has a good habit of saving energy
D．Adam Wilson is skilled in inventing the energysaving equipment
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The environmental group 350.org has launched a new campaign called Climate Name Change that proposes to revise to how hurricanes are named: call them after policymakers who say that humans are not to blame for global warming.
This will save the Katrinas and Sandys of the world from the injustice of having their names attached to major disaster, the group says. And, as a bonus, it will produce some peculiar weather reports.
“Rick Perry leaves trail of death,” appears under a broadcast titled “Rick Perry: The Tragedy.”
“Michelle Bachman is incredibly dangerous. If you value your life, please seek shelter from Michelle Bachman,” says an official while addressing a news conference.
The campaign is unlikely to influence the World Meteorological Organization, which has since 1954 named Atlantic tropical storms from an official list.
But the campaign’s goal seems less to actually name a hurricane after the speaker of the house, and more to call attention to an issue that this month has reached an alarming level of seriousness. The campaign comes just a month before the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will release its most recent report on the state of global warming and a week after a draft（草稿）of the report was given away to Reuters.
In the draft, scientists concluded with near certainty – about 95 percent sure – that humans are to blame for the worldwide temperature hikes over the last few decades. That was a revision from the 2007 report, which put scientific certainty that human activities were driving global climate change at about 90 percent.
And global warming, the report said, is not slowing down – it, actually, is accelerating. That means that sea levels could balloon upward as much as three feet by the end of the century, if emissions(排放量) continue at their current pace.
Still, as the Washington Post Climate notes, hurricanes are not the best sign of global warming. Though current data suggests that global warming will in the future stir up terrible super storms, there is still not enough evidence to support the idea that climate change strengthens the recent hurricanes that have torn at the US’s eastern coastline.
1.It can be inferred that__________ is one of the policymakers who believe that humans are not to blame for global warming.
A. Katrina B. Rick Perry C. Flossie D. Sandy
2.350.org has launched the campaign with the real purpose of _________________.
A. changing the ways of naming hurricanes
B. introducing the methods of naming hurricanes
C. reminding policymakers to change their attitudes
D. calling attention to the coming report on global warming
3.The draft of the global warming report tells us that _____________.
A. global warming is speeding up at the same rate
B. it is human beings that have caused global warming
C. the new report has a more accurate data than the one in 2007
D. human beings are not the only one to blame for global warming
4.The writer of the passage seems to believe that______________.
A. policymakers should be blamed for the global warming
B. the campaign will cause the change of naming hurricanes
C. global warming has no necessary relation to terrible hurricanes
D. global warming will surely cause terrible super storms in the future
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析