The problem of carbon emission ____ at Copenh...

The problem of carbon emission ____ at Copenhagen Summit has aroused the public’s wide concern.

A. discussed                        B. having been discussed

C. being discussed                  D. to be discussed

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

China made a commitment to the world in the Copenhagen Summit that by 2020, the carbon-intensity of its economy ______ fall 40% to 45%.

A. shall　　　　　　 B. may　　　　　　　　 C. must　　　　　　　 D. should

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

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COPENHAGEN—The world is gathered in Copenhagen for the U.N. climate summit, but Denmark’s bicycle-friendly capital has also given its name to a movement of cities trying to find a kinder way to commute（往返上下班）.

Nearly 40 percent of Copenhagen’s population cycle to work or school on ubiquitous（无处不在的） paved cycle paths. Many residents take to their bikes year-round, braving rain and snow through the winter in a city where the bicycles outnumber the people.

Amsterdam and Beijing too are known for their bicycles, but the Danish capital is where urban planners from around the world have been looking for ways to get their people out of cars and up onto bikes, an effort known as Copenhagenisation.

Klaus Bondam, Copenhagen’s technical and environmental chief, calls himself a “mega cyclist” and says the bike’s popularity stems partly from high taxes on cars which meant working-class Danes could not afford to drive in the 1930s and 40s. “Today you’ll meet everybody on the bicycle lanes --- women and men, rich and poor, old and young,” Bondam said.

The local government has during the last three years invested more than 250 million crowns ($49.42 million) in bicycle lanes and to make the traffic safer for bicyclists. Today around a third of the population drive cars to work or study, another third take public transport, while 37 percent cycle -- a figure the city aims to boost to 50 percent by 2015.

There are many benefits when citizens choose bicycles over cars: pollution and noise decline, public health improves, and more people on bikes or walking creates a sense of safety in the city. Fewer parked cars leaves more space for playgrounds, parks, shopping areas and other useful public places.

54．According to the first paragraph, Copenhagen is better known as __________.

A．a city without cars               B．a bicycle-friendly city

C．Denmark’s capital                D．the U.N. climate summit

55．We can learn from the second and the third paragraph, _________.

A．there is no path for cars during rainy and snowy days

B．citizens are limited to have only one bike for each person

C．two-thirds of people in Copenhagen cycle to work or school

D．city planners try their best to encourage more citizens to ride bikes

56．Bikes are popular in Copenhagen partly because __________.

A．the citizens are unable to afford to buy a car

B．the rich tend to keep fit by cycling to work

C．young people regard cycling a fashion to follow

D．high taxes were paid for cars in the 1930s and 40s

57．Which of the following is NOT the benefit of cycling?

A．Saving time on the road.             B．Declining pollution and noise.

C．Improving public health.             D．Creating safety in the city.

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Ocean Acidification: 'Evil Twin' Threatens World's Oceans

The rise in human emissions of carbon dioxide is driving dangerous changes in the chemistry and ecosystems of the world's oceans, international marine（海洋的）scientists have warned. "Ocean conditions are already more extreme than those experienced by marine organisms and ecosystems for millions of years," says the latest issue of the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution. "This emphasizes the urgent need to adopt policies that markedly reduce CO2 emissions."

Ocean acidification, which the researchers call the 'evil twin of global warming', is caused when the CO2 emitted by human activity, mainly burning fossil fuels, dissolves into the oceans. It is happening independently of, but in combination with, global warming. Evidence gathered by scientists over the last few years suggests that ocean acidification could represent an equal -- or perhaps even greater threat -- to the biology of our planet than global warming. More than 30% of the CO2 released from burning fossil fuels, cement production, deforestation and other human activities goes straight into the oceans, turning them gradually more acidic.

"The resulting acidification will impact many forms of sea life, especially organisms whose shells or skeletons are made from calcium carbonate（碳化钙）, like corals and shellfish. It may interfere with the reproduction of plankton species which are a vital part of the food web on which fish and all other sea life depend," he adds.

The scientists say there is now persuasive evidence that mass extinctions in past Earth history, like the "Great Dying" of 251 million years ago and another wipeout 55 million years ago, were accompanied by ocean acidification, which may have delivered the deathblow to many species that were unable to cope with it. "These past periods can serve as great lessons of what we can expect in the future, if we continue to push the acidity the ocean even further" said lead author, Dr. Carles Pelejero, from ICREA and the Marine Science Institute of CSIC in Barcelona, Spain. "Given the impacts we see in the fossil record, there is no question about the need to immediately reduce the rate at which we are emitting carbon dioxide in the atmosphere," he said further.

"Today, the surface waters of the oceans have already acidified by an average of 0.1 pH units from pre-industrial levels, and we are seeing signs of its impact even in the deep oceans," said co-author Dr. Eva Calvo, from the Marine Science Institute of CSIC in Spain. "Future acidification depends on how much CO2 humans emit from here on -- but by the year 2100 various projections indicate that the oceans will have acidified by a further 0.3 to 0.4 pH units, which is more than many organisms like corals can stand," Prof. Hoegh-Guldberg says.

"This will create conditions not seen on Earth for at least 40 million years."

"These changes are taking place at rates as much as 100 times faster than they ever have over the last tens of millions of years" Prof. Hoegh-Guldberg says. Besides directly impacting on the fishing industry and its contribution to the human food supply at a time when global food demand is doubling, a major die-off in the oceans would affect birds and many land species and change the biology of Earth as a whole profoundly, Prof. Hoegh-Guldberg adds.

1.What is the biggest cause of the ocean acidification according to the report?

A. the increase of carbon dioxide emission by human beings

B. The worsening of global warming

C. The disappearance of the world’s forests

D. The decrease of marine life

2.In what way according to the report does ocean acidification affect the majority of marine life?

A. It affects their reproduction          B. It destroys their food chain

C. It affects the growth of their young    D. destroys their habitats

3.Which of the following statements is NOT true about ocean acidification?

A. Ocean acidification has made ocean conditions most extreme in millions of years.

B. Ocean acidification may do more damage than global warming to human and plant life in the long run.

C. Ocean acidification is suspected of having caused mass extinctions of life in past Earth history.

D. The effects of ocean acidification are not now but will be felt in the foreseeable future.

4.From the report we can clearly feel that the situation with ocean acidification __________.

A. is quite optimistic                B. remains well under control

C. looks more than urgent            D. is already out of control

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Scientists are warning that ________ emissions of carbon (碳排放) are cut, we could be heading for an environmental disaster.

A．before　     B．as

C． unless　     D．in case

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The argument that human-caused carbon emissions(排放) are merely a drop in the bucket compared to greenhouse gases generated by volcanoes has been making its way around the rumor mill for years. And while it seems to be reasonable, the science just doesn't back it up.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the world's volcanoes, both on land and undersea, generate about 200 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually, while our automotive and industrial activities cause some 24 billion tons of CO2 emissions every year worldwide. Despite the arguments to the contrary, the facts speak for themselves: Greenhouse gas emissions from volcanoes compose less than one percent of those generated by today's human activities.

Another indication that human emissions surpass those of volcanoes is the fact that atmospheric CO2 levels, as measured by sampling stations around the world, have gone up consistently year after year regardless of whether or not there have been major volcanic eruptions in specific years. “If it were true that individual volcanic eruptions dominated human emissions and were causing the rise in carbon dioxide concentrations, then these carbon dioxide records would be full of spikes —one for each eruption,” says Coby Beck, a journalist writing for online environmental news. “Instead, such records show a smooth and regular trend.”

Furthermore, some scientists believe that volcanic eruptions, like that of Mt.St. Helens in 1980 and Mt. Pinatubo in 1991, actually lead to short-term global cooling, not warming, as sulfur dioxide (SO2), ash and other particles in the air and stratosphere(平流层) reflect some solar energy instead of letting it into Earth's atmosphere. SO2, which converts to sulfuric acid aerosol, when it hits the stratosphere, can linger there for as long as seven years and can exercise a cooling effect long after a volcanic eruption has taken place.

Scientists tracking the effects of the major 1991 eruption of the Philippines’ Mt. Pinatubo found that the overall effect of the blast was to cool the surface of the Earth globally by some 0.5 degrees Celsius a year later, even though rising human greenhouse gas emissions and an El Nino event caused some surface warming during the 1991-1993 study period.

In an interesting twist on the issue, British researchers last year published an article in the peer reviewed scientific journal Nature showing how volcanic activity may be contributing to the melting of ice caps in Antarctica but not because of any emissions, natural or man-made. Instead, scientists Hugh Corr and David Vaughan of the British Antarctic Survey believe that volcanoes underneath Antarctica may be melting the continents ice sheets from below, just as warming air temperatures from human-induced emissions erode them from above.

1.According to Paragraph 1, some people argue that　　 .

A.their opinion is supported by science.

B.volcanoes generate most of the greenhouse gases.

C.human activities are to blame for greenhouse gases.

D.carbon emissions produced by volcanoes are increasing.

2.What does the underlined word “spikes" in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A.Sudden increases. B.Smooth trends.

C.Stable regularities. D.Sharp declines.

3.What do the scientists mentioned in this passage believe about volcanic eruptions?

A.They brought about global warming.

B.They actually partly cooled the surface of the Earth.

C.They melted the ice sheets in Antarctic from above.

D.They dominated human emissions in greenhouse effect.

4.The purpose of the passage is to 　 .

A.compare the results of the studies.

B.contradict a view held by some people.

C.present new findings for greenhouse phenomenon.

D.report the effects of CO2, in greenhouse phenomenon.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Because of health problems, Peter cannot continue to work at the same full pace 　　 he has done up to now.

A. as　　 B. which

C. when　　 D. where

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Low-carbon lifestyle is of great benefit to improve the world environment, but the problem is difficult to _________．

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

He managed to reach the summit of his career, but it was at the ______ of his health.

A. consumption　　　　 B. credit

C. exhaustion　　　　　 D. expense

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

He managed to reach the summit of his career, but it was at the ________ of his health.

A. consumption  B. consequence  C. expense  D. evidence

高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析