An increase of just 2°C in global temperature...

An increase of just 2°C in global temperatures could make the world considerably drier and more desert-like, new research has warned.

More than a quarter of the world's land surface, home to more than 1.5 billion people, would become more arid and droughts and wildfires could be widespread. Limiting global warming to 1.5℃ would dramatically reduce the percentage of the Earth's surface affected, scientists found.

“Aridification (干旱化) would emerge over 20 to 30 percent of the world's land surface by the time the global temperature change reaches 2℃”，said Dr Manoj Joshi from the University of East Anglia’s School of Environmental Sciences and one of the study's co-authors.

The research team studied projections from 27 global climate models and identified areas of the world where aridity will greatly change. The most affected areas are parts of South East Asia, Southern Europe, Southern Africa, Central America and Southern Australia. These areas are home to more than .20 percent of the world's population — that’s over 1.5 billion people.

The study looked at the current rate of global temperature increase and compared it to data from before the industrial revolution. The world has already warmed by 1℃since then. Two thirds of the affected regions could avoid significant aridification if warming is limited to 1.5℃, researchers found.　　

The Paris Agreement, which was first signed in 2015, is an international agreement to control climate change. It hopes to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2℃ and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5℃.

But the local protectionism makes it possible that the world may become drier and the horrific scenes of the Californian wildfires may become more common. The fire burned more than 440 square miles of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and destroyed more than 1,000 structures after breaking out in early December.

1.What should we do to prevent aridification?

A.We should limit the temperature rise to 2°C.

B.We should limit the temperature rise to 1.5°C.

C.We should limit the industrial development.

D.We should limit the global population.

2.Which country is most likely to be affected by aridification?

A.China. B.Russia. C.Canada. D.Philippine.

3.Why does the author mention the Californian wildfires in the text?

A.To show the harm of aridification.

B.To emphasize the loss of the fire.

C.To support the local protectionism.

D.To tell us wildfires are common.

4.What is Dr Manoj's attitude towards the global temperature change?

A.Indifferent. B.Approving. C.Concerned. D.Unclear.

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

Speaking two languages rather than just one has obvious practical benefits in an increasingly globalized world．But in recent years, scientists have begun to show that the advantages of bilingualism （双语能力） are even more important than being able to converse with a wider range of people．Being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter．It can have a deep effect on your brain, improving skills not related to language and even protecting against a serious mental disorder in old age．

This view of bilingualism is different from the understanding of bilingualism through much of the 20th century．Researchers, educators and policy makers long considered a second language to be an interruption that prevented a child's school work and ability to think and understand things．They were not wrong about the interruption: there is ample evidence that in a bilingual \s brain both language systems are active even when he is using only one language, thus creating situations in which one system disturbs the other．But this interruption, researchers are finding out, isn't so much a disturbance．It forces the brain to solve inside conflict, giving the mind a workout that strengthens its thinking muscles．

The key difference between bilinguals and monolinguals may be more basic: a heightened ability to monitor the environment．"Bilinguals have to switch languages quite often—you may talk to your father in one language and to your mother in another language," says Albert Costa, a researcher at the University of Pompea Fabra in Spain．

"It requires keeping track of changes around you in the same way that we monitor our surroundings when driving．" In a study comparing German-Italian bilinguals with Italian monolinguals on monitoring tasks, Mr．Costa and his colleagues found that the bilingual subjects not only performed better, but they also did so with less activity in parts of the brain involved in monitoring, showing that they did better in it．

1.From the passage we can learn that experts used to believe that ______．

A．interruption forced a bilingual's brain to strengthen its thinking ability

B．a second language stopped children's studying as well as mental development

C．using two languages annoyed the children who have trouble in learning skills

D．language systems were busy in a bilingual's brain when he was using languages

2.The underlined word "switch" in Paragraph 3 probably means "______"．

A．change      B．use         C．speak     D．study

3.What is the author's attitude towards bilingualism?

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

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

A．How Bilinguals Use Languages

B．What Bilingualism Is Really about

C．Why Bilinguals Are More Intelligent

D．When People Learn a Second Language

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Rising sea levels and drought caused by global warming could          an increasing number of natural disasters.

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

Global warming is the increase of the earth’s average surface temperature due to the effect of greenhouse gases, for example, carbon dioxide, which trap heat that would otherwise escape from the earth. After the trees are cut down and more greenhouse gases are released, the “blanket” around the earth called the ozone layer (臭氧层), will get thicker. This catches more heat and makes the earth hotter. Luckily, there are many things that every citizen of the earth can do to help reduce the effects of global warming, and it’s never too late or too early for children to take action.

The children should learn what a carbon footprint is. A carbon footprint is the amount of carbon and greenhouse gases people make as they lead the daily life and go about the normal activities. In other words, the carbon footprint is a measure of the environmental impact (冲击) the life has. To live an environmentally friendly life that doesn’t contribute to global warming, people want to have the smallest carbon footprint possible.

Almost everything people do contributes to global warming and is related to fossil fuel consumption. These can be direct uses of fossil fuels, like riding in a gasoline-powered car, or indicrect contributions to greenhouse gases, such as eating fruits or vegetables that had to be shipped from far way to reach their tables.

If a child wants to make a contribution to reducing global warming, he should ride a bicycle to the near park, school, his friend’s house, or anywhere else instead of taking the car. Or he may try to walk or jog, which is also helpful. In addition, although trains and buses often run on fossil fuels, on average, each person uses less energy and produces less pollution to run. Next time if children with their parents have to get around town or it’s too far to walk or bike, take the bus or other public transportation instead of asking for a ride.

1.What is the first paragraph mainly about?

A.A brief description of carbon footprint

B.The serious water pollution.

C.The protection of ozone layer.

D.The causes of global warming

2.Which of the following can describe the carbon footprint?

A.Useless. B.Expensive.

C.Helpful. D.Attractive.

3.What can kids do if they want to help reduce global warming?

A.Go to the near park by bus.

B.Walk or cycle as much as possible.

C.Keep staying at home or school.

D.Go around the town with parents by car.

4.What can be a suitable title for the text?

A.What Can People Do to Use Less Energy?

B.How Can Kids Help Reduce Global Warming?

C.How Does Carbon Footprints Measure Pollution?

D.Why Global Warming Affects Humans’ Life?

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Globalization

Great advances in technology and communications have been made during the past 20 years.In consequence,people around the world have become more connected.The growing link between nations and people of the world is called globalization.1.

Perhaps the biggest change in this process is the effect of globalization on commerce,that is, free trade.Free trade removes certain limits to global commerce to make it easier for nations to exchange goods.A further aim of this process is to aid poor nations and thus reduce poverty. Globalization has indeed increased trade worldwide.2.

The debate about recent trends in global commerce is complex.Those who support free trade in the global market point out that competition lowers prices. 3. For example,the imported milk from the US was cheaper than local milk in Jamaica,so more poor people could drink milk and improve their nutrition.Meanwhile,the cheaper milk put local dairy farmers out of business.

4.When a poor nation begins trading on the global level,it gains certain benefits. Its economy grows rapidly.Multinational companies set up factories,which provide jobs for people.Supporters claim that these factors reduce poverty and lessen the gap between the richest and poorest nations.

5.Although they agree that the global market can offer growth and jobs to poor nations,they doubt whether it reduces poverty.In fact,they cite studies that show that poverty has increased as a result of the global market.

Regardless of which side they are on,most experts believe that globalization has great potential to aid the poor.

A.Both sides need to find a way to make it work.

B.However,experts disagree about its effects on the poor.

C.In this sense,globalization caused as much harm as good..

D.Critics of unrestricted free trade question these conclusions.

E.It is a trend that has changed ways of life throughout the world.

F.In contrast,others argue that free trade often harms poor nations.

G.Those support free trade in the global market for a number of reasons.

高二英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析

Most of the new diseases we humans have faced in the past several decades have come from animals. The more we come into contact with wild animals, the more we risk a so-called disease “spillover” from animals to humans.

“As people move and wildlife move in response to a changing environment, humans and wildlife and animals will come in contact more regularly,” said Jeanne Fair from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Fair argues that by shifting animal habitats, climate change will also make the opportunities for disease spillover more frequent. “Everything is sort of shifting and will shift into the future as the environment changes through climate change,” Fair said.

Scientists, including climatologists and epidemiologists (流行病学家) on Fair’s team at Los Alamos, are beginning to model how changes to the climate will impact the spread of infectious diseases. It’s early days for this kind of research, but previous studies suggest that extreme weather has already played a role in at least one outbreak. Scientists say drought and deforestation have combined to force bats out of rain forests and into orchards (果园) in Malaysia to find food. Those bats, a common disease reservoir, then passed the Nipah virus through pigs to humans for the first time in the late 1990s.

“We’re going by the past data to really predict what’s going to happen in the future,” Fair said, “And so, anytime you increase that wildlife-human interface, that’s sort of an emerging disease hot spot. And so, that’s just increasing as we go forward.”

Jeffrey Shaman, head of the climate and health program at Columbia University’s public health school, argues we don’t yet know whether climate change will cause a net increase in infectious disease rates globally. For example, mosquitoes carry disease that affects millions of people across the world every year. As their habitats expand in some parts of the world, they might contract diseases elsewhere. Shaman says what we know for certain about climate change is that it will make it harder to predict where disease outbreaks will pop up.

1.How does climate change affect the spread of disease according to Fair?

A.By breaking animals’habits. B.By increasing animals’varieties.

C.By promoting animals’breeding. D.By changing animals’living environment.

2.What is the example of bats for in paragraph 3?

A.Explaining the influence of Nipah virus.

B.Proving the harm of bats to human beings.

C.Showing the effects of climate change on disease.

D.Presenting scientists’early study about the cause of disease.

3.What can we infer from Fair’s words in paragraph 4?

A.Humans should give up studying animals.

B.Frequent contact with animals can cause disease outbreaks.

C.Disease hot spots will disappear if animals die out.

D.Past data can solve the problems in the future.

4.What could be the best title for the text?

A.Climate Change and Disease Spillover

B.Animals’Interaction with Humans

C.Early Studies about Extreme Weather

D.Scientists’Prediction for Disease Outbreaks

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Minor Snow, the 20th solar term of the year, begins this year on Nov.22 and ends on Dec.6.

Here are five things you should know about Minor Snow.

Light snow

An ancient Chinese book about plants explains that “in Minor Snow, the weather is cold and it is going to snow, but the snow is light and the earth is not frozen enough.”

Drinking soup

During Minor Snow, indoor heating begins to work, making most people might find their noses and mouths feel a bit dry. The solution is to drink more hot soup, such as cabbage and bean curd soup, mutton and radish (小萝卜) soup and so on.

Eating glutinous (粘的) rice cakes

People have glutinous rice cakes around Minor Snow, which in ancient times, were a traditional festival offering to the bull god.

Making preserved pork

After Minor Snow, the temperature declines sharply and the air becomes dry. It is the best time to start making preserved pork to eat in the bitter winter, especially in the Spring Festival. In the past, when storage conditions were poor, people developed many ways to store food and preserved pork is one such example. Some even say preserved pork tastes more delicious than fresh meat.

Avoiding spicy food

On cold days, people may be greedy for some hot and spicy food to keep warm.Experts say it’s wise not to eat overly spicy food since that will increase your inner heat.

1.Which of the following is true about Minor Snow?

A.It will certainly snow in this term.

B.It has the coldest days of the year.

C.It is a term used in China’s northern areas.

D.It is a term concerned with weather in China.

2.Which food is recommended to eat in Minor Snow?

A.Cabbage and bean curd soup. B.Preserved pork.

C.Cakes. D.Spicy food.

3.Why did people make preserved pork in the past?

A.Because people found it hard to store meat in cold winter.

B.Because it was more delicious to eat than fresh meat.

C.Because people couldn’t afford to buy fresh pork.

D.Because nowhere could people buy fresh pork in winter.

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

课文语法回顾

All scientists subscribe to the view that the increase in the earth’s temperature is due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and oil to produce energy. Some byproducts of this process1. (call) “greenhouse” gases, and the most important one of2.is carbon dioxide. Dr. Janice Foster explained “There is a natural phenomenon3.is called the greenhouse effect. This is when small amounts of gases in the atmosphere, like carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour trap heat from the sun and therefore warm the earth. 4.for the greenhouse effect, the earth would be about 33 degrees Celsius cooler　 than it is. So, we need those gases. The problem begins when we add huge quantities of extra carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It means that more heat energy tends to be trapped in the atmosphere 5. (cause) the global temperature to go up.

高二英语语法填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

The Himalayan Mountains are home to the highest peak in Mount Everest. Now the first complete study of this remote region shows that is glaciers (冰川) lost billions of tons of ice from 2000 to 2016.

This is the first comprehensive look at what’s happened to glaciers in the Himalaya over a 40-year time, said lead author Joshua Masurer.

“Our study shows a strong signal of glacier ice loss linked to rising temperatures from climate change,” Maurer says. As much as quarter of the regions ice has been lost, he said, “Temperatures in the region have risen one degree, and one degree was indeed enough to produce such a great loss of glacier ice.”

The signal showing Himalayan ice loss linked to rising temperatures would not be so clear if it weren’t for the U. S satellites that photographed the region. Declassified photos from those satellites were turned into 3-D models to show what the glaciers’ elevations and sizes were in the 1970s, Maurer said. Those were then compared to more recent complex NASA satellite photos that shows changing elevations of the ice over time.

The ice and snow in the region are the source for Asia’s great rivers. The study did not include the huge neighbouring ranges of high mountains, but other studies suggest that similar melting is under way there as well.

This melting means flooding and the creation of many glacial lakes. In May 2012, one such flood killed over 60 people in villages near Pokhara, Nepal; it also destroyed houses. Some 800 million people depend in part on rivers from Himalayan glaciers for irrigation, making electricity, and drinking water. The more rapid melting appears to increase the river water during warm seasons, but scientists say that will decrease within decades as the glaciers lose mass.

1.Why did the glaciers in the Himalayan Mountains lose much ice?

A.Many people used the ice to make electricity.

B.The climate change increased the temperature.

C.America used satellite to increase one degree Celsius.

D.The flooding and many glacial lakes took much ice away.

2.How did the scientists get the conclusion?

A.By making an interview.

B.By studying the finding of other scientists.

C.By collecting information by means of satellites.

D.By comparing the data collected by U. S. satellites.

3.What can we infer from Paragraph 5?

A.Only the glaciers in Himalayan Mountains lose ice.

B.Many great rivers run to the Himalayan Mountains.

C.Many Asian regions face the problem of ice loss.

D.The melting of ice is nothing serious.

4.What is the purpose of giving the example in the last paragraph?

A.To show the risk of living near mountains.

B.To show the risky consequence of the ice loss.

C.To ask people to take action to use glaciers.

D.To predict the future of the Himalayan Mountains.

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

The Israeli farmers who pioneered the revolutionary technology known as drip irrigation（滴流灌溉） weren’t trying to solve one of the world’s most urgent problems. They were just trying to survive. They lived in the desert, and they didn’t have enough water to grow their crops.

In its simplest form, it was little more than a pipe with holes in it. But behind each hole was a hi-tech dripper that let out just the right amount of water. Snaked along a row of crops so that the holes were positioned directly above the roots, the pipe could direct each precious drop of water directly to the plants, getting a bigger harvest while using a very small amount of water.

Over time, the farmers improved upon the technology, perfecting the drippers that regulated the flow of water, and connecting the pipelines to computers that could determine exactly how much water each plant needed and when.

If the global population kept growing, the rest of the world would increasingly resemble their little community in the desert. So they began selling their irrigation systems in other parts of the world, eventually expanding to more than 110 countries. Netafirm, the company says it’s lifting people out of poverty and conserving water at a time when the importance of doing so has never been clearer.

The mass adoption of drip irrigation won’t save the world by itself. To avoid the coming catastrophe, nearly everybody will, in some way, have to do more with less, perhaps through accepting and using other new technologies. Otherwise, it’s going to get ugly.

1.Why is drip irrigation called “the revolutionary technology”?

A.It saves the world all by itself.

B.It is controlled by computers.

C.It makes irrigation more effective.

D.It provides deserts with water.

2.What does “one of the world’s most urgent problems” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A.Lacking water. B.Lacking labor.

C.Lacking food. D.Lacking energy.

3.How does the drip irrigation help farmers with crops?

A.By drilling holes on the pipes.

B.By regulating water via drippers.

C.By snaking pipes along the crops.

D.By placing pipes just above roots.

4.Which of the following will be the best slogan for Netafirm to sell the irrigation systems?

A.Less water; More harvest.

B.New technology; New world.

C.More grain; Less starvation.

D.Water saving; World surviving.

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析