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A victim of climate change
A polar bear's dead body found on the Arctic island of Svalbard, the northernmost part of Norway, has shocked experts who say climate change may be to blame for the death. The starved polar bear in Norway was said to be in good bones by the time a group of explorers came across its body in July．
The bear is thought to have been heading north in a desperate search for sea ice that would allow it to hunt for seals．"From his lying position in death, the bear appears to simply have starved to health in April when the Norwegian Polar Institute examined and labeled it． However, the animal was reduced to skin and bones and died where he dropped," polar bear expert Dr. Ian Stirling, a professor at the University of Alberta said, "He had external suggestion of any remaining fat, having been reduced to little more than skin and bone．"
Stirling believes the bear starved to death as a result of a lack of sea ice which the animals use as a platform for hunting seals． That may also explain why the 16-year-old male bear was found about 155 miles north of where it was seen in April．
Arctic sea ice reached a record low in 2012, according to a report released this week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that pointed to continued signs of climate change．
The International Union for Conservation of Nature currently classifies polar bears as vulnerable on its Red List of Threatened Species．
1.How did Stirling know the reason for the death of the polar bear?
A．By the food he ate． B．By doing further experiments．
C．By observing other polar bears． D．By his lying position in death．
2.The underlined word "vulnerable" probably means _____．
A．easily hurt B．difficult to hunt
C．dangerous D．amazing
3.What is the author's attitude to the incident?
A．Favorable． B．Uncaring．
C．Doubtful． D．Concerned．
4.Where does this text probably come from?
A．A novel． B． A guidebook．
C．A news report． D．An advertisement．
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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A victim of climate change
A polar bear's dead body found on the Arctic island of Svalbard, the northernmost part of Norway, has shocked experts who say climate change may be to blame for the animal’s death.The starved polar bear in Norway was said to be in good health in April when the Norwegian Polar Institute examined and labeled it． However, the animal was reduced to skin and bones by the time a group of explorers came across its body in July．
The bear is thought to have been heading north in a desperate search for sea ice that would allow it to hunt for seals.
"From his lying position in death the bear appears to simply have starved and died where he dropped," polar bear expert Dr. Ian Stirling, a professor at the University of Alberta said, "He had external suggestion of any remaining fat, having been reduced to little more than skin and bone．"
Stirling believes the bear starved to death as a result of a lack of sea ice which the animals use as a platform for hunting seals． That may also explain why the 16-year-old male bear was found about 155 miles north of where it was seen in April．
Arctic sea ice reached a record low in 2012, according to a report released this week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that pointed to continued signs of climate change．
The International Union for Conservation of Nature currently classifies polar bears as vulnerable on its Red List of Threatened Species．
1.How did Stirling know the reason for the death of the polar bear?
A．By the food he ate
B．By doing further experiments
C．By observing other polar bears
D．By his lying position in death
2.The underlined word "vulnerable" probably means _____
A．easily hurt B．difficult to hunt
C．dangerous D．amazing
3.What is the author's attitude to the incident?
A．Favorable． B．Uncaring
C．Doubtful． D．Concerned
4.Where does this text probably come from?
A．A novel． B．A guidebook
C．A news report． D．An advertisement
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Because of global warming, the ice that polar bears depend on for survival _______.
A．are slowing disappearing
B．is slowly disappearing
C．are slowly disappeared
D．have slowly disappeared
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
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According to police _____, Mr. and Mrs. Hunt were found dead on the floor of their kitchen.
A. appointments B. accounts
C. agreements D. assistance.
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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According to police _____, Mr. and Mrs. Hunt were found dead on the floor of their kitchen.
A. appointments B. accounts
C. agreements D. assistance
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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WASHINGTON—Two-thirds of the world’s polar bear population could be gone by 2050 if predictions of melting sea ice hold true, the US Geological Survey reported on Friday.
The fate of polar bears could be even worse than that estimate, because sea ice in the Arctic might be disappearing faster than the available computer models predict, the geological survey said in a report aimed at determining whether the big white bear should be listed as a threatened species.
“There is a definite link between changes in the sea ice and the welfare of polar bears,” said Steve Amstrup, who led the research team. He says Arctic sea ice is already at the lowest this year and is expected to retreat(退却) farther this month.
That means that polar bears—some 16,000 of them -- will disappear by 2050 from parts of the Arctic where sea ice is melting most rapidly, along the north coasts of Alaska and Russia, researchers said in a telephone briefing(简报).
Other polar bears could survive beyond that date but many of those could be gone by 2100, Amstrup said. By this century’s end, the only polar bears left might live in the Canadian Arctic islands and along the west coast of Greenland.
“It is likely to result in loss of approximately two-thirds of the world’s current polar bear population by the mid 21st century,” the report’s executive summary said.
“Because the observed trajectory(轨迹)of Arctic sea ice decline appears to be underestimated by currently available models, this assessment of future polar bear status may be conservative(保守的).”
In January, the US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the polar bear as a threatened species, noting polar bears depend on sea ice as a platform to hunt seals, their main food.
Without enough sea ice, polar bears would be forced onto land, but they are poor hunters once they get out of the water and ice, the researchers said. The bears’ disappearance would probably take place as young cubs(幼兽)failed to survive to adulthood and females were unable to reproduce successfully.
1.What was the US Geological Survey intended to do?
A．To determine whether the polar bear was in danger.
B．To measure how fast the sea ice melts in the Arctic.
C．To check the predictions of the computer models.
D．To find out the exact number of the polar bear.
2.What causes the polar bears to disappear by 2050?
A．The pollution of the Arctic region. B．The sea ice melting at high speed
C．Fewer food sources being left. D．The temperature getting colder.
3.The key to preventing polar bears dying out seems to _______________.
A．help young polar bears to survive the cold winter
B．have large number of seals living in the oceans
C．make sure there is enough sea ice in the Arctic
D．provide chances for adult polar bears to reproduce
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Polar bears live mostly on __________ sea ice, which they use as __________ platform for hunting seals.
A. a; a B. a; the C. 不填; a D. the; 不填
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Polar bears live mostly on_______sea ice,which they use as_______platform for hunting seals.
A.a;a B.a;the
C.不填;a D.the;不填
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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The Arctic Circle—the habitat of polar bears and decreasing sea ice at the top of the world—hit 32 degrees Celsius, last week.
This was the temperature in Banak, Norway on July 30, though some Norwegian areas even reached a couple degrees warmer, according to the European meteorology site severe-weather.eu. Banak sits atop northern Europe, over 350 miles above the bottom edge of the Arctic Circle.
The greater Northern Hemisphere and Europe itself have been repeatedly scorched by both record and near-record temperatures this summer, a consequence of overall rising global temperatures.
In the past 40 years, Earth’s climate has experienced an accelerated warming trend, which adds an extra level of background warming to hot spells—making heatwaves more extreme, climate scientists have said.
A photo of what appears to be Scandinavian folks taking a dip in a river while reindeer—the cold-adapted herbivores(食草动物)—cooled off in the water beside them is perhaps the best example of just how hot it is in parts of the Arctic Circle right now.
The “warm season” in Banak is short, lasting around three months, but the very warmest day of the year, around July 23, is usually around 62 degrees Fahrenheit(华氏度)—about 30 degrees cooler than temperatures there now. Overall, temperatures in northern Europe are between 14 to 21 degrees Fahrenheit, 8 to 13 degrees Celsius, above average.
All-time temperature records were set in both Norway and Finland on July 30, including 86 degrees Fahrenheit, 30 degrees Celsius, in Verde, near Banak, though extreme or near-record temperatures blanketed the region.
Persistent heat and dryness this summer have transformed normally green European countries into brown and yellow lands, and the continent’s extreme heat is expected to persist.
Andrew Derocher, a professor at the University of Alberta who studies polar bears, said climate change is shrinking the ice bears usually hunt on, making them faced with the danger of extinction.
1.What does the underlined word “scorched” in the third paragraph probably mean?
A. burned B. achieved
C. scored D. reached
2.What does the photo show according to the author?
A. Scandinavian folks like to swim in a river.
B. Reindeer have adapted to the cold climate.
C. The ice there has totally been melted into water.
D. The temperature of the Arctic Circle now is high.
3.What can you learn from Professor Derocher’s words?
A. Maybe bears will die out in the near future.
B. Climate change is threatening polar bears.
C. He is worried about the shrinking of the sea ice.
D. He advises people to do something to improve the condition.
4.Where may you find this article?
A. In a fashion magazine. B. In a news report.
C. In a geography textbook. D. In a travel handbook.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Local police said a large number of civilians are among the victims and many of the bodies were reportedly burned __________.
A.beyond control B.beyond description
C.beyond repair D.beyond recognition
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析