高中英语《UnitGlobalwarming》阅读训练人教版选修

Global Warming

Section A

本文词数:302 参考时间:2'40''

Rising temperatures in coming years would lead to less sea ice in the Southern Ocean that surrounds Antarctica and fewer habitats and feeding grounds for penguins, says the World Wildlife Fund (世界自然基金会) in its report 2 Degrees is Too Much.

Antarctica and the Arctic are the most threatened regions from climate change. In the Antarctica, the temperature has risen 2.5 degrees in the past 50 years. This speed is nearly five times faster than that before the Industrial Revolution. It is mainly caused by burning fossil fuels. Unless nations reduce carbon dioxide emission1, the world will warm by an average of 2 degrees in less than 40 years. Rich nations should agree to reduce greenhouse gas emission. Temperatures near the Poles have risen much faster, which has led glaciers2 on the Antarctic Peninsula to melt3 quickly.

The situation is quite critical, because in the past 50 years the number of emperor penguins (帝企鹅) has decreased by 50 percent across the whole Antarctica. On the Antarctic Peninsula’s northwest coast, the number of Adelie penguins (阿德里企鹅) has dropped surprisingly over the past 25 years.

Fifty percent of the habitats of the emperor penguin and 75 percent of the habitats of the Adelie penguin face a rapid reduction, or even disappearance, if the global temperature rises 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

With a 2-degree increase in global temperature and the decrease in sea ice thickness, emperor penguins will find it difficult to find new areas to live. With less sea ice, penguins could be pushed further south, but this could prevent them from hunting for food during the dark winters, because they need at least a few hours of daylight to find their food.

Notes:

1. emission n. 排放

2. glacier n. 冰川

3. melt v. 融化

词数:150处理时间:2′45″

Read the passage and then choose the best answer for each question.

1. The purpose of the passage is to _____.

A. introduce readers to the Adelie penguins and emperor penguins

B. tell readers about the rising temperatures in the Antarctica

C. tell readers about the effect of global warming

D. warn people that Antarctica is becoming smaller and smaller

2. In the writer’s opinion, what has caused global warming?

A. That the earth is getting hotter and hotter.

B. That the atmosphere of the earth is becoming thinner.

C. That carbon dioxide emission is too high.

D. That the use of oxygen in the air is out of control.

3. From the first paragraph, what do you think the author wants to tell us?