Question

Everybody knows that Earth spins from west to east. That is to say, it appears to be turning counterclockwise (逆时针) rapidly when viewed from above the North Pole. But what if Earth started spinning the other way?

Scientists from Germany have made a computer simulation in which Earth spins in the opposite direction—clockwise when viewed from above the North Pole. This showed them some interesting things about the weather and geography on Earth, Live Science reported.

As Earth spins in a counterclockwise direction, it shapes certain ocean currents(洋流). The direction of ocean currents, together with winds, produces different weathers around the globe. But a backward spin changes the ocean currents and winds. ▲ Western areas of the lands on Earth cool down as the eastern parts warm up. Winters become even colder in northwestern Europe, while eastern Russia becomes warmer than before. Rain no longer falls on the planet's wettest places.

Another result of a backward spin is that Earth becomes greener. Scientists found that global desert(沙漠) areas reduce from 42 million square kilometers to 31 million square kilometers. This may have something to do with the changing weather. Therefore, you can see rich green landscapes from Central Africa to the Middle East, which are mostly covered with deserts now. More surprisingly, the Sahara Desert becomes an oasis.

However, deserts don't disappear. They just appear in some places in which they never appeared before. Deserts would cover North America, where countries like the United States and Canada lie. Sand dunes would replace the Amazon rainforest in South America.

A backward spin would keep the main features of Earth's geography, such as the size, shapes and positions of lands and oceans. But it would change the interactions between circulating air, ocean and geography lead scientist Florian Ziemen told Live Science.

1.Which of the following sentences can be put in the blank of Paragraph 3?

A.Anyway deserts cover the planet. B.Therefore, the weather is different.

C.However the positions of oceans changes. D.Surprisingly the area of lands is larger.

2.The underlined word "oasis" in Paragraph 4 means________.

A.a place in a desert where there is sand and stones all over

B.a rich land in a desert where the water table is near the surface

C.a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land or an ocean

D.a large smooth area which is over 500 metres above the sea level

3.What would a backward spin bring to Earth?

A.The direction of ocean currents and winds would be different.

B.Rain would no longer fall on western areas of the lands on Earth.

C.Deserts would become larger and cover the planet's wettest places.

D.The size, shapes and positions of lands and oceans would be changed.

4.The passage is most probably taken from a magazine on ________.

A.history B.travel C.entertainment D.geography

Answer 1