Question

【题目】

Climate change may make parts of the Middle East too hot for human beings, according to a new study.

Researchers have been studying weather conditions in the Middle East since 1970. They say “very hot” days in the area have doubled over that period. They say temperatures in summer in the Middle East and North Africa will continue rising. They believe by 2050, temperatures will not fall below 30 degrees Celsius at night in the hottest part of summer, and day-time temperatures could rise to 46 degrees Celsius. Temperatures at noon could reach as high as 50 Celsius. Heat waves are likely to last longer.

“If mankind continues to release carbon dioxide as it does now, people living in the Middle East and North Africa will have to expect about 200 unusually hot days,” says Panos Hadjinicolaou, a climate change expert with the Cyprus Institute.

The researchers also looked at the amount of “fine particulate (颗粒) air pollution” in the Middle East. They found that the amount of dust in the atmosphere over Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Syria jumped 70 percent since the start of the century. This, they say, could have resulted from an increase in the number of sand storms caused by climate change.

The researchers created two models. In one model, rising temperatures are limited because of reductions in greenhouse gases. The other model is said to be a “business as usual” model where nothing is done to stop climate change. Under both models, the future of the Middle East is not good, the researchers say. They added that climate change can result in a slow worsening of living conditions for people in North Africa and the Middle East and in time many people may have to leave the regions.

【1】The underlined word “fine” in the 4th paragraph probably has the same meaning as ________.

A. bright B. terrible C. very thin D. high-quality

【2】What is the right order of the events according to the text?

A. climate change →sand storms→dust in the atmosphere

B. sand storms →climate change→dust in the atmosphere

C. climate change →dust in the atmosphere→sand storms

D. sand storms →dust in the atmosphere→climate change

【3】Panos Hadjinicolaou’s attitude towards humans’ releasing carbon dioxide is ________.

A. indifferent B. casual C. skeptical D. concerned

【4】Where can we probably read this passage?

A. In a History Paper. B. In a News Report.

C. In a Literature Magazine. D. In a Travel Brochure.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】A

【3】D

【4】B

【解析】试题分析：本文是一篇新闻报道。主要讲述全球气候变暖或威胁中东5亿人生存。最新研究表明，气候变化可能导致中东一些地区天气过于炎热，人类无法生存。研究人员表示中东和北非地区夏季温度将持续走高，日间与夜间温度都将上升，气候变化导致中东和北非地区的生存环境逐渐恶化，不久的将来，大批居民可能被迫搬离家乡。

【1】词义猜测题。画线句下文讲述研究人员发现自21世纪以来，沙特阿拉伯、伊拉克和叙利亚地区的沙尘增加了70%，这主要是由持续干旱导致的沙尘暴引起的。灰尘不可能是bright(明亮的)、high-quality(高质量的)颗粒；也无所谓terrible（糟糕的）颗粒。而fine有“细小的”意思，因此可知，“fine particulate (颗粒) air pollution”指的是细颗粒物污染指数，所以画线词fine词义是“细小的”与C项thin意义相近。故选C。

【2】细节理解题。通读全文可知，二三两段讲述了非洲的气候变化，第四段讲述了沙尘暴和空气中的粉尘，且根据第四段最后一句This, they say, could have resulted from an increase in the number of sand storms caused by climate change.可知，造成含尘量提高的原因是，气候变化增加了沙尘暴的次数。故选A。

【3】观点态度题。根据第三段可知，Panos Hadjinicolaou认为如果人类继续像现在这样大量排放二氧化碳，中东和北非地区的人们可能会面临200天异乎寻常的酷热期。因此推断对于人类释放二氧化碳问题他是担忧的。故选D。

【4】推理判断题。通读全文可知，第一段是主题段，文章主要讲述一项新的研究表明，气候变化致中东某些地区天气炎热，人类无法生存。报道新的研究结果属于新闻报道。故选B。

在做题的时候我们可以恰当运用一些解题技巧——比如排除法，来帮助解题，往往事半功倍，准确率高。如第一小题，灰尘不可能是bright(明亮的)、high-quality(高质量的)颗粒；也无所谓terrible（糟糕的）颗粒。而“细小的”颗粒比较符合人们对灰尘的认识，故选C项。