题目内容
The average temperature around the world is rising. People living in the US Midwest might find a fact hard to believe, though. The scientists suggest that the change in the Midwest climate may have happened because of farming.
The first study was led by David Changnon, a climatologist(气候学家) at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.Changnon and his team studied temperature records from the sites in the Midwest. They found that since 1970, the average temperature in the region during July and August has gone down—by up to one degree Fahrenheit(华氏度)—from what it was during the years between 1930 and 1969. Their investigation also showed that the average rainfall in those states during those two months has increased. Between 1970 and 2009, about 0.33 inch more rain fell than between 1930 and 1969.These_changes may be connected by humidity(湿度), Changnon says. Humidity is the measure of how much moisture is in the air. Humid air, which contains a lot of moisture，takes longer to heat up than dry air, Changnon notes. And humid air often releases its moisture through rainfall.
So where did the extra moisture in the air come from？Changnon points to farms in the region. As plants grow, they pull moisture from the ground and release it into the air. And among plants, soybeans (大豆) and corn plants release a lot of moisture. Midwestern farms now plant more soybeans and corn than in the past, with 97 percent of farmland today planted with these two crops. In the 1930s, corn and soybeans covered only about 57 percent, Changnon says. He also notes that the plants are planted closer together now than they used to be, so there are more plants per acre than in the past.
The second study, like Changnon's, also found an increase in rainfall in the same area. But it points to another possible source for the increased moisture. Alan Robock at Rutgers University was part of the team that produced the second study and presented the group's findings. The team found that irrigation practices in the Great Plains have changed over the years. The researchers studied a vast area in the region. They found that in 1930, farmers in that region irrigated only about 1.8 million acres of farmland. In 1980, however, farmers irrigated nearly 15 million acres. Plants use the water and then release it into the air.
These results by Changnon and Robock and their colleagues are the first step toward understanding a change in the weather.
20．What does the underlined term “These changes” refer to?
A．Lower temperatures and more rainfall.
B．Higher temperatures and higher humidity.
C．Making a record both in the past and now.
D．The two periods of the 40year investigation.
21．Which of the following could be the possible sources for the increased moisture in the US Midwest?
A．Scientists' research and farmers' attention.
B．Less farmland and more plants.
C．More plants and irrigation practices.
D．Natural reservoirs and underground rivers.
22．The studies show that in America's Midwest，________．
A．the average temperature is getting higher and higher
B．more and more farmland has been deserted
C．the amount of rain is closely related to the temperature
D．summers are now cooler and wetter than they were in years past
23．According to the passage, irrigating more and more plants means ________．
A．making more space for farms and buildings
B．making more and more water into the air, and thus causing more rain
C．more farms depending on watersaving systems
D．using plants to change the climate
这是一篇科普类说明文。全球变暖是一个不争的事实，然而在美国中西部地区人们却感受不到这种变化，这是为什么呢？
20．A 代词指代题。上文中提到1970年以来，七月和八月的平均温度比1930年到1969年这段时间下降了1华氏度，而平均降雨量增加了0.33英寸。由此可知“These changes”指的是：温度降低，降雨量增多。
21．C 细节理解题。根据第三段内容和第四段中的第二、四句话和最后一句可知空气湿度增加的原因是C项。
22．D 推理判断题。根据第二段内容可知，近四十年美国中西部地区七月和八月的平均气温比前四十年的平均气温要低1华氏度，而降雨量多0.33英寸。由此可知D项正确。
23．B 细节理解题。根据第四段中的Plants use the water and then release it into the air.可知，植物吸收灌溉的水，然后再将水释放到空气中，从而形成降雨。
A study led by Professor Mark Weiser of Tel Aviv University and the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer Hospital has determined that young men who smoke are likely to have lower IQs than their non-smoking peers (同龄人). Tracking 18-to 21-year-old men enlisted in the Israeli army in the largest ever study of its kind, he has been able to demonstrate an important connection between the number of cigarettes young males smoke and their IQ.
The average IQ for a non-smoker was about 101, while the smokers’ average was more than seven IQ points lower, at about 94, the study determined. The IQs of young men who smoked more than a pack a day were lower still, at about 90. An IQ score in a healthy population of such young men, with no mental disorders(心理疾病), falls within the range of 84 to 116.
An addiction that doesn’t discriminate(歧视)
“In the health profession, we’ve generally thought that smokers are most likely the kind of people who have grown up in difficult neighborhoods, or who’ve been given less education at good schools,” says Weiser, whose study was reported in a recent version of the journal, Addiction, “But because our study included subjects with various socio-economic backgrounds, we’ve been able to rule out socio-economics as a major factor. The government might want to rethink how it arranges its educational resources on smoking.
Making the results more significant, the study also measured effects in twin brothers. In the case where one twin smoked, the non-smoking twin registered a higher IQ on average.
Although a lower IQ may suggest a greater risk for smoking addiction, the representing data on IQ and smoking found that most of the smokers investigated in the study had IQs within the average range, nevertheless.
In the study, researchers took data from more than 20,000 men before, during and after their time in the military. All men in the study were considered in good health, since pre-screening(筛选的)measures for suitability in the army had already been taken. The researchers found that around 28 percent of their samples smoked one or more cigarettes a day, 3 percent considered themselves ex-smokers, and 68 percent said they never smoked.
“People on the lower end of the average IQ tend to display poorer overall decision-making skills when it comes to their health,” says Weiser. He adds that his finding can help address serious concern among heath counsellors at grade and high schools.
1.The study led by Professor Mark Weiser shows that .
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A．the IQ of smoking males is lower than that of non-smokers |
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B．the IQ of smoking males is higher than that of non-smokers |
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C．the IQ of smoking males is the same as that of non-smokers |
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D．the IQ of smoking males is higher than that of female smokers |
2.According to the passage, a smoking man’s IQ is most likely to be .
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A．101 |
B．94 |
C．80 |
D．120 |
3.What can be learned from the passage?
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A．People in the military are more likely to become smokers than other people. |
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B．Most heavy smokers are found to have mental problems. |
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C．Socio-economic backgrounds have nothing to do with smoking behaviour. |
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D．People with lower IQs tend to be less good at controlling their addiction to smoking. |
4.What is the meaning of the underlined part “An addiction that doesn’t discriminate”?
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A．Smokers do not believe their IQ is affected by being addicted to smoking. |
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B．All people, no matter what their background, can become addicted to smoking. |
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C．Smoking is an addiction, and we must not discriminate against smokers. |
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D．The addiction to smoking is difficult to get rid of. |