A Tour City—Pompeii

Every year thousands of tourists visit Pompeii, Italy. They see the sights that Pompeii is famous for its stadium(运动场) and theatres, its shops and restaurants. The tourists do not, however, see Pompeii's people. They do not see them because Pompeii has no people. No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2,000 years.

Once, Pompeii was a busy city of 22,000 people. It lay at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, a grass-covered volcano(火山). Mount Vesuvius had not erupted(喷发)for centuries, so the people of Pompeii felt safe. But they were not.

In August of AD 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted. The entire top of the mountain exploded,_and a huge black cloud rose into the air. Soon stones and hot ash began to fall on Pompeii. When the eruption ended two days later, Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of stones and ashes. Almost all of its people were dead.

For centuries, Pompeii lay buried under stone and ash. Then, in the year 1861, an Italian scientist named Ginseppe began to uncover Pompeii. Slowly, carefully, Ginseppe and his men dug. The city looked almost the same as it had looked in AD 79. There were streets and fountains, houses and shops. There was a stadium with 20,000 seats. Perhaps the most important of all, there were everyday objects, which tell us a great deal about the people who lived in Pompeii. Many glasses and jars had some dark blue colour in the bottom, so we know that the people of Pompeii liked wine. They liked bread too. Metal bread pans were in every bakery. In one bakery there were 81 round, flat loaves of bread—a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today. Tiny boxes filled with a dark, shiny power tell us that women liked to wear eye-makeup.

Ginseppe has died, but his work continues. One-fourth has not been uncovered yet. Scientists are still digging, still making discoveries that draw the tourists to Pompeii.

1. Why do large numbers of people come to Pompeii each year?

A. To visit the volcano.

B. To shop and eat there.

C. To watch sports and plays.

D. To see how Pompeiians lived.

2. Why had so many people remained by volcanic Mount Vesuvius?

A. The city nearly offered all kinds of fun.

B. The area produced the finest wine in Italy.

C. Few people expected the volcano to erupt again.

D. The mountain was beautiful and covered with grass.

3. Why did the city uncovered look almost the same as it had looked in AD 79?

A. Because Ginseppe and his men dug it slowly and carefully.

B. Because the city was buried alive and remained untouched.

C. Because scientists successfully rebuilt the city with everyday objects.

D. Because nobody had lived in the city ever since the volcano erupted.

4. What's the meaning of the underlined word “exploded” in the third paragraph?

A. 爆发       B. 震动       C. 倒塌       D. 爆裂

5. What do we know about the Pompeiians who lived 2,000 years ago?

A. They lived more or less the same as Italians now do.

B. They liked women wearing all kinds of makeup.

C. They enjoyed a lazy life with drinking and eating.

D. They went back to Pompeii after the eruption in AD 79.

Just as the world’s most respected scientific bodies have confirmed that the world is getting hotter, they have also stated that there is strong evidence that humans are driving the warming. Countless recent reports from the world’s leading scientific bodies have said the same thing. For example, a 2010 summary of climate science by the Royal Society stated that: “There is strong evidence that the warming of the Earth over the last half-century has been caused largely by human activity.”
The idea that humans could change the planet’s climate may be counter-intuitive(与直觉不符的), but the basic science is well understood. Each year, human activity causes billions of tons of greenhouse gases to be released(释放)into the atmosphere. As scientists have known for years, these gases hold heat that would otherwise escape to space, wrapping the planet in an invisible blanket.
Of course, the planet’s climate has always been changing thanks to “natural” factors(因素) such as changes in solar or volcanic(火山的)activity, or cycles relating the Earth’s going around the sun. According to the scientific literature, however, the warming recorded to date matches the pattern of warming we would expect from a build-up of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere – not the warming we would expect from other possible causes.
Even if scientists did discover another reasonable explanation for the warming observed so far, that would beg a difficult question. As Robert Henson puts it in The Rough Guide to Climate Change: “If some newly discovered factor can account for the climate change, then why aren’t carbon dioxide(二氧化碳)and the other greenhouse gases producing the warming that basic physics tells us they should be?”
The only way to prove with 100% certainty that humans are responsible for global warming would be to run an experiment with two identical Earths – one with human influence and one without. That obviously isn’t possible, and so most scientists are careful not to state human influence as an absolute certainty.
【小题1】 In most scientists’ opinion, the global warming is mainly caused by ________.

A.solar activity
B.volcanic activity
C.the Earth’s going around the sun
D.human activity
【小题2】The text is developed by ________.
A.giving typical examples
B.following the order of space
C.analyzing a theory and arguing it
D.comparing and finding differences
【小题3】The underline word “identical” means ________.
A.totally different
B.exactly the same
C.extremely important
D.relatively independent
【小题4】 Which of the following can be the best title?
A.Are All the Scientists Really Scientific?
B.Where Is Global Warming Leading Us to?
C.Are Humans Definitely Causing Global Warming?
D.What’s Relation of Global Warming and Greenhouse Gases?

 

The following conversation is between Susan Russell-Robinson from the US Geological (地质学的)Survey and Barbara Reynolds from USA Today .

Q: Why , after 600 years of no activity , did Mount Pinatubo in Philippines erupt(喷发)in 1991 ?

A: Volcanoes (火山)each have their own eruption styles . This volcano probably has a rule which makes it erupt in the order of every 500 to 1000 years , but a volcano in Hawaii seems to erupt every year , and some of the Alaskan volcanoes might erupt every 10 or 20 years .

Q: So nothing caused it ?

A: There’s nothing out of the ordinary . If you were to take an ordinary calendar year , 50 to 75 or 80 volcanoes erupt around the world every year . There are 20 to 30 volcanoes every month that show signs of unrest . That might be a full-blown eruption or a whole host of activities like that .

Q: What is “the ring of fire” ?

A: If you look at where active volcanoes are placed around the world , there are somewhere between 500 and 600 of them . There is what appears to be almost a necklace that goes around the Pacific Ocean . It makes a ring where 60% of the world’s volcanoes lie .

Q: Why such a concentration(集中)there ?

A: That’s based on a theory that the oceans and the continents are like separate pieces . When they move , one might ride up over the other one . In this case , the Pacific Ocean goes under the continents and when that happens it seems to produce magma (熔岩)at depth and then you have volcanoes in the same ring .

1.What kind of writing do you think this passage is ?

         A.A text taken from a geography book .       B.An interview published in the press .

         C.A conversation carried out in a film .         D.An oral test recorded as an example .

2.Which of the following statements can correctly explain why we have so many volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean ?

         A.The movement of the surface of the earth makes it possible.

         B.The Pacific Ocean produces magma and presses it everywhere.

         C.The oceans and the continents are separated from each other.

         D.The earth’s surface around the Pacific is thinner than any other part.

3.Barbara Reynolds’ main purpose here is______________ .

         A.to show how dangerous volcanoes are to the world

         B.to learn what signs a volcano gives us before its eruption

         C.to warn the world of the existence of “the ring of fire”

         D.to introduce some general idea of volcanoes to the public

4.Which of the following can be considered as the best conclusion of the conversation?

         A.There are so many volcanoes in the world and we are always in danger.

         B.Volcanoes have erupted more frequently than ever before.

         C.Volcanoes are waiting to be better known.

         D.Something must be done to protect the people near the ring of fire.

 

Just as the world’s most respected scientific bodies have confirmed that the world is getting hotter, they have also stated that there is strong evidence that humans are driving the warming. Countless recent reports from the world’s leading scientific bodies have said the same thing. For example, a 2010 summary of climate science by the Royal Society stated that: “There is strong evidence that the warming of the Earth over the last half-century has been caused largely by human activity.”

The idea that humans could change the planet’s climate may be counter-intuitive(与直觉不符的), but the basic science is well understood. Each year, human activity causes billions of tons of greenhouse gases to be released(释放)into the atmosphere. As scientists have known for years, these gases hold heat that would otherwise escape to space, wrapping the planet in an invisible blanket.

Of course, the planet’s climate has always been changing thanks to “natural” factors(因素) such as changes in solar or volcanic(火山的)activity, or cycles relating the Earth’s going around the sun. According to the scientific literature, however, the warming recorded to date matches the pattern of warming we would expect from a build-up of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere – not the warming we would expect from other possible causes.

Even if scientists did discover another reasonable explanation for the warming observed so far, that would beg a difficult question. As Robert Henson puts it in The Rough Guide to Climate Change: “If some newly discovered factor can account for the climate change, then why aren’t carbon dioxide(二氧化碳)and the other greenhouse gases producing the warming that basic physics tells us they should be?”

The only way to prove with 100% certainty that humans are responsible for global warming would be to run an experiment with two identical Earths – one with human influence and one without. That obviously isn’t possible, and so most scientists are careful not to state human influence as an absolute certainty.

1. In most scientists’ opinion, the global warming is mainly caused by ________.

   A. solar activity                       

B. volcanic activity

C. the Earth’s going around the sun    

D. human activity

2.The text is developed by ________.

   A. giving typical examples

   B. following the order of space

   C. analyzing a theory and arguing it

   D. comparing and finding differences

3.The underline word “identical” means ________.

   A. totally different                    

B. exactly the same

   C. extremely important                  

D. relatively independent

4. Which of the following can be the best title?

   A. Are All the Scientists Really Scientific?

   B. Where Is Global Warming Leading Us to?

   C. Are Humans Definitely Causing Global Warming?

   D. What’s Relation of Global Warming and Greenhouse Gases?

 

 

D

Seeing a volcano erupt (喷发) is a wonderful experience, and you can really feel the beat by climbing to the summit(山顶) of Pacaya for a close-up view. There are guided tours every day up this highly active volcano from Antigua. Giving travelers a chance to see Mother Nature at her most powerful.

Pacaya is an easy drive from Antigua, a beautiful city with many colorful houses along its old streets that are turned into art-works during its Holy Week festival. No matter when you come to Antigua, you won’t miss the Pacaya-tour companies.

But climbing Pacaya is no easy job: it is 2560 metres high, and reaching the summit takes two to three hours of seemingly one-step-forward and two-step-back movements. As you climb, you hear the dull sounds of eruptions high above. Steaming. Hot remains from recent eruptions begin to line the path as you near the active summit; the McKenney Cone(火山锥). Just as though you were going to walk over to the edge of the cone, the road turns to the left and up to the relative safety of the old, inactive summit.

Many tours are timed so that you arrive at the cone of the volcano is plenty of time for sunset and the full contrast between the erupting red lava(熔岩) and the darkening sky. On a good day the view from the summit is extremely exciting. The active mouth boils, sending red lava over its sides, and once in a while shoots hot streams up to 100 metres into the air. There is a strong bad smell in the air even if you take care to be upwind of the cone. As evening turns deeper into the night. the burning lava quietly falls down tae side of the volcano. For you, too, it is time to get down .

1. What is the main purpose of this passage?

A.To attract tourists to Pacaya.

B.To describe the beauty of Pacaya.

C.To introduce guided tours to Pacaya.

D.To explain the power of nature at Pacaya.

2.Antigua is a city      .

A.where people can enjoy cultural festivals

B.where the daring Pacaya tour starts

C.that gives a close-up view of Paraya

D.that is famous for its tour companies

3.Climbing to the McKenney Cone, people will    .

A.walk directly to the active summit

B.hear the continuous loud noise from above

C.make greater efforts than to other summits

D.see a path lined with remains of earlier eruptions

4. Many tours are timed for people to      .

A.get down the mountain in time when night falls

B.avoid the smell from the upwind direction of the cone

C.enjoy the fantastic eruption against the darkening sky

D.appreciate the scenery of the 2560-metre-high mountain

 

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