题目内容
火山
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 |
A.giving typical examples |
B.following the order of space |
C.analyzing a theory and arguing it |
D.comparing and finding differences |
A.totally different |
B.exactly the same |
C.extremely important |
D.relatively independent |
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 |