The hole in the Earth's ozone layer (臭氧层) has until now protected Antarctica from the worst effects of global warming. But scientists have warned that as the hole closes up in the next few decades, temperatures on the continent could rise by around 3°C on average, with melting ice contributing to a global sea level increase of up to 1.4 meters.

In the past decades the western Antarctic has seen rapid ice loss as the world has warmed, but the other parts of the continent have, paradoxically, been cooling, resulting in a 10% increase in ice in the seas around the region. This is because the hole in the ozone layer has increased cold winds in Antarctica, making much of the continent surface colder than usual.

    But now that the gasses that cause the ozone hole have been banned, scientists expect the hole to repair itself within the next 50 to 60 years. By then the cooling effect will have faded out and the Antarctic will face the full impact of global warming. This means an increase in average air temperatures of around 3°C and a reduction in sea ice by around a third.

    The biggest threat to the continent comes from warming seas. Robert Johnson, a scientist who monitors Antarctica ice sheets, said, "The ice sheets in Antarctica are hundreds of metres thick. But once warm ocean waters start flowing underneath, the ice will begin thinning and could break up very quickly. "Thinning ice sheets cause ice to break away from the continent and to melt even faster. Escaping ice from western Antarctica has already resulted in a 10% rise in global sea level in recent decades.

    Johnson believes that international action to reduce global warming is required immediately or it may be too late. "Everything is connected —Antarctica may be a long way away but it is an important part of the Earth's system," said Johnson. "It contains 90% of the world's ice, 70% of the world's fresh water and that is enough, if it melts completely, to raise sea levels by 63 meters."

    Even in a worse-case situation scientists don't expect the ice to entirely disappear, but predict that, because of the melting ice sheets, average sea level rise will be around 1.4 meters higher by the end of the century.

The underlined word "paradoxically" (in Paragraph 2) most probably means "__".

A. rapidly     B. approximately       C. contradictorily    D. apparently

What is the effect of the hole in the ozone layer on Antarctica?

A. It is causing the ice to melt faster.

B. It is making much of the continent colder.

C. It is making the effects of global warming in the region worse.

D. It is reducing the amount of water in Antarctica.

What do scientists think is the biggest danger facing Antarctica?

A. Rising sea levels.           B. Warming sea water temperature.

C. Water pollution.            D. Growing ice sheets.

Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. Antarctica is currently experiencing the full effects of global warming.

B. The average temperature has increased by3°C in recent decades.

C. Antarctica contains most of the world's fresh water.

D. Ten percent of Antarctica's ice has already been lost.

The best title for the passage is ______.

A. Our planet in danger                    B. Antarctica melting away

C. Action plan to save Antarctica            D. Let's save the ozone layer

    Michael was a farmer in Texas.His parents moved to the USA from Ireland in the 1940’s, and they became very rich.Michael decided to go back to Ireland to meet his old grandfather, who was still living on the same farm.

    Michael booked his ticket,flew to Shannon airport,hired a car and drove to the small village where his parents had been born.He asked for directions to the Ohagan farm,and in the end he drove up a bumpy path.He was shocked by what he saw:a small field,and in the middle of it was an old house,which looked as if it was falling down.Animals were wandering in and out of the front door,and on the porch an old man was smoking a pipe.

“Are you Mr. Ohagan?”asked Michael。

“Yes,”replied the old mall.

“I'm your grandson,Michael,”said Michael.

“A--ha,”replied the old man.

“Is this your farm?”asked Michael.

“Yes,all the way to the wall over there,”said the old man.

Michael was astonished.“Grandfather,”he said,“I have a farm in Texas.I can get into my car and drive all day and I still haven’t reached the end of the farm.”

“Yes,”said his grandfather.“I used to have a car like that.”

Michael’s parents _______.

    A.still lived in Ireland alone          B.owned a small farm in Texas

    C.returned to their birthplace         D.were Irish immigrants(移民)in America

Which of the following shocked Michael?

    A.The farm was small                       B.The old house looked like his own.

    C.Living conditions were poor in the fields.    D.Animals were free in the fields.

The old man _______.

A.owned a small farm, which extended only to the wall not far away

B.had so large a farm that he couldn’t cover it in a day

C.hadn’t his modern car any longer

D.used to have as good a car as his grandson’s

Which of the following is TRUE?

A.Michael owned a large farm in Ireland.

B.Michael’s car was in such poor condition that it couldn’t reach the end of the farm within a day.

C.Michael’s farm was too large for a car to reach its end in a day.

    D.Michael didn’t know what to say to his grandfather

From“I used to have a car like that”,we can see that________.

    A.the old man really had a car like that

    B.the old man knew his son’s farm in the US was quite large

    C.the old man misunderstood what Michael said

D.the old man wanted to buy a car like that

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