Against the supposition that forest fires in Alaska, Canada and Siberia warm the climate, scientists have discovered that cooling may occur in areas where burnt trees allow more snow to mirror more sunlight into space.

This finding suggests that taking steps to prevent northern forest fires to limit the release of greenhouse gases may warm the climate in northern regions. Usually large fires destroyed forests in these areas over the past decade. Scientists predict that with climate warming, fires may occur more frequently over the next several centuries as a result of a longer fire season. Sunlight taken in by the earth tends to cause warming, while heat mirrored back into space tends to cause cooling.

    This is the first study to analyze all aspects of how northern fires influence climate. Earlier studies by other scientists have suggested that fire in northern regions speed up climate warming because greenhouse gases from burning trees and plants are released into the atmosphere and thus trap heat.

    Scientists found that right after the fire, large amounts of greenhouse gases entered the atmosphere and caused warming. Ozone(臭氧)levels increased, and ash from the fire fell on far-off sea ice, darkening the surface and causing more radiation from the sun to be taken in. The following spring, however, the land within the area of the fire was brighter than before the fire, because fewer trees covered the ground. Snow on the ground mirrored more sunlight back into space, leading to cooling.

    “We need to find out all possible ways to reduce the growth of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.” Scientists tracked the change in the amount of radiation entering and leaving the climate system as a result of the fire, and found a measurement closely related to the global air temperature. Typically, fire in northern regions occurs in the same area every 80 to 150 years. Scientists, however, found that when fire occurs more frequently, more radiation is lost from the earth and cooling results. Specifically, they determined when fire returns 20 years earlier than predicted, 0.5 watts per square meter of area burned are soaked up by the earth from greenhouse gases, but 0.9 watts per square meter will be sent back into space. The net effect is cooling. Watts are used to measure the rate at which energy is gained or lost from the earth.

1.According to the new findings, taking steps to prevent northern forest fires may __________.

       A.result in a warming climate 

       B.cause the forest fires to occur more frequently

       C.lead to a longer fire season

       D.protect the forests and the environment there

2.The following are all the immediate effects after a forest fire EXCEPT __________.

       A.large amounts of greenhouse gases enter the atmosphere

       B.the levels of ozone which is a type of oxygen increase

       C.snow on the ground mirrors more sunlight back into space

       D.ashes from the fire fall on the ice surface and take in more radiation from the sun

3.Earlier studies about northern forest fires __________.

       A.analyze all aspects of how northern fires influence climate

       B.indicate that forest fires will pollute the atmosphere

       C.suggest that people should take measures to protect environment

       D.suggest that the fires will speed up climate warming

4.The underlined phrase “soak up” in the last paragraph most probably means __________.

       A.released              B.absorbed           C.created              D.distributed

5.From the passage we can draw a conclusion that forest fires in Alaska, Canada and Siberia may __________.

       A.warm the climate as the supposition goes

       B.allow more snow to reflect more sunlight into space and thus cool the climate

       C.destroy large areas of forests and pollute the far-off sea ice

       D.help to gain more energy rather than release more energy

Someday a stranger will read your e – mail without your permission or scan the Website you’re visited, Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.

In fact, it's likely that some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girl friend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen -the 21st century replacement of being caught naked.

Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, that it's important to reveal yourself to friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain. The digital bread crumbs(碎屑) you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.

The key question is: Does that matter?

For many Americans, the answer apparently is "no."

When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it. A survey found a strong bad feeling about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is "slipping away, and that bothers me."

But people say one thing and do another. Only a tiny part of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths(收费站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Privacy economist Alessandro Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will give away personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon(优惠卷).

But privacy does matter ---- at least sometimes. It's like health: When you have it, you don't notice it. Only when it's gone do you wish you'd done more to protect it.

1.What does the author mean by saying "the 21st century replacement of being caught naked"?

       A.People's personal information is easily accessed without their knowledge.

       B.In the 21st century people try every means to look into others' secrets.

       C.People tend to be more frank with each other in the information age.

       D.Criminals are easily caught on the spot with advanced technology.

2.What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?

       A.Friends should open their hearts to each other.

       B.Friends should always be faithful to each other.

       C.There should be a distance even between friends.

       D.There should be fewer arguments between friends.

3.Why does the author say "we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret"?

       A.Modern society has finally developed into an open society.

       B.People leave traces around when using modern technology.

       C.There are always people who are curious about others' affairs.

       D.Many search engines benefit from giving away people's identities.

4.What do most Americans do as for privacy protection?

       A.They change behaviors that might disclose their identity.

       B.They use various loyalty cards for business transactions(交易).

       C.They rely most and more on electronic devices.

       D.They talk a lot but hardly do anything about it.

5.According to the passage, privacy is like health because __       _.

       A.people will make every effort to keep it.

       B.its importance is rarely understood

       C.it is something that can easily be lost

      D.people don't treasure it until they lose it

阅读下面短文,并根据短文后的要求回答问题(请注意问题后的字数要求)

[1]Seven Chinese sailors are missing after a Chinese cargo ship sank in Russian waters near Japan on Saturday, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

[2]"Three of the 10 Chinese sailors onboard were saved but                   after the ship sank off the waters of Vladivostok," it said in a statement on its website.

[3]The ministry didn't mention the cause of the incident, saying rescue efforts and an investigation into the incident are ongoing.

[4]But the Global Times, a Chinese language newspaper based in Beijing, said yesterday the ship was fired on by the Russian navy before it sank, citing a Russian newspaper.  

[5]New Star, the cargo ship, was sequestered(扣押) at the Russian port of Nakhodka earlier this month for alleged smuggling. It left the port not far from the Sino-Russian border without permission from Russian authorities last Thursday and was chased by a cruiser, the newspaper said.

[6]However, the Chinese ship started to sink on the way. According to the report, in a period of almost 24 hours, Russian navy officers and soldiers onboard the cruiser(巡洋舰)watched the sinking boat and did not make any response to the cries for help from the crewmen. A Chinese Foreign Ministry official on Friday said that Russia’s attitude on the sinking of a Chinese cargo ship in Russian waters is unacceptable. In the end, 16 sailors onboard New Star got on two lifeboats.

[7]Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Li Hui Thursday summoned Russian ambassador Sergei Razov, urging Russian authorities to complete investigations into the incident as soon as possible and try its best to search for the missing crew members.

1.What does the passage mainly tell us? (Within 15 words)

                                                                              

                                                                               

2.Which sentence in the passage has the close meaning with the following sentence?

    People are trying to find out the cause of the incident and look for the missing ones.

                                                                               

                                                                               

3.Fill in the blank in the second paragraph. (Within 5 words)

                                                                               

                                                                               

4.What’s the possible cause of the cargo ship’s sinking, according to the passage? (Within 15 words)

                                                                               

                                                                               

5.Translate the underlined sentence in the passage into Chinese.

                                                                               

                                                                               

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