阅读理解- 低碳生活与全球变暖
践低碳生活，要注意节电、节气、熄灯一小时……从这些点滴做起。链接高考Plants are flowering faster than scientists predicted (预测) in reaction to climate change, which could have long damaging effects on food chains and ecosystems.
Global waning is having a great effect on hundreds of plant and animal species around the world, changing some living patterns, scientists say.
Increased carbon dioxide (CO,) in the air from burning coal and oil can have an effect on how plants produce oxygen, while higher temperatures and changeable rainfall patterns can change their patterns of growth.
"Predicting species' reaction to climate change is a major challenge in ecology," said the researchers of several U. S. universities. They said plants had been the key object of study because their reaction to climate change could have an effect on food chains and ecosystem services.
The study, published on the Nature website, uses the findings from plant life cycle studies and experiments across four continents and 1,634 species. It found that some experiments had underestimated (低估) the speed of flowering by 8.5 times and leafing by 4 times.
"Across all species, the experiments under-predicted the speed of the advance — for both leafing and flowering — that results from temperature increases," the study said.
The design of future experiments may need to be improved lo belter predict how plants will react to climate change, it said.
Plants are necessary for life on the Earth. They are the base of the food chain, using photosynthesis (光合作用) to produce sugar from carbon dioxide and water. They let out oxygen which is needed by nearly every organism on the planet.
Scientists believe the world's average temperature has risen by about 0. 8^ since 1900, and nearly 0.2X. every ten years since 1979.
So far, efforts to cut emissions (排放) of planet-warming greenhouse gases are not seen as enough to prevent the Earth heating up beyond 2.C this century — a point scientists say will bring the danger of a changeable climate in which weather extremes are common, leading to drought, floods, crop failures and rising sea levels.
57. What is the key information the author wants to give in Paragraph 1?
A. Plants' reaction to weather could have damaging effects on ecosystems.
B. The increasing speed of flowering is beyond scientists' expectation.
C. Climate change leads to the change of food production patterns.
D. Food chains have been seriously damaged because of weather.
58. We can learn from the study published on the Nature website that______ .
A. plants' flowering is 8.5 times faster than leafing
B. there are 1,634 plant species on the four continents
C. scientists should improve the design of the experiments
D. the experiments failed to predict how plants react to climate change
59. Scientists pay special attention to the study of plants because .
A. they can prove the climate change clearly
B. they are very important in the food chains
C. they play a leading role in reducing global warming
D. they are growing and flowering much faster than before
60. What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs about the world's temperature?
A. It has risen nearly 0.2C since 1979
B. Its change will lead to weather extremes.
C. It is 0.8C higher in 1979 than that of 1900.
D. It needs to be controlled within in this century.
leading to现在分词做结果状语，和句子主语a point逻辑上构成主谓关系。
链接2. （2017浙江卷）
Easter(复活节 ) is still a great day for worship, randy in baskets and running around the yard finding eggs, but every year it gets quite a bit worse for bunnies.
And no, not because the kids like to pull their ears. The culprit is climate change, and some researchers found that rising temperatures arc having harmful effects on at least five species of rabbit in the US.
Take the Lower Keys March rabbit, for instance. An endangered species that lives in the Lower Florida Keys, this species of cottontail is a great swimmer — it lives on the islands! — but it is already severely affected by development and now by rising levels. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, an ocean level rise of only 0. 6 meters will send these guys jumping to higher ground and a 0.9-meter rise would wipe out their habitat (栖息地) completely.
The snowshoe hare, on the other hand, has a color issue. Most of these rabbits change their fur color from white in the wintertime to brown in the summer, each designed to give them better cover from predators（捕食者）.
As the number of days with snow decreases all across the country, however, more and more bunnies arc being left in white fur during brown dirt days of both fall and spring, making them an easier mark for predators. Researchers know that the color change is controlled by the number of hours of sunlight, but whether the rabbit will be able to adapt quick enough to survive is a big question. The National Wildlife Federation has reported that hunters have noticed their numbers are already markedly down.
American pikas or rock rabbits, a relative of rabbits and hares, might be the firs' of these species to go extinct due to climate change. About 7-8 inches long, pikas live high in the cool, damp mountains west of the Rocky Mountains. As global temperatures rise, they would naturally migrate (迁徙) to higher ground — but they already occupy the mountaintops. They can't go any higher. The National Wildlife Federation reports that they might not be able to stand the new temperatures as their habitat beats up.
The volcano rabbit has the same problem. These rabbits live on the slopes of volcanoes in Mexico, and recent studies have shown that the lower range of their habitat has already shifted upward about 700 meters, but there are not suitable plants for them to move higher, so they are stuck in the middle. Scientists are concerned about their populations.
Native to the US, pygmy rabbits weigh less than 1 pound and live in the American West. They are believed to be the smallest rabbits in the world. Their habitats have been destroyed by development. Several populations, such as the Columbia Basin pygmy, almost went extinct and were saved by zoo breeding programs. Pygmy rabbits also rely on winter cover by digging tunnels through the snow to escape predators, but lesser snowfall is leaving them exposed.
All of this gives new meaning to dressing up in a giant bunny costume this Easter.
41 The writer mentions Easter at the beginning of the passage in order to_______.
A. show the importance of Easter Day B. introduce the issue about bunnies
C. remind people of Easter traditions
D. discuss the relationship between Easter and bunnies 42. The word "culprit" ( Paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to______.
A. criminal B. judge C. victim D. producer
43. According to the passage, some rabbits can now be easily Uncovered by predators because they_______
A. are exposed lo more skillful hunters
B. have moved to habitats with fewer plants
C. haven't adapted themselves to climate change
D. can't change their fur color into white in the fall and the spring
44, The problem faced by volcano rabbets and rock rabbits is that________.
A. both are affected by 1ess snow B. both are affected by rising sea levels
C neither can find enough food 0. neither can migrate to higher places
45 Which best describes the writer's tone in the postage?
A. Approving. B. Concerned. C. Enthusiastic. D. Doubtful.
【长难句解析】Most of these rabbits change their fur color from white in the wintertime to brown in the summer, each designed to give them better cover from predators（捕食者）。大多数这种兔子会把冬天时的白色皮毛变成夏季的棕色，每一种颜色的变化是为了让他们更好地避免捕食者的发现。Designed是非谓语，与其逻辑主语each构成被动关系，故用过去分词作状语。此外由于each和句子主语most of these rabbits不是同一事物，因此这种非谓语结构在语法上被称之为独立主格结构。
·专项训练③Britain' s largest companies are promising to offer greener products and invest in research and technology as part of a wider push to reduce carbon emissions .
Eighteen of Britain's top companies, including carmakers, airlines, retailers and banks, are publishing a report on Monday, in which they promise to develop new products and services that allow customers to cut their carbon emissions. The report is also intended to send a message to companies around the world to make fighting climate change a higher priority.
"This requires urgent action, and the sooner we do it, the better and the cheaper it will be," said Ben Verwaayen, chief executive of BT and chairman of the task force group that produced the report. It’s members employ two million people worldwide and have more than ￡1 trillion in income.
The report is a result of British businesses’ addressing issues raised by the Stern Review , a study commissioned by the British government and published last year on the economic impact of global warming . The review , led by the government' s top economist, Nicholas Stern ,concluded that spending about one percent of global gross product in reducing emissions today would avoid having to spend about five to twenty percent-in the future.
Monday' s report says that the responsibility to cut emissions lies with consumers, who through their purchases contribute to sixty percent of Britain' s emissions, with companies , which can cut emissions by offering greener products, and with the government , which should use tax cuts as a great encouragement for consumers to cut emissions.
1. The underlined word “urgent” in the third paragraph can be replaced by “______”.
A. extreme
B. important
C. immediate
D. unbelievable
2. From the passage , we can learn that _________.
A.
Britain's largest companies want to prevent global warming
B. reducing carbon emissions has nothing to do with consumers
C. carmakers don' t want to reduce carbon emissions
D. Ben Verwaayen thinks it unnecessary to reduce carbon emissions
3.According to the passage, which of the following statements about Nicholas Stem is TRUE?
A. He is one of the best economists in the British Government .
B. He is the author of the famous book Stern, Review.
C. He suggests spending ten percent of global gross products in reducing emissions.
D. he is the first person in Britain to call on people to reduce emissions.
4. Where is this passage most probably taken from ?
A. Novel
B. Instruction
C. Newspaper
D. Advertisement
5. What should be the best title of this passage ?
A. The sooner, the cheaper. B. British firms urge action on climate change.
C. A report on global warming.
D. How to reduce carbon emissions.
B
China has a population of more than 1.3 billion people, compared with around 300 million in the United States. “China’s emission of greenhouse gases is large. This is because China has the largest population in the world, but China’s per capita emission level is very low,” Yang said. He also repeated China’s long-held opinion that developed countries are mainly responsible for the climate change problem. “Climate change is mainly due to the long-term emissions by developed countries in the past and their current high per capita level of emissions,” Yang said.
Yang also pointed out that a large part of China’s emissions was the result of products that finally are bought by consumers in Western countries, leading to what he named “transfer emission”. “I hope when people use high-quality and inexpensive Chinese products, they will also remember that China is under increasing pressure of transfer emission,” he said. 1. What is Yang Jiechi’s opinion about greenhouse gas emissions? A. China should be the first to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
C
Environment ministers from 180 countries will start trying to rescue the Kyoto treaty on global warming shortly. They join their officials who have been meeting all the week in the German city of Bonn.
The 1997 Kyoto agreement commits industrialized countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions . The protocol(议定书) was undermined in a major way in March when US President George W. Bush said it would weaken America's economy.
It's BeethoVen who overlooks the town square here and it's unlikely that he'll have to give up his place to an monument celebrating a conference, which will stop global warming.
Ministers from over 180 countries have already agreed to global cuts in emissions of greenhouse gasses five percent below the 1990 levels.
But here they must decide how this will be achieved,
Since George Bush pulled out of the deal, the argument is between Japan and Europe. The Japanese Want flexible roles allowing them to plant more trees in place of steep cuts in pollution and weaker penalties for missing targets. Europe doesn't like it, but really wants a deal.
Jan Pronk, Conference Chairman, Said, "When I came to Bonn, I was a bit pessimistic, given many political statements,
which were made during the last couple of weeks, that perhaps it would not be possible to reach an agreement. However, I have the impression that it is possible to reach a result."
⑤If all the countries gathering here fail to reach an agreement in the next few days,
it won't be the end of Kyoto, but it will be a failure,
a failure to put national differences aside to resolve a problem, which the whole world,
even the Americans agree,
is a growing the threat to our planet.
1. The main purpose of the text is to tell us ________
A. the whole world is concerned about warming global
B. an argument between Japan and Europe about the issue of pollution
C. the race is on to save Kyoto climate treaty
D. countries have different attitudes towards Kyoto treaty
2. From the first two paragraphs, we know that _______.
A. the officials from 180 countries have stayed in Bonn for several weeks
B. American broke the agreement by polluting the oceans
C. the 1997 Kyoto treaty asked all the countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
D. the environment ministers from 180 countries will meet in Bonn to rescue the Kyoto treaty on global warming
3. From the text, we can infer that the US_________.
A. supports the Kyoto treaty actively
B. moved away from the deal
C. believes that good environment can strengthen its economy
D. advocates the steep cuts in pollution
4. Which of the following can best explain the underlined word "flexible" in Paragraph 3?
A. Determined or decided.
B. Difficult to move.
C. Able to change to suit new conditions or situations.
D. Existent without any plan or aim.
5. What conclusion can we draw from the text ?
A. Jan Pronk is optimistic because of some political statements.
B. It is not hard to achieve the goal to stop the global warming.
C. Japan pollutes the environment most seriously among the 180 countries.
D. If the conference is a success, a monument will be set up to celebrate.
1. B。细节理解题。根据第一段The developed world should take responsibility for climate change … 可知，答案为B。is less than one third the average of developed countries我们可以推断这里指的是中国人均排放量。故答案为A。 4．C 从第三段的 “ allowing them to plant more plant more trees in place of steep cuts in pollution”可以推出词义。
5．D 从第三段的“it's unlikely that he'll have to give up his place to an monument celebrating a conference, which will stop global warming”可以得出答案。
·黄金表达①Two-thirds of the people living there are formerly homeless people, whose rent is paid by the government.住在那儿的三分之二是以前无家可归的人们，他们的房租由政府支付。
②With a little effort, and not much money, most of us could reduce our energy diets by 25 percent or more—doing the Earth a favor while also helping our wallets.
付出一些努力，也不是太多的钱，我们大多数都能把我们的消费能力减低25％或者更多－在节约了资金的同时也保护了地球。
③Britain' s largest companies are promising to offer greener products and invest in research and technology as part of a wider push to reduce carbon emissions .英国的大公司们正在许诺要提供绿色产品和投资科技研究来作为减低二氧化碳排放量的一个全面推动。
④The developed world should take responsibility for climate change rather than only point out that China’s greenhouse gas emissions are rising, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said at a press conference.中国外交部长杨洁篪在应对全球气候变暖这个问题上二氧化碳排放量在增加⑤If all the countries gathering here fail to reach an agreement in the next few days,
it won't be the end of Kyoto, but it will be a failure,
a failure to put national differences aside to resolve a problem, which the whole world,
even the Americans agree,
is a growing the threat to our planet.如果聚集在这儿的国家在未来几天达不成一个协议，尽管它不是京都议定书的末日，但它将会是一个失败，一个要把国家的不同利益放到一边来解决这个问题的失败，它对整个世界，对我们的星球，即使美国同意了，也是一个不断日益增长的威胁。
·单词百宝箱
formerly adv. 从前, 以前, 原来
Formerly he worked on a farm, but now he's a teacher. 以前他在农场工作,但现在当教师。
household n. 同住在一所房子里的人,一家人,户I grew up as part of a large household.我生长在一个大家庭。priority U 优先权,重点 C 优先考虑的事If you knocked the ball with your hand in football, you will suffer a penalty.如果在踢足球时你用手碰到球,你将受到处罚。pessimistic adj. 悲观的；悲观主义的There is no reason to be pessimistic about the future.没有理由对未来悲观。