2015职称英语理工类阅读理解复习必备精选练习题(2)

　　Arctic Melt

　　Earths North and South Poles are famous for being cold and icy. Last year, however, the amount of ice in the Arctic Ocean fell to a record low1.

　　Since 1979, each decade has seen an 11.4 percent drop in end-of-summer ice cover2. Between 1981 and 2000, ice in the Arctic lost 22 percent of its thickness -- becoming 1.13 meters thinner.

　　There may be several reasons for the ice melt, says Jinlun Zhang, an oceanographer at the University of Washington3 in Seattle. Unusually strong winds blew through the Arctic last summer. The winds pushed much of the ice out of the central Arctic, leaving a large area of thin ice and open water4.

　　With both air and water getting warmer, the ice is melting from both above and below. In some parts of the Beaufort Sea6, north of Alaska and western Canada, ice that measured 3.3m thick at the beginning of the summer measured just 50 centimeters by seasons end.

　　Some scientists fear that the Arctic is stuck in a warming trend from which it may never recover.

　　Arctic n.北极，北极圈;adj.北极的

　　注释

　　 ice cover: 冰覆盖量

　　open water: 没有冰覆盖的海面

　　the Beaufort Sea: 波弗特海，是北冰洋边缘海，位于美国阿拉斯加州东北岸和加拿大 西北岸，海中岛屿稀少，有无岛海之称。

　　练习：

　　A) Construct. B) Extend. C) Create. D) Expand.

　　A) 4.2 million square kilometers. B) 11.4 million square kilometers. C) 1.13 million square kilometers. D) 38 million square kilometers.

　　A) Strong winds and clear skies. B) Long summer and short winter.

　　Why is the ice melting from both above and below?

　　B) Because extra heat warms the water.

　　 What can be a possible title for the passage?

　　C) Why are scientists worrying about the Arctic Ocean? D) Why are scientists interested in the Arctic Ocean?

　　D build 是个多义词，四个选项都是该词的潜在词义。但在第二段的第一句中，build 与后半句中 shrink一词相对，意思是 become bigger 之义。Extend 是增 长的意思，不适合用在此处。

　　A 短文的第五和第六段回答了这个问题。第五段告诉我们，由于强风的原因，大面积海 面仅有薄冰覆盖或没有冰层覆盖。第六段告诉我们，晴朗的天空使太阳直接照射海面，导致 高温。所以 A 是正确选择。B 的内容没有在文中提到。C 的表述内容是间接原因，是刮强风 的结果。D 选项中，light clouds 的确是 ice melt 的原因，但 fight winds 是错误的理解。

　　C 本文描述了科学家对北冰洋冰覆盖量的研究，研究结果是 Arctic is stuck in a warming trend from which it may never recover.。第四段最后一句说：This continuing trend has scientists concerned，短文最后一句也 告诉我们，科学家对这种趋势十分忧虑。所以，C 是本题的答案。