淘金高阶英语六级巅峰阅读 篇章阅读28：气候环境

　　篇章阅读28：气候环境

　　In the atmosphere, carbon dioxide acts rather like a one-way mirror-the glass in the roof of a greenhouse which allows the suns rays to enter but prevents che heat from escaping.

　　According to a weather experts prediction. the atmosphere will be 3C warmer m the year 2050 than it is today, if man continues to bum fuels at the present rate. If this warming up took place, the ice caps in the poles would begin to melt. thus raising sea level several meters and severely flooding coastal cities. Also, the increase in atmospheric temperature would lead to great changes in the climate of the northern hemisphere, possibly re9ulting in an alteration of the earths chief food-growing zones.

　　In the past, concern about a man-made warming of the earth has concentrated on the Arctic because the Antarctic is much colder and has a much thicker ice sheet. But the weather experts are now paying more attention to West Antarctic, which may be affected by only a few degrees of warming: in other words, by a warming on the scale that will possibly take place in the next fifty years from the burning of fuels.

　　Satellite pictures show that large areas of Antarctic ice are already disappearing. The evidence available suggests that a warming has taken place. This fits the theory that carbon dioxide warms the earth.

　　However. most of the fuel is burnt in the northern Hemisphere, where temperatures seem to be falling. Scientists conclude. therefore. that up to now natural influences on the weather have exceeded those caused by man. The question is: Which natural cause has most effect on the weather?

　　One possibility is the variable behavior of the sun. Astronomers at one research station have studied the hot spots and cold spots on the sun. As the sun rotates, every 27.5 days. it presents hotter or colder faces to the earth, and different aspects to different parts of the earth. This seems to have a considerable effect on che distribution of the earths atmospheric pressure, and consequently on wind circulation. The sun is also variable over a long term: its heat output goes up and down in cycles. che latest trend being, downward.

　　Scientists are now finding mutual relations between models of solar-weather interactions and the actual climate over many thousands of years, including the last Ice Age. The problem is that che models are predicting that the world should be entering a new Ice Age and it is not. One way of solving this theoretical difficulty is to assume a delay of thousands of years while the solar effects overcome the inertia of the earths climate. If this is right. the warming effect of carbon dioxide might thus be serving as a useful counterbalance to the sun s diminishing heat.

　　参考译文

　　大气中二氧化碳的作用很像单向的镜子 即镶在温室屋顶的玻璃，它允许阳光进入，却阻止热量散失。

　　据气象专家预测，如果人类继续以目前的速度消耗燃料，到2050年时大气温度将比现在高3C。如果真的发生升温，两极的冰冠会开始融化，从而使海平面上升几米，违成海滨城市洪水泛滥。而且，大气温度升高也将引起北半球气候剧变，可能会导致地球上主要的粮食生产带发生变化。

　　过去，人们关注人为造成的地球升温时，注意力集中在北极地区，因为南极寒冷得多，冰层也厚得多。但现在气象专家更关注南极西部。因为即使温度只上升几度，这个地区也会受到影响，也就是说，在未来50年内因为消耗燃料而可能引起的那种幅度的升温，南极西部也会受到影响。

　　卫星图片显示，南极大面积的冰块正在消融。已有的证据表明，温度已经升高了。这种情况符合二氧化碳使地球变暖的理论。

　　然而，大部分燃料是在北半球消耗的，这里的温度却似乎在下降。科学家因此得出结论：到目前为止，自然因素对大气的影响超过人类因素的影响。问题是：哪一种自然因素对天气影响最大?

　　一种可能性是变化无常的太阳活动。一个研究站的天文学家们研究进太阳表面的热点和 冷 点(即相对而言不太热的区域)。太阳旋转时，每隔27.5天，其较热或较 冷 的一面就朝向地球，给地球上的不同地区带来不同的特点。这似乎对地球上的气压分布影响很大，并因此影响大气循环。从长期来看，太阳也是多变的：它的热量输出周期性地上升或下降，最近的趋势是下降。

　　科学家现在发现了太阳-天气互动模式与包括上一个冰川期在内的几千年间的实际气候之间的相互关系。问题是，互动模式预示世界应该正进入新的冰川期，但事实上并没有出现这样的情况。解决这个理论难题的一个方法是做这样的假设：太阳虽然对地球有影响，但要克服地球气候的惯性，因此冰川期要推迟几千年到来。如果这个假设成立，二氧化碳的温室效应可以对太阳正在下降的热量起到有益的抵消平衡作用。

　　测试题

　　1. It can be concluded that a concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would______.

　　A) prevent the suns rays from reaching the earths surface

　　B) mean a warming up in the Arctic

　　C) cause great climate changes in the northern hemisphere

　　D) raise the temperature of the earths surface

　　2.The article was written io explain____________.

　　A) the greenhouse effect.

　　B) che sola:r effects on the earth.

　　C) the models of solar-weather interactions.

　　D) the causes affecting weather.

　　3.Why is the fuel consumption greater in the northern hemisphere. but temperatures there seem to be falling?

　　A) Mainly because the levels of carbon dioxide are rising.

　　B) Possibly because the ice caps in the poles are melting.

　　C) Because the inertia of the earths climate take effect.

　　D) Partly because the output of solar energy varies.

　　4.On the basis of their models. scientists are of the opinion that_______.

　　A) the climate of the world should be becoming cooler

　　B) it will take thousands of years for the inertia of the earths climate to take effect

　　C) the man-made warming effect helps to increase the solar effects

　　D) the new Ice Age will be delayed by the greenhouse effect

　　5.If the assumption about the delayof a new Ice Age is correct,___________.

　　A) the best way to overcome the cooling effect would be to burn more fuels

　　B) ice would soon cover the northern hemisphere

　　C) the increased levels of carbon dioxide could warm up the earth quickly.

　　D) the greenhouse effect could work to the advantage of the earth.

　　选项翻译与答案详解

　　1.可以推断出，大气中二氧化碳的集中将__________。

　　A)阻止太阳的光线到达地表 B)意味着北极的升温

　　C)导致北半球大的气候改变 D)导致地表温度升高

　　从第1段对二氧化碳造成温室效应的原理描述，即可判断本题答案为D项。根据第4段第3句 这种情况符合二氧化碳使地球变暖的理论 也可判断D项符合题意。此外，本题也可以根据有关温室效应的常识求解。

　　2.作者撰写这篇文章，是为了解释____________。

　　A)温室效应 B)地球受到的太阳效应

　　C)太阳与气象相互作用的模型 D)影响天气的因素

　　文章前半部分(前四段)讲燃烧产生二氧化碳使地球产生温室效应，后半部分(后三段)讲太阳对地球的影响使地球温度降低。尤其值得注意的是第5段提出的问题Which natural cause has most effect on the weather? 使我们推出本文旨在解释影响气候变化的原因。故D项为正确答案。

　　3.为什么北半球燃油消耗更大，但是它的温度看似却下降了?

　　A)主要是因为(大气中)二氧化碳含量上升了。

　　B)可能是因为极地的冰盖正在融化。

　　C)因为地球气候的惯性起作用了。

　　D)一定程度上是因为太阳能的输出变化了。

　　从第5段最后一句给出的设问可知，第6段的首句是考点之所在，即： 一种可能性(自然因素)是变化无常的太阳活动 。由此可以判断，D项的内容符合题意。A项说的是人为的因素，即温室效应。事实上，A项和D项是作为两个影响气候的对立因素出现的，同时也是本文论及的两个分话题，由此也可以直接判断D项为正确答案。

　　4.根据他们的模型，科学家们持这一观点：

　　A)全球的气候应该变冷。

　　B)地球气候的惯性需要几千年才起作用。

　　C)人为的升温效应助推太阳效应。

　　D)新的冰河时代将因温室效应而被推后。

　　最后一段的第2句提到 科学家们研究的结果应该是地球进入新的冰川时期，然而却没有出现这种情况 ，这与A项的内容吻合。D项为本题的强干扰项，根据文章，该项的含义正确。但就本题而言，题干针对的是models(模型)，因而判断范隔只能针对solar-weather interactions.即太阳的作用。

　　5.如果关于新冰河时代延迟的设想是正确的，那么__________。

　　A)战胜变冷效应的最好办法是烧更多的燃料

　　B)北半球将很快被冰雪覆盖

　　C)温室效应将良性地作用于地球

　　文章最后一句中的a useful counter-balance是指有益的抵消作用，即二氧化碳产生的热效应可以抵消太阳热量减少使地球变冷的倾向，这对地球的热量平衡是有利的。这与D项的内容相吻合。