英语六级篇章阅读练习：气候环境

　　When global warming finally came, it stuck with a vengeance(异乎寻常地).In some regions, temperatures rose several degrees in less than a century. Sea levels shot up nearly 400 feet. flooding coastal settlements and forcing people to migrate inland. Deserts spread throughout the world as vegetation shifted drastically in North America. Europe and Asia. After driving many of the animals around them to near extinction, people were forced to abandon their old way of life for a radically new survival strategy that resulted in widespread starvation and disease. The adaptation was farming: the global-warming crisis that gave rise to it happened more than 10,000 years ago.

　　As environmentalists convene in Rio de Janeiro this week to ponder the global climate of the future, earth scientists are in the midst of a revolution in understanding how climate has changed in the past-and how those changes have transformed human existence. Researchers have begun to piece together an illuminating picture of the powerful geological and astronomical forces that have combined to change the planet's environment from hot to cold, wet to dry and back again over a time period stretching back hundreds of millions of years.

　　Most important. scientists are beginning to realize that the climatic changes have bad a major impact on the evolution of the human species. New research now suggests that climate shifts have played a key role in nearly every significant turning point in human evolution: from the dawn of primates(灵长目动物) some 65 million years ago to human ancestors rising up to walk on two legs. from the huge expansion of the human brain to the rise of agriculture. Indeed, the human history has not been merely touched by global climate change, some scientists argue, it has in some instances been driven by it.

　　The new research has profound implications for the environment summit in Rio. Among other things, the findings demonstrate that dramatic climate change is nothing new for planet Earth. The benign(宜人的) global environment that has existed over the past 10,000 years-during which agriculture. writing, cities and most other features of civilization appeared-is a mere bright spot in a much larger pattern of widely varying climate over the ages. In fact, the pattern of climate change in the past reveals that Earth's climate will almost certainly go through dramatic changes in the future-even without the influence of human activity.

　　测试题

　　1.Farming emerged as a survival strategy because man had been obliged__________.

　　A) to give up his former way of life

　　B) to leave the coastal areas

　　C) to follow the ever-shifting vegetation

　　D) to abandon his original settlement

　　2. Earth scientists have come to understand that climate____________.

　　A)is going through a fundamental change

　　B)has been getting warmer for 10,000 years

　　C) will eventually change from hot to cold

　　D) has gone through periodical changes

　　3.Scientists believe that human evolution________.

　　A) has seldom been accompanied by climatic changes

　　B) has exerted little influence on climatic changes

　　C) has largely been affected by climatic changes

　　D) has had a major impact on climatic changes

　　4.Evidence of past climatic changes indicates that__________.

　　A) human activities have accelerated changes of Earth's environment

　　B) Earth’s environment will remain mild despite human interference

　　C) Earth's climate is bound to change significantly in the future

　　D) Earth's climate is unlikely to undergo substantial changes in the future

　　5.The message the author wishes to convey in the passage is that______________.

　　A) human civilization remains glorious though it is affected by climatic changes

　　B) mankind is virtually helpless in the face of the dramatic changes of climate

　　C) man bas to limit his activities to slow down the global warming process

　　D) human civilization will continue io develop in spite of the changes of nature

　　答案详解

　　1.务农成了糊口策略，因为人们已经被___________。

　　A)放弃原来的生活方式 B)离开海岸地区

　　C)跟随总在变化的植被情况 D)放弃原来的居住地

　　[A]文章第1段提到“人类在将其周围的许多种动物逼向濒临灭绝的境地之后，也被迫放弃他们已导致饥荒、疾病的旧有生活方式而选择全新的求生策略。这种策略就是农业”。A与文章的意思相符合。

　　2.地球科学家已经了解到，气候___________________。

　　A)正在经历重大的变化

　　B)已经在过去的l万年当中变得越来越热

　　C)终将从热变冷

　　D)已经经历了阶段性的变化

　　[D]文章第2段提到“研究者已经开始综合出一幅有关强大的地质和天文力量发生作用的说明性的图片，在过去的几百万年中，这两种力量结合在一起改变着地球的环境：从炎热到寒冷，从潮湿到干燥，如此反复，循环不止”，D与文章的意思一致。因而正确。

　　3.科学家认为人类的进化__________________。

　　A)极少伴随着气候变化 B)对气候变化的影响很小

　　C)深受气候变化的影响 D)对气候变化有重大影响

　　[C]文章第3段提到“最重要的是，科学家已经开始意识到气候的变化对人种的进化有着主要的影响。现在新的研究表明几乎在人类进化的每一个重大的转折时期天气变化都起着关键的作用”，所以人类进化受到气候变化的影响。因此，C正确。

　　4.过去气候变化的证据表明了__________________。

　　A)人类的活动已经加速了地球环境的变化

　　B)尽管受到了人类的干预，地球环境会保持湿和不变

　　C)地球的气候在未来会有重大的改变

　　D)地球的气候在未来不大可能发生实质性的改变

　　[C]文章最后一段提到“事实上，过去气候变化的模式表明地球的气候在将来肯定会经历重大的变化——即使是没有人类活动的影响”，因此，C与文章所表达的意思一致。

　　5.作者想通过文章传达出的信息是__________________。

　　A)虽然人类文明受到了气候变化的影响，但仍然绚烂无比

　　B)面对气候的剧烈变化，人类基本上束手无荣

　　C)人类应该限制自己的活动来减缓全球暖化的进程

　　D)尽管自然在发生变化，但人类文明仍会继续发展

　　[B]全文围绕气候变化给人类带来的影响展开，而文章最后一句“地球气候几乎注定要在将来发生巨大的变化——甚至无须人类的干预”，说明人类无力改变自然，B为正确答案。

　　参考译文

　　当全球变暖终于变成现实的时候，一切都显得异乎寻常。在一些地区，气温在不到一百年的时间里上升了好几度。海平面上升了近400英尺，海水淹没了住在海边的人家，并迫使人们搬往内地。因为北美、欧洲扣亚洲植被急剧变化，所以沙漠在全球肆虐。[1]人类在将其周围的许多种动物通向濒临灭绝的境地之后，也被迫放弃他们已导致饥荒、疾病的旧有生活方式而选择全新的求生策略。这种策略就是农业：造成这种求生策略的改变的全球变暖现象在10000年前就发生过。

　　正当本周环境保护主义者在里约热内卢召开会议思考全球气候前景之际，地球科学家们在对过去气候的变化以及这些变化怎样改变了人类存在等问题的认识上正经历着革命性转变。[2]研究者已经开始拼凑出一幅富有启发意义的演示地质和天体巨大力量的图画：在已往的数亿年期间，这两种力量结合起来改变了地球环境，使之从热到冷，从湿到干，然后在一段时间之后又如此反复，循环不止。

　　[3]最重要的是，科学家开始意识到气候对人类进化曾产生重要影响。新的研究表明气候变化几乎在人类进化的每个重要转折点都起到关键作用：从6500万年前的初期灵长目动物到用双腿直立走路的人类始祖，从人类脑容量的急剧扩充到农业的兴起。的确，一些科学家争论说，人类历史不仅受到全球气候变化的影响，人类历史在某种程度上说也是全球气候变化所推动的结果。

　　新研究对于里约热内卢的环境峰会具有深刻的启示。研究成果之一就是它表明巨大的气候变化对于地球这颗行星来说并不是新鲜事。在过去的1万年里气候宜人的全球环境——在此期间，农业、城市以及其他文明的标志纷纷出现——只不过是在漫长岁月中千差万别的种种气候模式里的一小块亮点而已。[4]/[5]事实上，以往的气候变化模式显示地球气候几乎注定要在将来发生巨大的变化——哪怕它并没有受到人类活动的影响。