Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are a major cause of climate change, and now a new study has confirmed that atmosphere CO2 is also affecting the ocean chemistry and potentially harming sea life.
Montana State University scientist Robert Dore has been researching the water in the Pacific Ocean for almost two decades. “We’ve been going to the same spot in the Pacific Ocean, and we try and characterize long-term change in the open ocean environment. And one of the key things that we measure is CO2 levels. And we’ve been able to record this increasing quantity of atmosphere CO2 into the ocean.”
Scientists expected that as atmosphere CO2 increased, more and more of the carbon dioxide would be absorbed into the ocean, affecting the chemical balance of the sea water, with a potentially harmful impact on shellfish and coral in particular.
“As carbon dioxide dissolves in the water or seawater in this case, it forms a weak acid, carbonic acid,” Dore explains. “And therefore, as the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere goes up and that exchanges with the surface seawater, it drives the pH down, and makes it more acidic.”
The seawater samples Dore and his colleagues have analyzed confirm what the theory predicts.
The effect was particular striking at about 250 meters down, and again at 500 meters. Dore and his colleagues came up with two possible explanations. It could be that surface water picked up CO2 and then moved to those depths. Or there could be a biological explanation.
“It’s important to realize that the oceans are really becoming acidic. And it can have negative impacts on a whole variety of sea life from fish to coral. It’s potentially catastrophic.”
【小題1】What can be the best title of the passage?
A.Scientist Researching Seawater |
B.Sea Life Facing Danger |
C.Oceans Becoming More Acidic |
D.Climate Change Affecting Seawater |
A.more corals will appear in the sea |
B.the chemical balance of the seawater is affected |
C.the surface water is becoming warmer |
D.the pH of the ocean out here has been increasing |
A.a(chǎn)→b→c→d→e | B.e→b→c→d→a |
C.a(chǎn)→e→b→c→d | D.e→d→c→b→a |
A.the expectation of other scientists |
B.some former theory |
C.his research and analysis |
D.a(chǎn) major cause of climate change |
【小題1】B
【小題2】B
【小題3】B
【小題4】C
解析試題分析:一項新的研究已經(jīng)證實,大氣中二氧化碳也在著海洋物質(zhì)的化學(xué)平衡,對海洋生命有著潛在的傷害。二氧化碳?xì)怏w被海洋吸收,逐漸使海水原來的酸堿平衡被打破,這樣的話,海洋生物就失去了生存的環(huán)境而面臨死亡的危險。
【小題1】根據(jù)第一段“and now a new study has confirmed that atmosphere CO2 is also affecting the ocean chemistry and potentially harming sea life.”第三段“as atmosphere CO2 increased, more and more of the carbon dioxide would be absorbed into the ocean, affecting the chemical balance of the sea water, with a potentially harmful impact on shellfish and coral in particular.”和最后一段“the oceans are really becoming acidic. And it can have negative impacts on a whole variety of sea life from fish to coral. It’s potentially catastrophic.”可知,文章講的是大氣中二氧化碳含量的升高對海洋生態(tài)造成的威脅,故選B。
【小題2】根據(jù)第三段“as atmosphere CO2 increased, more and more of the carbon dioxide would be absorbed into the ocean, affecting the chemical balance of the sea water”可知,隨著二氧化碳含量的增多,越來越多的二氧化碳被海洋吸收,這會影響海水的化學(xué)平衡,故選B。
【小題3】根據(jù)第三、四段“as atmosphere CO2 increased, more and more of the carbon dioxide would be absorbed into the ocean, affecting the chemical balance of the sea water ...As carbon dioxide dissolves in the water or seawater in this case, it forms a weak acid, carbonic acid, it drives the pH down, and makes it more acidic”可知,先是大氣中的二氧化碳含量增加,排除A、C;接著是二氧化碳被海水吸收,影響海水的化學(xué)平衡,隨著酸性物質(zhì)的形成,海水的PH值下降,給海洋生態(tài)環(huán)境帶來威脅,故選B。
【小題4】根據(jù)“Montana State University scientist Robert Dore has been researching the water in the Pacific Ocean for almost two decades. ...The seawater samples Dore and his colleagues have analyzed confirm what the theory predicts.”可知,科學(xué)家得出的結(jié)論是建立在研究和分析的基礎(chǔ)之上的,故選C。
考點:環(huán)保類短文閱讀
科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Scientists today are making greater effort to study ocean currents (洋流) . Most do it using satellites and other high-tech equipment. However, ocean expert Curtis Ebbesmeyer does it in a special way -- by studying movements of random floating garbage. A scientist with many years’ experience, he started this type of research in the early 1990s when he heard about hundreds of athletic shoes washing up on the shores of the northwest coast of the United States. There were so many shoes that people were setting up swap meets to try and match left and right shoes to sell or wear.
Ebbesmeyer found out in his researches that the shoes — about 60,000 in total — fell into the ocean in a shipping accident. He phoned the shoe company and asked if they wanted the shoes back. As expected, the company told him that they didn't. Ebbesmeyer realized this could be a great experiment. If he learned when and where the shoes went into the water and tracked where they landed, he could learn a lot about the patterns of ocean currents.
The Pacific Northwest is one of the world's best areas for beachcombing(海灘搜尋) because winds and currents join here, and as a result, there is a group of serious beachcombers in the area. Ebbesmeyer got to know a lot of them and asked for their help in collecting information about where the shoes landed. In a year he collected reliable information on 1, 600 shoes. With this data, he and a colleague were able to test and improve a computer program designed to model ocean currents, and publish the findings of their study.
As the result of his work, Ebbesmeyer has become known as the scientist to call with questions about any unusual objects found floating in the ocean. He has even started an association of beachcombers and ocean experts, with 500 subscribers from West Africa to New Zealand. They have recorded all lost objects ranging from potatoes to golf gloves.
【小題1】The underlined phrase swap meets in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______________.
A.fitting rooms |
B.trading fairs |
C.business talks |
D.group meetings |
A.what caused the shipping accident |
B.when and where the shoes went missing |
C.whether it was all right to use their shoes |
D.how much they lost in the shipping accident |
A.By collecting information from beachcombers. |
B.By studying the shoes found by beachcomber. |
C.By searching the web for ocean currents models. |
D.By researching ocean currents data in the library. |
A.traveling widely the coastal cities of the world |
B.making records for any lost objects on the sea |
C.running a global currents research association |
D.phoning about any doubtful objects on the sea |
A.To call people's attention to ocean pollution. |
B.To warn people of shipping safety in the ocean. |
C.To explain a unique way of studying ocean currents. |
D.To give tips on how to search for lost objects on the beach. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Has been a dream for 30 years but now the world’s first flying car is set to hit the roads this year.
Ever since the “Back to the Future” movies lit up our screens in the 1980s, designers have dreamt of cars that could take to the sky at the push of a button(按鈕). And now pilots can order their own “roadable” plane for just£127, 000.
The plane, which has fold-out wings that span 17. 5 feet, can be up to 115 mph. Back on the land, it can also travel at “highway speeds” in car mode(模式).
Fuelling(加燃料)the 19 feet long plane couldn’t be simpler—you just drive it into a petrol station and fill it up.
A spokeswoman said, “You can keep your ‘light-sport airplane’ in your garage. But because it needs a short runway to take to the air, you will have to drive to your local airport, fly up to 460 miles, land and drive directly to your destination(目的地). You will always be ready to drive or fly. ”
The spokeswoman added, “Never let bad weather change your trip. You can simply divert(使轉(zhuǎn)向)and continue on the ground until the weather clears. ”
There’s no risk to you—this is only the chance for you to be the first at your home field to unfold(展開)your wings and fly into the future.
【小題1】According to the text, the “roadable” plane .
A.can fly in the sky at “highway speeds” in car mode |
B.is a kind of car with fold-out wings |
C.is a little difficult to fuel |
D.can only travel on the highway |
A.there are some skillful pilots |
B.pilots have no cars to drive |
C.pilots can’t afford a “roadable” plane |
D.cars can fly in the sky |
A.Light-sport airplane. |
B.Your garage. |
C.The local airport. |
D.A petrol station. |
A.call for people to buy the “roadable” plane |
B.show people the use of the “roadable” plane |
C.tell people only the “roadable” plane can fly in the future |
D.a(chǎn)sk people to unfold their wings and fly into the future |
A.land in a nearby airport until it clears |
B.turn back home until it clears |
C.land and drive on the ground |
D.fly high up to 460 miles |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Did you know that there are actually people who have paid for a flight to the moon? In the future, there will be a lot more opportunities to travel to faraway places than now… perhaps even as far as the moon. As people adventure further and further away and as planes, trains, cars, and rocket ships become faster, is it safer to have these vehicles controlled by humans or by computers?
While many flights by plane are controlled automatically by machines, most people today wouldn’t let their car drive itself. That’s because currently the autopilot function on your car can only keep it on the same course you are travelling on. It won’t turn the car right or left. It won’t stop if an animal jumps in the way. However, cars today can sense when something is too close and warn the driver with flashing lights and alarms. Many cars also have GPS(global positioning systems) that tell drivers which road to take and when to turn. These systems, unlike human drivers, never get lost. In the future, it is easy to believe that your car will be better able to drive itself with the aid of computers that can determine the position of your car and the speed it should travel at.
In addition to computers being ‘smarter’ than people regarding the best way to go or knowing how close another vehicle is, computers don’t get sick, tired, or angry. This means they won’t make the same mistakes that people make when they are not having a good day. While responding with emotion is a good thing when choosing the best way to deal with a friend’s personal problem, it may not be such a good thing when deciding what to do at the wheel of a fast-moving vehicle.
So what are the disadvantages of autopilot systems? Maybe one disadvantage is that a small computer problem could cause a serious accident. It could also be argued that in unexpected situations, computers might not be able to respond appropriately; some decisions require human emotions. Another problem might be that if everything were controlled by computers or robots, people wouldn’t have any jobs.
【小題1】What is the best title for the passage?
A.The Development of Autopilot |
B.Technology of Future Travel |
C.A New Driving System |
D.Computerized Cars |
A. It won’t make the same mistakes as people do. |
B. It can point out the best route for the driver. |
C. It might not respond properly to unexpected situations. |
D.It does not have human emotions to influence its function. |
A.inform you of the danger |
B.turn the car right or left |
C.do nothing about it |
D.stop the car |
A.Approving. | B.Objective. | C.Negative. | D.Doubtful. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
EVERYONE has those nights – you lie in your bed for hours, tossing and turning, totally unable to fall asleep. You wish you could just turn your brain off as if it were a light. That would make things much easier, wouldn’t it?
Now it looks like you are one step closer to this wild dream of yours – scientists from Oxford University, UK have just discovered the “switch” that tells the brain to go to sleep, reported Forbes.
To understand the study, you first need to know that there are two mechanisms (機能) that regulate sleep. There’s one that we’re already familiar with – our body clock, which works in a 24-hour cycle based on the light changes throughout the day.
The other one is what scientists call the sleep “homeostat (動態(tài)平衡系統(tǒng))”. This mechanism has nothing to do with daylight. Instead, it keeps track of the brain’s waking hours and urges it to rest if it has been awake for a long time. “It is similar to the thermostat (自動調(diào)溫器) in your home. A thermostat measures temperature and switches on the heating if it’s too cold,” Professor Gero Miesenböck, who led the study, told The Telegraph.
Our bodies use both of the mechanisms to regulate sleep. “The body clock says it’s the right time, and the sleep thermostat has built up pressure during a long waking day,” explained Miesenböck.
There is no way that scientists can trick the body clock. But with the sleep homeostat, there might be something they can do.
The researchers found that the sleep homeostat works by activating a specific group of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain. They tested their theory on fruit flies by removing the neurons from the insects’ brains. And as expected, they found that the flies without the homeostat neurons did not keep a regular sleep pattern anymore.
Now that scientists have pinpointed (定位) the exact place in the brain – or, the “switch” – that regulates sleep, they can begin investigating (研究) how to activate these cells at any given time so that people can be sent to sleep instantly.
More importantly, figuring out how sleep mechanisms work may also help us to one day unravel one of the oldest mysteries of all: why do we need to sleep in the first place?
【小題1】What is the article mainly about?
A.A new way to treat sleep disorders. |
B.The discovery of the sleep “homeostat”. |
C.Advice on what to do when you fail to fall asleep. |
D.A comparison of the two mechanisms that regulate sleep. |
A.Through examples. |
B.With comparisons. |
C.Through cause and effect analysis. |
D.By presenting research findings. |
A.Generally, the sleep homeostat has less effect on people during the day than at night. |
B.There is little scientists can do to affect the way the sleep homeostat works. |
C.What makes us go to sleep at night is probably a combination of the two mechanisms. |
D.The more homeostat neurons there are in one’s brain, the more easily one can fall asleep. |
A.put up with | B.figure out | C.keep track of | D.take notice of |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
In Egyptian myth, Apophis was the ancient spirit of evil and destruction, a demon (惡魔) that was determined to throw the world into darkness forever. A fitting name, astronomers reasoned, for a threat now rushing towards Earth from outer space. Scientists are monitoring the progress of a 390-metere wide asteroid (小行星) discovered last year, which is potentially on a collision (碰撞)course with the planet.
NASA has estimated that Apophis has an outside chance of hitting the Earth in 2036. If it did hit us, thousands of square kilometers would be directly affected by the explosion but the whole of the Earth would see the effects of the dust sent into the atmosphere. At a recent meeting of experts in Near-Earth objects (NEOs) in London, scientists said it could take decades to design, test and build the required technology to deflect the asteroid.
The Apophis asteroid is placed at four out of ten on the Torino scale—a measure of the threat caused by an NEO where 10 is a certain collision which could cause a global disaster. This is the most possible danger of any asteroid in recorded history and it has a 1 in 37 chance of hitting the Earth.
Alan Fitzsimmons, an astronomer from Queen’s University Belfast, said, “When it does pass close to us on April 13, 2029, the Earth will deflect it and change its orbit. There is a small possibility that if it passes through a particular point in space, the so-called keyhole, the Earth’s gravity will change things so that when it comes back around again in 2036, it will collide with us.” The chance of Apophis passing through the keyhole, a 600-meter patch of space, is 1 in 5,500, based on current information.
There is no shortage of ideas on how to deflect asteroids. The Advanced Concepts Team at the European Space Agency has led the effort in designing a range of satellites and rockets to nudge asteroids that are on a collision course for Earth into a different orbit.
【小題1】The best title for this passage would be ___________.
A.Apophis Asteroid, a Possible Destroyer of Earth |
B.Apophis, a Good Name for Dangerous Asteroid |
C.Our Planet Will Be Ruined in 2036 |
D.Scientists Study Apophis Asteroid |
A.powerful | B.mysterious | C.boring | D.destructive |
A.destroy the quality of |
B.change the direction of |
C.measure the size of |
D.look into the truth of |
A.If Apophis hit the earth, its impact would be enormous. |
B.No way to deal with Apophis is available at present. |
C.Apophis is the first dangerous asteroid in recorded history. |
D.It is uncertain whether Apophis will hit the earth in 2036. |
A.An Egyptian myth about Apophis. |
B.NASA’s study on NEOs. |
C.How the keyhole influences Apophis. |
D.What methods can be used to deflect the asteroid. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
People in several American states may be surprised to see cars on city streets without a driver. Experimental driverless vehicles now are legal in Florida, Nevada and California. They are pointing the way to a future that is not far down the road. The high-tech company Google has a number of self-driving cars, which had covered 480,000 kilometers by August. Volvo is among the companies doing road tests and says it plans to sell driverless cars by 2020.
In September, California Governor Jerry Brown signed an act to allow autonomous vehicles on the roads of his state. " Today we're looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow's reality-the driverless car. " The technology for these cars includes cameras, radar and motion sensors. The systems have been improved through competitions sponsored by the U. S. government agency DARPA. Engineer Richard Mason of the Rand Corporation helped design driverless vehicles for DARPA challenge races.
Cars have become much more fuel-efficient, and new electronic features are' making Hondas safer, said Angie Nucci of Honda America. " A camera on the passenger-side mirror actually engaged on your guiding screen so you can safely change lanes. " Other safety features include warning systems on the front and the sides of the cars. These systems help drivers , but don't replace them. Curator Leslie Kendall of the Petersen Automotive Museum said autonomous cars will make the high ways safer.
"By taking out drivers, you also remove most risks of an accident," Kendall said. He said consumers, however, may be unwilling to lose control. "It may take them time to come to realize that the technology is indeed reliable, but it will have to prove itself first. "
Mason said the technology already works and the biggest challenge now is getting down the cost for driverless vehicles from hundreds of thousands of dollars to something more affordable. He said this will happen as the technology is improved.
【小題1】What can we learn from Paragraph l?
A. Driverless vehicles are now legal in the whole USA.
B. Volvo will be the first to sell driverless cars.
C. Driverless cars are pointing us' a faraway future.
D. Google's self-driving cars have covered a long distance.
【小題2】We learn that Governor of California Jerry Brown_________.
A. helped design self-driving cars. |
B.supports self-driving cars on roads. |
C.considers self-driving cars science fiction. |
D.improved the self-driving car systems. |
A.They can help people drive more safely. |
B.They can take the place of drivers now. |
C.They can make cars run without fuel. |
D.They can help cars run much faster. |
A.They are not allowed to run on the road. |
B.Their technical problems remain to be solved. |
C.They are now too expensive for consumers. |
D.They are more dangerous for people on the street. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
There are some things humans can go without. We can lose a kidney (腎)or a lung, an arm or two and still live perfectly well. But some fish put us to shame. They can get by without stomachs.
One such fish is the stout longtom(尖嘴魚 ). The group it belongs to carries a more appropriate name: the needlefish. All needlefish lack stomachs. Their ancestors had them, but later they were lost.
The stout longtom can reach 1.3 meters in length, and lives near the sea surface. Like all needlefish, it can jump out of the water to escape its enemies. Tropical(熱帶) fishermen are sometimes injured by needlefish. In 1977, a 10-year-old Hawaiian boy was killed when a needlefish jumped through his brain. The longtom eats smaller fish. Its teeth are not good at cutting fish into pieces, so it swallows fish whole.
Ryan Day from Australia and his colleagues wanted to know how the longtom digests its meaty meals without a stomach, so they ran some chemical tests about the fish.
Day’s results show that the longtom can consume food without the help of a stomach. It uses a special material called trypsin(胰島素) that can break down proteins without acid — although the approach is less efficient than using a stomach.
Because it’s a meat-eating animal, the longtom gets a lot of protein in its food, so it can afford this slightly less efficient system for absorbing it. Two plant-eating fish that Day studies actually had higher levels of trypsin in their body, as their food was low in protein.
Day thinks that the longtom and its stomachless relatives might actually have arrived at an energy-saving solution. He says that although the stomach is critical to many kinds of animal, the organ is “a fairly expensive organ to run”. This perhaps explains why some animals have got rid of theirs.
【小題1】What does the underlined phrase “get by” mean?
A.Live. | B.Fight. | C.Hunt. | D.Recover. |
A.catches smaller fish in the water |
B.can jump so high to escape its enemies |
C.digests the smaller fish in its body |
D.uses acid to break down the protein |
A.Acid | B.Trypsin. | C.The stomach. | D.Protein in its body. |
A.the longtom often waste energy |
B.the longtom can make acid easily |
C.the longtom’s high-protein food helps its unique way of consuming food. |
D.meat-eating fish have higher levels of trypsin in their bodies than plant-eating fish |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Boiler rooms are often dirty and steamy,but this one is clean and cool.Fox Point is a very new 47unit living building in South Bronx,one of the city’s poorest areas.Twothirds of the people living there are formerly (以前) homeless people,whose rent is paid by the government.The rest are lowincome families.The boiler room has special equipment,which produces energy for electricity and heat.It reuses heat that would otherwise be lost to the air,reducing carbon emissions(碳排放)while also cutting costs.
Fox Point is operated by Palladia,a group that specializes in providing housing and services to needy people.Palladia received support from Enterprise Community Partners (ECP),which helps build affordable housing by providing support to housing developers.
ECP has created national standards for healthy,environmentally (環(huán)境方面) clever and affordable homes which are called the Green Communities Standards.These standards include water keeping,energy saving and the use of environmentally friendly building materials.Meeting the standards increases housing construction costs by 2%,which is rapidly paid back by lower running costs.Even the positioning of a window to get most daylight can help save energy.
Michael Bloomberg,New York’s mayor,plans to create 165,000 affordable housing units for 500,000 New Yorkers.Almost 80% of New York City’s greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings,and 40% of those are caused by housing.So he recently announced that the city’s Department of Housing and Preservation and Development (DHPD),whose duty is to develop and keep the city’s supply of affordable housing,will require all its new projects to follow ECP’s green standards.
Similar measures have been taken by other cities,such as Cleveland and Denver,but New York’s DHPD is the largest city developer of affordable housing in the country.(2010·四川,B)
【小題1】What is the purpose of describing the boiler rooms in the first paragraph?
A.To explain the measures the city takes to care for poor people. |
B.To suggest that affordable housing is possible in all areas. |
C.To show how the environmentfriendly building works. |
D.To compare old and new boiler rooms. |
A.Lower running costs. |
B.Costing less in construction. |
C.Less air to be lost in hot days. |
D.Better prices for homeless people. |
A.New York City is seriously polluted |
B.people’s daily life causes many carbon emissions in New York City |
C.a(chǎn) great number of people in New York City don’t have houses to live in |
D.some other cities have developed more affordable housing than New York City |
A.To call on people to pay more attention to housing problems. |
B.To prove that some standards are needed for affordable housing. |
C.To ask society to help homeless people and lowincome families. |
D.To introduce healthy,environmentally clever and affordable housing. |
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