Old Problem,New Approaches While clean energy is increasingly used in our daily life,global warming will continue for some decades after CO2 emissions peak.So even if emissions were to begin to decrease today,we would still face the challenge of adapting to climate change.Here I will stress some smarter and more creative examples of climate adaptation.
When it comes to adaptation,it is important to understand that climate change is a process.We are therefore not talking about adapting to a new standard,but to a constantly shifting set of conditions.This is why,in part at least,the US National Climate Assessment says that, "There is no 'one-size fits all' adaptation." Nevertheless,there are some actions that offer much and carry little risk or cost.
Around the world,people are adapting in surprising ways,especially in some poor countries.Floods have become more damaging in Bangladesh in recent decades.Mohammed Rezwan saw opportunity where others saw only disaster.His not-for-profit organization runs 100 river boats that serve as floating libraries,schools,and health clinics,and are equipped with solar panels and other communicating facilities.Rezwan is creating floating connectivity(連體) to replace flooded roads and highways.But he is also working at a far more fundamental level:his staff show people how to make floating gardens and fish ponds prevent starvation during the wet season.
Elsewhere in Asia even more astonishing actions are being taken.Chewang Norphel lives in a mountainous region in India,where he is known as the Ice Man.The loss of glaciers there due to global warming represents an enormous threat to agriculture.Without the glaciers,water will arrive in the rivers at times when it can damage crops.Norphel's inspiration came from seeing the waste of water over winter,when it was not needed.He directed the wasted water into shallow basins where it froze,and was stored until the spring.His fields of ice supply perfectly timed irrigation(灌溉)water.Having created nine such ice reserves,Norphel calculates that he has stored about 200,000 m3 of water.Climate change is a continuing process,so Norphel's ice reserves will not last forever.Warming will overtake them.But he is providing a few years during which the farmers will,perhaps,be able to find other means of adapting.
Increasing Earth's reflectiveness can cool the planet.In southern Spain the sudden increase of greenhouses(which reflect light back to space)has changed the warming trend locally,and actually cooled the region.While Spain as a whole is heating up quickly,temperatures near the greenhouses have decreased.This example should act as an inspiration for all cities.By painting buildings white,cities may slow down the warming process.
In Peru,local farmers around a mountain with a glacier that has already fallen victim to climate change have begun painting the entire mountain peak white in the hope that the added reflectiveness will restore the life-giving ice.The outcome is still far from clear.But the World Bank has included the project on its list of "100 ideas to save the planet".
More ordinary forms of adaptation are happening everywhere.A friend of mine owns an area of land in western Victoria.Over five generations the land has been too wet for cropping.But during the past decade declining rainfall has allowed him to plant highly profitable crops.Farmers in many countries are also adapting like this—either by growing new produce,or by growing the same things differently.This is common sense.But some suggestions for adapting are not.When the polluting industries argue that we've lost the battle to control carbon pollution and have no choice but to adapt,it's a nonsense designed to make the case for business as usual.
Human beings will continue to adapt to the changing climate in both ordinary and astonishing ways.But the most sensible form of adaptation is surely to adapt our energy systems to emit less carbon pollution.After all,if we adapt in that way,we may avoid the need to change in so many others.
(1)The underlined part in Paragraph 2 implies AA .
A.a(chǎn)daptation is an ever-changing process
B.the cost of adaptation varies with time
C.global warming affects adaptation forms
D.a(chǎn)daptation to climate change is challenging
(2)What is special with regard to Rezwan's project? CC
A.The project receives government support.
B.Different organizations work with each other.
C.His organization makes the best of a bad situation.
D.The project connects flooded roads and highways.
(3)What did the Ice Man do to reduce the effect of global warming? AA
A.Storing ice for future use.
B.Protecting the glaciers from melting.
C.Changing the irrigation time.
D.Postponing the melting of the glaciers.
(4)What's the author's preferred solution to global warming? BB
A.Setting up a new standard.
B.Reducing carbon emission.
C.Adapting to climate change.
D.Monitoring polluting industries.
【考點】說明文.
【答案】A;C;A;B
【解答】
【點評】
聲明:本試題解析著作權(quán)屬菁優(yōu)網(wǎng)所有,未經(jīng)書面同意,不得復制發(fā)布。
發(fā)布:2024/5/27 14:0:0組卷:1引用:1難度:0.5
相似題
-
1.It is widely believed that biodiversity(生物多樣性)is promoted to save species.But in reality species exist only as part of ecosystems and cannot survive unless their ecosystems are protected along with as much as possible of the diversity they contain.
Protecting habitats(棲息地)is important for keeping biodiversity.In 2003,over 102,000 habitats covering nearly 19 million square kilometres,or 11.5% of the world's land surface,were under some form of protection.Though this is a great improvement since 1962,when just 1,000 protected habitats were listed,it is still not considered enough to stop the ecocide that is endangering the world's biodiversity.
For a number of environmentalist,protecting the world's 25 biodiversity hotspots(熱點地區(qū))is critical to saving habitats and species.But many hotspots are endangered already,having lost up to three-quarters of their original plants.
The poor state of most biodiversity hotspots results directly from population growth and migration(遷移) into these areas.A study found that by the mid-1990s around 1.1 billion people lived in these hotspots.Moreover,the annual population growth rate in these areas was 1.8%,higher than the global average of 1.4%.The PAI report concluded that human-related environmental changes will continue to put pressure on hotspots.Therefore,keeping biodiversity requires paying close attention to population size.
Protecting hotspots is not simply a matter of putting up fences and employing guards.The best results are achieved when local people are educated about the value of wildlife,and actually gain a share of the benefits from eco-tourism.Only then do they have a chance to see the benefits of protecting hotpots.
(1)What can we infer from paragraph 1?
A.The loss of any species can affect humans.
B.Endangered species are paid more attention to by humans.
C.Species can still survive when their ecosystems are destroyed.
D.Ecosystem protection is as important as diversity protection.
(2)What does the underlined word "ecocide" in paragraph 2 mean?
A.Ecosystem protection.
B.Reduction of the number of species.
C.Serious damage to habitats.
D.Habitats protection.
(3)What's the direct cause of the terrible state of the hotspots?
A.Population growth in hotpots.
B.Migration out of these areas.
C.Global warming.
D.The global average population growth rate.
(4)What's the author's opinion on protecting the hotspots?
A.It's simple to carry out.
B.It leads to the increase of tourists.
C.It's closely connected with local people.
D.It suggests that the local people are well educated.發(fā)布:2025/1/6 16:30:6組卷:0引用:1難度:0.5 -
2.Most of us spend our lives seeking the natural world.We go fishing,sit in the garden,have a picnic,live in the suburbs or go to the seaside.The most popular leisure activity in Britain is going for a walk.When joggers jog,they don't run on the streets.Every one of them tends to go to the park or the river.
But despite this,our children are growing up naturedeprived(剝奪).I spent my boyhood climbing trees.These days,children are robbed of the ancient freedom,due to problems like crime,traffic,the loss of the open space and strange new ideas about what is best for children,that is to say,things that can be bought,rather than things that can be found.
The truth is to be found elsewhere.A study in the US:families had moved to better housing and the children were assessed for ADHD—Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder(注意力缺陷多動癥).Those whose accommodation had more natural views showed an improvement of 19%;those who had the same improvement in material surroundings but no nice view improved just 4%.
ADHD is one of the great problems of modern childhood.One study after another indicates that contact with nature gives huge benefits to ADHD children.However,we spend money on drugs rather than on green places.
The life of old people is measurably better when they have access to nature.The increasing concern for the growing population of old people is in quality rather than quantity of years.And study after study finds that a garden is the single most important thing in finding that quality.Even problems with crime and aggressive behaviour are reduced when there is contact with the natural world.
We need the wild world.It is essential to our wellbeing,our health and our happiness.
(1)According to the author,people enjoy
A.jogging on the street
B.running in the gym
C.shopping in the supermarket
D.sitting in the garden
(2)From the second paragraph,we can see that
A.Children don't want to approach nature
B.children probably spend less time in nature nowadays
C.climbing trees will certainly do good to the children
D.children tend to be happier as a result of their material satisfaction
(3)In what way do people benefit from their contact with nature?
A.Children with ADHD can be cured.
B.Children's performance at school is greatly improved.
C.Problems with crime and violent behavior will easily be solved.
D.A garden nearby improves the quality of old people's life.
(4)what is the main idea of this passage?
A.Access to nature improves our life.
B.Nature treats children for ADHD.
C.Getting close to nature reduces crime.
D.Man can't live without natural areas.發(fā)布:2025/1/6 16:30:6組卷:0引用:1難度:0.5 -
3.New editions of Roald Dahl's classic books,such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda,are now available in bookstores.Some passages relating to weight,mental health,gender and race were changed.The changes made by Puffin Books,a division of Penguin Random House,first were reported by Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper.
The changes to Dahl's books mark the latest debate over cultural sensitivity.Those who support updates seek to protect young people from cultural,ethnic and gender stereotypes in literature and other media.Critics complain that revisions to suit 21st century sensibilities risk weakening the genius of great artists and preventing readers from facing the world as it is.
The Roald Dahl Story Company controls the rights to the books.The company said it worked with Puffin Books to review the texts because it wanted to ensure that"Dahl's wonderful stories and characters continue to be enjoyed by all children today."
Inclusive Minds,a group that is working to make children's literature more inclusive and accessible,reviewed the language in a partnership effort with Puffin Books.Inclusive language avoids terms that could be seen as excluding specific groups of people.Any changes were"small and carefully considered,"the company said.
"When publishing new print runs of books written years ago,it's not unusual to review the language used alongside updating other details,including a book's cover and page layout,"the company said their guiding principle throughout had been to maintain the storylines,characters,and the spirit of the original text.
PEN America,a community of some 7,500 writers that advocates for freedom of expression,said it was"alarmed"by reports of the changes to Dahl's books.Suzanne Nossel,chief executive of PEN America,commented on Twitter.She said if we try"to correct for sensing slights (怠慢) instead of allowing readers to receive and react to books as written,we risk distorting the work of great authors and clouding the essential lens (透鏡) that literature offers on society."
Laura Hackett is a childhood Dahl fan who is now deputy literary editor of London,England's Sunday Times newspaper.She had a more personal reaction to the news."The editors at Puffin should be ashamed of the botched surgery they've carried out on some of the finest children's literature in Britain,"she wrote."As for me,I'll be carefully putting away my old,original copies of Dahl's stories,so that one day my children can enjoy them in their full,nasty and colorful glory."
(1)What is the reason for the changes to Dahl's books?
A.To make Dahl's books more enjoyable.
B.To review the language used and add details.
C.To remove words that show disrespect to some people.
D.To keep the storylines,characters,and the spirit of the original text.
(2)What might the underlined word in Paragraph 6 probably mean?
A.Preventing.
B.Appreciating.
C.Understanding.
D.Misrepresenting.
(3)Which of the following may Laura Hackett agree?
A.The new version of the books is worth collecting.
B.The original version of the books are more valuable.
C.The original books weaken the genius of great artists.
D.The new version allows readers to receive books as written.
(4)What might be the proper title of the passage?
A.New Changes to Roald Dahl Books Start Argument
B.Different Opinions on New Editions of Classic Books
C.Authors or Publishers both Control the Right to Books
D.New Editions of Roald Dahl's Classic Books Available
(5)What is the purpose of the passage?
A.To persuade readers to buy Roald Dahl's classic books.
B.To entertain readers by the changes of Roald Dahl's books.
C.To recommend the new version of Roald Dahl's classic books.
D.To inform diverse views on the changes of Roald DahI's books.發(fā)布:2025/1/30 8:0:1組卷:1引用:1難度:0.4
相關(guān)試卷