The summer of 2012 was full of reports of extreme weather: one of the warmest years on record in the US, the wettest summer in the UK, and the worst drought (旱灾) in East Africa. In short, extreme weather seems to be being the new normal. Weather extremes are not that extreme any more. Heatwaves, droughts and wildfires are the new reality of a warming world.
And this should not e as a surprise. Scientists have been warning for years that as the planet heats up, we will have to deal with more dreadful weather. Although not every extreme weather event is the result of climate change, scientists are now much more confident about connecting weather events with climate change. In 2011, the UK had a warm November. Researchers say that it was at least 60 times more likely to happen because of climate change than because of natural changes in the earth’s weather systems.
All the news shows that climate breakdown is occurring faster than most climate scientists had expected. But isn’t it too expensive to stop the climate from changing? Well, yes it costs. So everything is just as usual. It would be wrong to believe that to let things continue as they always do is the cheap choice. Instead, it is very expensive. Just one example: droughts in the US, Russia and the Ukraine sent food prices to a record high. According to the World Bank, the price for corn increased by 113% in some markets in Mozambique and in Sudan. This is the kind of cost that often gets ignored.
I believe intelligent climate action can help create new opportunities for jobs in Europe, for encouraging creativity and petitiveness, for spending less money on energy.
【小题1】According to the passage, in 2012 .A．the UK had a warm NovemberB．the US had many wildfiresC．the UK had a dry summerD．East Africa had little rain【小题2】The author mentions the increase of food prices in Paragraph 3 to .A．show a lot of people are hungryB．prove food prices are very changeableC．prove we’re paying for extreme weatherD．show it’s expensive to stop the climate from changing【小题3】Which of the following statements does the author probably agree with?A．Proper climate action will be useful.B．Europe is providing limited job opportunities.C．It’s everyone’s duty to protect the environment.D．Everyone needs time to get used to extreme weather.D
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(答案→)D
解析：本文主要报道了2012的一些极端的天气对各国产生的影响。
【小题1】根据The summer of 2012 was full of reports of extreme weather: one of the warmest years on record in the US, the wettest summer in the UK, and the worst drought (旱灾) in East Africa.故选D。
【小题2】根据But isn’t it too expensive to stop the climate from changing? Well, yes it costs. So everything is just as usual. It would be wrong to believe that to let things continue as they always do is the cheap choice. Instead, it is very expensive.故选C。
【小题3】根据I believe intelligent climate action can help create new opportunities for jobs in Europe, for encouraging creativity and petitiveness, for spending less money on energy.
故选A。