Scientists claim that air pollution causes a decline in the world’s average air temperature. In order to prove that theory, ecologists have turned to historical data in relation to especially huge volcanic eruptions. They suspect that volcanoes affect weather changes that are similar to air pollution.
One source of information is the effect of the eruption of Tambora, a volcano in Sumbawa, the Dutch East Indies, in April 1815. The largest recorded volcanic eruption, Tambora threw 150 million tons of fine ash into the stratosphere. The ash from a volcano spreads worldwide in a few days and remains in the air for years. Its effect is to turn incoming solar radiation into space and thus cool the earth. For example, records of weather in England show that between April and November 1815, the average temperature had fallen 4,5 F. During the next twenty four months, England suffered one of the coldest periods of its history. Farmer’s records from April 1815 to December 1818 indicate frost throughout the spring and summer and sharp decreases in crop and livestock markets. Since there was a time lag of several years between cause and effect, by the time the world agricultural commodity community had deteriorated, no one realized the cause.
Ecologists today warn that we face a two-fold menace. The ever-present possibility of volcanic eruptions, such as that of Mr. St. Helens in Washington, added to man’s pollution of the atmosphere with oil, gas, coal, and other polluting substances, may bring us increasingly colder weather.
41. It is believed that the earth gets colder when ______.
42. The effects of Tambora’s eruption were ______.
43. The cause of cold weather in England from 1815 to 1818 was ______.
44. No one realized the cause of the deterioration of the world agricultural commodity market because ______.
45. If, as some scientists predict, the world ends in ice, what might be the cause?
问题1选项
A.volcanoes erupt
B.the air is polluted by modern man
C.the rays of the sun are turned into space
D.all of the above
问题2选项
A.felt mainly in the Dutch East Indies
B.of several days’ duration worldwide
C.evidence of pollution’s cooling the earth
D.immediately evident to the world’s scientists
问题3选项
A.decreased crop and livestock production
B.volcanic ash in the atmosphere
C.pollution caused by the Industrial Revolution
D.its proximity to the North Sea
问题4选项
A.there was a long delay between cause and effect
B.the weather is beyond our comprehension
C.weather forecasts were inaccurate
D.ecologists didn’t exist until modern times
问题5选项
A.Modern man’s pollution of the air.
B.Volcanic eruptions.
C.Obliteration of solar radiation.
D.All of the above.
第1题:D
第2题:C
第3题:B
第4题:A
第5题:D
第1题:
细节事实题。题干意思是“人们相信在……地球会变得更冷”。根据文章第一段首句Scientists claim that air pollution causes a decline in the world’s average air temperature（科学家声称，空气污染导致世界平均气温下降）和最后一句They suspect that volcanoes affect weather changes that are similar to air pollution.（科学家们怀疑火山对天气变化的影响类似于空气污染）可知，volcanoes erupt是改变天气的一个原因；第二段第四行提到Its effect is to turn incoming solar radiation into space and thus cool the earth.（其作用是将入射的太阳辐射送入太空，从而使地球降温）可知，太阳辐射送入太空可以降低地球温度；第三段最后一句提到man’s pollution of the atmosphere with oil, gas, coal, and other polluting substances, may bring us increasingly colder weather.（人们使用石油、天然气、煤炭和其他污染物质对大气的污染，可能会给我们带来越来越寒冷的天气）可知，空气污染也是天气变冷的一个原因；因此A项“火山爆发”，B项“现代人造成的空气污染”，C项“把太阳辐射送入太空”均正确，故该题选D项“以上都是”。
第2题:
判断推理题。题干意思是“坦博拉火山爆发的影响是……”。根据第二段的第三句The ash from a volcano spreads worldwide in a few days and remains in the air for years.（坦博拉火山爆发喷出的火山灰在数天里扩散到了全球且这些火山灰长达数年地保留在空气中）和第二段最后一句Since there was a time lag of several years between cause and effect, by the time the world agricultural commodity community had deteriorated, no one realized the cause.（由于原因与后果之间的长达数年的时差，所以当人们遭遇后果时候，往往不能认识到导致其的真正原因）可知A项“荷属东印度群岛才会感觉到这一影响”，B项“在世界范围内持续数天”，D项“立刻成为全世界科学家所关注的证据”都不符合。故该题C项“污染正在冷却地球的证据”正确。
第3题:
细节事实题。题干意思是“1815到1818年英国冷天气的原因是由于……”。根据第二段的第三句The ash from a volcano spreads worldwide in a few days and remains in the air for years. Its effect is to turn incoming solar radiation into space and thus cool the earth.（坦博拉火山爆发喷出的火山灰在数天里扩散到了全球且这些火山灰长达数年地保留在空气中; 火山灰让太阳辐射转入太空，进而让地球温度下降）可知B项“大气中的火山灰”正确，A项“农作物和牲畜产量下降”是后果，不是原因；C项“工业革命造成的污染”和D项“靠近北海”在文中没有提及，因此B正确。
第4题:
细节事实题。题干意思是“没有人认识到世界农产品市场恶化的原因是因为……”。根据第二段最后一句Since there was a time lag of several years between cause and effect（由于因果之间有几年的时间差）可知A项“因果之间有一段长时间间隔”正确，B项“天气变化超出了人类理解力范围”，C项“天气预报不准确”，D项“到现代才出现生态学家”在文中没有提及，因此该题选A。
第5题:
判断推理题。题干意思是“如果像一些科学家预测的那样，世界将在冰中终结，原因可能是什么?”。根据文中第二段中的第四句Its effect is to turn incoming solar radiation into space and thus cool the earth.（火山灰让太阳福射转入太空，进而让地球温度下降）及最后一段的第二句The ever-present possibility of volcanic eruptions, such as that of Mr. St. Helens in Washington, added to man’s pollution of the atmosphere with oil, gas, coal, and other polluting substances, may bring us increasingly colder weather.（如华盛顿的St. Helens先生说的那样，火山爆发的可能性的始终存在和人类消耗石油、天然气、煤和其他污染物而带来的大气污染有可能为人类带来不断变冷的气候）可知A项“现代人类对空气的污染”，B项“火山爆发”，C项“太阳辐射的消失”均符合，因此该题选D项“以上都是”。
