题目

阅读理解 While the human world is suffering from the novel coronavirus outbreak, our planet is actually showing certain signs of "recovery" from the damage caused by human activity. According to the BBC, new satellite images released by the European Space Agency showed that levels of air pollutants and greenhouse gases have "fallen sharply" in major cities in Europe and the United States ever since the lockdown started. This is a great example of how the world can change overnight as soon as people change their behavior— especially after recent discoveries in Antarctica. An international team of 89 scientists found that the ice in Greenland and Antarctica is melting six times faster in the 2010s than it was in the 1990s. And in February, Argentina's Marambio research station in Antarctica recorded a record high temperature of 20. 75 ℃ on the continent. So what exactly will happen if the temperature keeps rising and the ice keeps melting? A third study might give you an idea. A team of scientists drilled a hole into the seafloor in west Antarctica and extracted material from underground, in which they found traces of roots, spores and pollen—typical products of a rainforest—that dated back 90 million years ago. In other words, Antarctica was very likely a rainforest back when the dinosaurs walked on Earth. But given the fact that the South Pole has four months of darkness winter—even millions of years ago— scientists believe that the rainforest could only exist if the greenhouse gas concentrations were extremely high back then to keep the continent warm when there was little or no sunlight. "We didn't know that this Cretaceous（白垩纪的）greenhouse climate was that extreme," Johann Klages ofthe Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany and a co-author of the research told the Guardian. "It shows us what carbon dioxide is able to do." Ice or no ice, Antarctica will be—and has always been—fine with extreme changes. The human world, however, may not be. Now, during the coronavirus lockdown, we've seen the changes resulting from less human activity. Hopefully, we'll hold on to those changes—not for Antarctica or the planet, but for ourselves. （1） What message does the author mainly want to convey in the first paragraph? A . The air pollution issue in major cities urgently needs to be dealt with. B . The novel coronavirus outbreak has resulted in a damage to nature. C . Reduced human activity is beneficial to the healing process of the earth. D . The novel coronavirus outbreak has changed the patterns of human activity. （2） What can we learn from the recent discoveries in Antarctica? A . The climate in Antarctica can change overnight. B . The greenhouse effect in Antarctica is extremely severe. C . The high temperature in Antarctica is caused by climate change. D . The glacier in Antarctica is melting in a faster speed in this century. （3） Why was Antarctica likely to be a rainforest 90 million years ago? A . Traces of typical elements in a rainforest were found underground. B . The greenhouse gas concentrations were extremely high back then. C . The density of carbon dioxide has changed the climate in Antarctica. D . The temperature in Antarctica have been increasing since the Cretaceous time. （4） According to the passage, which of the following statements is True? A . Human activities do little harm to Antarctica. B . We should limit carbon dioxide emissions to save ourselves. C . There is little we can do to recover the environment in Antarctica. D . Limiting human activities can be used to slow down global warming. 答案： C D A B

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