Grab an ice cube from the freezer and place it on a table. Watch closely enough and you will see, well, not much at all. The ice cube is absorbing heat, but it is still an ice cube. Before it melts, it will draw heat from the environment to change from solid to liquid. Only then will it begin to slip and slide in a puddle(水坑) of its own making.
And so to A Word Without Ice by Henry Pollack, retired professor of geophysics at the University of Michigan and a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that shared the 2007 Nobel peace prize with Al Gore.
The book gets off to a slow start. You may have to work a little before being rewarded. But given time, Pollack's account warms up and really takes off. The story he has to tell is fascinating, frightening and important.
Despite the title, this is not a book about the world without ice. Much is given over to the impact of ice in Earth's long history, as an important force that shaped our planet's landscape, controlled migrations and influenced cultures. Pollack takes us through Antarctic and Arctic explorations, the natural cycles that bring us ice ages and milder periods without extremes of heat or cold, and the rise of climate science which, among other achievements, can recreate a history of the temperature on Earth from kilometers of ice core drilled from the polar caps.
Pollack’s intellectual power and clarity of phrase are invaluable in describing the scientific evidence for global warming, the ways in which it will affect the world, and the all-too-probable consequences. Pollack is not one to brush awkward issues under the carpet. There is serious discussion about uncertainties in climate science, and in particular, the computer models used to forecast future warming. For its forensic analysis (取证分析) and strong destruction of climate sceptic (怀疑论者) arguments alone, A World Without Ice is worth keeping on a nearby shelf.
Some readers may find Pollack's US-centric approach occasionally grating (刺耳的). He tells of intense irrigation in southwestern Kansas, IPCC reports as big as several New York City phone directories and school-day stories from Omaha. But this is forgivable. The US is uniquely placed to act on climate change but faces a significant barrier in the shape of the outdated, influential, oil-funded anti-climate change lobby (游说议员的团体).
Thoughtful throughout, Pollack occasionally delivers paragraphs that stay with you long after closing the book. On the subject of the book itself, he writes: "Nature's best thermometer (温度计), perhaps its most sensitive and unambiguous indicator of climate change, is ice. When ice gets sufficient warm, it melts. Ice asks no questions, presents no arguments, reads no newspapers, listens to no debates. It is not burdened by ideology and carries no political baggage as it crosses the threshold (门槛) from solid to liquid. It just melts."
A World Without Ice is a call to arms. Debates about which mitigation (减缓) strategies might give us the best chances of reducing our emissions miss the point, Pollack says. If we want to avoid the worst that climate change may bring, we need "every hose in the stable pulling together and as hard and as fast a possible".
Pollack's argument is attractive, persuasive and deeply upsetting, no matter the climate change tiredness that unavoidably sets in as a consequence of endless media coverage of global warming. The author's final warning comes from Lao Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher: “If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
Pollack leaves us in no doubt as to where that is.
1.We can learn that A World Without Ice .
A.brings us to the core of the issue at the very beginning
B.convinces skeptics of the truth about climate change
C.gives an in- depth analysis of global warming
D.gets funded by anti -climate change lobby
2.Why does Henry Pollack think ice is nature's best thermometer?
A.Ice is a reminder of peaceful co- existence.
B.Ice is a common topic of the media coverage.
C.Ice is a controversial issue in political debates.
D.Ice is a clear indicator sensitive to climate change.
3.The underlined sentence in Paragraph 8 probably means the book .
A.urges us to make joint efforts to fight climate change
B.advocates addressing climate change by armed forces
C.recommends debating on strategies to reduce emission
D.calls for separate and tough actions in a timely manner
4.What does the underlined word “that" in the last paragraph refer to?
A.Warning from Lao Tzu. B.Destination of a journey.
C.Effect of global warming. D.Argument on climate change.
5.What's the author's attitude toward A World Without Ice?
A.Ambiguous. B.Positive. C.Cautious. D.Sceptical.
On 23 June 2016, UK (United Kingdom) adults made a historic decision. More than 33 million people voted for the UK to leave the European Union (EU). In the referendum, the result was that around 52% of them—just over half—voted to leave the group of 28 countries. This is called Brexit made up to describe the “British Exit”. No country had ever left the EU before, so Brexit was a significant moment in European history.
After UK and EU leaders had lots of hard negotiations about how Brexit would work, on 22nd, January, 2020, Wednesday, the British Parliament finally approved an agreement about the UK’s divorcing the EU, which Queen Elizabeth II agreed to on Thursday. The deal was expected to pass in the European Parliament the next week. If everything went well, the UK would leave the EU on January 31, 2020. It did! The UK finally and officially left the EU at 11 pm on this day, ending a process that began three and a half years before. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Brexit fans celebrated with fireworks and big parties. For many they called it the UK’s Independence Day. For many others in the UK, it represented the final stage of something they fought hard to prevent. Now the deal has been signed and Britain has left, but it doesn’t mean the life in Britain will change suddenly. Until 31st December 2020, freedom of movement will continue and this means UK citizens will have the right to live and work in the EU.
Making things even more difficult is the fact that the next challenge of Brexit has arrived. The UK and EU now have almost one year to work out the details of the relationship they will have in the future. Many experts express their common concern that making these new agreements will go through the same experience as the original Brexit deal.
1.What does the underlined word “referendum” in Paragraph 1 mean?
A.Explanation. B.Vote.
C.Deal. D.Statement.
2.What day was it when the UK left the EU officially?
A.Tuesday. B.Wednesday.
C.Thursday. D.Friday.
3.What can we say about Brexit?
A.It was an extremely difficult process. B.It is a great victory for all UK people.
C.It means a temporary loss for the EU. D.It brings UK people a new life overnight.
4.What is the experts’ attitude towards Brexit’s next work?
A.Ambiguous. B.Confident.
C.Worried. D.Cautious.
I never knew anyone who’d grown up in Jackson without being afraid of Mrs. Calloway, our librarian. She ran Jackson’s Carnegie Library absolutely by herself. SILENCE in big black letters was on signs hung everywhere. If she thought you were dressed improperly, she sent you straight back home to change your clothes. I was willing; I would do anything to read.
My mother was not afraid of Mrs. Calloway. She wished me to have my own library card to check out books for myself. She took me in to introduce me. “Eudora is nine years old and has my permission to read any book she wants from the shelves, children or adults,” Mother said.
Mrs. Calloway made her own rules about books. You could not take back a book to the library on the same day you’d taken it out; it made no difference to her that you’d read every word in it and needed another to start. You could take out two books at a time and two only. So two by two, I read library books as fast as I could go, rushing them home in the basket of my bicycle. From the minute I reached our house, I started to read. I knew this was extreme happiness, knew it at the time.
My mother shared this feeling of mine. Now, I think of her as reading so much of the time while doing something else. I remember her reading a magazine while taking the part of the Wolf in a game of “Little Red Riding Hood” with my brother’s two daughters. She’d just look up at the right time, long enough to answer—in character —“The better to eat you with, my dear,” and go back to her place in the magazine article.
1.Which of the following best describes Mrs. Calloway?
A.Quiet. B.Considerate.
C.Boring. D.Strict.
2.What do the underlined words “this feeling” refer to in the last paragraph?
A.Interest in games. B.Love for Mrs. Calloway.
C.Desire to read. D.Fear of the library rules.
3.Where is the text probably from?
A.A guidebook. B.An autobiography.
C.A news report. D.A book review.
Pizza delivery driver
Work 15 - 20 hours a week for busy pizza shop.
Duties include making and delivering pizza and some cleaning.
Paid $ 10 per hour + $ 2 per delivery + free dinner.
All applicants must have your own car.
Email us with information about whether you ever cooked and when you can work.
The Pizza Place@telstra. com
TV Host
A national TV station wants to find two people to host a new primetime (黄金时段) game show. Interested? You need to have
◆ a confident and lively personality
◆ some experience of working in the media industry
◆good communication skills
◆ an enthusiasm for performing
£ 40 ,000 per year
Apply to Jonhkeirs@tvhost, com
Casual Sale Assistant
We are looking for casual team members to join our team for 10-30 hours per week！
You must have a positive attitude and great willingness to talk to others, can work in both a team and as an individual and be available to work on Mondays and weekends between 9 am and 5pm.
You will be responsible for using the cash register, tidying up shelves and helping customers find what they are looking for.
Pay is $ 14.50/hr, but $ 25/hr at weekends
To apply, get in touch with the manager
Tony Robins on (02)98761234 or Tony. Robins@ JB - HiFi. blacktown. org. au
Chinese Teachers
Our established language school is looking for Chinese teachers. Our classes are small and students are all ages.
You must have a university degree and teaching experience and a health certificate.
You must also be able to speak and write Chinese fluently.
30 hours per week(flexible times)
£ 30 per hour, plus bonuses
Apply to Smith @ gmail. com
1.The candidate for a pizza delivery driver must tell the employer his/her_____.
A.personality B.availability
C.driving experience D.salary expectation
2.How much can Tom get as a casual sale assistant if working 2 hours on Sunday?
A.$50. B.$30. C.$29. D.$14.5.
3.Who must be outgoing?
A.TV host and Chinese teacher.
B.Pizza delivery driver and Chinese teacher.
C.TV host and Casual sale assistant.
D.Casual sale assistant and Pizza delivery driver.
假定你是学生会主席李华。你校即将举办"我和我的祖国"英语演讲比赛。请给你校外籍教师James 写一封电子邮件，告知他演讲比赛的有关内容，并邀请他当评委。
要点包括：
1. 比赛的时间和地点；
2. 举办此活动的目的和意义；
3. 诚挚邀请他担任评委。
注意：1.词数 100 左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear James,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
When the earthquake was happened in 2008 my aunt was still a little girl in small county in Sichuan. Today, she can well remember doctors and nurses in white overalls which were busy day and night save the injured in our hometown. It was then when she made up her mind to be someone like them. Her dreams came true after she graduated from a local medical school. On January 2020, when bad news came that Hubei was badly in need of doctors and nurses to fight COVID-19, she applied to be there to help out but her application was approved. Before she leaves, she told us she was grateful for what people did for us after the earthquake and that she had decided to pay them forward.
