Question

    Everybody knows that Earth spins from west to east. That is to say, it appears to be turning counterclockwise (逆时针) rapidly when viewed from above the North Pole. But what if Earth started spinning the other way?

Scientists from Germany have made a computer simulation in which Earth spins in the opposite direction ﹣ clockwise when viewed from above the North Pole. This showed them some interesting things about the weather and geography on Earth, Live Science reported.

As Earth spins in a counterclockwise direction, it shapes certain ocean currents (洋流). The direction of ocean currents, together with winds, produces different weathers around the globe. But a backward spin changes the ocean currents and winds. ▲ Western areas of the lands on Earth cool down as the eastern parts warm up. Winters become even colder in northwestern Europe, while eastern Russia becomes warmer than before. Rain no longer falls on the planet's wettest places.

Another result of a backward spin is that Earth becomes greener. Scientists found that global desert (沙漠) areas reduce from 42 million square kilometers to 31 million square kilometers. This may have something to do with the changing weather. Therefore, you can see rich green landscapes from Central Africa to the Middle East, which are mostly covered with deserts now. More surprisingly, the Sahara Desert becomes an oasis.

However, deserts don't disappear. They just appear in some places in which they never appeared before. Deserts would cover North America, where countries like the United States and Canada lie. Sand dunes would replace the Amazon rainforest in South America.

A backward spin would keep the main features (特征) of Earth's geography, such as the size, shapes and positions of lands and oceans. But it would change the interactions between circulating air, ocean and geography, lead scientist Florian Ziemen told Live Science.

1.What would a backward spin bring to Earth?

A.The direction of ocean currents and winds would be different.

B.Rain would no longer fall on western areas of the lands on Earth.

C.Deserts would become larger and cover the planet's wettest places.

D.The size, shapes and positions of lands and oceans would be changed.

2.Which of the following sentences can be put in the blank of Paragraph 3?

A.Anyway, deserts cover the planet.

B.Therefore, the weather is different.

C.However, the positions of oceans changes.

D.Surprisingly, the area of lands is larger.

3.The underlined word "oasis" in Paragraph 4 means ________ in Chinese.

A.海洋 B.绿洲 C.戈壁 D.高原

4.The passage is most probably taken from a magazine on ________.

A.history B.culture C.art D.geography

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.B

4.D

【解析】

文章大意：本文主要讲了科学家研究的地球顺时针旋转时会发生什么事情。

1.

细节理解题。根据文中“But a backward spin changes the ocean currents and winds．” 但是反向旋转改变了洋流和风。可知地球顺时针旋转会改变洋流和风向，故答案为A。

2.

推理判断题。根据第三段 “The direction of ocean currents， together with winds， produces different weathers around the globe． But a backward spin changes the ocean currents and winds．Western areas of the lands on Earth cool down as the eastern parts warm up． Winters become even colder in northwestern Europe， while eastern Russia becomes warmer than before． Rain no longer falls on the planet's wettest places．”洋流的方向，再加上风，在全球造成了不同的天气。但是反向旋转改变了洋流和风。地球上的西部地区随着东部地区的升温而降温。欧洲西北部的冬天变得更加寒冷，而俄罗斯东部则变得比以前更温暖。地球上最潮湿的地方不再有雨水。可知风和洋流会产生不同的天气，而反向旋转会改变洋流和风，下文讲到了一些地区的气候变化，因此判断空白处要表达的是气候发生了改变。故答案为B。

3.

词义理解题。根据第四段“Therefore， you can see rich green landscapes from Central Africa to the Middle East， which are mostly covered with deserts now．”可知从中非到中东都会看到富饶的绿洲，而现在被沙漠覆盖，因此判断沙漠将会变为绿洲，即更让人惊讶的是沙哈拉大沙漠会变为绿洲，第四段划线单词"oasis" 的汉语意思是“绿洲”，故答案为B。

4.

猜测推断题。根据第一段“Everybody knows that Earth spins from west to east． That is to say， it appears to be turning counterclockwise （逆时针） rapidly when viewed from above the North Pole． But what if Earth started spinning the other way？” 大家都知道地球自西向东旋转。也就是说,从北极上空看，它似乎是逆时针旋转。但是如果地球开始向另一个方向旋转呢?可知本文主要讲了地球逆向旋转会发生什么，因此判断是地理类的文章，因此判断会在地理专栏看到这篇文章。故答案为D。