Question

    Record fires sweeping across the Amazon this month have been catching the world's attention, because scientists and environmental groups are worried that they will make the climate worse and threaten biodiversity.

As the largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon is often called "the lungs of the world". It is also home to about 3 million plants and animals, and 1 million native people. Rainforests play an important role in the world's ecosystem because they can take in heat. They can also store carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, making that less carbon is given off, mitigating the effects of climate change.

"Any forest destroyed is a threat to biodiversity and the people who use that biodiversity," said Thomas Lovejoy. "The most serious threat is that a lot of carbon goes into the air," he added. "In the center of the global climate crisis, we cannot afford more damage to a major source of oxygen and biodiversity. The Amazon must be protected," Antonio said.

Data from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) show that the number of forest fires in Brazil quickly increased by 82 percent from January to August this year from a year ago. "The forest areas in the Brazilian Amazon have dropped between 20 and 30 percent compared to the last 12 months," Carlos Nobre said.

Word Bank

threaten   威胁   biodiversity   生物多样性   ecosystem   生态系统   crisis   危机   data   数据

1.What does the underlined word "they" refer to in Paragraph 1?

A.fires B.scientists

C.environmental groups D.rainforests

2.Which of the following words has the closest meaning with the underlined word "mitigating" in Paragraph 2?

A.reducing B.increasing

C.causing D.producing

3.What can we know from Paragraph 3?

A.The dry weather leads to the rainforest fires.

B.Carbon dioxide is important in the air.

C.Oxygen has nothing to do with global climate crisis.

D.Forests play an important role in biodiversity.

4.Which of the following statement is true according to the passage?

A.3 million plants, animals and people live in Amazon.

B.Rainforests can store carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.

C.Carbon dioxide goes into the air will do no harm to us.

D.Ecosystem can take in heat and give off carbon dioxide.

5.What's the best title of the passage?

A.The climate change crisis. B.The forest areas are decreasing.

C."The lungs of the earth" is burning. D.The world's ecosystem is under attack.

Answer

1.A

2.A

3.D

4.B

5.C

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文，主要讲述了亚马逊的火灾对全球气候和环境带来的影响。

1.

词义猜测题。根据第1段“because scientists and environmental groups are worried that they will make the climate worse and threaten biodiversity.”因为科学家和环境学家担心这个火灾会使气候变得更差。可知，they指代前面的火灾。故选A。

2.

词义猜测题。根据第2段“They can also store carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, making that less carbon is given off, mitigating the effects of climate change.”它们能存储二氧化碳和产生氧气，使更少的碳释放，mitigating气候变化的影响。可知，mitigating是减少的意思。故选A。

3.

段落大意题。根据第3段“Any forest destroyed is a threat to biodiversity and the people who use that biodiversity,”任何森林的损坏对生物的多样性以及对使用生物多形性的人类都是一种威胁。可知，森林在生物多样性方面发挥着重要作用。故选D。

4.

推理判断题。根据第2段“They can also store carbon dioxide and produce oxygen,”它们能存储二氧化碳和产生氧气。可知，热带雨林能存储二氧化碳，释放氧气。故选B。

5.

最佳标题题。根据第1段“Record fires sweeping across the Amazon this month have been catching the world's attention, because scientists and environmental groups are worried that they will make the climate worse and threaten biodiversity.” 亚马逊的火灾引起了世界的关注，因为科学家和环境学家担心这个火灾会使气候变得更差已经威胁生物物种的多样性。可知，本文主要讲述了亚马逊的火灾，亚马逊被称为“世界之肺”，可知，是世界之肺正燃烧着。故选C。