Question

Plants are flowering faster than scientists predict in reaction to climate change, which could have long damaging effects on food chains and ecosystems.

“Global warming is having a great effect on hundreds of plant and animal species around the world, changing some living patterns.” scientists say.

Increased carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air from burning coal and oil can have an effect on how plants produce oxygen, while higher temperatures and changeable rainfall patterns can change their patterns of growth.

“Predicting species’ reaction to climate change is a major challenge in ecology,” said the researchers of several U.S. Universities. They said plants had been the key object of study because their reaction to climate change could have an effect on food chains and ecosystem services.

The study, published on the Nature website, uses the findings from plant life cycle studies and experiments across four continents and 1,634 species. It found that some experiments had underestimated the speed of flowering by 8.5 times and leafing by 4 times.

“Across all species, the experiments underestimated the speed of the advance—for both leafing and flowering—that results from temperature increases,” the study said.

“The design of future experiments may need to be improved to better predict how plants will react to climate change,” it said.

Plants are necessary for life on the Earth. They are the base of the food chain, using photosynthesis (光合作用) to produce sugar from carbon dioxide and water. They let out oxygen which is needed by nearly every organism on the planet.

Scientists believe the world’s average temperature has risen by about 0.8 ℃ since 1900, and nearly 0.2 ℃ every ten years since 1979.

So far, efforts to cut emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases are not seen as enough to prevent the Earth heating up beyond 2 ℃ this century—a point scientists say will bring the danger of a changeable climate in which weather extremes are common, leading to drought, floods, crop failures and rising sea levels.

1.What is the key information the author wants to give in Paragraph 1?

A. The increasing speed of flowering is beyond scientists’ expectation.

B. Climate change leads to the change of food production patterns.

C. Plants’ reaction to weather could have damaging effects on ecosystem.   

D. Food chains have been seriously damaged because of weather.

2.We can learn from the study published on the Nature website that _____.    

A. scientists should improve the design of the experiments

B. plants’ flowering is 8.5 times faster than leafing

C. there are 1,634 plant species on the four continents

D. the experiments failed to predict how plants react to climate change

3.Scientists pay special attention to the study of plants because _____.     

A. they can prove the climate change clearly

B. they are very important in the food chains

C. they play a leading role in reducing global warming

D. they are growing and flowering much faster than before

4.What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs about the world’s temperature?    

A. It has risen nearly 0.2 ℃ since 1979.

B. It is 0.8 ℃ higher in 1979 than that of 1990. 

C. It needs to be controlled within 2 ℃ in this century.

D. Its change will lead to weather extremes.

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.B

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：本文主要讲述了植物对于气候变化所作出的反应会影响人类的食物链并影响整个生态系统。并介绍了与之有关的一些研究的情况。

1.C 段落大意题。根据文章第一段第2句which could have long damaging effects on food chains and ecosystems.可知本段讲述的是植物对于气候变化的反应能够对食物链以及生态系统有很大的影响。故C正确。

2.A 细节题。根据文章倒数第三段“The design of future experiments may need to be improved to better predict how plants will react to climate change,” it said.可知在未来实验的设计应该被进一步地完善，现在的设计还有很大的缺陷。故A正确。

3.B 细节题。根据文章第四段2,3行They said plants had been the key object of study because their reaction to climate change could have an effect on food chains and ecosystem services.植物是这个研究中的一个关键的研究对象。因为他们在食物链中有很大的作用。故B正确。

4.D 推理题。根据文章最后一段So far, efforts to cut emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases are not seen as enough to prevent the Earth heating up beyond 2 ℃ this century—a point scientists say will bring the danger of a changeable climate in which weather extremes are common, leading to drought, floods, crop failures and rising sea levels.可知地球气温的变化会带来极端的气候变化，导致很多的灾难如干旱，作物绝收以及海平面上升等等。故D正确。

考点：考察环保类短文阅读