Question

    Record fires sweeping across the Amazon this month have been grabbing global headlines as scientists and environmental groups are worried that they will worsen climate change crisis 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 species of plants and animals, and 1 million native people. The vast areas of rainforest play an important role in the world’s ecosystem because they absorb heat instead of it being reflected back into the atmosphere. They also store carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, ensuring that less carbon is released, mitigating the effects of climate change.

“Any forest destroyed is a threat to biodiversity and the people who use that biodiversity,” Thomas Lovejoy, an ecologist at George Mason University told National Geographic. “The overwhelming threat is that a lot of carbon goes into the atmosphere,” he stressed. “In the midst of the global climate crisis, we cannot afford more damage to a major source of oxygen and biodiversity. The Amazon must be protected,” U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres 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. A total of 71,497 forest fires were registered in the country in the first eight months of 2019, up from 39,194 in the same period in 2018, INPE said. “We estimate that the forest areas in the Brazilian Amazon have decreased something between 20 and 30 percent compared to the last 12 months,” Carlos Nobre, a researcher at the University of Sao Paulo, told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

Brazil owns about 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest, whose degradation could have severe consequences for global climate and rainfall. The extent of the area ruined by fires has yet to be determined, but the emergency has transcended (超出) Brazil’s borders, reaching Peruvian, Paraguayan and Bolivian regions.

1.What is the second paragraph mainly talking about?

A.The effects of climate change. B.The role of the Amazon rainforest.

C.The results of the Amazon rainforest fires. D.The causes of the decreasing biodiversity.

2.What can we learn from Thomas’s and Antonio’s words?

A.The biodiversity makes the rainforests unique.

B.The rainforest fires result in serious consequences.

C.The global climate crisis brings more rainforest fires.

D.The dry weather leads to the rainforest fires.

3.Why does the author list the numbers in Paragraph 4?

A.To prove the importance of rainforest. B.To show the influence of forest fires.

C.To explain the process of the research. D.To present the reduction of rainforest areas.

4.What is the best title of this passage?

A.The climate change crisis is worsening. B.The forest areas are on the decline.

C.“The lungs of the earth” is burning. D.The world’s ecosystem is under attack.

Answer

1.B

2.B

3.D

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章主要说明了本月席卷亚马逊河流域的创纪录大火一直占据全球头条，因为科学家和环保组织担心这些火灾会加剧气候变化危机，威胁生物多样性。文章说明了亚马逊雨林的作用，以及其他人员对此的看法，以及可能造成的后果。

1.主旨大意题。根据第二段中The vast areas of rainforest play an important role in the world’s ecosystem because they absorb heat instead of it being reflected back into the atmosphere. They also store carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, ensuring that less carbon is released, mitigating the effects of climate change.(大片的热带雨林在世界生态系统中扮演着重要的角色，因为它们吸收热量，而不是将热量反射到大气中。它们还储存二氧化碳并制造氧气，以确保更少的碳被释放，减轻气候变化的影响)可知，第二段主要讲了亚马逊雨林的作用。故选B。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段中“The overwhelming threat is that a lot of carbon goes into the atmosphere,” he stressed.(他强调：“最严重的威胁是大量的碳排放到大气中。”)以及下文In the midst of the global climate crisis, we cannot afford more damage to a major source of oxygen and biodiversity. The Amazon must be protected,(在全球气候危机的背景下，我们无法承受对氧气和生物多样性这一主要来源的更多破坏。亚马逊必须得到保护)可知，从Thomas和Antonio的话中，我们可知热带雨林火灾会导致严重的后果。故选B。

3.推理判断题。根据第四段中We estimate that the forest areas in the Brazilian Amazon have decreased something between 20 and 30 percent compared to the last 12 months(我们估计，与过去12个月相比，巴西亚马逊地区的森林面积减少了20%到30%)可知，作者在第四段中列出数字是为了说明热带雨林面积的减少。故选D。

4.主旨大意题。根据文章第一段Record fires sweeping across the Amazon this month have been grabbing global headlines as scientists and environmental groups are worried that they will worsen climate change crisis and threaten biodiversity.(科学家和环保组织担心，本月席卷亚马逊的创纪录大火将加剧气候变化危机，威胁生物多样性)以及文章后文内容可知，本文主要说明了被称为“地球之肺”的亚马逊热带雨林频发火灾将加剧气候变化的影响，故C选项“地球之肺正在燃烧”符合文章标题。故选C。