Question

    One of Australia’s most famous natural gifts, the Great Barrier Reef is blessed with the breathtaking beauty of the world’s largest coral reef. The reef contains a large variety of life and over 3000 reef systems and hundreds of islands with some of the world’s most beautiful beaches. Because of its natural beauty, the Great Barrier Reef has become one of the world’s most sought after tourist attractions.

However, for the past few years, the news about corals has been discouraging. Currently, the reef is threatened by climate change, tourism, water pollution, and overfishing. Agricultural fertilizer(肥料) runoff from Australian farms also has caused the widespread growth of sea-plants, which absorb most of the nutrients(养分) and leave little remaining for the living coral reef and the animals that live in it. “What has changed is the increasing importance of climate change as a greater threat than the others,” says David Wachenfeld, a scientist of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Coral reefs are extremely sensitive(敏感的) to warming ocean temperatures.

In a report on April 28, the Australian government said it set aside $500 million to help protect corals. The money will be spent on reducing water pollution from agriculture, fighting coral-killing starfish, reef monitoring, and research on climate influence.

Though the Australian investment is welcome, it will at best only delay coral deaths. It’s too little, too late, as a leading coral-scientist Terry Hughes of James Cook University put it. The only way to save corals over the long term is to slow down climate change. That process will require all countries to work together to find the most effective way of cutting emissions (排放) of greenhouse gases.

The most recent emissions figures, however, show that the world is failing at that task. The year 2018 has seen an increase in global emissions. This week in Bonn, Germany, countries are meeting to discuss how to keep their word in the Paris climate agreement. Let’s hope they hear about the silent death of the world’s corals.

1.Why does the author write the text?

A.To introduce the Great Barrier Reef.

B.To show the result of climate change.

C.To offer ways of protecting the Great Barrier Reef.

D.To tell us the serious situation of the Great Barrier Reef.

2.What can be inferred from Paragraph 2?

A.Sea-plants help to protect the coral reefs.

B.Water temperature has little to do with the coral reefs.

C.Climate change is the main reason for coral reefs’ death.

D.Agricultural fertilizer provides nutrients for coral reefs.

3.According to Terry Hughes, the Australian investment in protecting the coral reefs was _______.

A.timely B.unsatisfying

C.effective D.useless

4.How can we protect the Great Barrier Reef effectively in the long run?

A.By reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases.

B.By cutting down the number of tourists.

C.By setting more strict rules on overfishing.

D.By investing more in climate research.

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.B

4.A

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。目前，大堡礁正受到气候变化、旅游业、水污染和过度捕捞的威胁。文章主要内容为描述大堡礁面临各方面的影响，正在不断死亡的严峻情况。而澳大利亚政府投资最多只能延缓珊瑚的死亡，从长远来看，拯救珊瑚的唯一方法是减缓气候变化。

1.推理判断题。根据第二段中Currently, the reef is threatened by climate change, tourism, water pollution, and overfishing.可知目前，大堡礁正受到气候变化、旅游业、水污染和过度捕捞的威胁。结合文章主要内容为描述大堡礁面临各方面的影响，正在不断死亡的严峻情况。由此可推知，作者写这篇文章是为了告诉我们大堡礁面临的严峻情况。故选D。

2.推理判断题。根据第二段中“What has changed is the increasing importance of climate change as a greater threat than the others,” says David Wachenfeld, a scientist of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Coral reefs are extremely sensitive to warming ocean temperatures.可知大堡礁海洋公园管理局的科学家David Wachenfeld表示:“气候变化的重要性越来越大，它是一个比其他因素更大的威胁。” 珊瑚礁对海洋温度的升高极为敏感。由此可推知，气候变化是珊瑚礁死亡的主要原因。故选C。

3.推理判断题。根据第四段中It’s too little, too late, as a leading coral-scientist Terry Hughes of James Cook University put it.可知正如James Cook大学的首席珊瑚科学家Terry Hughes所说，这太少了，也太晚了。由此可知，根据Terry Hughes的说法，澳大利亚在保护珊瑚礁上的投资并不令人满意。故选B。

4.推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中The only way to save corals over the long term is to slow down climate change. That process will require all countries to work together to find the most effective way of cutting emissions of greenhouse gases.可知从长远来看，拯救珊瑚的唯一方法是减缓气候变化。这一进程将要求所有国家共同努力，找到削减温室气体排放的最有效方法。由此可知，从长远来看，可以通过减少温室气体的排放来有效地保护大堡礁。故选A。