Question

No longer in the pink

Corals are comeback creatures. As the world froze and melted and sea levels rose and fell over 30,000 years, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, which is roughly the size of Italy, died and revived five times. But now, thanks to human activity, corals face the most complex condition they have yet had to deal with.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change, a rise in global temperatures of 1.5^oC could cause coral reefs to decline 70-90%. The planet is about 1^oC hotter than in the 19^th century and its seas are becoming warmer, stormier and more acidic. This is already affecting relations between corals and the single-celled algae (海藻), which give them their color. When waters become unusually warm, algae float away, leaving reefs a ghostly white. This “bleaching” is happening five times as often as it did in the 1970s. Meanwhile the changing chemistry of the oceans makes it harder for corals to form their structures.

If corals go, divers and marine biologists are not the only people who will miss them. Reefs take up only a percent of the sea floor, but support a quarter of the planet’s fish diversity. The fish that reefs shelter are especially valuable to their poorest human neighbors, many of whom depend on them as a source of protein. Roughly an eighth of the world’s population lives within 100km of a reef. Corals also protect 150,000km of shoreline in more than 100 countries and territories from the oceans buffeting, as well as generating billions of dollars in tourism revenue.

Coral systems must adapt if they are to survive. They need protection from local sources of harm. Their eco-systems suffer from waste from farms, building sites and blast fishing. Governments need to impose tighter rules on these industrials, such as tougher local building codes, and to put more effort into enforcing rules against overfishing.

Setting up marine protected areas could also help reefs. Locals who fear for their livelihoods could be given work as rangers with the job of looking after the reserves. Visitors to marine parks can be required to pay a special tax, like what has been done in the Caribbean.

Many reefs that have been damaged could benefit from restoration. Coral’s biodiversity offers hope, because the same coral will grow differently under different conditions. Corals of the western Pacific, for example, can withstand higher temperatures than the same species in the eastern Pacific, which proves a way forward to encourage corals to grow in new spots.

1.According to the passage, what may happen to corals when waters become warm?

A.Turning white B.Getting pink

C.Being active D.Becoming colorful

2.According to the passage,corals can _______ the changing in the nature.

A.live with B.escape from

C.die in D.recovery from

3.According to Paragraph 4, the governments should__________.

A.carry out stricter rules on industries around the coast

B.call on volunteers to look after the marine reserves

C.reduce the number of visitors to the marine parks

D.ban people from fishing in the coral reef areas

4.What’s the main purpose of the passage?

A.To present the importance of coral reef to the world.

B.To introduce the severe effect on coral reef brought by climate change.

C.To propose governments to take action immediately to save coral reef.

D.To attract more attention to coral reef protection.

Answer

1.A

2.A

3.A

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章主要描述了珊瑚礁面临的复杂环境，它对人类的帮助，针对政府及人类对其保护措施的建议。珊瑚对人类有很多帮助，如保护了100多个国家和地区的15万公里海岸线免受海洋冲击，并创造了数十亿美元的旅游收入。全球变暖及海水变暖使得珊瑚出现“漂白”现象，人们必须要做出保护珊瑚的举措，如建立海洋保护区，加大力度执行禁止过度捕捞的规定等等。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段中的“When waters become unusually warm, algae float away, leaving reefs a ghostly white.（当海水变得异常温暖时，藻类就会漂走，让珊瑚礁变成一片幽灵般的白色。）”可知当海水变暖之后，珊瑚会变成白色，故选A项。

2.细节理解题。根据第一段中的“As the world froze and melted and sea levels rose and fell over 30,000 years, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, which is roughly the size of Italy, died and revived five times.（随着世界冰冻、融化，海平面在3万多年间起起落落，澳大利亚的大堡礁，这个和意大利差不多大的地方，经历了五次死亡和复活。）”及“Coral systems must adapt if they are to survive.（珊瑚系统如果要生存就必须适应）”可知珊瑚可以适应自然界的变化。live with意为“适应”，故选A项。

3.细节理解题。根据第四段中的“Governments need to impose tighter rules on these industrials, such as tougher local building codes, and to put more effort into enforcing rules against overfishing.（政府需要对这些行业实施更严格的规定，比如更严格的地方建筑法规，并投入更多的精力来执行禁止过度捕捞的规定。）”可知A项（政府应该对沿海地区的工业实行更严格的规定）符合文中对政府做法的描述。故选A项。

4.推理判断题。第一段最后一句“But now, thanks to human activity, corals face the most complex condition they have yet had to deal with.（但现在，由于人类的活动，珊瑚面临着迄今为止最复杂的环境条件。）”引出本文的话题，文章接着描述了珊瑚礁面临的复杂环境，它对人类的帮助，针对政府及人类对其保护措施的建议，从全文可以看出文章的主要意图是想提高人们对珊瑚礁的保护意识，故选D项。