Question

    Sometimes we may find that every week there are a lot of new stories about how climate change is affecting the planet, or new plans to battle its effects. But the concept itself isn’t new at all — in fact, scientists have been exploring questions about climate change for almost 200 years.

The idea of ''greenhouse gases'' goes back to 1824, when Joseph Fourier wondered what was regulating the earth's temperature. Fourier concluded that the atmosphere must be responsible for containing the heat absorbed from the sun and described it as a box with a glass lid: As light shines through the glass, the inside gets warmer as the lid traps the heat. As Fourier's ideas spread, it came to be called ''the greenhouse effect''.

Scientists continued to study the greenhouse effect. Not until a Swedish chemist named Svante Arrhenius came along, did scientists understand how global warming actually works. After years of work, Arrhenius determined that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere did in fact have a direct effect on global temperatures.

Arrhenius found that CO2, and other gases trap radiation, which warms the atmosphere. Arrhenius was the first to suspect that burning coal could contribute to the greenhouse effect. But Arrhenius welcomed the warming effect on the planet. At a lecture later that year, Arrhenius noted that creatures of a warmer earth ''might live under a milder sky and in less barren surroundings''.

While Arrhenius' findings won him the 1903 Nobel Prize in chemistry, scientists kept debating whether the greenhouse effect was increasing until 1950, when researchers finally began to find strong data supporting it. By the end of the 1950s, American scientists had been sounding the alarm on the long-term consequences of climate change. Climate change research has come a long way since Fourier first described the greenhouse effect — still, maybe Arrhenius should have been more careful of what he wished for.

1.What does the underlined word ''it'' in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A.The climate change. B.The greenhouse effect.

C.The atmosphere. D.The heat from the sun.

2.When did the scientists first find evidence for the bad effect of global warming?

A.In 1824. B.In 1903.

C.In 1950. D.200 years ago.

3.What's the author's attitude towards Arrhenius' wish?

A.Optimistic. B.Negative.

C.Neutral. D.Ambiguous.

4.What's the main idea of the text?

A.Causes of climate change. B.Effects of greenhouse gases.

C.Findings about global warming. D.Explorations on climate change.

Answer

1.C

2.C

3.B

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了科学家们对气候变化的重要研究成果。

1.词义猜测题。根据划线部分所在句子Fourier concluded that the atmosphere must be responsible for containing the heat absorbed from the sun and described it as a box with a glass lid.可知，Fourier总结说，大气必须负责保持从太阳吸收的热量，并将其描述为一个带玻璃盖的盒子。结合句意推测，这里对it代指前面前文的atmosphere(大气)。C. The atmosphere.(大气)符合以上说法，故选C项。

2.细节理解题。根据最后一段的While Arrhenius' findings won him the 1903 Nobel Prize in chemistry, scientists kept debating whether the greenhouse effect was increasing until 1950, when researchers finally began to find strong data supporting it.(虽然Arrhenius的发现为他赢得了1903年的诺贝尔化学奖，但科学家们一直在争论温室效应是否在增加，直到1950年，研究人员终于开始发现有力的数据来支持这一观点)可知，在1950年科学家才发现全球变暖的负面影响。故选C项。

3.推理判断题。根据最后一段的Climate change research has come a long way since Fourier first described the greenhouse effect — still, maybe Arrhenius should have been more careful of what he wished for.(自从Fourier第一次描述温室效应以来，气候变化的研究取得的很大的进展——尽管如此，也许Arrhenius应该对他所希望的更加小心)可推测，作者对Arrhenius的希望持否定态度。B. Negative.(否定的)符合以上推测，故选B项。

4.主旨大意题。根据文章的主要内容，尤其第一段的But the concept itself isn't new at all — in fact, scientists have been exploring questions about climate change for almost 200 years.(但这个概念本身并不新鲜——事实上，科学家们已经探索关于气候变化的问题将近200年了)可知，本文主要讲述对气候变化的探索。D. Explorations on climate change.(对气候变化的探索)符合以上说法，故选D项。