Question

    Burning coal to provide energy adds planet-warming carbon dioxide, or CO₂, to Earth’s atmosphere. As the planet heats up, experts warn that simply cutting greenhouse gas emissions (排放) will not be enough to avoid possibly disastrous levels of global warming. CO₂ must also be obliterated from the atmosphere, they say.

Existing experimental machines that remove CO₂ directly from the air are too costly to be widely used. But a new report from the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine says effective carbon-removal technology already exists. It is not costly, or even complex science. It’s forests.

The report explains that planting trees and overseeing forests are cost-effective ways to clean the air. They also work well across large areas. Forests used to cover much of the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States. In the state of West Virginia, a kind of mining known as strip mining (露天开采) left the land there bare, without trees. Now experts are working to bring back the forests that once covered much of the state.

West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest is home to a rare group of trees. They are called virgin (原始的) woods; they have never been touched by humans. Shane Jones, a biologist with the U.S. Forest Service, says the trees there were missed by mistake when the surrounding forest was cut down for wood many years ago. That mistake turned out to be a good thing; red spruce (云杉) forests such as those in the Monongahela are extremely effective at taking CO₂ out of the atmosphere and locking it into the soil.

Experts say, nature offers powerful tools to fight climate change.

1.What does the underlined word “obliterated” mean in Paragraph 1?

A.Prevented. B.Cleared.

C.Produced. D.Stored.

2.What’s the advantage of forests compared with the existing experimental machines?

A.They release more oxygen.

B.They clear more CO₂.

C.They save more money.

D.They absorb CO₂ faster.

3.Why does the author mention West Virginia in Paragraph 3?

A.To prove the place is unsuitable for human survival.

B.To stress planting trees is practical for clean air.

C.To indicate trees are difficult to live on such poor soil.

D.To show people in the state are now living a hard life.

4.What can we know about the red spruce trees?

A.They can only be found in Monongahela National Forest.

B.They were given the name virgin woods for beauty.

C.They were cut down for wood by farmers.

D.They could store carbon dioxide in the soil.

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.B

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。燃烧煤导致了大量的能引起温室效应的二氧化碳排放到了大气中，仅仅是减少二氧化碳的排放并不足以避免全球气候变暖带来的灾难。现有的实验阶段的去除二氧化碳的机器又太贵，无法大面积普及使用。还好一项新的研究表明，有效又经济的去除二氧化碳的办法已经存在，那就是森林。

1.词义猜测题。由划线句子上一句As the planet heats up, experts warn that simply cutting greenhouse gas emissions will not be enough to avoid possibly disastrous levels of global warming.(随着地球变暖，专家警告说仅仅是减少二氧化碳的排放并不足以避免全球气候变暖带来的灾难)可推知，划线词所在句意为“二氧化碳必须从空气中移除”。划线单词也与下段首句Existing experimental machines that remove CO2 directly from the air are too costly to be widely used.(现有的直接从空气中移除二氧化碳的实验机太贵，无法广泛使用)中的remove呼应。A. Prevented阻止，阻碍；B. Cleared移走，清除；C. Produced生产，制造；D. Stored贮藏，保存。故选B。

2.细节理解题。由第二段中的But a new report from the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine says effective carbon-removal technology already exists. It is not costly, or even complex science. It's forests(美国国家科学、工程和医学院的一项新报告表明，有效的去除二氧化碳的技术已经存在。它花费不高，甚至不是复杂的科学。它就是森林)可知，与现有的试验机相比，森林的好处是省钱。故选C。

3.推理判断题。由题干中的West Virginia可将本题答案定位在文章第三段内。由其中前两句The report explains that planting trees and overseeing forests are cost-effective ways to clean the air. They also work well across large areas.(研究显示，植树造林是划算的清理空气的方法。它们也适合大面积的使用)可知，本段中的举例是为证明用植树造林来清理空气是切实可行的。故选B。

4.细节理解题。由第四段中的red spruce (云杉) forests such as those in the Monongahela are extremely effective at taking CO2 out of the atmosphere and locking it into the soil.(像莫农加希拉的这些云杉在吸收空气中的二氧化碳，并将它们锁在土壤内这些方面是极其有效的)可知，云杉能将二氧化碳储存在土壤中。故选D。