Question

    Since September about 11m hectares of Australia have been in flames. This year’s fires are the worst on record, with at least 26 people dead, about half-billion animals burned alive, and over 2300 homes destroyed. Australians of all species are suffering the most. But the fires have serious consequences for the rest of the world, too.

New Zealand, one of Australia’s closest neighbors, is feeling the effects of the bushfires. The most important effect of the fires might be on the country’s glaciers, about which Helen Clark, New Zealand’s former prime minister, tweeted: “Australian bushfires have created haze in New Zealand with particular impact on the South Island yesterday and now spreading more widely. Impact of ash on glaciers is likely to speed melting.” Melting glaciers could open up a future none of us wants to suffer.

There’s no such thing as weather that happens in isolation. As a recent Forbes article reports, fires have the potential to not only block visibility for airplanes, grounding them, but to create pockets of hotter or colder air, or create situations where the weather is increasingly less stable — although no one is yet certain how far from the Australian continent those effects might wander, or how harmful they may prove to be.

In addition to coal, Australia also exports all kinds of agricultural products — like beef and wool—particularly to Asian countries including China and Japan. But what happens when the land it uses to grow all that food and fiber is destroyed by fire? Obviously, no more goods to export, which creates a huge problem in the international supply chain. Thanks to globalization, pretty much no country eats only the food it grows. What happens to the global food supply as agricultural land in Australia and other export nation’s burns to a crisp?

1.What can we learn about the Australian bushfires?

A.They’ve left most of Australian land in flames.

B.They’ve speeded the melting of glaciers.

C.They will certainly create hotter air.

D.No one is certain how harmful their effects will be on climate.

2.What’s the author’s attitude towards the future of the global food supply?

A.Doubtful. B.Objective.

C.Concerned. D.Indifferent.

3.What is the best title for the text?

A.The Effects of the Australian Bushfires on Climate Change

B.Australian Bushfires: a Big Disaster to the Country

C.What the Australian Bushfires Mean for the Rest of the World?

D.Why the Australian Bushfires Affect the Rest of the World?

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。本文主要从新西兰冰川的融化、周边国家气候变化和世界农产品出口三个方面介绍了自2019年9月开始的澳洲山火对世界造成的巨大影响。

1.

细节理解题。根据第三段中的no one is yet certain how far from the Australian continent those effects might wander, or how harmful they may prove to be.可知，没有人能够确定这些影响会蔓延至澳洲之外多远的地方，也无人能证实影响有多严重。由此可知，没有人确定澳大利亚的森林大火对气候的影响有多大。故选D。

2.

推理判断题。根据最后一段最后一句What happens to the global food supply as agricultural land in Australia and other export nations bums to a crisp?可知，当澳洲和其他出口国的耕地都被烧得精光时，全球食物供应会发生什么变化？由此可推知，作者是在担心全球食物供应。故选C。

3.

主旨大意题。根据第一段But the fires have serious consequences for the rest of the world, too.可知，但是大火也对世界其他地区造成了严重的后果。再结合文章主要介绍大火对世界其他地方造成的影响可知，C选项“澳大利亚的森林大火对世界其他地方意味着什么？”适合做本文最佳标题。故选C。