Question

    Grab an ice cube from the freezer and place it on a table. Watch closely enough and you will see, well, not much at all. The ice cube is absorbing heat, but it is still an ice cube. Before it melts, it will draw heat from the environment to change from solid to liquid. Only then will it begin to slip and slide in a puddle(水坑) of its own making.

And so to A Word Without Ice by Henry Pollack, retired professor of geophysics at the University of Michigan and a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that shared the 2007 Nobel peace prize with Al Gore.

The book gets off to a slow start. You may have to work a little before being rewarded. But given time, Pollack's account warms up and really takes off. The story he has to tell is fascinating, frightening and important.

Despite the title, this is not a book about the world without ice. Much is given over to the impact of ice in Earth's long history, as an important force that shaped our planet's landscape, controlled migrations and influenced cultures. Pollack takes us through Antarctic and Arctic explorations, the natural cycles that bring us ice ages and milder periods without extremes of heat or cold, and the rise of climate science which, among other achievements, can recreate a history of the temperature on Earth from kilometers of ice core drilled from the polar caps.

Pollack’s intellectual power and clarity of phrase are invaluable in describing the scientific evidence for global warming, the ways in which it will affect the world, and the all-too-probable consequences. Pollack is not one to brush awkward issues under the carpet. There is serious discussion about uncertainties in climate science, and in particular, the computer models used to forecast future warming. For its forensic analysis (取证分析) and strong destruction of climate sceptic (怀疑论者) arguments alone, A World Without Ice is worth keeping on a nearby shelf.

Some readers may find Pollack's US-centric approach occasionally grating (刺耳的). He tells of intense irrigation in southwestern Kansas, IPCC reports as big as several New York City phone directories and school-day stories from Omaha. But this is forgivable. The US is uniquely placed to act on climate change but faces a significant barrier in the shape of the outdated, influential, oil-funded anti-climate change lobby (游说议员的团体).

Thoughtful throughout, Pollack occasionally delivers paragraphs that stay with you long after closing the book. On the subject of the book itself, he writes: "Nature's best thermometer (温度计), perhaps its most sensitive and unambiguous indicator of climate change, is ice. When ice gets sufficient warm, it melts. Ice asks no questions, presents no arguments, reads no newspapers, listens to no debates. It is not burdened by ideology and carries no political baggage as it crosses the threshold (门槛) from solid to liquid. It just melts."

A World Without Ice is a call to arms. Debates about which mitigation (减缓) strategies might give us the best chances of reducing our emissions miss the point, Pollack says. If we want to avoid the worst that climate change may bring, we need "every hose in the stable pulling together and as hard and as fast a possible".

Pollack's argument is attractive, persuasive and deeply upsetting, no matter the climate change tiredness that unavoidably sets in as a consequence of endless media coverage of global warming. The author's final warning comes from Lao Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher: “If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.

Pollack leaves us in no doubt as to where that is.

1.We can learn that A World Without Ice      .

A.brings us to the core of the issue at the very beginning

B.convinces skeptics of the truth about climate change

C.gives an in- depth analysis of global warming

D.gets funded by anti -climate change lobby

2.Why does Henry Pollack think ice is nature's best thermometer?

A.Ice is a reminder of peaceful co- existence.

B.Ice is a common topic of the media coverage.

C.Ice is a controversial issue in political debates.

D.Ice is a clear indicator sensitive to climate change.

3.The underlined sentence in Paragraph 8 probably means the book     .

A.urges us to make joint efforts to fight climate change

B.advocates addressing climate change by armed forces

C.recommends debating on strategies to reduce emission

D.calls for separate and tough actions in a timely manner

4.What does the underlined word “that" in the last paragraph refer to?

A.Warning from Lao Tzu. B.Destination of a journey.

C.Effect of global warming. D.Argument on climate change.

5.What's the author's attitude toward A World Without Ice?

A.Ambiguous. B.Positive. C.Cautious. D.Sceptical.

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.A

4.C

5.B

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章由A World Without Ice这本书展开，主要以全球变暖的影响以及应对全球变暖的策略中心来展开具体讨论。

1.

细节理解题。根据文章第五段的 “Pollack’s intellectual power and clarity of phrase are invaluable in describing the scientific evidence for global warming, the ways in which it will affect the world, and the all-too-probable consequences. “可知，在描述全球变暖的科学证据、全球变暖对世界的影响以及极有可能产生的后果时，Pollack的智慧和清晰的措辞是无价的。以及本段后面的 “There is serious discussion about uncertainties in climate science”可知，关于气候科学的不确定性，人们进行了认真的讨论，和本段的 “For its forensic analysis (取证分析) and strong destruction of climate sceptic (怀疑论者) arguments alone, A World Without Ice is worth keeping on a nearby shelf.” 可知，就其法医学分析和对气候怀疑论者争论的强烈破坏而言，这本书非常值得一提。由此可以看出，A World Without Ice这本书对全球变暖进行了深入的分析。故选C。

2.

细节理解题。根据文章第七段的 “On the subject of the book itself, he writes: "Nature's best thermometer (温度计), perhaps its most sensitive and unambiguous indicator of climate change, is ice.”可知，关于这本书的主题，他写道，“自然是最好的温度计，也许它最敏感和最明确的气候变化指示信号是冰。”从而可知，冰是对气候变化敏感的明显指示信号。故选D。

3.

词句猜测题。根据文章第八段 “If we want to avoid the worst that climate change may bring, we need “every horse in the stable pull together, and as hard and as fast as possible.”可知，如果我们想避免气候变化可能带来的最坏情况，我们需要“马棚里的每匹马都齐心协力，尽可能地努力和快速”。从而可知，这里是在表达让我们共同努力应对的意思，所以文章第八段划线句子意思是敦促我们共同努力应对气候变化。故选A。

4.

词句猜测题。根据倒数第二段的 “no matter the climate change tiredness that unavoidably sets in as a consequence of endless media coverage of global warming.”可知，媒体不断报道全球变暖不可避免地造成的气候变化。并且由后面的 “If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” 可知，如果我们不改变方向（还这样做），那我们会到要去的地方（受到影响），所以分析可知，此处的that指代对全球变暖的影响的讨论，也就是气候变化的改变的讨论，所以是以全球变暖的影响以及应对全球变暖的策略中心来展开具体讨论。故选C。

5.

推理判断题。根据文章第九段 “attractive, persuasive,” 表示有吸引力的，有说服力的，是积极词汇，以及第五段的 “intellectual power and clarity of phrase are invaluable.”可知Pollack的智慧和清晰的措辞是无价的。由此可以推断出作者对A World Without Ice的态度是积极的。故选B。