首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
考研
The battle to prevent or at least slow global warming has intensified in the past year as scientists have learned more about the
The battle to prevent or at least slow global warming has intensified in the past year as scientists have learned more about the
admin
2019-08-01
14
问题
The battle to prevent or at least slow global warming has intensified in the past year as scientists have learned more about the magnitude of the problem. One of the leading climate experts, Inez Y. Fung, director of the Atmospheric Sciences Center at the University of California, Berkeley, recently showed that the earth may soon lose its ability to absorb much of the greenhouse gas that is raising temperatures. The oceans and continents currently soak up about half the carbon dioxide produced by the burning of fossil fuels. In the oceans, the gas combines with water to form carbonic acid; on land, plants take in more carbon dioxide and grow faster.
But computer modeling done by Fung and her colleagues indicates that these carbon sinks will become less effective as the earth continues to warm. For example, as the tropics become hotter and drier in the summer, plants will reduce their respiration of carbon dioxide to avoid water loss. Atmospheric measurements over the past decade have confirmed this effect. If the oceans and land take in less carbon dioxide, more will remain in the atmosphere and global warming could accelerate catastrophically.
Despite these warning signs, the government administration has opposed approval of the Kyoto Protocol, the international treaty mandating reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. But nine states in the northeastern U.S. are attempting to sidestep the federal government’s opposition by taking action on their own. Last August the group reached a preliminary agreement to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by 10 percent by 2020. The plan requires approval by the state legislatures, but environmentalists are already hoping that other regions of the U.S. will follow suit. If adopted nationwide, the proposal would lower greenhouse gas emissions by roughly as much as the Kyoto Protocol would have.
Steve Howard, chief executive of the Climate Group, is tackling the global-warming problem from a different angle. Founded in 2004, the Climate Group is a coalition of corporations and local governments that have voluntarily committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. Members include oil giant BP(British Petroleum Co. PLC), drug-maker Johnson & Johnson, and Starbucks. Businesses in the Climate Group have discovered that improvements in energy efficiency can enhance profits as well as cut fossil-fuel emissions; BP, for instance, slashed its energy bills by $650 million over 10 years. "We have seen important evidence about successful emission reduction scattered here and there in the most surprising places all over the globe," Howard says. "We are working to bring all of it together so that it forms a body of evidence."
What does "carbon sinks"(Line 1, Paragraph 2)mean?
选项
A、The process of producing greenhouse gas.
B、The gradual process of land submersion.
C、The absorbers of carbon dioxide.
D、The process of forming carbonic compounds.
答案
C
解析
词义理解题。题目问的是carbon sink的含义。第一段说的是陆地和海洋在吸收二氧化碳方面的作用。第二段通过But引起转折,指出这两种吸收体的效率将降低,因此carbon sink的意思为“二氧化碳的吸收体”,答案为C项。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/BQ2Z777K
0
考研英语一
相关试题推荐
Chancesareyourfriendsaremorepopularthanyouare.Itisabasicfeatureofsocialnetworksthathasbeenknownaboutfors
Chancesareyourfriendsaremorepopularthanyouare.Itisabasicfeatureofsocialnetworksthathasbeenknownaboutfors
Thereisnomorefashionableanswertothewoesoftheglobalrecessionthan"greenjobs."Leadersofgreatnationshaveallgot
Anyonewhohassearchedforajobfreshoutofcollegeknowshowdifficultitistogetthatfirstjob.Sendingouthundredsof
Scientistshavelongarguedovertherelativecontributionsofpracticeandnativetalenttothedevelopmentofeliteperformanc
Americanmythologylovesnothingmorethanthereluctanthero:themanwhosenaturaltalentshavedestinedhimformorethanobl
Icouldn’tstopcrying.Monthsoflateeveningsanddemandingtravelhad【C1】______myprofessionalexterior.Itriedto【C2】______
Videogameshavebecomeincreasinglyrealistic,especiallythoseinvolvingarmedcombat.America’sarmedforceshaveevenused
Videogameshavebecomeincreasinglyrealistic,especiallythoseinvolvingarmedcombat.America’sarmedforceshaveevenused
ManyforeignerswhohavenotvisitedBritaincallalltheinhabitantsEnglish,fortheyareusedtothinkingoftheBritishIsle
随机试题
新生儿访视内容不包括
右侧卵巢动脉来自( )
行痹患者,关节疼痛,以肩、肘等上肢关节为甚。治疗应加用()
某呼吸衰竭病人,在应用人工呼吸器和呼吸兴奋剂过程中出现恶心、呕吐、烦躁、颜面潮红、肌肉颤动等现象。应考虑为
甲公司2007年初的负债及所有者权益总额为10000万元,其中,债务资本为2000万元(全部是按面值发行的债券,票面利率为8%);普通股股本为2000万元(每股面值2元);资本公积为4000万元;留存收益2000万元。2007年该公司为扩大生产规模,需要再
下列不属于黄梅戏的传统剧目有()。
()指夫妻和一对已婚子女组成的家庭。
2013年4月3日,在国务院总理李克强主持召开的国务院常务会议中,部署了开展现代农业综合配套改革试验工作。会议指出,()是一项重大战略任务,通过深化改革同步推进“新四化”建设,是持续发展经济的重要支撑,也是富裕农民、改善民生的重要基础。
以优惠价出售日常家用小商品的零售商通常有上千雇员,其中大多数只能领取最低工资,随着国家法定的最低工资额的提高,零售商的人力成本也随之大幅度提高。但是,零售商的利润非但没有降低,反而提高了。以下哪项如果为真,最有助于解释上述看来矛盾的现象?
______fleesifoneisconstantlysubjectedtodemeaningorders.
最新回复
(
0
)