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
外语
Apparently everyone knows that global warming only makes climate more extreme. A hot, dry summer has triggered another flood of
Apparently everyone knows that global warming only makes climate more extreme. A hot, dry summer has triggered another flood of
admin
2013-08-27
16
问题
Apparently everyone knows that global warming only makes climate more extreme. A hot, dry summer has triggered another flood of such claims. And, while many interests are at work, one of the players that benefits the most from this story are the media: the notion of "extreme" climate simply makes for more compelling news.
Consider Paul Krugman, writing breathlessly in the New York Times about the "rising incidence of extreme events." He claims that global warming caused the current drought in America’s Midwest, and that supposedly record-high corn prices could cause a global food crisis.
But the United Nations climate panel’s latest assessment tells us precisely the opposite: For "North America, there is medium confidence that there has an overall slight tendency toward less dryness." Moreover, there is no way that Krugman could have identified this drought as being caused by global warming without a time machine: Climate models estimate that such detection will be possible by 2048, at the earliest.
And, fortunately, this year’s drought appears unlikely to cause a food crisis, as global rice and wheat supplies remain plentiful. Moreover, Krugman overlooks inflation: Prices have increased six-fold since 1969, so, while corn futures(期货)did set a record of about $8 per bushel(蒲式耳)in late July, the inflation-adjusted price of corn was higher throughout most of the 1970s, reaching $ 16 in 1974.
Finally, Krugman conveniently forgets that concerns about global warming are the main reason that corn prices have skyrocketed since 2005. Nowadays 40 percent of corn grown in the United States is used to produce ethanol(乙醇), which does absolutely nothing for the climate, but certainly distorts the price of corn—at the expense of many of the world’s poorest people.
Bill Mckibben similarly worries in The Guardian about the Midwest drought and corn prices. He confidently tells us that raging wildfires from New Mexico and Colorado to Siberia are "exactly" what the early stages of global warming look like.
In fact, the latest overview of global wildfire incidence suggests that fire intensity has declined over the past 70 years and is now close to its preindustrial level.
When well-meaning campaigners want us to pay attention to global warming, they often end up pitching beyond the facts. And, while this may seem justified by a noble goal, such "policy by panic" tactics rarely work, and often backfire.
Remember how, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Al Gore claimed that we were in store for ever more destructive hurricanes? Since then, hurricane incidence has dropped off the charts. Exaggerated claims merely fuel public distrust and disengagement.
That is unfortunate, because global warming is a real problem, and we do need to address it.
What does the author think of the exaggerated claims in the media about global warming?
选项
A、They are strategies to raise public awareness.
B、They do a disservice to addressing the problem.
C、They aggravate public distrust about science.
D、They create confusion about climate change.
答案
B
解析
细节推断题。第九段末句指出,夸大的说法只能助长公众的不信任和不合作。在第十段中,作者说这很不幸,因为全球变暖的确是一个需要我们解决的问题。由此可知,夸大的说法对解决问题起不到任何帮助,甚至带来了负面影响,故答案为B)。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/cA97777K
0
大学英语六级
相关试题推荐
ComparedwithEnglandandWales,Scotlandhasanothersetoflawsappliedtodivorceissues.Whenparentsseparate,itisadvis
SoonaftertheCivilWarendedin1865,thousandsofAmericansbegantomovewesttosettletheland.Thegreatmovementofsett
SoonaftertheCivilWarendedin1865,thousandsofAmericansbegantomovewesttosettletheland.Thegreatmovementofsett
SoonaftertheCivilWarendedin1865,thousandsofAmericansbegantomovewesttosettletheland.Thegreatmovementofsett
Americansaresufferingfromaserioussleep【B1】______whilealsocuttingbackon【B2】______activitiesastheyspendmoretim
Americansaresufferingfromaserioussleep【B1】______whilealsocuttingbackon【B2】______activitiesastheyspendmoretim
Americansaresufferingfromaserioussleep【B1】______whilealsocuttingbackon【B2】______activitiesastheyspendmoretim
Theclimateofearthhasfluctuatedquiteabitoverthelast4.6billionyearsofourplanet’shistoryanditcanbeexpectedt
Whenshoppingonline,itisimportanttobearafewbasicsinmind.Notonlywillthesehelpkeepyousafebuttheywillalso【B1
Whenshoppingonline,itisimportanttobearafewbasicsinmind.Notonlywillthesehelpkeepyousafebuttheywillalso【B1
随机试题
论述鲁迅小说的现实主义成就。
A.五行相生B.五行相克C.五行相乘D.五行相侮补母泻子治则的确立,是依据
有效氯的定义是
冰片的功效是( )。
A.1次常用量B.3日常用量C.7日常用量D.15日常用量门(急)诊对中度慢性疼痛患者开具的麻醉药品控缓释制剂,每张处方不得超过
按照FIDIC施工合同条件的约定,如果遇到了“一个有经验的承包商难以合理预见”的地下电缆,导致承包商工期延长和成本增加,则承包商有权索赔( )。
施工总承包管理方(MC)对所承包的建设工程承担()的总责任。
根据下列资料,编制“银行存款余额调节表”,并回答相关问题。2009年6月企业银行存款日记账月末余额为10000元,银行对账单余额为16000元,经逐笔核对,发现下列末达账项:①银子带企业支付水电费1000元,而企业未收到付款通知;
给定资料1.“四十不惑,不是说这个年龄就活得很明白了,而是觉得时不我待,‘大众创业,万众创新’,再不创业我们就老了。四十岁也不是‘外面的世界很大,我想去看看’的年龄了,而是我要担负起更多的家庭和社会责任的年龄。”“自恃八斗经纶才,囿三尺
《伊犁条约》
最新回复
(
0
)