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  3. Glaciers consist of fallen snow that compresses over many years into large, thickened ice masses. Most of the world’s glacial ic

Glaciers consist of fallen snow that compresses over many years into large, thickened ice masses. Most of the world’s glacial ic

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问题     Glaciers consist of fallen snow that compresses over many years into large, thickened ice masses. Most of the world’s glacial ice is found in Antarctica and Greenland, but glaciers are found on nearly every continent, even Africa. Presently, 10% of land area is covered with glaciers. Glacial ice often appears blue because ice absorbs all other colors but reflects blue. Almost 90% of an iceberg is below water; only about 10% shows above water. What makes glaciers unique is their ability to move. Due to sheer mass, glaciers flow like very slow rivers. Some glaciers are as small as football fields, whereas others grow to be over 100 kilometers long.
    Within the past 750, 000 years, scientists know that there have been eight Ice Age cycles, separated by warmer periods called interglacial periods. Currently, the earth is nearing the end of an interglacial, meaning that another Ice Age is due in a few thousand years. This is part of the normal climate variation cycle. Greenhouse warming may delay the onset of another glacial era, but scientists still have many questions to answer about climate change. Although glaciers change very slowly over long periods, they may provide important global climate change signals.
    The girth of the ice, combined with gravity’s influence, causes glaciers to flow very slowly. Once a mass of compressed ice reaches a critical thickness of about 18 meters thick, it becomes so heavy that it begins to deform and move. Ice may flow down mountains and valleys, fan across plains, or spread out to sea. Movement along the underside of a glacier is slower than movement at the top due to the friction created as it slides along the ground’s surface.
    Most glaciers are found in remote mountainous areas. However, some found near cities or towns present a danger to the people living nearby. On land, lakes formed on top of a glacier during the melt season may cause floods. At the narrow part of a valley glacier, ice falling from the glacier presents a hazard to hikers below. When ice breaks off over the ocean, an iceberg is formed.
    Glaciers are a natural resource and contain 75% of the world’s freshwater. People worldwide are trying to harness the power of these frozen streams. Some towns rely on glacial melting from a nearby ice cap to provide drinking water. Some farmers spread soil or ashes over snow to promote melting, hoping that the melting will provide water to irrigate crops in drought-stricken areas. Others have channeled meltwater from glaciers to their fields. Scientists and engineers have worked together to tap into glacial resources, using electricity that has been generated in part by damming glacial meltwater.  
After reading the passage, what can one infer about glaciers?
选项 A、Further exploration is needed to tap the power of glacial ice in fueling electric energy.
B、With variations in climate, glaciers shrink and expand.
C、Glaciers form in cold regions where the rate of snowfall is greater than the melting rate of snow.
D、Glaciers are usually bordered at the sides by rock debris.
答案A
解析 推论题。文中最后一段提到诸多冰川可以造福人类，其中提到，科学家和工程师们齐心协力开发冰川资源，所使用的电力部分来自冰川融水。由此可以推论，今后人们可以在开发利用冰川供电方面作出探索。选项[A]符合这一点；选项[B]提到的气候与冰川之间的关系在第二段有所涉及，但这一推断太过肯定，不符合原文；选项[C]文中未涉及；选项[D]文中未涉及。因此，正确答案是[A]。
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