湖北省2014高考英语 专项训练 阅读理解38.docVIP

2014高考英语冲刺阅读理解专项 50- Starving polar bears are eating one another in the Arctic. Flowers are blooming too soon and die. The ice caps are melting so fast that rising water levels will threaten coastal towns along Florida within several decades. These are just a few examples of the serious consequences of climate change supported by a new analysis in Nature. In the past three decades, average global temperatures have risen about 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.6 degree Celsius) and are projected to jump by about 3 degrees F (1. 7 degrees C) by the end of the century, says study lead author Cynthia Rosenzweig, who heads the Climate Impacts Group at NASAs Goddard Institute for Space Studies at Columbia University in New York City. Weve already seen that a relatively low amount of wanning, she says, can result in a broad range of changes. The unnatural warming caused by man-made greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide produced by cars and coal-powered plants, brings trouble for entire ecosystems. In North America alone, scientists have identified 89 species of plants, such as the American holly that have flowered earlier in the spring. In Spain, apple trees bloom 35 days ahead of schedule in response to the higher temperatures. Other wildlife, like the insects that use certain plants for food and the birds that feed on the insects, must then move forward their seasonal stirrings (萌动) and mating patterns to survive. To try to follow this time shift, some birds such as robins, the classic symbol of winters thaw(解冻时期) , are returning to Colorado from their migrations (迁徙) some two weeks earlier than in years past. All these changes can throw a food chain in disorder. Some bird species that arrive before the insects reappear may starve to death. Around the world, plants and animals are waking up to an earlier alarm clock than they used to, says Terry Root, a biologist from Stanford University. 1. What does the first paragraph mainly present to the readers? A. The sur