A
Antarctica has had its highest recorded temperature of 18.3℃,beating 2015’s record of 17.5℃.The Antarctic Peninsula,where this week’s reading was taken at the Argentine research base Esperanza,is among the world’s fastest warming regions,rising 3℃ over the past 50 years.Some 87% of the glaciers along its west coast are retreating rapidly.Professor James Renwick,a climate scientist at Victoria University,said,“The reading is a sign of the warming that has been happening there much faster than the global average.”
Fellow expert Prof Nerilie Abram,who has carried out research at the peninsula’s northern tip,said,“It’s an area that’s warming very quickly.”The reading beats the previous March 2015 record on the earth’s southern continent by 0.8℃,according to the Argentine station Esperanza,which collected the data.
Some 87% of the glaciers along its west coast have shown an “accelerated retreat” in the past 12 years,it added.Prof Renwick said the WMO committee would be likely to approve the new record.“The reading is impressive as it’s only five years since the previous record was set and this is almost one degree centigrade higher,” he added.
Esperanza,located near the northern tip of the Peninsula easily to sense the change of the temperature,has been collecting data since 1961 for its special position.The reading breaks the 2015 record for the Antarctic continent,defined as the main continental land and adjoining islands by the WMO.The record for the Antarctic region,defined as all land and ice south of 60 degrees latitude is 19.8℃ recorded on Signy Island in January 1982,the WMO said.
21.What made the west coast retreat rapidly?
A.The reading signs.
B.The research base.
C.The climate warming.
D.The Antarctica record.
答案C
解析细节理解题。根据文章第一段中的“Esperanza,isamongtheworld’sfastestwarmingregions,rising3℃overthepast50years”可以得知是地球变暖让冰川消退了很多。
22.What will the WMO committee do?
A.They will collect enough glacier.
B.They will admit the record officially.
C.They will find out why it gets warm.
D.They will understand what happened.
答案B
解析推理判断题。根据文章第三段中的“ProfRenwicksaidtheWMOcommitteewouldbelikelytoapprovethenewrecord.”可以得知官方将会正式认定这个记录。
23.Why did researches choose Esperanza to collect data?
A.It had the special position.
B.It had a very long history.
C.It had been there since 1982.
D.It had a large part of glacier.
答案A
解析推理判断题。根据文章最后一段中的“locatednearthenortherntipofthePeninsulaeasilytosensethechangeofthetemperature”可以得知是因为其特殊位置才被选择作为观测站的。
