考研英语模拟试卷237

考研英语模拟试卷237

一、完型填空（本题共20题，每题1.0分，共20分。）

Whatwouldhappenifconsumersdecidedtosimplifytheirlivesandspendlesson

materialgoodsandservices?This(I)istakingonacertainurgencyasratesof

economicgrowthcontinuetodeceleratethroughouttheindustrializedworld,and

(2)millionsofconsumersappeartobe(3)formorefrugallifestyle.The

StanfordResearchInstitute,whichhasdonesomeofthemostextensiveworkonthe

frugalityphenomenon,(4)thatnearlyfivemillionAmericanadultsnumber

"(5)toandactonsomebutnotall"ofitsbasictenets.Thefrugalityphenomenon

firstachievedprominenceasamiddle-class(6)ofhigh-consumptionlifestyleinthe

industrialworldduringthe50'sand60's.IntheSilentRevolution,RonaldIngchartofthe

UniversityofMichigan'sInstituteofSocialResearchexaminedthis(7)inthe

UnitedStatesand10WesternEuropeannations.Heconcludedthatachangehastaken

place"froman(8)emphasisonmaterialwell-beingandphysicalsecurity(9)

greateremphasisonthequalityoflife",thatis,na(10)frommaterialismtopost­

materialism".Ingehartcalls(he60sthe"fatyear".Amongtheirmorevisiblecrappings

weretheraggedbluejeansfavoredby(heaffluentyoung.Mostofthem(11)from

materialism;however,thiswas(12).ComfortablyfixedAmericansweregoing

(13),(14)makingthingslastlonger,sharingthingswithothers,learningto

dothingsforthemselvesandsoon.But(15)economicallysignificant,itwas

hardly(16)inaUSGrossNationalProductclimbingvigorouslytowardtheS2

thousandbillionmark.(17),asthefrugalityphenomenonmatured—growingoutof

thesoaring80sandintothesomber90s—itseemedtoundergoa(18)

transformation.Americanconsumerscontinuedtolose(19)inmaterialismand

werebeingjoinedbynewconvertswhowere(20)frugalitybecauseofthe

darkeningeconomicskiestheysawahead.

1、Whatwouldhappenifconsumersdecidedtosimplifytheirlivesandspendlesson

materialgoodsandservices?This(1)istakingonaceriainurgencyasratesof

economicgrowthcontinuetodeceleratethroughouttheindustrializedworld,and

(2)millionsofconsumersappeartobe(3)formorefrugallifestyle.The

StanfordResearchInstitute,whichhasdonesomeofthemostextensiveworkonthe

frugalityphenomenon,(4)thatnearlyfivemillionAmericanadultsnumber

"(5)toandactonsomebutnotall"ofitsbasictenets.Thefrugalityphenomenon

firstachievedprominenceasamiddle-class(6)ofhigh-consumptionlifestyleinthe

industrialworldduringthe50'sand60,s.IntheSilentRevolution,Ronaldingehartofthe

UniversityofMichigan'sInstituteofSocialResearchexaminedthis(7)_inthe

UnitedSlatesand10WesternEuropeannations.Heconcludedthatachangehastaken

place"froman(8)emphasisonmaterialwell-beingandphysicalsecurity(9)

greateremphasisonthequalityoflife",thatis,*'a(10)frommaterialismtopost­

materialism".Ingehartcallsthe60sthe"fatyear".Amongtheirmorevisibletrappings

were(heraggedbluejeansfavoredbytheaffluentyoung.Mostofthem(11)from

materialism;however,thiswas(12).ComfortablyfixedAmericansweregoing

(13),(14)makingthingslastlonger,sharingthingswithothers,learningto

dothingsforthemselvesandsoon.But(15)economicallysignificant,itwas

hardly(16)inaUSGrossNationalProductclimbingvigorouslytowardthe$2

thousandbillionmark.(17),asthefrugalityphenomenonmatured-growingoutof

(hesoaring80sandintothesomber90s—itseemedtoundergoa(18)

transformation.Americanconsumerscontinuedtolose(19)inmaterialismand

werebeingjoinedbynewconvertswhowere(20)frugalitybecauseofthe

darkeningeconomicskiestheysawahead.

A、question

B、problem

C、issue

D、dilemma

标准答案：A

知识点解析：暂无解析

2、

A、though

B、as

C、muchas

D、eversince

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

3、

A、answering

B、making

C、opting

D、planning

标准答案：C

知识点解析：暂无解析

4、

A、predicts

discovers

C、demonstrates

D^eslimates

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

5、

A^amount

B、attend

C>lead

D、adhere

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

6、

A^rejection

B、denial

C、retention

D^defiance

标准答案：A

知识点解析：暂无解析

7、

A^adventure

B、maturity

C、experience

existence

标准答案：C

知识点解析：暂无解析

8、

A^overwhelming

B、imaginary

Cstrivial

apparent

标准答案：A

知识点解析：暂无解析

9、

A^about

B、toward

C、with

D、for

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

10、

A^relief

B、variation

C^range

知识点解析：暂无解析

16、

A、decisive

B、discernible

C、incredible

D^negligible

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

17、

A^Indeed

B、Moreover

C、Therefore

D、However

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

18、

A、elementary

B、fundamental

C、comprehensive

D、primary

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

19、

A、faith

B、doubt

C、patience

D、interest

标准答案：A

知识点解析：暂无解析

20、

Asaccommodating

B、discarding

C、embracing

D、presenting

标准答案：C

知识点解析：暂无解析

二、阅读（常规阅读理解）（本题共20题，每题

分，共20分。）

Whatoursocietysuffersfrommosttodayistheabsenceofconsensusaboutwhatitand

lifeinitoughttobe;suchconsensuscannolbegainedfromsociety'spresentstage,or

fromfantasiesaboutwhatitoughttobe.For（hatthepresentistoocloseandtoo

diversified,andthefuturetoouncertain,tomakebelievableclaimsaboutit.Aconsensus

inthepresenthencecanbeachievedonlythroughasharedunderstandingofthepast,as

Homer'sepicsinformedthosewholivedcenturieslater,whatitmeanttobeGreek,and

bywhatimagesandidealstheyweretolivetheirlivesandorganizetheirsocieties.Most

societiesderiveconsensusfromalonghistory,alanguagealltheirown,acommon

religion,commonancestry.Themythsbywhichtheylivearebasedonallofthese.But

theUnitedStatesisacountryofimmigrants,comingfromagreatvarietyofnations.

Lately,ithasbeenemphasizedthatanasocial,narcissisticpersonalityhasbecome

characteristicofAmericans,andthatitisthistypeofpersonalitythatmakesforthelack

ofwell-being,becauseitpreventsusfromachievingconsensusthatwouldcounteracta

tendencytowithdrawintoprivateworlds.Inthisstudyofnarcissism,ChristopherLash

saysthatmodernman,"torturedbyself-consciousness,turnstonewtherapiesnottofree

himselfofhispersonalworrieshuttofindmeaningandpurposeinlife,（ofindsomething

tolivefor".Thereiswidespreaddistressbecausenationalmoralehasdeclined,andwe

havelostanearliersenseofnationalvisionandpurpose.Contrarytorigidreligionsor

politicalbeliefs,asarefoundintotalitariansocieties,ourcultureisoneof（hegreat

individualdifferences,atleastinprincipleandintheory;butthisleadstodisunity,even

chaos.Americansbelieveinthevalueofdiversity,butjustbecauseoursisasociety

basedonindividualdiversity,itneedsconsensusaboutsomedominatingideasmorethan

societiesbasedonuniformoriginoftheircitizens.Hence,ifwearctohaveconsensus,it

mustbebasedonamyth—avisionaboutacommonexperience,aconquestthatmadeus

Americans,asthemythabouttheconquestofTroyformedtheGreeks.Onlyacommon

mythcanofferrelieffromthefearthatlifeiswithoutmeaningorpurpose.Mythspermit

ustoexamineourplaceintheworldbycomparingittoasharedidea.Mythsareshared

fantasiesthatformthetiethatbindstheindividualtoothermembersofhisgroup.Such

mythshelptowardofffeelingsofisolations,guilt,anxiety,andpurposelessness—in

short,theycombatisolationandthebreakdownofsocialstandardsandvalues.

21、Thistextismainlyintendedto

A、explorecertainwaysofmakingforaconsensus.

B、spotlighttheroleofmythsinbindingacommunity.

C、interpretthemeaningandpurposeofmodernlife.

D、reversethedeclineofsocialstandardsandvalues.

标准答案：A

知识点解析：暂无解析

22、FromthetextwelearnthatChristopherLashismostprobably

A、areformadvocate.

B、asocialpsychologist.

C、areputedpoet.

D^ahistoricalspecialist.

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

23、Americansmayfindthemselvesinasocietycharacterizedby

A^extremestress.

B、worryandsuffering.

C、sharedbeliefs.

D、voidandisolation.

标准答案；B

知识点解析：暂无解析

24>Homer'sepicsismentionedinParagraph!inorderto

A、exemplifythecontributionsmadebyancientpoets.

B、showanidealconceptofwhatlifeoughttobe.

C、illustratetheroleofsharedmythsinsociety.

D、makeknownmythsofwhatasocietyoughttobe.

标准答案：C

知识点解析：暂无解析

25、TheauthorconcludesthatonlysharedmythscanhelpAmericans

A、tobringabouttheuniformityoftheirculture.

B、toregaintheirconsensusaboutacommonexperience.

C、toperceivetheeffectsofconsensusaboutsociety.

D^tostayawayfromnegativefeelingsintheirlife.

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

Inthenextcenturywe'llbeabletoalterourDNAradically,encodingourvisionsand

vanitieswhileconcoctingnev/life-forms.WhenDr.Frankensteinmadehismonster,he

wrestledwith(hemoralissueofwhetherheshouldallowitioreproduce,"HadItheright,

formyownbenefit,toinflictthecurseuponeverlastinggenerations?"Willsuch

questionsrequireustodevelopnewmoralphilosophies?Probablynot.Instead,we'll

reachagainforatime-testedmoralconcept;onesometimescalledtheGoldenRuleand

whichKant,themillennium'smostprudentmoralist,conjuredupintoacategorical

imperative,Dountoothersasyouwouldhavethemdountoyou;treateachpersonasan

individualratherthanasameanstosomeend.Underthismoralpreceptwcshouldrecoil

athumancloning,becauseitinevitablyentailsusinghumansasmeanstootherhumans*

endsandvaluingthemascopiesofotherswelovedorascollectionsofbodyparts,notas

individualsintheirownright.Weshouldalsodrawaline,howeverfuzzy,thatwould

permitusinggeneticengineeringtocurediseasesanddisabilitiesbutnottochangethe

personalattributesthatmakesomeoneanindividual(IQ,physicalappearance,genderand

sexuality).Thebiotechagewillalsogiveusmorereasontoguardourpersonalprivacy.

AldousHuxleyinBraveNewWorld,gotitwrong:rather【hancentralizingpowerinthe

handsofthestate,DNAtechnologyhasempoweredindividualsandfamilies.Butthe

statewillhaveanimportantrole,makingsurethatnoone,includinginsurance

companies,canlookatourgeneticdatawithoutourpermissionoruseittodiscriminate

againstus.Thenwecangetreadyforthebreakthroughsthatcouldcomeattheendofthe

nextcenturyandthetechnologyiscomparabletomappingourgenes:plottingthe10

hi11ionormoreneuronsofourbrain.Withthatinformationwemightsomedaybeableto

createartificialintelligencesthatthinkandexperienceconsciousnessinwaysthatare

indistinguishablefromahumanbrain.Eventuallywemightbeabletoreplicateourown

mindsina"dry-ware"machine,sothatwecouldliveonwithoutthe"wet-ware"ofa

biologicalbrainandbody.The20thcentury'srevolutionininfotechnologywillthereby

mergewiththe21stcentury'srevolutioninbiotechnology.Butthisissciencefiction.

Let'sturnthepagenowandgetbacktorealscience.

26Dr.Frankenstein'sremarksarcmentionedinthetext

A、togiveanepisodeoftheDNAtechnologicalbreakthroughs.

B、tohighlighttheinevitabilityofameanstosomeevilends.

C、toshowhowhecreatedanewformoflifeathousandyearsago.

D、tointroducethetopicofmoralphilosophiesconcerningbiotechnology.

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

27、Itcanbeconcludedfromthetextthatthetechnologyofhumancloningshouldbe

employed

A、excessivelyandextravagantly,

sensiblyandcautiously.

C、aggressivelyandindiscriminately.

D、openlyandenthusiastically.

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

28Fromthetext,wclearnthatAldousHuxleyisoftheopinionthat

A、thepowerofbiotechnologyistobedecentralized.

B、nooneisentitledtodiscriminateagainstothers.

C、biotechnologyisnothingmorethangene-mapping.

D^artificialintelligencecompetewithahumanbrain.

标准答案:A

知识点解析：暂无解析

29、Accordingtothelastparagraph,"dry-ware"isto"wet-ware"as

A、collectiveto"individual".

B、fictionalto"factual".

C、mechanicalto"biological".

D^illegalio"immoral".

标准答案：C

知识点解析：暂无解析

30、Judgedfromtheinformationinthelastparagraph,wecanpredictthattheauthoris

likelytowritewhichofthefcllowinginthenextsection?

A、Thereflectionuponbiotechnologicalmorality.

B、Theoffensiveinvasionofourpersonalprivacy.

C、TheinevitablechangeofIQsforourdescendants.

D^Thepresentstateofbiotechnologicalresearch.

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

Whenadiseaseofepidemicproportionsripsintothepopulace,scientistsimmediatelyget

towork,tryingtolocatethesourceoftheafflictionandfindwaystocombatit.

Oftentimes,successisachieved,asmedicalscienceisabletoisolatetheparasite,germor

cellthatcauses(heproblemandfindswaystoeffectivelykillorcontaini(.Inthemost

seriousofcases,inwhichtheentirepopulationofaregionorcountrymaybeatgrave

risk,itisdeemednecessarytoprotecttheentirepopulationthroughvaccination,soasto

safeguardlivesandensurethatthediseasewillnotspread.Theprocessofvaccination

allowsthepatient'sbodytodevelopimmunitytothevirusordiseasesothat,ifitis

encountered,onecanwarditoffnaturally.Toaccomplishthis,asmallweakordead

strainofthediseaseisactuallyinjectedintothepatientinacontrolledenvironment,so

thathisbody'simmunesystemcanlearntofighttheinvaderproperly.Informationon

howtopenetratethedisease'sdefensesistransmittedtoallelementsofthepatient's

immunesysteminaprocessthatoccursnaturally,inwhichgeneticinformationispassed

fromcelltocell.Thismakessurethat,shouldthepatientlatercomeintocontactwiththe

realproblem,hisbodyiswellequippedandtrainedtodealwithit,havingalreadydone

sobefore.Therearedangersinherentintheprocess,however.Onoccasion,even(he

weakenedversionofthediseasecontainedinthevaccineprovestoomuchforthebodyto

handle,resultingintheimmunesystemsuccumbing,and,therefore,thepatient'sdeath.

Suchisthecaseofthesmallpoxvaccine,designedtoeradicatethesmallpoxepidemic

thatnearlywipedouttheentireNativeAmericanpopulationandkilledmassivenumbers

ofsettlers.Approximately1in10,000peoplewhoreceivesthevaccinecontractthe

smallpoxdiseasefromthevaccineitselfanddiesfromit.Thus,iftheentirepopulationof

theUnitedStatesweretoreceivetheSmallpoxVaccinetoday,3000Americanswouldbe

leftdead.Fortunately,thesmallpoxviruswasconsiderederadicatedintheearly1970's,

endingthemandatoryvaccinationofallbabiesinAmerica.Intheeventofa

reintroductionofthedisease,however,mandatoryvaccinationsmayresume,resultingin

moreunexpecteddeathsfromvaccination.Theprocess,whichistrulyamixedblessing,

mayindeedhidesomehiddencurses.

31、Thebesttitleforthetextmaybe

A^Vaccinations:ABlessingorACurse.

B、PrinciplesofVaccinations.

C、Vaccines:MethodsandImplications.

D、AMiracleCureUnderAttack.

标准答案：C

知识点解析：暂无解析

32WhatdocstheexampleoftheSmallpoxVaccineillustrate?

A、Apossiblenegativeoutcomeofadministeringvaccines.

B、Thepracticaluseofavaccinetocontrolanepidemicdisease.

C、Amethodbywhichvaccinesareemployedagainstthedisease.

D^Theeffectivenessofvaccinesincuringcertaindisease.

标准答案：A

知识点解析：暂无解析

33、Thephrase"warditoffnaturally"(Paragraph2)mostprobablymeans

A^disposeofitnaturally.

B、combatagainstitreadily.

C、attendtoitreluctantly.

D^splititupproperly.

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

34、Whichofthefollowingistrueaccordingtothetext?

A^Savingthemajoritywouldnecessarilyjustifythedeathoftheminority.

B、Theimmunesystemcanbetrainedtofightweakerversionsofadisease.

C、Mandatoryvaccinationsareindispensabletothesurvivalofthepopulace.

D^Theprocessofvaccinationremainsamysterytobefurtherresolved.

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

35、Thepurposeoftheauthorinwritingthispassageis

A^tocommentandcriticize.

B、todemonstrateandargue.

C、tointerestandentertain.

toexplainandinform.

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

Euthanasiaisclearlyadeliberateandintentionalaspectofakilling.Takingahumanlife,

evenwithsubtleritesandconsentofthepartyinvolvedisbarbaric.Noonecanjustlykill

anotherhumanbeing.Justasitiswrongforaserialkillertomurder,itiswrongfora

physiciantodosoaswell,nomatterwhatthemotivefordoingsomaybe.Many

thinkers,includingalmostallorthodoxCatholics,believethateuthanasiaisimmoral.

Theyopposekillingpatientsinanycircumstanceswhatever.However,theythinkitisall

right,insomespecialcircumstances,toallowpatientstodiebywithholdingtreatment.

TheAmericanMedicalAssociation'spolicystatementonmercykillingsupportsthis

(radiiionalview.Inmypaper"ActiveandPassiveEuthanasia"Iargue,againstthe

traditionalview,thatthereisinfactnonormaldifferencebetweenkillingandletting

die—ifoneispermissible,thensoistheother.ProfessorSullivandoesnotdisputemy

argument;insteadhedismissesitasirrelevant.Thetraditionaldoctrine,hesays,docsnot

appealtoordependonthedistinctionbetweenkillingandlettingdie.Therefore,

argumentsagainstthatdistinction"leavethetraditionalpositionuntouched".Ismy

argumentreallyirrelevant?Idon'tseehowitcanbe.AsSullivanhimselfpointsout,

nearlyeveryoneholdsthatitissometimesmeaninglesstoprolongtheprocessofdying

andthatin(hosecasesitismorallypermissibletoletapatientdieeventhoughafew

morehoursordayscouldbesavedbyproceduresthatwouldalsoincreasetheagoniesof

(hedying.Butifitisimpossibletodefendageneraldistinctionbetweenlettingpeopledie

andactingtoterminatetheirlivesdirectly,thenitwouldseemthatactiveeuthanasiaalso

maybemorallypermissible.ButtraditionalistslikeProfessorSullivanholdthatactive

euthanasia一thedirectkillingofpatients—isnotmorallypermissible;so,ifmyargument

issound,theirviewmustbemistaken.Icannotagree,then,thatmyargument"leavethe

traditionalpositionuntouched".However,Ishallnotpressthispoint.InsteadIshall

presentsomefurtherargumentsagainstthetraditionalposition,concentratingonthose

elementsofthepositionwhichprofessorSullivanhimselfthinksmostimportant.

Accordingtohim,whatisimportantis,first,thatweshouldneverintentionallyterminate

thelifeofapatient,eitherhyactionoromission,andsecond,thatwcmayceaseoromit

treatmentofapatient,knowingthatthiswillresultindeath,onlyifthemeansof

treatmentinvolvedareextraordinary.

36、Theauthor'spurposeinwritingthispassageis

A、toairhisopinionsonSullivan'sarguments.

B、toattackthetraditionalviewoneuthanasia.

C、toexplainhowhisargumentismuchrelevant.

D^todrawalinebetweenkillingandlettingdie.

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

37、Accordingtotheauthor,theviewsheldbytraditionalorthodoxCatholicson

euthanasiais

A、ratherconfusing.

B、partiallyreasonable.

C、quiteconvincing.

D^totallygroundless.

标准答案：B

知识点解析：暂无解析

38、Whichofthefollowingbestdefinestheword"omission"(Paragmph6)?

A^Involvement.

B、Sympathy.

C、Suspension.

D、Dismissal.

标准答案：C

知识点解析：暂无解析

39、WhichofthefollowingisTRUEaccordingtothepassage?

A、Euthanasiaisatermwhosemeaningsaretoosubtletobedefinite.

B、Sullivancontendsthatthereisdifferencebetweenkillingandlettingdie.

C、Modernmedicinehasassistedterminallyillpatientsinpainlessrecovery.

D^Theauthordoesn'tagreethatheleftthetraditionalpositionuntouched.

标准答案：D

知识点解析：暂无解析

40、Itseemsthatthewriterismostconcernedabout

A、(heinterpretationsofeuthanasia.

B、thesufferingsofthedying.

C、theeffectsofmedicaltreatments.

D^thetraditionalviewondeath.

标准答案：A

知识点解析：暂无解析

三、阅读(补全短文)(本题共5题，每题1.0分，共

5分。)

YouaregoingtoreadatextaboutTheBigMelt,followedbyalistofexamples.Choose

thebestexamplefromthelistforeachnumberedsubheading.Thereisoneextraexample

whichyoudonotneedtouse.Saygoodbyetotheworld'stropicalglaciersandicecaps.

Manywillvanishwithin20years.WhenLonnieThompsonvisitedPeru'sQuelccayaice

capin1977,hecouldn'thelpnoticingaschool-bus-sizeboulderthatwasupendedbyice

pushingagainstit.Thompsonreturned(othesamespotlastyear,andtheboulderwas

stillthere,butitwaslyingonitsside.Theice(hatoncesupportedthemassiverockhad

retreatedfarintothedistance,leavingbehindagiantlakeasilmeltedaway.Foe

Thompson,ageologistwithOhioStateUniversity'sByrdPolarResearchCenter,the

rolled-backrockwasanobvioussignofclimatechangeintheAndesMountains.

"Observingthatover25yearspersonallyreallybringsithome",hesays."Youdon'thave

tobeabelieveringlobalwarmingtoseewhat'shappening."(41)Thawedicecapsinthe

tropics.Quelccayaisthelargesticecapinthetropics,butitisn'ttheonlyonethatis

melting,accordingtodecadesofresearchbyThompson'steam.Notropicalglaciersarc

currentlyknowntobeadvancing,andThompsonpredictsthatmanymountaintopswillhe

completelymeltedwithinthenext20years.(42)Situationinareasotherthanthetropics.

Thephenomenonisn'tconfinedto(hetropics.GlaciersinEurope,Russia,newZealand,

(heUnitedStates,andelsewherearealsomelting.(43)Theworseningeffectsofglobal

warming.Formanyscientists,thewidespreadmelt-downisaclearsignthathumansare

affectingglottalclimate,primarilybyraising(helevelsofcarbondioxideandother

greenhousegasesintheatmosphere.(44)Recedingicecaps.That'snottosaythat

glaciers,currendyfoundoneveryconiinentexceptAustralia,haven'tmekedindiepast

asaresultofnaturalvariability.Theseriversoficeexistinadelicatebalancebetween

inputs(accumulatingsnowandice)andoutputs(meltingand"calving"oflargechunksof

ice).Overtime,thebalancecantiltineitherdirection,causingglacierstoadvanceor

retreat.What'sdifferentnow:sthespeedatwhichthescaleshavetipped.°We'vebeen

surprisedathowrapidtherateofretreathasbeen",saysThompson.Histeambegan

mappingoneofthemainglaciersflowingoutoftheQuelccayaicecapin1978,using

satelliteimagesandgroundsurveys.(45)Thinningicecores.Andit'snotjustthemargin

oftheicecap(hatismelting.AtQuelccayaandMountKilimanjaro,theresearchershave

foundthat(heicefieldsarethinningaswell.Besidesmappingicecapsandglaciers,

ThompsonandhiscolleagueshavetakencoresamplesfromQuelccayasince1976,when

theiceatthedrillinglocationwas154metersthick.Thompsonandhiscolleagueshave

alsodrilledicecoresfromotherlocationsinSouthAmerica,Africa,andChina.Trapped

withineachofthesecoresisaclimaterecordspanningmorethan8,000years.Itshows

thatthepast50yearsarethewarmestinhistory.The4-inch-thickicecoresarenow

storedinfreezersatOhioState.Onthefuture,saysThompson,thatmaybetheonlyplace

toseewhat'sleftoftheglaciersofAfricaandPeru.A.Thelatestreportfromthe

IntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange,preparedbyhundredsofscientistsand

approvedbygovernmentdelegatesfrominorethan100nations,states:"Thereisnewand

strongerevidencethatmostofthewarmingobservedoverthelast50yearsisattributable

tohumanactivities".Thereport,releasedinJanuary,saysthattheplanet'saverage

surfacetemperatureincreasedbyabout0.6℃duringthe20thcentury,andisprojectedto

increaseanother14℃to5STby2100Thatrateofwarmingis"with-outprecedent

duringatleastthelast10,000years",saystheIPCC.B.Alaska'smassiveBeringand

ColumbiaGlacierslocatedinnontropicalregions,fbrexample,haverecededbymore

(han10kilometersduring(hepastcentury.AndastudybygeologistsattheUniversityof

ColoradoatBoulderpredictsthatGlacierNationalParkinMontana,undertheinfluence

ofmelting,willloseallofitsglaciersby2070.C.Forexample,about97percentof(he

planet'swalerisseawater.Another2percentislockedinicecapsandglaciers.Thereare

alsoreservesoffreshwaterundertheearth'ssurfacebutthesearetoodeepforustouse

economically.D.Forexample,Africa'sMountKilimanjarointropicalareashaslost82

percentofitsicefieldsinceitwasfirstmappedin1912.Thatyear.Kilimanjarohad12.1

squarekilometersofice.Bylastyear,theicecoveredonly2.2squarekilometers.Atthe

currentrateofmelting,thesnowsofKilimanjarothatErnestHemingwaywroteabout

willbegonewithin15years,Thompsonestimates."Butitprobablywillhappensooner,

becausetherateisspeedingup".E."Ifullyexpecttobeabletoreturnthereinadozen

yearsorsoandseethemarksontherockwhereourdrillbitpunchedthroughtheicc",

saysThompson.Ifthathappens,itwillmeanthatalayeroficcmorethan500feetthick

hasvanishedintothinair.F.Theglacier,QoriKalis,wasther.retreatingby4.9meters

peryear.Everytimethescientistsreturned,QoriKaliswasmeltingfaster.Between1998

and2000.i(wasretreatingatarateof155metersperyears(morethanafootperday),32

timesfasterthanin1978."Youcanalmostsit(hereandwatchitmove",saysThompson.

41、YouaregoingtoreadatextaboutTheBigMelt,followedbyalistofexamples.

Choosethebestexamplefromthelistforeachnumberedsubheading.Thereisoneextra

examplewhichyoudonotneedtouse.Saygoodbyetotheworld'stropicalglaciersand

icecaps.Manywillvanishwithin20years.WhenLonnieThompsonvisitedPeru's

Quelccayaicecapin1977,hecouldn'thelpnoticingaschool-bus-sizeboulderihatwas

upendedbyicepushingagainstit.Thompsonreturnedtothesamespotlastyear,andthe

boulderwasstillthere,butitwaslyingonitsside.Theicethatoncesupportedthe

massiverockhadretreatedfarintothedistance,leavingbehindagiantlakeasitmelted

away.FoeThompson,ageologistwithOhioStateUniversity'sByrdPolarResearch

Center,therolled-backrockwasanobvioussignofclimatechangeintheAndes

Mountains."Observingthatover25yearspersonallyreallybringsithome”,hesays.

"Youdon'thavetobeabelieveringlobalwarmingtoseewhat5shappening.'*(41)

Thawedicecapsinthetropics.Quelccayaisthelargesticecapinthetropics,butitisn't

theonlyonethatismelting,accordi