阅读理解。
Unusual incidents are being reported across the Arctic. Inuit (因纽特人) families going
off on snowmobiles to prepare their summer hunting camps have found themselves cut
off from home by a sea of mud. There are also reports of sea ice breaking up earlier than
usual, carrying seals beyond the reach of hunters. Climate change may still be a rather
abstract (抽象的) idea to most of us, but in the Arctic it is already having great effect-
if summertime ice continues to shrink at its present rate, the Arctic Ocean could soon
become almost ice-free in summer. The knock-on effects (连锁反应) are likely to include
more warming, cloudier skies and higher sea levels. Scientists are increasingly eager to find
out what's going on in the Arctic.
For the Inuit the problem is urgent. They live in unsteady balance with one of the toughest
environments on earth. Climate change, whatever its causes, is a direct danger to their way
of life. Nobody knows the Arctic as well as the locals, which is why they are not content
simply to stand back and let outsider experts tell them what's happening. In Canada, where
the Inuit people are trying hard to guard their hard-won autonomy (自治权) in the country's
newest land, Nunavut, they believe their best hope of survival in this changing environment
lies in combining their ancestral (祖先的) knowledge with the best of modern science. This
is a challenge in itself.
The Canadian Arctic is a vast, treeless polar desert that's covered with snow for most of
the year. Adventure into this area and you get some idea of the hardships facing anyone who
calls this home. Farming is out of the question and nature offers few pickings. Humans first
settled in the Arctic a mere 4,500 years ago, surviving by taking advantage of sea first. The
environment tested them to the limits: sometimes the settlers were successful; sometimes they
failed and disappeared. But around a thousand years ago, one group appeared that was uniquely
well adapted to deal with the Arctic environment. These Thule people moved in from Alaska,
bringing dogs, iron tools and the like. They are the ancestors of today's Inuit people.
1. Which of the following is likely to be the effect of climate change? [ ]
A. Shorter and shorter summertime.
B. Ice-free summer around the Arctic.
C. Lower sea levels.
D. More rainy skies.
2. The Inuit people believe the solution to the climate change problem is _____. [ ]
A. to change their way of life
B. to do as their ancestors
C. to try to protect the environment from now on
D. to use their ancestral knowledge and modern science
3. It can be concluded from the last paragraph that _____. [ ]
A. the first settlers in the Arctic survived there quite easily
B. it's hard to farm in the Arctic due to climate change
C. the ancestors of Inuit people stood out among the settlers
D. the Thule people from Alaska invented iron tools
4. Which of the following is the best title for this text? [ ]
A. Climate Change and the Inuit
B. Climate Change around the Arctic
C. Global Warming around the World
D. The Inuit and Their Ancestors around the World
