阅读理解.
Climate change could make much of the world too hot for human habitation (居住)
within just three centuries, according to some scientists.
These scientists found that rising temperatures in some places mean humans would
be unable to adapt or survive. "' It would begin to occur with global - mean warming
of about 7℃, calling the habitability of some regions into question," the researchers
wrote in a paper.
With 11-12℃ warming, such regions would spread to include the majority of the
human population as currently distributed. Professor Steven said there was no chance
of the earth heating up by 7℃ this century, but there was a serious risk that the
continued burning of gas and coal could create the problem by 2300. "'There's
something like a 50/50 chance of that over the long term," he said.
The study, which examined climate change over a longer period than most other
research, looked at the "heat stress" produced by combining the influence of rising
temperatures and increased humidity (湿度).
Professor Steven said climate change research had been "short-sighted" not to
realize the long-term consequences of the influence of greenhouse gases blamed for
global warming. "It needs to be paid attention to," he said. "There's not much we can
do about climate change over the next two decades but there's still a lot we can do
about the longer term changes." "Near 2300, we may be faced with temperature
increases of 12 degrees or even more," Professor Tony Michael said." If this happens,
our current worries about sea level rise, occasional heat waves and bushfires,
biodiversity (生物品种) loss and agricultural difficulties will appear in front of us -- as
much as half the currently inhabited globe may simply become too hot for people to
live there. "
1. Which of the following statements is supported by Professor Steven?______
A. The earth will heat up by 7℃ this century.
B. Burning of fuel adds to the earth's heating.
C. We may be faced with temperature increases of 12 degrees.
D. Climate change would not stop until 2100.
2. From the underlined part in Paragraph 5 we learn that Professor Steven______
A. thinks scientists should do more research on climate change
B. doesn't think we can do anything to avoid global warming
C. believes we can do much to prevent the longer term changes
D. wishes to examine climate change over a longer period
3. The author mainly wants to tell us that _____.
A. the human population is not distributed properly
B. large parts of the earth may be too hot for humans to live on by 2300
C. greenhouse gases are to blame for global warming
D. human beings will die out three centuries later
