阅读理解。
The United Nations' weather agencysays 2010 was one of the warmest yearson record,
providing further evidence thatthe planet is slowly but surely heating
(无法处理)up.
The World Meteorological Organization says globalaverage temperatures last year
were just over half a degreeCelsius higher than the 1961~1990 period, slightly abovethe
temperature of 2005, and a little higher again over thatof 1998, which were previously
two of the top threewarmest years on record.
Michel Jarraud, an official in the World MeteorologicalOrganization, said, "We can
indeed report that 2010 is nowgoing to rank as the warmest year on record at the same
level as 2005 and 1998. "
The ten warmest years after records began in 1854 haveall occurred since 1998. Rising
global temperatures over the last century arecausing climate experts to worry.
The Geneva-based global weather agency says that lastyear's extreme weather-notably
the heat wave in Russiaand monsoon(季风,雨季)flooding in Pakistan--hascontinued into
the new year.
Michel Jarraud also said, "What we can say is that withglobal warming some of these
events will become morefrequent or more intense. "
The UN agency contributes the extreme weatherpatterns to El Nino and La Nina,
which constantlydominated the world climate in 2010, bringing warm effectsand cooling
effects respectively.
Apart from extreme weather conditions, the WM() alsonoticed further melting of Arctic
sea-ice.ln December 2010,ice cover around the region registered its lowest level, 1. 35million
square kilometers below the 1979-2000 Decemberaverage.
1. From the passage, we can know that _.
A. 2010 was the warmest year in history
B. the average temperatures of 1998 and 2005 were higher than that of 2010
C. 1998,2005 and 2010 were among the warmest tenycars on record
D. the earth is becoming cooler and cooler
2. According to the passage, what was the main cause ofthe extreme weather in 2010?
A. The rising global temperatures.
B. The heat wave in Russia.
C. The monsoon flooding in Pakistan.
D. El Nino and La Nina.
3. Whatdoestheunderlinedword" dominated"intheeighth paragraph meanfl
A. Changed.
B. Controlled.
C. Affected.
D. Raised.
4. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. The earth is slowly but surely heating up.
B. 2010 was one of the warmest years on record.
C. The Arctic sea-ice is melting.
D. The extreme weather in 2010 and its effects.
