The weather predictions for Asia in 2050 read like a script from a doomsday(世界末日,最后審判日)movie. Many climatologists and green groups fear they will come true unless there is a concerted global effort to rein in greenhouse gas emissions.
In the decades to come, Asia -- home to more than half the world's 6.3 billion people -- will lurch(突然傾斜)from one climate extreme to another, with impoverished farmers battling droughts, floods, disease, food shortages and rising sea levels.
"It's not a pretty picture," said Steve Sawyer, climate policy adviser with Greenpeace in Amsterdam. Global warming and changes to weather patterns are already occurring and there is enough excess carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to drive climate change for decades to come.
Already, changes are being felt in Asia but worse are likely to come, Sawyer and top climate bodies say, and could lead to mass migration and widespread humanitarian crises. (人道主義危機(jī))
According to predictions, glaciers will melt faster, some Pacific and Indian Ocean islands will have to evacuate or build sea defenses, storms will become more intense and insect and water-borne diseases will move into new areas as the world warms.
All this comes on top of rising populations and spiraling demand for food, water and other resources. Experts say environmental degradation(環(huán)境惡化) such as deforestation(森林砍伐) and pollution will likely magnify the impacts of climate change. In what could be a foretaste of the future, Japan was hit by a record 10 typhoons and tropical storms this year, while two-thirds of Bangladesh, parts of Nepal and large areas of northeastern India were flooded, affecting 50 million people, destroying livelihoods and making tens of thousands ill. The year before, a winter cold snap(寒流,寒潮,驟冷)and a summer heat wave killed more than 2,000 people in India.
59. Which of the following has the similar meaning to rein in?
A. slow down, control B. increase, enhance C. bring in D. take in
60. According to the passage, which one is true?
A. The changes of weather will never lead to mass migration and widespread humanitarian crises.
B. The number of the population in Asia is the largest of all continents.
C. Global warming and changes will happen in the near future if we don’t take any actions.
D. Deforestation and pollution will not magnify the impacts of climate change.
61. The reason why glaciers will melt faster is that
A. there is more and more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
B. there is less carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
C. the weather changed suddenly.
D. The reason is still unknown.
62. This passage is mainly about .
A. what kind of weather we like best.
B. the whole world will not be suitable for us to live in.
C. how to improve our environment.
D. the weather predictions for Asia in the future and the reasons.