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An international study says ice in Greenland and Antarctica is melting faster than it was about 30 years ago. The study used 50 different satellite estimates gathered by the U.S. space agency NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). The scientists involved said that the rate of melting increased up to 2020, the last year for which information was available. They also said that the melting has caused a mean rise in the world's sea level of about 21 millimeters. The study said there was 20 percent more melted ice from Greenland between 2017 to 2020 than from 2012 to 2016. And the melting was more than seven times higher than yearly melting from 1992 to 1996. The new data 'are pretty disastrous really,' said study co-writer Ruth Mottram, a climate scientist at the Danish Meteorological Institute. 'We're losing more and more ice from Greenland.' The lead writer of the study is Ines Otosaka. She studiesglaciers at the University of Leeds in Britain. She said the faster ice loss is clearly a result of human-caused climate change. Ice in Greenland and Antarctica represents 99 percent of the world's ice on dry land. From 1992 to 1996, the study said, ice in the two areas was melting at a rate of 105 billion metric tons a year. Two-thirds of that amount was in Antarctica. But from 2017 to 2020, the combined estimated melting increased to 372 billion metric tons a year. More than two-thirds of the melting took place in Greenland, said the study in the journalEarth System Science Data. Since 1992, Earth has lost 7.6 trillion metric tons of ice from the two ice areas, the study found. That is enough to cover France with 15 meters of water. But because the world's oceans are so huge, the melted ice since 1992 only adds less than 21 millimeters to world sea levels. Melt from ice sheets previously caused only five percent of sea level rise. Now it causes more than 25 percent of the rise, the study said. The rest of the sea rise comes from warmer water expanding and melting ice from other glaciers. Although the study showed slower melting in parts of Antarctica, the longer-term data suggests an increasing rate of melting there. A team of more than 65 scientists regularly calculates ice sheet loss in research funded by NASA and the European Space Agency. The new study adds three more years of data. The researchers used three different methods to measure the melting, Otosaka said. The techniques include measuring changes in gravity and ice height, along with measuring snow fall and melt. Otosaka added that all the satellites, radar, ground observations and computer models basically say the same thing -- ice sheet melting is accelerating. 'This matters because rising sea levels will displace and/or financially impact hundreds of millions of people, if not billions, and will likely cost trillions of dollars,' said Walleed Abdalati, a former NASA scientist and University of Colorado ice researcher. Abdalati was not part of the study. (506 words) （注：红色字表示已经在之前的文章中学习过。） 根据文章内容，选择最佳答案： 1. The melting will lead to ___________. A. the rise of earth’s temperature B. the rise of sea level C. the fall of earth’s temperature D. the fall of sea level 2. What does the underlined word accelerate mean? A. to happen or to make sth happen faster or
earlier than expected B. to make sth bigger C. to use facts, evidence, etc. to show that sth is true D. to make sth/sb better than before 3. According to the study, we can learn that ________. A. most of the melted ice comes from Greenland B. the melting in Antarctica is faster than that Greenland C. Greenland has more ice than Antarctica D. The melting in Greenland is more serious than
that in Antarctica. 4. The measuring data of the melting comes from the followings except ______. A. satellites and computer models B. the International Space Station C. NASA and the European Space Agency D. radars and ground obvservations 5. Which conclusion we can draw from the study? A. The rise of water temperature leads to the rise of sea level. B. The rise of melting leads to the rise of sea level. C. The rise of melting leads to the loss of water
temperature. D. The rise of sea level leads to the financial loss of human. （答案见动图下方） 【词汇拓展】 @@@【初中—高中词汇进阶】@@@ (这里推荐的，来自上面的阅读材料，基本上是高中英语课本高频词汇（2019前版本），学有余力的话，不妨日积月累，提前进阶哦！) 1. The new data 'are pretty disastrous really,' said study co-writer Ruth Mottram, a climate scientist at the Danish Meteorological Institute. 这项研究的合著者、丹麦气象研究所的气候科学家露丝·莫特拉姆(Ruth Mottram)说，这些新数据“真的是相当灾难性的”。
（人教版高中英语 必修1， Unit 4）
【例句】Lowering interest rates could have disastrous consequences for the economy. 降低利率可能给经济带来灾难性后果。 2. A team of more than 65 scientists regularly calculates ice sheet loss in research funded by NASA and the European Space Agency. 由美国国家航空航天局和欧洲航天局资助的一个由65多名科学家组成的研究小组定期计算冰盖的损失。
（人教版高中英语 必修2， Unit 3） 【例句】 1). This formula is used to calculate the area of a circle. 这个公式用于计算圆的面积。 2). Can I borrow your calculator? 我可以借用你的计算器吗？ 3. The techniques include measuring changes in gravity and ice height, along with measuring snow fall and melt. 这些技术包括测量重力和冰层高度的变化，以及测量降雪量和融雪量。
（人教版高中英语 必修3， Unit 4） 【例句】 1). The stone rolled down the mountain by gravity. 这块石头由于重力作用而滚下山。 4. Otosaka added that all the satellites, radar, ground observations and computer models basically say the same thing -- ice sheet melting is accelerating. 奥多萨卡补充说，所有的卫星、雷达、地面观测和计算机模型基本上都在传达相同的事实——冰盖正在加速融化。
（人教版高中英语 必修1， Unit 2）
（人教版高中英语 必修2， Unit 2）
【例句】 1). Knowledge is the basical foundation of all ability. 知识是一切能力的基础 2). Basically, there's not a lot we can do about it. 总的说来，我们对此做不了很多事。 3). Our relationship was based on mutual dependence. 我们的关系建立在相互依存的基础上。 4). The basis of a good marriage is trust. 美满婚姻的基础是信赖。 【附件】 |
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