Global warming is causing more than 300,000 deaths and about $125 billion in economic losses each year, according to a report by the Global Humanitarian Forum, an organization led by Annan, the former United Nations secretary general.
The report, to be released Friday, analyzed data and existing studies of health, disaster, population and economic trends. It found that human-influenced climate change was raising the global death rates from illnesses including malnutrition (营养不良) and heat-related health problems.
But even before its release, the report drew criticism from some experts on climate and risk, who questioned its methods and conclusions.
Along with the deaths, the report said that the lives of 325 million people, primarily in poor countries, were being seriously affected by climate change. It projected that the number would double by 2030.
Roger Pielke Jr., a political scientist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, who studies disaster trends, said the Forum's report was "a methodological embarrassment" because there was no way to distinguish deaths or economic losses related to human-driven global warming amid the much larger losses resulting from the growth in populations and economic development in vulnerable (易受伤害的) regions. Dr. Pielke said that “climate change is an important problem requiring our utmost attention.” But the report, he said, "will harm the cause for action on both climate change and disasters because it is so deeply flawed (有瑕疵的)."
However, Soren Andreasen, a social scientist at Dalberg Global Development Partners who supervised the writing of the report, defended it, saying that it was clear that the numbers were rough estimates. He said the report was aimed at world leaders, who will meet in Copenhagen in December to negotiate a new international climate treaty.
In a press release describing the report, Mr. Annan stressed the need for the negotiations to focus on increasing the flow of money from rich to poor regions to help reduce their vulnerability to climate hazards while still curbing the emissions of the heat-trapping gases. More than 90% of the human and economic losses from climate change are occurring in poor countries, according to the report.
1.What is the finding of the Global Humanitarian Forum?
A Global temperatures affect the rate of economic development.
B Rates of death from illnesses have risen due to global warming.
C Malnutrition has caused serious health problems in poor countries.
D Economic trends have to do with population and natural disasters.
解析:选B。解析:一般而言,四级的阅读题目大致遵循顺序原则,此篇文章正好是遵循此规律的。在文章的第一段,第一行,我们看到“… 300,000 deaths and about $ 125 billion …”,根据这里,我们可以把答案锁定在选项A(economic)和选项B (Rates of death),然后我们接着往下看,可以发现,第二段就没有再提到金钱方面了,而都是在讲死亡和疾病的话题,如第二段的第三行“… death rates from illnesses … ”。所以,最后正确的选项是B。
2.What do we learn about the Forum's report from the passage?
A It was challenged by some climate and risk experts.
B It aroused a lot of interest in the scientific circles.
C It was warmly received by environmentalists.
D It caused a big stir in developing countries.
解析:选A。A. 解析:第三段的第一行就讲到“the report drew criticism from some experts on climate and risk”,这和A选项是完全相一致的,challenged是criticism的同义替换。
3.What does Dr. Pielke say about the Forum's report?
A Its statistics look embarrassing.
B It is invalid in terms of methodology.
C It deserves our closest attention.
D Its conclusion is purposely exaggerated.
解析:选B。解析:在第五段,我们可以很快找到Pielke,然后找到他说的话,第二行“the Forum's report was ‘a methodological embarrassment'”,然后在第六行“but the report, he said‘will harm the … it is so deeply flawed'”。根据这两句话,选项中invalid 是flawed的同义替换, 我们可以很容易地选到B。
4.What is Soren Andreasen's view of the report?
A Its conclusions are based on carefully collected data.
B It is vulnerable to criticism if the statistics are closely examined.
C It will give rise to heated discussions at the Copenhagen conference.
D Its rough estimates are meant to draw the attention of world leaders.
解析:选D。解析:在第六段的第二行和第三行,可以看到“the number were rough estimates. He said the report was aimed at world leaders … ”,根据这两句话,我们就能较轻松地将正确答案锁定在D选项。
5.What does Kofi Annan say should be the focus of the Copenhagen conference?
A How rich and poor regions can share responsibility in curbing global warming.
B How human and economic losses from climate change can be reduced.
C How emissions of heat-trapping gases can be reduced on a global scale.
D How rich countries can better help poor regions reduce climate hazards.
解析:选D。解析:最后一段是Kofi Annan说的一段话。我们在最后一段的第二行,focus on后面“… from rich to poor regions to help reduce … ”后面的内容就无需再花时间去看了,因为他focus(关注)的地方,在此就已经陈述清楚了,正确答案就是D。