Climate Change Poses Major Risks for Unprepared Cities

A new examination of urban policies has been     1     recently by Patricia Romero Lankao．She is a sociologist specializing in climate change and     2     development．She warns that many of the world’s fast-growing urban areas，especially in developing countries．will likely¹ suffer from the impacts of changing climate．Her work also concludes that most cities are failing to   3    emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse       4     ．These  gases are known to affect the atmosphere．”Climate change is a deeply local issue and poses profound threats to the growing cities of the world,” says Romero Lankao. ”But too few cities are developing effective strategies to       5      their residents."

Cities are       6      sources of greenhouse gases．And urban populations are likely to² be among those most severely affected by future climate change. Lankao’s findings³  highlight ways in which city-residents are particularly vulnerable, and suggest policy interventions that could offer immediate and longer-term       7      ．

The locations and dense construction patterns of cities often place their populations at greater risk for natural disasters. Potential      8     associated with climate include storm surges⁴ and prolonged hot weather. Storm surges can flood coastal areas and prolonged hot weather can heat     9    paved cities⁵ more than surrounding areas．The impacts of such natural events can be more serious in an urban environment．For example，a prolonged heat wave can increase existing levels of air pollution，causing  widespread health problems．Poorer neighborhoods that  may  10  basic facilities such as drinking water or a dependable network of roads，are especially vulnerable to natural disasters．Many residents in poorer countries live in substandard housing    11     access to reliable drinking water，roads and basic services. 

Local governments,     12    ,should take measures to protect their residents.”Unfortunately，they tend to move towards rhetoric     13    meaningful responses⁶,  Romero Lankao writes, ” They don’t impose construction standards that could reduce heating and air conditioning needs. They don"t emphasize mass transit and reduce      14      use. In fact, many local  governments  are taking  a hands—off  approach⁷.” Thus, she urges them to change their      15      policies and to take strong steps to prevent the harmful effects of climate change on cities.

词汇：

vulnerable / "vʌlnərəbl / adj ．易受伤害的

infrastructure / "infrə,strʌktʃə / n ．基础设施

sociologist /,səusi"ɔlədʒist /n．社会学家

substandard / ,sʌb"stændəd / adj．标准以下的

dioxide / dai"ɔksaid / ．二氧化物

floodplain /"flʌdplein / n ．泛滥平原

注释：

1. likely：很可能，或许。在本句中用作副词。

2. be likely to：很可能。likely 在本句中是形容词，用作表语。

3. findings：调查结果

4. storm surges：风暴潮

5. paved cities：铺上沥青路面的城市

6. spring up：涌现

7. rhetoric . . . responses：修辞反应。这个词的意思是：（地方政府）话讲得很漂亮，但内容空洞。

8. a hands-off approach：一种不插手的政策

空4

A:crops B:gases C:fruits D:Plants

Maglev Trains

1 A few countries are using powerful electromagnets to develop high-speed trains, called maglev trains. Maglev is short for magnetic levitation¹, which means that these trains float over a guide way using the basic principles of magnets to replace the old steel wheel and track trains.

2 If you’ve ever played with magnets, you know that opposite poles attract and like poles repel each other². This is the basic principle behind electromagnetic propulsion. Electromagnets are similar to other magnets in that they attract metal objects, but the magnetic pull is temporary. You can easily create a small electromagnet yourself by connecting the ends of a copper wire to the positive and negative ends of an AA-cell battery³. This creates a small magnetic field. If you disconnect either end of the wire from the battery, the magnetic field is taken away.

3 The magnetic field created in this wire-and-battery experiment is the simple idea behind a maglev train rail system. There are three components to this system: A large electrical power source, metal coils lining a guide way or track, and large guidance magnets attached to the underside of the train.

4 The big difference between a maglev train and a conventional train is that maglev trains do not have an engine — at least not the kind of engine used to pull typical train cars along steel tracks⁴. The engine for maglev trains is rather innoticeable. Instead of using fossil fuels, the magnetic field created by the electrified coils in the guideway walls and the track combines to propel the trains⁵.

5 The magnetized coil running along the track, called a guideway, repels the large magnets on the train’s undercarriage, allowing the train to levitate between 1 to 10 cm above the guideway. Once the train is levitated, power is supplied to the coils within the guideway walls to create a unique system of magnetic fields that pull and push the train along the guideway. The electric current supplied to the coils in the guideway walls is constantly alternating to change the polarity of the magnetized coils. This change in polarity causes the magnetic field in front of the train to pull the vehicle forward, while the magnetic field behind the train adds more forward thrust.

6 Maglev trains float on a cushion of air, eliminating friction. This lack of friction allows these trains to reach unprecedented ground transportation speeds of more than 500 kph, or twice as fast as the fastest conventional train. At 500 kph, you could travel from ParistoRomein just over two hours.

词汇： 

levitate / "levɪteɪt / v. 悬浮

line /lain/ v.排列成行 

electrified / ɪ"lektrɪfaɪd / v.使带电

propel / prə"pel / vt. 推进 

levitation / ˌlevɪ"teɪʃn / n. 悬浮

underside / ˈʌndəsaɪd / n.下侧，下面 

magnetize / "mæɡnətaɪz / v. 使带磁

propulsion / prəˈpʌlʃn / n. 推进 

guideway / ˈgaɪdweɪ / n. 导向槽

undercarriage / ˈʌndəkærɪdʒ / n. 车盘

注释:  

1. Maglev is short for magnetic levitation :maglev 是magnetic levitation 的缩略词。

2. opposite poles attract and like poles repel each other: 异极相吸，同极相斥

3. AA-cell battery：5号电池  

4. at least not the kind of engine used to pull typical train cars along steel tracks: 至少不是沿着轨道拉动典型的火车车厢的那种发动机。

B High-speed Maglev due to Zero Friction

C The Working Principle of the Maglev Train

D Differences between Polarity and Magnetic Field

E Comparison of Maglev Trains with Traditional Ones

F Maglev with a Powerful Motor

Paragraph 4 _______.

A:A B:B C:C D:D E:E F:F

Old And Active

　　It is well-known that life expectancy is longer in Japanthan in most other countries. A   1   report also shows thatJapanhas the longest health expectancy in the world. A healthy long life is the result of¹ the    2    in social environment.
　　Scientists are trying to work    3    exactly what keeps elderly Japanese people so healthy, and whether there is a lesson to be    4    from their lifestyles for the rest of us. Should we    5    any changes to our eating habits, for instance, or go jogging each day before breakfast? Is there some secret    6    in the Japanese diet that is particularly    7    to the human body?
　　Another factor    8    to the rapid population aging inJapanis a decline in birthrate. Although longer life should be celebrated, it is    9    considered a social problem. The number of older people had    10    in the last half century and that has increased pension and medical costs. The country could soon be    11    an economic problem, if there are so many old people to be looked    12    ,and relatively few younger people working and paying taxes to support them.
　　    13    the retirement age from 65 to 70 could be one solution to the problem². Work can give the elderly a    14    of responsibility and mission in life. It’s important that the elderly play active    15    in the society and live in harmony with all generations.

注释：

1．...very seldom remember those dreams in detail but merely retain an untidy mixture...but...不……而是……
2．From ancient times to the present...从古至今……

空4

A:feelings B:emotions  C:impressions  D:senses

Dreams

　　Everyone can dream. Indeed, everyone does dream. Those who    1    that they never dream at all actually dream    2    as frequently as the rest of us,    3    they may not remember anything about it. Even those of us who are perfectly     4     of dreaming night    5    night very seldom remember those dreams in    6    detail but¹ merely retain an untidy mixture of seemingly unrelated impressions. Dreams are not simply visual-we dream with all our    7    , so that we appear to experience sound, touch, smell, and taste.
　　One of the world’s oldest    8    written documents is the Egyptian Book of Dreams. This volume is about five thousand years old, so you can    9    that dreams were believed to have a special significance even then. Many ancient civilizations believed that you    10    never wake a sleeping person as, during sleep, the soul had left the body and might not be able to return     11     time if the sleeper were suddenly    12    .
　　From ancient times to the present²    13    , people have been   14    attempts to interpret dreams and to explain their significance. There are many books available on the subject of dream interpretation, although unfortunately there are almost as many meanings for a particular dream    15     there are books.

词汇：
frequently /"friːkwəntlɪ/ adv.频繁地，经常地；时常，屡次

seldom /"seldəm/ adv.很少，不常

retain /riˈtein/ vt.保持，记住

significance /sɪg"nɪfɪkəns/ n.重要性，意义

civilisation /,sɪvɪlaɪ"zeɪʃən/ n.文明，文化

interpret /ɪn"tɜːprɪt/ vt.解释，说明，口译

interpretation /ɪntɜːprɪ"teɪʃən/ n.解释，口译

注释：

1．...very seldom remember those dreams in detail but merely retain an untidy mixture...but...不……而是……
2．From ancient times to the present...从古至今……

空4

A:feelings B:emotions  C:impressions  D:senses

从所给的四个选项中，选择最合适的一个填入问号处，使之呈现一定规律性：             A                     B                    C                  D                                                          

A:A  B:B  C:C  D:D