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  3. Three key facts about rising sea levels need to be hammered home to the world’s politicians and planners: sea-level rise is now

Three key facts about rising sea levels need to be hammered home to the world’s politicians and planners: sea-level rise is now

admin2012-01-27  41
问题     Three key facts about rising sea levels need to be hammered home to the world’s politicians and planners: sea-level rise is now inevitable, it will happen faster than most of us thought, and it will go on for a very long time.
    Even if greenhouse gas emissions stopped tomorrow, the oceans will continue to swell as they warm, and as glaciers and ice sheets melt or slide into the sea. The climate scientists estimate that sea-level rise could well be in the region of 1 to 2 metres by 2100, with a small risk of an even greater rise.
    For many islands and low-lying regions, even small rises will spell disasters. Most countries, however, will only lose a tiny percentage of their land, even with a very big rise. The problem is what has been built on that land: New York, Sydney and Tokyo, to mention just a few cities. Unless something can be done, great areas of urban network will vanish beneath the waves. It will take a massive engineering effort to protect these cities — an effort that may be beyond economies that have been brought to their knees by climate change.
    None of this means we should despair, and stop trying to ban emissions; the more we pump into the atmosphere, the higher and faster the seas will rise. But alongside these efforts, we need to start acting now to minimise the impact of future sea-level rise. That means we must stop building in the danger zone.
    Countless billions are being spent on constructing homes, offices, factories and roads in vulnerable coastal areas. For instance, the skyscrapers of Shanghai are being built on land that is a mere 4 metres above sea level on average, and which is sinking under the weight of its buildings and as water is drawn from the rocks beneath them.
    In cities that have been around for hundreds of years, this sort of development may be understandable. But planning for new coastal developments is to fly in the face of reality. If we want to build a lasting heritage for our children, we should do so on the plentiful land that is in no danger from the sea. It is one of the easiest ways to slow down climate change, and we should be acting on it now.
What does the author suggest we do in the face of inevitable sea-level rise?
选项 A、Stop trying anything but trust to luck.
B、Cancel the emission reduction plan for good and all.
C、Make every effort to bring climate change under control.
D、Stop new developments in coastal areas in danger of sinking.
答案D
解析 第四段提到，But alongside…stop building in the danger zone(停止在危险区域建造)。第五段第一句提到，Countless billions are being spent onconstructing…in vulnerable coastal areas。由此可推断出，作者所说的危险区域就是易受气候变化影响的沿海区域，故答案为[D]。[A]项和[B]项与None of thismeans we should despair，and stop trying to ban emissions矛盾，故排除。海平面上升是由气候变化造成的，既然海平面上升无法避免，那也就意味着气候变化无法控制，故排除[C]。
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