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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  69
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.
According to the passage, the sea-level rise is mainly caused by_____.
选项 A、policies of short-sighted governments
B、overdevelopment of the human beings
C、greenhouse gas emissions
D、global climatic change
答案D
解析 第二段第一句话提到，海平面上升是因为海水升温，以及冰川和冰块融化或进入大海，出现这一情况的原因是气温升高，气温升高属于气候变化，故答案为[D]。[C]项与Even if greenhouse gas emissions stopped tomorrow，the oceans will continue to swell矛盾，故排除。[A]项是针对the world’spoliticians and planners设的干扰项。文中并未提到人类的过度开发，故排除[B]。
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