题型:阅读理解 题类:常考题 难易度:普通
Walk through the Amazon rainforest today and you will find it steamy, warm, damp and thick. But if you had been there around 15,000 years ago, during the last ice age, would it have been the same? For more than 30 years, scientists have been arguing about how rainforests might have reacted to the cold, dry climate of the ice ages, but till now, no one has reached a satisfying answer.
Rainforests like the Amazon are important for mopping up CO2 from the atmosphere and helping to solve global warming. Currently the trees in the Amazon take in around 500 million tons of CO2 each year: equal to the total amount of CO2 given off in the UK each year. But how will the Amazon react to the future climate change? If it gets drier, will it survive and continue to draw down CO2? Scientists hope that they will be able to learn in advance how the rainforest will manage in the future by understanding how rainforests reacted to climate change in the past.
Unfortunately, collecting information is incredibly difficult. To study the past climate, scientists need to look at fossilized pollen (花粉) kept in lake mud. Going back to the last ice age means drilling down into lake sediments (沉淀物), which requires specialized equipment and heavy machinery . There are very few roads and paths, or places to land helicopters and aeroplanes. Rivers tend to be the easiest way to enter the forest, but this still leaves vast areas between the rivers completely unsampled (未取样). So far, only a handful of cores have been drilled that go back to the last ice age and none of them provide enough information to prove how the Amazon forest reacts to climate change.
How to enroll if you are in Midhaven…
We invite you to visit us and see the school. After an assessment you will be able to reserve a place on the next available course. We have two centres in Midhaven.
Deposits/payment 1). Your enrolment form must be accompanied by the course deposit of £100 or, if you are booking accommodation through the school, your course and accommodation deposit of £200. 2). Any balance of course and accommodation fees must be paid in full by the first day of your course. 3). All bank charges incurred (承受) in sending money to Ashwood College must be paid by the student. 4). Deposits and payments are non-refundable and non-transferable. 5). A charge of £20 will be made for any changes made to bookings. | Conditions | |
Timetable Each hour consists of 50 minutes' tuition and a 10-minute break. Public and School Holidays There is no reduction in the fee where a course includes a Public Holiday, except for two weeks at Christmas. Age The above centres of Ashwood College do not accept students under 16 years of age. Attendance Students are expected to attend regularly and on time. Students will lose tuition if they arrive late, are absent or leave before the course ends. | Student Holidays Students on long courses except examination preparation courses may take a holiday of one week every 12 weeks without losing their course fee for this period. Location and Time of Courses Ashwood College has two all-year centres and a summer centre in Midhaven. Before entry to the school, students must take an entry test to determine the level of class they enter. We cannot guarantee the time or location of a student's course although every attempt is made to place students in the centre and at the time of their choice. |
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