题型:阅读理解 题类:常考题 难易度:普通
北京市中央民族大学附属中学2018届高三上学期英语10月月考试卷
“Plants were expected to get larger with increased carbon dioxide in atmosphere, but changes in temperature, humidity and nutrient availability seem to trumped the benefits of increased carbon dioxide,” said researchers from the National University of Singapore.
45 percent of the species studied now reach smaller adult sizes than they did in the past. The researchers pointed out that warmer temperatures and changing habitats, caused by climate change, are possible reasons for shrinking creatures.
“We do not yet know the mechanisms involved, or why some organism are getting smaller while others are unaffected,” the researchers said. “Until we understand more, we could be risking negative consequences that we can' t yet quantify.”
The change was big in cold-blooded animals. Only two decades of warmer temperatures were enough to make reptiles smaller. An increase of 1 degree centigrade caused nearly a 10 percent increase in metabolism(新陈代谢). Greater use of energy resulted in tiny tortoises and little lizards. Fish are smaller now too. Though overfishing has played a part in reducing numbers, experiments show that warmer temperatures also stop fish growth. There is a recent report on warmer temperatures' negative effects on plankton, the base of the marine ecosystem.
Warm-blooded animals weren't immune from the size change caused by climate change. Many birds are now smaller. Mammals have been miniaturized too. Soay sheep are thinner. Red deer are weaker. And polar bears are smaller, compared with historical records.
This is not the first time this has happened in Earth' s history. 55 million years ago, a warming event similar to the current climate change caused bees, spiders and ants to shrink by 50 to 75 percent over several thousand years. That event happened over a long time than the current climate change.
The speed of modem climate change could mean organisms may not respond or adapt quickly enough, especially those with long generation times. So, it is likely that more negative influences of climate change will be shown in future.
Tickets for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil have gone on sale, with fans able to apply on FIFA's website. FIFA is expecting a similar demand to that in Germany 2006, when there were about seven applicants for every ticket of the 64 matches. And now around 3.3 million tickets will be available for the matches in 2014.
Tickets will range in price from£58 for first-round matches to£632 for the final at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian citizens over 60, local students and members of some social programs can purchase tickets for £15.
The Price of Football - World Cup 2014
Items |
Prices |
Items |
Prices |
Ticket |
£58-£112 |
Final ticket |
281-£632 |
Sun cream |
£9.50 |
T-shirt |
£13 |
McDonald's meal |
£11 |
Water |
£1.28 |
Imported beer |
£3.83 |
Domestic beer |
£1.91 |
Coffee |
£2.55 |
Average dinner |
£29 |
"It's always difficult to predict," said FIFA marketing director Thierry Weil. "But I truly believe that it will be more similar to what happened in Germany than in South Africa in 2010." According to FIFA, the 2006 World Cup was attended by more than 3.3 million fans. Almost two million tickets were sold to the general public in South Africa, although the number of applications during the first ticketing phase was significantly lower.
All applications made before 10th October 2013 will enter a random selection draw if there are not enough tickets available to fulfill all requests. The sales of the leftover tickets will begin on 5th November on a first-come, first-served basis. Another phase(阶段) will begin on 8th December after the draw is made. The tournament begins on 12th June, with Brazil playing the opener in Sao Paulo.
A study on the price of World Cup 2014 looked at the ticket prices and the cost of travelling to Brazil and found that our English fans face hotel costs of between£46 and£797 a night, while packages range from£2,999 to£14,999.
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