Unit Two The Magic of Nature
Passage 2 College Life Around the World
Background introduction: climate change
Climate change is a change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns when that change lasts for an extended period of time (i.e., decades to millions of years). Climate change may refer to a change in average weather conditions, or in the time variation of weather within the context of longer-term average conditions. Climate change is caused by factors such as biotic processes, variations in solar radiation received by Earth,plate tectonics, and volcanic eruptions. Certain human activities have been identified as primary causes of ongoing climate change, often referred to as global warming.
Factors that can shape climate are called climate forcings or “forcing mechanisms”. These can be either “internal” or “external”. Internal forcing mechanisms are natural processes within the climate system itself (e.g., the thermohaline circulation). External forcing mechanisms can be either anthropogenic or natural (e.g., changes in solar output, the earth's orbit, volcano eruptions).
Para. 1
Q:What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather means “the atmospheric conditions at a specific place and time.” It can be various everyday. And climate is“the general or average atmospheric conditions of a region.”Every year it almost stays same.
1.Tropical rain forest 热带雨林
2.globe: earth
3.change: 是完全的变化，即从一个事物变成另一个事物。
4.vary: 是在某一范围内波动，vary from……to……是从一个端点到另一个端点。
5.specific: particular or special, opposite in meaning to general. 特定的，具体的
6.tropical: 热带的
7.generally: as a rule; usually 按常规；通常
Para. 2
Q: List some examples of global climate changes.
The weather is getting more extreme. There are more and more powerful hurricanes and tornados and blizzards. Floods and long droughts are causing more damages.
1.Extreme forces of nature refer to the extreme, disastrous weather condition in the natural world. Given in the paragraph are hurricanes, tornados, blizzards, floods and droughts. It goes on to include more like landslide 泥石流, earthquake, tsunami, typhoon, etc.
2.tornado: a violent whirlwind. 龙卷风
3.blizzard: a violent snowstorm with high speed.暴风雪
4.drought: a long period of low or no rainfall. 干旱
5.amount: quantity. The phrase an amount of is used to modify uncountable nouns, but changed into a number of when modifying countable nouns.
6.extreme: far beyond the normal degree, the opposite of moderate. 极端的，极度的
Para. 3
Q1:What causes the global warming?
Global warming is a slow increase in the average yearly temperature of the planet. The cause is an increase of gases in the atmosphere.
Q2: What are the effects of El Nino?
El Nino may cause drought in the southern and western Pacific. Blizzards, snow and long periods of low temperatures may follow in the northern regions of the globe.
1.El Nino厄尔尼诺现象, El Nino 在西班牙语的意思为圣婴，所以又叫做“圣婴现象”。即赤道中、东太平洋海水表面温度偶尔增暖的现象。
2.Americas the plural form here indicates both North America and South America.
3.major: main, important
Para. 4
Q: What is the main idea of last paragraph?
Some scientists believe El Nino is not the main cause of global warming. So the reason why the temperature is going up is human activities. People are more likely to use cars and at the same time there are more gases like carbon dioxide into the earth’s atmosphere.
1.Gases refer to exhaust gases (尾气)let out from car or other motor vehicles.
2.probably: most likely; presumably. 很可能地；大概
