Arctic Melt

　　Earths North and South Poles are famous for being cold and icy. Last year, however, the amount of ice in the Arctic Ocean fell to a record low1.

　　Since 1979, each decade has seen an 11.4 percent drop in end-of-summer ice cover2. Between 1981 and 2000, ice in the Arctic lost 22 percent of its thickness -- becoming 1.13 meters thinner.

　　There may be several reasons for the ice melt, says Jinlun Zhang, an oceanographer at the University of Washington3 in Seattle. Unusually strong winds blew through the Arctic last summer. The winds pushed much of the ice out of the central Arctic, leaving a large area of thin ice and open water4.

　　With both air and water getting warmer, the ice is melting from both above and below. In some parts of the Beaufort Sea6, north of Alaska and western Canada, ice that measured 3.3m thick at the beginning of the summer measured just 50 centimeters by seasons end.

　　Some scientists fear that the Arctic is stuck in a warming trend from which it may never recover.

　　Arctic n.北極，北極圈;adj.北極的

　　注釋

　　 ice cover: 冰覆蓋量

　　open water: 沒有冰覆蓋的海面

　　the Beaufort Sea: 波弗特海，是北冰洋邊緣海，位于美國阿拉斯加州東北岸和加拿大 西北岸，海中島嶼稀少，有無島海之稱。

　　練習：

　　A) Construct. B) Extend. C) Create. D) Expand.

　　A) 4.2 million square kilometers. B) 11.4 million square kilometers. C) 1.13 million square kilometers. D) 38 million square kilometers.

　　A) Strong winds and clear skies. B) Long summer and short winter.

　　Why is the ice melting from both above and below?

　　B) Because extra heat warms the water.

　　 What can be a possible title for the passage?

　　C) Why are scientists worrying about the Arctic Ocean? D) Why are scientists interested in the Arctic Ocean?

　　D build 是個多義詞，四個選項都是該詞的潛在詞義。但在第二段的第一句中，build 與后半句中 shrink一詞相對，意思是 become bigger 之義。Extend 是增 長的意思，不適合用在此處。

　　A 短文的第五和第六段回答了這個問題。第五段告訴我們，由于強風的原因，大面積海 面僅有薄冰覆蓋或沒有冰層覆蓋。第六段告訴我們，晴朗的天空使太陽直接照射海面，導致 高溫。所以 A 是正確選擇。B 的內容沒有在文中提到。C 的表述內容是間接原因，是刮強風 的結果。D 選項中，light clouds 的確是 ice melt 的原因，但 fight winds 是錯誤的理解。

　　C 本文描述了科學家對北冰洋冰覆蓋量的研究，研究結果是 Arctic is stuck in a warming trend from which it may never recover.。第四段最后一句說：This continuing trend has scientists concerned，短文最后一句也 告訴我們，科學家對這種趨勢十分憂慮。所以，C 是本題的答案。

　　Arctic Melt

　　Earths North and South Poles are famous for being cold and icy. Last year, however, the amount of ice in the Arctic Ocean fell to a record low1.

　　Since 1979, each decade has seen an 11.4 percent drop in end-of-summer ice cover2. Between 1981 and 2000, ice in the Arctic lost 22 percent of its thickness -- becoming 1.13 meters thinner.

　　There may be several reasons for the ice melt, says Jinlun Zhang, an oceanographer at the University of Washington3 in Seattle. Unusually strong winds blew through the Arctic last summer. The winds pushed much of the ice out of the central Arctic, leaving a large area of thin ice and open water4.

　　With both air and water getting warmer, the ice is melting from both above and below. In some parts of the Beaufort Sea6, north of Alaska and western Canada, ice that measured 3.3m thick at the beginning of the summer measured just 50 centimeters by seasons end.

　　Some scientists fear that the Arctic is stuck in a warming trend from which it may never recover.

　　Arctic n.北極，北極圈;adj.北極的

　　注釋

　　 ice cover: 冰覆蓋量

　　open water: 沒有冰覆蓋的海面

　　the Beaufort Sea: 波弗特海，是北冰洋邊緣海，位于美國阿拉斯加州東北岸和加拿大 西北岸，海中島嶼稀少，有無島海之稱。

　　練習：

　　A) Construct. B) Extend. C) Create. D) Expand.

　　A) 4.2 million square kilometers. B) 11.4 million square kilometers. C) 1.13 million square kilometers. D) 38 million square kilometers.

　　A) Strong winds and clear skies. B) Long summer and short winter.

　　Why is the ice melting from both above and below?

　　B) Because extra heat warms the water.

　　 What can be a possible title for the passage?

　　C) Why are scientists worrying about the Arctic Ocean? D) Why are scientists interested in the Arctic Ocean?

　　D build 是個多義詞，四個選項都是該詞的潛在詞義。但在第二段的第一句中，build 與后半句中 shrink一詞相對，意思是 become bigger 之義。Extend 是增 長的意思，不適合用在此處。

　　A 短文的第五和第六段回答了這個問題。第五段告訴我們，由于強風的原因，大面積海 面僅有薄冰覆蓋或沒有冰層覆蓋。第六段告訴我們，晴朗的天空使太陽直接照射海面，導致 高溫。所以 A 是正確選擇。B 的內容沒有在文中提到。C 的表述內容是間接原因，是刮強風 的結果。D 選項中，light clouds 的確是 ice melt 的原因，但 fight winds 是錯誤的理解。

　　C 本文描述了科學家對北冰洋冰覆蓋量的研究，研究結果是 Arctic is stuck in a warming trend from which it may never recover.。第四段最后一句說：This continuing trend has scientists concerned，短文最后一句也 告訴我們，科學家對這種趨勢十分憂慮。所以，C 是本題的答案。