A
(2020·“四省八校”高三第二次质量检测)
Fires sweeping across the Amazon rainforest this year have been a hot topic as scientists and environmental groups are worried that they will worsen the climate change crisis and threaten biodiversity(生物多样性).
As the largest rainforest in the world，the Amazon rainforest is often called “the lungs of the world”．It is also home to about 3 million species of plants and animals，and 1 million native people.The vast areas of the rainforest play an important role in the world's ecosystem because they absorb heat instead of it being reflected back into the atmosphere.They also store carbon dioxide and produce oxygen，ensuring that less carbon dioxide is released，mitigating the effects of climate change.
“Any forest destroyed is a threat to biodiversity and people，” Thomas Lovejoy，an ecologist at George Mason University told National Geographic.“The overwhelming threat is that a lot of carbon dioxide goes into the atmosphere，”he stressed.“In the midst of the global climate crisis，we cannot afford more damage to a major source of oxygen and biodiversity.The Amazon rainforest must be protected，”U.N.Secretary General António Guterres said.
Data from the National Institute for Space Research(INPE) show that the number of forest fires in Brazil quickly increased by 82 percent from January to August this year compared to the same period last year.A total of 71，497 forest fires were registered in the country in the first eight months of 2019，up from 39，194 in the same period in 2018，INPE said.“We estimate that the forest areas in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest have decreased by between 20 and 30 percent compared to the last 12 months，”Carlos Nobre，a researcher at the University of Sa～o Paulo，told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
Brazil owns about 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest，whose degradation(恶化) could have severe consequences for global climate and rainfall.The extent of the area ruined by fires has yet to be determined，but the emergency has transcended(超出)Brazil's borders，reaching Peruvian，Paraguayan and Bolivian regions.
语篇解读 科学家和环保组织担心席卷亚马孙雨林的火灾将加剧气候变化危机，威胁生物多样性。今年，位于巴西的部分亚马孙雨林火灾数量显著增加。
1．What does the underlined word “mitigating” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A．Increasing. B．Relieving.
C．Ignoring. D．Improving.
B [考查词义猜测。根据第二段第三、四句可知，大片的热带雨林在世界生态系统中扮演着重要的角色，因为它们吸收热量，而不是热量被反射回大气中；此外，热带雨林还储存二氧化碳并制造氧气，以确保更少的二氧化碳被释放。由此可知，热带雨林能够减轻气候变化带来的影响。故可推知画线词的含义与“relieving”的含义相近，故选B。]
2．What can we learn from Thomas's and António's words?
A．The biodiversity makes the rainforest unique.
B．The rainforest fires result in serious consequences.
C．The global climate crisis brings more rainforest fires.
D．The dry weather leads to the rainforest fires.
B [考查推理判断。根据第三段中Thomas所说的话“Any forest destroyed is a threat to biodiversity and people”以及António所说的话“In the midst of the global climate crisis，we cannot afford more damage to a major source of oxygen and biodiversity”可知，Thomas认为任何森林的破坏都是对生物多样性和人们的威胁，António认为在全球气候危机的情况下，我们承担不起氧气和生物多样性的主要来源(即亚马孙雨林)被更多破坏的后果。由此可推知，两人意在表明，雨林大火导致了严重的后果。故选B。]
3．Why does the author list the numbers in Paragraph 4?
A．To prove the importance of the rainforest.
B．To show the reason for forest fires.
C．To explain the process of the research.
D．To present the reduction in rainforest areas.
D [考查推理判断。根据第四段第一句中的“the number of forest fires in Brazil quickly increased”和第三句中的“the forest areas in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest have decreased by between 20 and 30 percent”可推知，第四段列举数字是为了说明，亚马孙雨林由于森林火灾的影响，其面积减少了一些。故选D。]
4．What does this passage mainly talk about?
A．The climate change crisis is worsening.
B．The forest areas are on the decline.
C．“The lungs of the earth” is burning.
D．The world's ecosystem is under attack.
C [考查主旨大意。文章第一段为文章的总述部分，表明本年席卷亚马孙雨林的火灾将加剧气候变化危机，威胁生物多样性；第二至第五段介绍了亚马孙雨林火灾对生物多样性以及森林面积等的影响，其中第四段又突出强调亚马孙雨林火灾数量显著增加。由此可知C项符合题意。]
