精品学习网收集整理了，2013年考研英语阅读理解试题（第十七章），希望对大家有所帮助！

Passage17

Amysteriousblackcloudapproachestheearth-ourplanet'sweatherisseverelyaffected.

ThroughouttherestofJuneandJulytemperaturesrosesteadilyallovertheEarth.IntheBritishislesthetemperatureclimbedthroughtheeighties,intothenineties,andmovedtowardsthehundredmark.Peoplecomplained,buttherewasnoseriousdisaster.

ThedeathnumberintheU.S.Remainedquitesmall,thankslargelytotheair-conditioningunitsthathadbeenfittedduringpreviousyearsandmonths.Temperaturesrosetothelimitofhumanendurancethroughoutthewholecountryandpeoplewereobligedtoremainindoorsforweeksonend.Occasionallyair-conditioningunitsfailedanditwasthenthatfatalitiesoccurred.

Conditionswereutterlydesperatethroughoutthetropics（热带地区）asmaybejudgedfromthefactthat7943speciesofplantsandanimalsbecametotallyextinct.ThesurvivalofManhimselfwasonlypossiblebecauseofthecavesandcellars（地窖）hewasabletodig.Nothingcouldbedonetoreducethehotairtemperature.Morethansevenhundredmillionpersonsareknowntohavelosttheirlives.

Eventuallythetemperatureofthesurfacewatersofthesearose,notsofastastheairtemperatureitistrue,butfastenoughtoproduceadangerousincreaseofhumidity（湿度）.Itwasindeedthisincreasethatproducedthedisastrousconditionsjustremarked.MillionsofpeoplebetweenthelatitudesofCairoandtheCapeofGoodHopeweresubjectedtoachokingatmospherethatgrewdamperandhotterfromdaytoday.Allhumanmovementceased.Therewasnothingtobedonebuttoliebreathingquicklyasadogdoesinhotweather.

BythefourthweekofJulyconditionsinthetropicslaybalancedbetweenlifeandtotaldeath.Thenquitesuddenlyraincloudsappearedoverthewholeglobe.Thetemperaturedeclinedalittle,duenodoubttothecloudsreflectingmoreoftheSun'sradiationbackintospace,Butconditionscouldnotbesaidtohaveimproved.Warmrainfelleverywhere,evenasfarnorthasIceland.Theinsectpopulationincreasedenormously,sincetheburninghotatmospherewasasfavorabletothemasitwasunfavorabletoManmanyotheranimals.

81.IntheBritishIslesthetemperature.

A）stayedateighty

B）rangedfromeightytoninety

C）approachedonehundred

D）exceededthehundredmark

82.FewpeopleintheUnitedStateslosttheirlivesbecause.

A）thetemperaturewastolerable

B）peopleremainedindoorsforweeks

C）thegovernmenthadtakeneffectivemeasurestoreducethehottemperature

D）peoplewereprovidedwiththemostcomfortableair-conditioners

83.MillionsofpeopleinCairo（开罗）andtheCapeofGoodHope（好望角）weresubjectedtoachokingatmospherebecause.

A）thetemperaturegrewextremelyhot

B）thetemperaturebecamedamperandhotterasthehumidityofthesurfacewatersoftheseaincreased

C）theirconditionsweretoodangerous

D）nothingcouldbedonewiththehottemperature

84.BythefourthweekofJulyconditionsinthetropicsweresuchthat.

A）humansurvivalwouldbeimpossible

B）moreandmorepeoplewouldlosetheirlives

C）fewerpeoplecouldbesaved

D）survivalordeathwasstillundecided

85.Theinsectpopulationincreaseddueto.

A）thehotair

B）thetropicalclimate

C）therainclouds

D）thedampatmosphere