2015年职称英语考试《理工类》阅读判断练习题(8)
The Threat to Kiribati
The people of Kiribati are afraid that one day in the not-too-distant future,their countrywill disappear from the face of the earth literally.Several times this year,the Pacific islandnation has been flooded by a sudden high tide.These tides,which swept across the island anddestroyed houses,came when there was neither wind nor rain."This never happened before,"say the older citizens of Kiribati.
What is causing these mysterious high tides? The answer may well be global warming.When fuels like oil and coal are being burned,pollutants (污染物) are released; thesepollutants trap heat in the earth's atmosphere.Warmer temperatures cause water to expand andalso create more water by melting glaciers (冰川) and polar (极地的) ice caps.
If the trend continues,scientists say,many countries will suffer,Bangladesh,for example,might lose one-fifth of its land.The coral (珊瑚) island nations of the Pacific,like Kiribati andthe Marshall Islands,however,would face an even worse fate -- they would be swallowed bythe sea.The loss of these coral islands would be everyone's loss.Coral formations are home tomore species than any other place on earth.
The people of these nations feel frustrated.The sea,on which their economies have alwaysbeen based,is suddenly threatening their existence.They don't have the money for expensivetechnological solutions like seawalls.And they have no control over the pollutants,which arebeing released mainly by activities in large industrialized countries.All they can do is to hopethat industrialized countries will take steps to reduce pollution.