It has become a recurring theme, and worryingly so. Since October 2015, our planet has experienced ten consecutive months of human-influenced, record-breaking temperature increases. The previous October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May and June months were all documented as the warmest Octobers, the warmest Januarys, the warmest Aprils; global heat highs are the hot new trend and the data suggests they are here to stay.
According to NASA, July 2016 is not only the warmest July in history, but the warmest month in recorded history. NASA has tallied temperature changes from 1880 to the present day, with its data showing no signs of a slow-up in rising temperatures. Climate scientists have been perplexed in their attempts to understand the factors pushing the mercury so far up the thermometer this year. El Nino—the phenomenon explaining the unusual warming of surface waters in the east-central zone of the Pacific Ocean—has been tied to increased ocean water temperatures and changes in weather patterns.
Important as it is to factor El Nino into the climate change framework, it is highly unlikely that it has contributed significantly to the hurried, upward trend witnessed these past ten months. If anything, focus on the subsiding effects of El Nino risks detracting attention from the pressure asserted on the climate by human activity.
Greenhouse gases continue to bloat the atmosphere, trapping heat as atmospheric escape routes are obscured. Further exacerbating the climate change panic seems to be an unusually high temperature currently being experienced in the Arctic region. Arctic sea ice is the most vulnerable to climate change, and is now at a new low with ice cover down to 14. 54m sq km.
With no clear solution in sight, the ice is destined to continue melting, with longer melting seasons becoming a normal occurrence. The U. S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration have noted a similar trend for the past 14 months, and are expected to release a similar figure for July. Though the rise is expected to
taper off
towards the end of the year, a scientist drew attention to how there is a "99 percent chance of a new annual record in 2016". As we confront the reality that many of these changes are as a direct consequence of human intervention, it is very possible that without the appropriate response, we could be contending with broken records for years to come.
单选题
What has become a major concern recently?
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】解析：细节题。此题答案可定位于第一段前两句。句子的大意是：全球变暖已经变成了一个反复出现的令人忧虑的主题。自从2015年10月起，地球经历了10个月的气温上升。选项[A]10 months in a row意为“连续10个月”，含义与第一段前两句的意思基本一致，其他三个选项意思分别[B]“每个月都比前一个月温度上升的幅度小”;[C]“气温连续创下波动的新纪录”；[D]“人类没能成功地防止气温上升”。均不符合文意。