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我们增加了一些NON-FICTION内容。
目前选择的是21世纪学生英文报，
可以在了解时事，紧跟时代步伐的同时，
提高我们的英文阅读能力！
内容来源：《21世纪英文报》 初一第770期
版权归《21世纪英文报》所有，如有侵权请及时联系删除
Changing Amazon
词数250 建议阅读时间8分钟
亚马孙雨林正在“消失”
According to a new study, the Amazon rainforest (亚马孙雨林) may become grassland in a few years.
The Amazon is the world’s biggest rainforest. Climate change (气候变化) and human activities make it “sick”. Usually, the rainforest can fix itself. But now, it feels too “tired” to get better. The trees may die and the rainforest could turn into a hot, dry grassland.
Why is the Amazon “sick”?
The Amazon is one of the world’s wettest places. But since 2005, three droughts (干旱) have hit the rainforest. They were caused by climate change. The trees don’t have enough water to grow. What’s worse, as they become dry, they can easily catch fire.
On top of this, people cut down rainforest trees for wood.They burn the forest to make farmland. They clear trees to find minerals (矿产). All these activities have caused about 17 percent of the rainforest to disappear.
What will happen if we lose it?
The Amazon is like the lungs (肺) of our planet. The rich plants there take carbon dioxide (CO2 , 二氧化碳) out of the air and make oxygen (氧气). They make more than 20 percent of the planet’s oxygen. If the Amazon “dies”, there will be more CO2 and our Earth will become even hotter.
The Amazon is also home to over 3 million animals and plants. Many of them can’t live anywhere else. They would very likely just disappear.
Did you know?
The Amazon rainforest is in South America. It covers 5.5 million square kilometers. That’s about half the size of China! The Amazon River runs through the rainforest. It’s the world’s second longest river. The Amazon covers much of Brazil. The green color on the country’s national flag stands for the rainforest.
【重点词汇】
rainforest [ˈreɪnfɒrɪst]
n.热带雨林
minerals [ˈmɪnərəlz]
n.矿产
lungs [lʌŋz]
n.肺
oxygen [ˈɒksɪdʒən]
n.氧气
droughts [draʊts]
n.干旱；旱灾
disappear [ˌdɪsəˈpɪə(r)]
v.消失
planet [ˈplænɪt]
n.行星
carbon dioxide
二氧化碳(CO2)
【短语】
according to
根据
in a few years
几年后
turn into
变成
the Amazon rainforest
亚马孙雨林
fix itself
自我修复
climate change
气候变化
【句子】
1. Climate change and human activities make it “sick”.
气候变化和人类活动使它“生病”。
【阅读理解练一练】
1. What does the new study show?
A. The Amazon rainforest was once grassland.
B. Rainforests can speed up climate change.
C. The Amazon will have few trees in the future.
D. Many people enjoy activities in the Amazon rainforest.
文中相应句子
According to a new study, the Amazon rainforest (亚马孙雨林) may become grassland in a few years.
2. How do droughts make the Amazon rainforest “sick”?
a. They make plants grow more slowly.
b. They cause climate change.
c. They make the grass in the forest grow faster.
d. They make it easier for the forest to catch fire.
A. ab B. bc
C. cd D. ad
文中相应句子
The trees don’t have enough water to grow. What’s worse, as they become dry, they can easily catch fire.
3. What does the word “disappear” in the story mean?
A. be gone B. stay useful
C. become hotter D. come back to life
文中相应句子
people cut down rainforest trees for wood.
All these activities have caused about 17 percent of the rainforest to disappear.
4. Why is the Amazon called “the lungs” of Earth?
A. Because it makes over one-fifth of Earth’s oxygen.
B. Because it has 17 percent of Earth’s minerals.
C. Because people and animals can breathe more easily there.
D. Because it is the coolest place on Earth.
文中相应句子
They make more than 20 percent of the planet’s oxygen.
5. What does the writer want to show with the last two paragraphs?
A. The future of our planet.
B. The importance of the Amazon.
C. The real cause of climate change.
D. The reason for animals to live in the Amazon.
文中相应句子
The Amazon is like the lungs (肺) of our planet.
The Amazon is also home to over 3 million animals and plants.
参考答案见下期
上期答案：ABCCD
正在变化的亚马孙雨林
根据一项新的研究，亚马孙雨林几年后可能会变成草地。
亚马孙是世界上最大的雨林。气候变化和人类活动使它“生病”。通常，雨林可以自我修复。但现在，它感觉太“累”了，以至于无法好转。树木可能会死亡，雨林可能会变成炎热干燥的草地。
亚马孙为什么“生病”？
亚马孙是世界上最潮湿的地方之一。但自2005年以来，三次干旱袭击了雨林。它们是由气候变化引起的。这些树没有足够的水用来生长。更糟糕的是，当它们变干时，很容易着火。
除此之外，人们砍伐雨林树木以获取木材。他们把森林烧成农田。他们清理树木以寻找矿产. 所有这些行为导致约17%的雨林消失。
如果我们失去它会发生什么？
亚马孙就像我们星球的肺。那里丰富的植物从空气中吸收二氧化碳（CO2) ，然后制造出氧气. 它们制造了地球20%以上的氧气。如果亚马孙“死亡”，将会有更多的二氧化碳，我们的地球将变得更热。
亚马孙地区也是300多万动植物的家园。它们中的许多物种不能住在其他地方。它们很可能就这样消失了。
你知道吗？
亚马孙雨林位于南美洲。占地550万平方公里。这大约是中国的一半大！亚马孙河流经雨林。它是世界第二大河。亚马孙覆盖了巴西的大部分地区。该国国旗上的绿色就代表雨林。
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【读英文报纸】Bright city kills
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