阅读理解：
The scene in the Hollywood movie The Day After Tomorrow,
where global warming could soon turn the global climate
(气候) into a new ice age, may never occur, according to
new research.
The next ice age could be 15, 000 years away, say European
scientists who last month announced a continuous record
of 740, 000 years of climate date (数据)obtained from the
Antarctic ice.
Scientists from 10 nations have now almost completely
drilled through a 3, 000－meter depth of ice high in the
Antarctic mainland. They figure out that the area where
summer temperatures can fall to －40℃, has at least 900,
000 years of snowfalls, kept as nearly as the growth rings
of a tree. And the ice and air caught in each layer (层)
have begun to answer questions about the climates in the
past.
The results show that there have been eight ice ages
in the past 7840, 000 years and eight warmer periods. And
by comparing the pattern of global conditions today with
those of the past, the researchers reported in Nature that
the present warm period could last another 15, 000 years.
Research suggests that there is a very close connection
between greenhouse gas levels and global average temperatures.
It also shows that carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) levels are the
highest for at least 440, 000 years.
“If people say to you: the greenhouse effect is a good
thing because we would go into an ice age otherwise, our
data say no, a new ice age is not hanging over our heads,”said
Eric Wolff from the British Antarctic Survey.“Now we have
eight examples of how the climate goes in and out of ice
ages…and you can learn what the rules are that go into
the climate models that tell us about the future.”
Scientists found that whenever temperatures rose in
the frozen record, so did carbon dioxide level.“In 440,
000 years we have never seen greenhouse gas get as thick
at it is today,”said Dr Wolff.
1．In drilling through the ice in Antarctica, scientists
have found that _____.
A．the lowest temperature there is －40℃
B．the depth of ice is 3, 000 meters
C．the ice has existed for 15, 000 years
D．snowfalls are kept in certain patterns
2．The information of the global climate conditions in
the past can be obtained through _____.
A．separating carbon dioxide from the air
B．examining the growth rings of trees
C．comparing temperatures in different areas
D．studying the ice and air caught in each layer
3．We can infer from Eric Wolff’s words that _____.
A．there is something wrong with the data
B．greenhouse effect is always a bad thing
C．a new ice age will not come in the near future
D．greenhouse gas will get thick in the future
4．What would be the best title for the passage?
A．Research over the Antarctic area
B．Warm period to last about 15, 000 years
C．Report on the eight ice ages in the past
D．Hollywood movies and the global climate
答案与解析：
1．D 解析：从文章中的第三段可知科学家在南极得到保存完好的雪样。
2．D 解析：文中第四段提到通过把今天的气候类型与过去相比较即可获得数据。
3．C 解析：Eric Wolff说研究数据表明冰纪期离我们还很遥远。
4．B 解析：本文主要围绕冰纪期离我们还很遥远这个话题进行描述，故B项较为合适。
