If you wanted to question whether global warming is indeed upon us, last week was not the time to do it. Two weeks before the official beginning of summer, a heat wave baked the eastern third of the U.S. and Canada, driving temperatures high into the 90s and even 100s. At the same time, a flurry of scientific papers was released that seemed to explain all the late-spring suffering. In one study, French researchers reported that heat-trapping greenhouse gases are at their highest levels in 420,000 years. In another, U.S. scientists found that 57 species of butterfly may be altering their migratory patterns in response to changing heat patterns.

　　In light of all this, a sweltering public must have been convinced at last that it's time to do something to cool off the overheated planet, right Wrong. Even as the temperature was climbing, a new survey by the American Geophysical Union found that Americans are less concerned than ever about combatting global warming. "The more we talk about warming," says the study's director, John Immerwahr, "the [more the] public's concern goes down."

　　Such an environmental disconnect may not be much of a mystery. Environmentalists complain that over the past two years industry groups have launched a coordinated advertising campaign to torpedo the 1997 Kyoto treaty, which requires industrial nations to reduce greenhouse emissions. More than $13 million has been spent on ads to block ratification of the treaty by the U.S. Senate. "The purpose of the ads was to convince most Americans that there isn't a problem or that it's too expensive to fix," says National Environmental Trust spokesman Peter Kelly.

　　Environmentalists also criticize President Clinton for what they believe is his failure to press the issue. Only last week, Clinton moved for Kyoto treaty changes that environmental groups see as industry-pleasing loopholes. Says Daniel Weiss, the Sierra Club's political director: "Timid leaders communicate hopelessness." And hopelessness breeds indifference. If such popular so-whating persists, Immerwahr warns, the public may begin grasping at phony solutions to global warming. At the end of last week, some people took comfort from the report of a vast haze of pollutants that collects over the Indian Ocean in the winter, but that researchers only recently studied. Filthy as the cloud is, it does deflect solar radiation, and that could lead to cooling. But scientists warn that we cannot simply pollute our way out of global warming. The soot drops from the hazy atmosphere in weeks, whereas greenhouse gases remain for centuries.

　　The way out of this gridlock, environmentalists say, is to show it's possible to reduce greenhouse gases without sinking the economy. Solutions include cleaner cars and better wind- and solar-power technologies. Says Greg Wetstone, program director for the Natural Resources Defense Council: "When these kinds of options become available, people will feel less hopeless." Of course, it's also possible that only when people feel less hopeless will they press their leaders to make the solutions available.

　　1.According to the author, global warming is ___________.
　　[A] causing a lot of trouble
　　[B] not as serious as it seems
　　[C] felt only in America and Canada
　　[D] what accounts for the high level of greenhouse gases

　　2.Speaking of global warming, American public is ______________.
　　[A] concerned
　　[B] indifferent
　　[C] worried
　　[D] frightened

　　3.The public’s reaction to global warming is mainly a result of _____________.
　　[A] their disbelief of the existence of such problem
　　[B] the advertising campaign of industrial groups
　　[C] the high cost of fixing the problem
　　[D] American Senate’s disapproval of Kyoto treaty

　　4.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage
　　[A] Environmentalists urge President Clinton administration to press the issue.
　　[B] Kyoto treaty aims at curbing the global warming problem.
　　[C] American government is partly responsible for the public’s attitude toward global warming.
　　[D] Industrial groups do not care about global warming.

　　5.It can be inferred from the passage that _____________.
　　[A] environmentalists support the idea of solving global warming through pollution
　　[B] the poor leadership of American President has produced a very bad influence
　　[C] American economy will suffer if global warming is curbed
　　[D] people have no confidence in solving problem of global warming

　　答案：A B B A B

　　篇章剖析：

　　本篇文章以提出问题—分析问题—解决问题的模式分析了公众对待全球变暖的态度，原因以及解决的办法。第一段介绍了全球变暖的事实，第二段介绍了美国公众对待全球变暖漠不关心的态度，第三段分析了造成这种态度的原因，第四段分析了这种态度可能带来的后果，第五段提出了解决之道。

　　词汇注释：

　　migratory: [5mai^rEtEri] adj. 迁移的，迁徙的；移栖的

　　sweltering: [5sweltEriN] adj. 酷热的, 热得发昏的

　　disconnect: [7diskE5nekt] n. 断绝关系；没有关系（瓜葛）

　　torpedo: [tC:5pi:dEu] v. 破坏, 废弃

　　ratification: [7rAtifi5keiFEn] n. 批准

　　move: [mu:v] v. 提议

　　loophole: [5lu:phEJl] n. （为了逃避困难而）含糊其辞

　　phony: [5fEuni] adj. 假冒的，不真实的；假的

　　deflect: [di5flekt] v. 偏斜；偏离；使转向

　　soot: [sut] n. 烟灰；黑烟；烟尘

　　gridlock: [5^ridlCk] n. 完全停滞；完全缺乏移动或进步而导致拥塞或停滞

　　option: [5CpFEn] n. 选择；选择自由； 供选择的事物

　　难句突破

　　1. In light of all this, a sweltering public must have been convinced at last that it's time to do something to cool off the overheated planet, right

　　主体句式：… a … public must have been convinced … that …

　　结构分析：本句中有一个对过去事实猜测的特殊用法：must have done，另外in light of这个介词短语也容易被理解错。

　　句子译文：既然如此，热得难受的公众一定深信现在是采取措施让过热的地球降温的时候了，对吧？错了。

　　2. More than $13 million has been spent on ads to block ratification of the treaty by the U.S. Senate.

　　主体句式：More than $13 million has been spent on ads to block …

　　结构分析：这一句里容易理解出错的就是介词by引导的状语。由于句中包含一个被动语态，所以容易被理解为美国参议院出了这笔广告费，但仔细研究句子关系，会发现这个介词短语实际修饰的是ratification这个包含动作意义的名词，也就是参议院通过该条约。

　　句子译文：为了阻止该协议获得美国参议院批准而投入的广告费用已经超过1300万美元。

　　3. Only last week, Clinton moved for Kyoto treaty changes that environmental groups see as industry-pleasing loopholes

　　主体句式：Clinton moved for … changes that …

　　结构分析：这一句结构并不复杂，但有两个词容易被误解