Save winters in the Alps 拯救阿尔卑斯山的冬天

蒋建平

阿尔卑斯山正面临气候威胁。自19世纪以来，这些山脉的平均气温上升了2 ℃，大约是全球平均上升气温的两倍。在冬天，阿尔卑斯山的雪来得更晚，融化得更快……

题材：环保 体裁：说明文 文章词数：329 建议用时：6分钟

Alpine winters are dying. Since the 19th century， average temperatures in these mountains have risen by two degrees Celsius—about twice the global average. Snow is arriving later in the season and melting sooner. The Alps as a whole have lost about a month of snow cover， according to scientists who analyzed data from more than 2，000 weather stations.

To many of the 14 million people who live in one of the worlds most densely populated mountain ranges， the effects are terrifying. The economy here depends on snow to lure 120 million tourists a year.

To save themselves， the people of the Alps are going to lengths. An estimated 100，000 snowmaking machines now power the Alpine ski industry. Beyond snow storehouses like Kitzsteinhorn， desperate locals are wrapping the ice on a few of the Alps roughly 4，000 glaciers， to try to delay the rapid melting caused by global warming. Some of these methods are suitable and attractive; others are environmentally and economically questionable.

I was lucky enough to grow up in the Alps at a time when snow was abundant. I remember the excitement of leaving my tiny footprints in the seasons first snowfall; I remember the color of my dads cheeks as he shoveled （鏟） the house free， again and again. My parents clapped my first skis on my feet before I was three. That period turns out to be a period in history.

The pandemic shut down ski tourism across the Alps. Millions of hotel beds stayed cold. But climate change poses a more profound threat. One or two degrees of warming may not sound like much， but it can determine whether precipitation （降水） falls as snow—or rain. Turn up the temperature just a level， and snowflakes might never form. Thats why the Alps are in deep trouble， says Yves Lejeune， the scientist in charge of the Col de Porte meteorological observatory， at 4，350 feet in the western French Alps.

1. What does the first paragraph mainly talk about？

A. Global warming.

B. Economic changes in the Alps.

C. Challenges that Alpine winters face.

D. Findings from scientists new research.

2. The underlined word “lure” in paragraph 2 can be replaced by .

A. lose B. draw C. guide D. change

3. Whats the authors attitude to the methods in paragraph 3？

A. Objective. B. Subjective. C. Supportive. D. Worried.

4. Whats the main threat to the ski tourism across the Alps？

A. Local population. B. The pandemic.

C. The lower temperature. D. Climate change.

熟词生义

To save themselves， the people of the Alps are going to lengths. 为了拯救他们自己，阿尔卑斯山的居民正在竭尽全力。

go to lengths （to do sth） 竭尽全力（做某事）

e.g. She goes to extraordinary lengths to keep her private life private. 她竭尽全力让自己的私生活不受干扰。C2D5BA86-65F2-4874-9215-7F046271D7EC