Ⅰ . Reading St ra tegy: Determining the Meaning of Cer tain
Expr essions
As you know，it is quite natural for us to encounter some new expressions in thecourse of reading. One of the ways to determine the meaning of such expressions is touse context clues. The major types of context clues include the general context，director indirect definitions，and words similar or opposite in meaning. In using contextclues，you also use your knowledge of grammar and your understanding of theauthor??s ideas.
However ，the context does not always provide enough hints. In such a case，youmight try some other methods. You can use your knowledge about word formation tohelp you work out the meaning of the unfamiliar word or expression. Many Englishwords have been formed by combining parts of older English，Greek，and Latinwords，so if you can break an unknown word into smaller word parts whose meaningsare familiar to you，you can often figure out its meaning. For example，if you knowthe stem ( 词根) -dict- means“ say or speak ”，you will be able to arrive at themeaning of predict ( to say beforehand) and contradict ( to say the opposite) based onyour knowledge of the prefixes pre- ( before) and contra - ( against) .Another very important way is to find out the main idea of the reading passage.
Many words and phrases have more than one meaning，which sometimes makes itdifficult for us to understand what we read even though there is no unfamiliar word orexpression in it. For example，you are quite familiar with the word lea ve，but it hasquite different meanings in the following sentences:
( 1 ) John asked if he could leave the room. ( = go away from)
( 2 ) John left his car in the middle of the road. ( = cause to be or remain)
So it is sometimes very difficult for us to determine the exact meaning of evensome familiar expressions without context clues or without knowing the main idea ofthe passage.
Ⅱ. Applying the Read ing Str ategy
In this part，you are required to use the reading strategy you have just learned.Read the following paragraphs and answer the questions after them.
( 1)
This indifference is in sharp contrast to the concerns voiced by the team ofprofessionals who conducted the Survey. Team leader Professor Ernest Wong statedthat we should all expect to experience significant lifestyle changes as a result of theeffects of global warming. In detailing the likely effects，Professor Wong emphasizedthat the climatic changes caused by a rise in global temperature of only 1℃ wouldresult in enormous changes.
Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word?
A. determination B. expedition
C. lack of interest D. abundance of ideas
( 2)
We??re treating our atmosphere like we once did our rivers. We used to dumpwaste thoughtlessly into our waterways，believing they were infinite in their capacityto hold rubbish. But when entire fisheries were poisoned and rivers began to catchfire，we realized what a horrible mistake that was.Which of the following can best explains the underlined word?
A. unlimited B. irresponsible
C. dispensable D. inactive
( 3)
Procrastination is not an option. Scientists agree that if we wait 10，20，or 50years，the problem will be much more difficult to address and the consequences for uswill be that much more serious.
Which of the following can best explain the underlined word?
A. protection B. delaying
C. acceleration D. improvement
Ⅲ. Reading Task
A. Pr e-r eading act ivity
The term“ global warming ” is becoming increasingly familiar to the generalpublic，but the full implications of the term are far from being understood. Do youknow how it threatens our environment and changes our life pattern? How can we dealwith the potentially disastrous consequences of global warming? Think about thesequestions before reading the text.
B. Reading
Globa l warming is real a nd und erway
The mainstream scientific consensus on global warming is becoming clearer everyday: changes in our climate are real and they are underway. Now. But we can dosomething about it.
The evidence that human-induced global warming is real is increasingly clear and
compelling.
· Since the beginning of the 20 th century，the mean surface temperature of theearth has increased by about 1. 1 ℉ ( 0. 6℃) .
· Over the last 40 years，which is the period with most reliable data，thetemperature increased by about 0. 5 ℉ ( 0. 2 0. 3℃) .
· Warming in the 20th century is greater than at any time during the past 400600 years.
· Seven of the ten warmest years in the 20th century occurred in the 1990s.1998，with global temperatures spiking due to one of the strongest El Nin～os onrecord，was the hottest year since reliable instrumental temperature measurementsbegan.
In addition，changes in the natural environment support the evidence fromtemperature records:
· mountain glaciers the world over are receding;
· the Arctic ice pack has lost about 40% of its thickness over the past fourdecades;
· the global sea level is rising about three times faster over the past 100 yearscompared to the previous 3，000 years; and
· there are a growing number of studies that show plants and animals changingtheir range and behavior in response to shifts in climate.
Causing ser ious disr uptions to our envir onment a nd lives . . .
As the Earth continues to warm，there is a growing risk that the climate will
change in ways that will seriously disrupt our lives. While on average the globe will
get warmer and receive more precipitation，individual regions will experience different
climatic changes and environmental impacts. Among the most severe consequences of
global warming are:
· a faster rise in sea level,
· more heat waves and droughts，resulting in more and more conflicts for waterresources;
· more extreme weather events，producing floods and property destruc- tion;and
· a greater potential for heat-related illnesses and deaths as well as the widerspread of infectious diseases carried by insects and rodents into areas previously freefrom them.
If climatic trends continue unabated，global warming will threaten our health，ourcities，our farms and forests，beaches and wetlands，and other natural habitats.
We can ta ke action to reduce the thr ea t