一份研究报告称，气候变化给兴都库什山脉和喜马拉雅山脉的冰川带来的威胁日益加剧。此研究发现，如果人们不迅速减少二氧化碳的排放，这些巨大冰原的三分之二可能会消失。

文字稿

The towering peaks of K2 and Mount Everest are part of the frozen Hindu Kush and Himalaya ranges that contain more ice than anywhere else on Earth, apart from the polar regions.

乔戈里峰和珠穆朗玛峰的高耸山顶是结冰的兴都库什山脉和喜马拉雅山脉的一部分，除极地区域以外，这两个山脉的含冰量比地球上任何一个地方都多。

But these ice fields could turn to bare rocks in less than a century because of rising temperatures, say scientists.

但科学家们说，由于气温升高，这些冰原可能在不到一个世纪的时间内变成裸露的岩石。

Over the next few decades, the melting could accelerate thanks to warming and increased air pollution from a growing population depositing soot on the ice.

在接下来的几十年内，冰川融化速度可能会加快，这是由于气候变暖以及日益增长的人口在冰上留下煤灰而造成空气污染加剧。

If global temperatures rise by 2 degrees C, then half the glaciers would be gone by 2100. Even if the world takes dramatic action and limits warming to 1.5C by the end of the century, 36% of the glaciers will have disappeared.

如果全球气温上升 2 摄氏度，那么冰川将在 2100 年前减半。即使全世界都采取断然的行动，在本世纪末将全球变暖控制在 1.5 摄氏度以内，36% 的冰川也将消失。

As well as millions of people living in the mountains, there are another 1.65 billion living in the river valleys below - all are vulnerable to flooding and the destruction of crops.

除了生活在山区的数百万人以外，还有 16.5 亿人生活在低处的河谷地区，他们容易受洪水和农作物被破坏的影响。

1. 词汇

towering peaks 高峰，峰顶
frozen 冰冻的，结冰的
ranges 山脉
polar regions 极地区域
ice fields 冰原
melting 融化
accelerate 加速
air pollution 空气污染
soot 煤灰
glaciers 冰川
river valleys 河谷
vulnerable 易受影响的
flooding 洪水

2. 阅读理解：请在读完上文后，回答下列问题 。

1. True or false? Hindu Kush and Himalaya ranges contain more ice than anywhere else on Earth.

2. Why would the melting accelerate over the next few decades?

3. Besides millions of people living in the mountains, who else is vulnerable to flooding and the destruction of crops?

4. Which adjective in the text means ‘very sudden or noticeable’?

3. 答案

1. True or false? Hindu Kush and Himalaya ranges contain more ice than anywhere else on Earth.
False. They contain more ice than anywhere else on Earth apart from the polar regions.

2. Why would the melting accelerate over the next few decades?
Over the next few decades, the melting could accelerate thanks to warming and increased air pollution from a growing population depositing soot on the ice.

3. Besides millions of people living in the mountains, who else is vulnerable to flooding and the destruction of crops?
There are another 1.65 billion living in the river valleys below. They are also vulnerable to flooding and the destruction of crops.

4. Which adjective in the text means ‘very sudden or noticeable’?
Dramatic.