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雅思閱讀每日一練:The megafires of California

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2021年04月27日

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雅思閱讀是一場持久戰(zhàn),只有對文字有了足夠的熟悉,才能在卷面上獲得更高的分數(shù)。下面是聽力課堂小編整理的雅思閱讀每日一練:The megafires of California的資料,平時多看多練,考試正常發(fā)揮就好。

  The megafires of California

  Drought, housing expansion, and oversupply of tinder make for bigger, hotter fires in the western United States

  Wildfires are becoming an increasing menace in the western United States, with Southern California being the hardest hit area. There’s a reason fire squads battling more frequent blazes in Southern California are having such difficulty containing the flames, despite better preparedness than ever and decades of experience fighting fires fanned by the ‘Santa Ana Winds’. The wildfires themselves, experts say, are generally hotter, faster, and spread more erratically than in the past.

  Megafires, also called ‘siege fires’, are the increasingly frequent blazes that burn 500, 000 acres or more — 10 times the size of the average forest fire of 20 years ago. Some recent wildfires are among the biggest ever in California in terms of acreage burned, according to state figures and news reports.

  One explanation for the trend to more superhot fires is that the region, which usually has dry summers, has had significantly below normal precipitation in many recent years. Another reason, experts say, is related to the century-long policy of the US Forest Service to stop wildfires as quickly as possible. The unintentional consequence has been to halt the natural eradication of underbrush, now the primary fuel for megafires.

  Three other factors contribute to the trend, they add. First is climate change, marked by a 1-degree Fahrenheit rise in average yearly temperature across the western states. Second is fire seasons that on average are 78 days longer than they were 20 years ago. Third is increased construction of homes in wooded areas.

  ‘We are increasingly building our homes in fire-prone ecosystems,’ says Dominik Kulakowski, adjunct professor of biology at Clark University Graduate School of Geography in Worcester, Massachusetts. ‘Doing that in many of the forests of the western US is like building homes on the side of an active volcano.’

  In California, where population growth has averaged more than 600, 000 a year for at least a decade, more residential housing is being built. ‘What once was open space is now residential homes providing fuel to make fires burn with greater intensity,’ says Terry McHale of the California Department of Forestry firefighters’ union. ‘With so much dryness, so many communities to catch fire, so many fronts to fight, it becomes an almost incredible job.’

  That said, many experts give California high marks for making progress on preparedness in recent years, after some of the largest fires in state history scorched thousands of acres, burned thousands of homes, and killed numerous people. Stung in the past by criticism of bungling that allowed fires to spread when they might have been contained, personnel are meeting the peculiar challenges of neighborhood — and canyon- hopping fires better than previously, observers say.

  State promises to provide more up-to-date engines, planes, and helicopters to fight fires have been fulfilled. Firefighters’ unions that in the past complained of dilapidated equipment, old fire engines, and insufficient blueprints for fire safety are now praising the state’s commitment, noting that funding for firefighting has increased, despite huge cuts in many other programs. ‘We are pleased that the current state administration has been very proactive in its support of us, and [has] come through with budgetary support of the infrastructure needs we have long sought,’ says Mr. McHale of the firefighters’ union.

  Besides providing money to upgrade the fire engines that must traverse the mammoth state and wind along serpentine canyon roads, the state has invested in better command-and-control facilities as well as in the strategies to run them. ‘In the fire sieges of earlier years, we found that other jurisdictions and states were willing to offer mutual-aid help, but we were not able to communicate adequately with them,’ says Kim Zagaris, chief of the state’s Office of Emergency Services Fire and Rescue Branch. After a commission examined and revamped communications procedures, the statewide response ‘has become far more professional and responsive,’ he says. There is a sense among both government officials and residents that the speed, dedication, and coordination of firefighters from several states and jurisdictions are resulting in greater efficiency than in past ‘siege fire’ situations.

  In recent years, the Southern California region has improved building codes, evacuation procedures, and procurement of new technology. ‘I am extraordinarily impressed by the improvements we have witnessed,’ says Randy Jacobs, a Southern California-based lawyer who has had to evacuate both his home and business to escape wildfires. ‘Notwithstanding all the damage that will continue to be caused by wildfires, we will no longer suffer the loss of life endured in the past because of the fire prevention and firefighting measures that have been put in place,’ he says.

  Test 4

  Questions 1-6

  Complete the notes below.

  Choose ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

  Write your answers in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.

  Wildfires

  Characteristics of wildfires and wildfire conditions today compared to the past:

  — occurrence: more frequent

  — temperature: hotter

  — speed: faster

  — movement: 1 more unpredictably

  — size of fires: 2 greater on average than two decades ago

  Reasons wildfires cause more damage today compared to the past:

  — rainfall: 3 average

  — more brush to act as 4

  — increase in yearly temperature

  — extended fire 5

  — more building of 6 in vulnerable places

  Questions 7-13

  Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

  In boxes 7—13 on your answer sheet, write

  TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

  FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

  NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

  7 The amount of open space in California has diminished over the last ten years.

  8 Many experts believe California has made little progress in readying itself to fight fires.

  9 Personnel in the past have been criticised for mishandling fire containment.

  10 California has replaced a range of firefighting tools.

  11 More firefighters have been hired to improve fire-fighting capacity.

  12 Citizens and government groups disapprove of the efforts of different states and agencies working together.

  13 Randy Jacobs believes that loss of life from fires will continue at the same levels, despite changes made.

 

  Question 1

  參考譯文: 風向的運動:____更加無法預測。

  難度及答案:難度低;答案為spread

  關鍵詞:movement

  定位原文: 第 1 段最后1句“The wildfire themselves... than in the past” 專家表示,總的來說, 現(xiàn)在的森林大火比過去溫度更高,蔓延的得更快,擴散蹤跡更為飄忽不定。

  解題思路: 原文中erratically與題目中unpredictably屬于同義替換,因此spread為movement的特點。

  Question 2

  參考譯文:火勢的大小,比過去20年前平均大了_____。

  難度及答案: 難度低;答案為10/ten times

  關鍵詞: size of fires

  定位原文:第 2 段第 1 句“…10 times the size of average...20 years ago.” 這種大火燒毀的土地面積相當于20年前一般森林大火破壞面積的10倍。

  解題思路:原文中 10 times the size of average 與題目中 greater on average than 屬于同義替換,因此應當填入10/ten times。

  Question 3

  參考譯文:降水:____平均值。

  難度及答案:難度低;答案為below.

  關鍵詞: rainfall

  定位原文: 第3段第1句“One explanation for the trend to…in many recent years.” 關于頻發(fā)超級火災這—趨勢,其屮-個解釋便是該地區(qū)通常夏天干燥,且近幾年降水遠遠低于正常水平。

  解題思路:原文中 precipitation、normal 與題目中 rainfall 、average 分別屬于同義替換,因此應當填入below。

  Question 4

  參考譯文: 更多的灌木叢被用于_____

  難度及答案:難度低;答案為fuel

  關鍵詞: brush

  定位原文: 第 3 段最后1句話 “The unintentional consequence... primary fuel for megafires.”由此產(chǎn)生了無意識的后果,中斷了灌木叢自然的根除過程,現(xiàn)在致使灌木叢成為特大火災的主要燃料。

  解題思路:根據(jù)原文可知brush的特性,原文underbrush與題目中brush屬于同義替換. 因此空格應填入fuel。

  Question 5

  參考譯文: 擴大的火災____

  難度及答案: 難度低;答案為seasons

  關鍵詞: extended fire

  定位原文: 第 4 段第 3 句 “Second is fire seasons that... 20 years ago.” 第二點是火險季節(jié)相比20年前平均延長了78天。

  解題思路: 根據(jù)原文可知有什么東西在過去的20年里變長了。因此答案為seasons。

  Question 6

  參考譯文: 更多的______建在容易著火的區(qū)域。

  難度及答案: 難度低;答案為homes/housing

  關鍵詞: more building

  定位原文: 第 4 段最后一句 “Third is increased construction of homes...” 第三,是在多樹地區(qū),房屋的不斷擴建。

  解題思路: 根據(jù)原文可知homes變多了,因此可以填入homes/housing。

  Question 7

  參考譯文: 在加利福尼亞州的空曠土地的數(shù)量在過去的十年里已經(jīng)減少了很多。

  難度及答案: 難度中等;答案為TRUE

  關鍵詞: open space 、diminished

  定位原文: 第6段第1句“In California, where…built.”至少十多年來,加利福尼亞州平均每年增加60多萬人口,越來越多的住宅正在建造當中。

  解題思路: 原文中有a decade對應題目問的last ten years,且原文提到有更多的住房被建造,與題目中space屬于同義替換,因此答案為TRUE。

  Question 8

  參考譯文: 很多專家認為加利福尼亞州的滅火準備工作沒有進展。

  難度及答案: 難度中等;答案為FALSE

  關鍵詞: many experts 、 little progress

  定位原文: 第 7 段第 1 句 “That said many... killed numerous people.” 據(jù)稱,有史以來最大的幾場火災烤焦了成千上萬英畝的土地, 燒毀了數(shù)以萬計的房屋, 燒死大量的居民之后,許多專家給予了加利福尼亞州相當高的評價,因其近幾年來在消防準備工作中取得的進步。

  解題思路: 根據(jù)關鍵詞定位至第7段,找到experts的態(tài)度,experts的態(tài)度為high marks on making progress on preparedness,因此與題目不符合,為 FALSE。

  Question 9

  參考譯文: 消防工作人員過去被指責錯誤地處理火災。

  難度及答案: 難度難;答案為TRUE

  關鍵詞: personnel 、 criticize for mishandling fire containment

  定位原文: 第 7 段最后一句 “Stung in the past…previously,observers say.” 觀察家們表示這些火災本該受到控制卻依舊蔓延開來,相關部門過去被嚴厲指責為工作不力。如今,他們正面臨著來自周邊地區(qū)和峽谷的前所未有的巨大挑戰(zhàn)。

  解題思路: 該題難點在于對應原文為長難句,通過對對應原文的解讀,可知題干所描述內(nèi)容與原文相符,因此為TRUE。

  Question 10

  參考譯文:加利福尼亞已經(jīng)更換了一批消防用具。

  難度及答案:難度中等;答案為TRUE

  關鍵詞: arrange of firefighting tools

  定位原文: 第 8 段第 1 句 “State promises to provide…fulfilled.” 州政府已經(jīng)實現(xiàn)了關于提供更多先進的消防車、飛機和直升機以對抗火災的承諾。

  解題思路: 通過對應原文可知,題干所描述事件正確因此為true。

  Question 11

  參考譯文: 已經(jīng)雇傭了更多的消防人員來提高處理火災的能力。

  難度及答案: 難度中;答案為NOT GIVEN

  關鍵詞: More firefighters

  定位原文:無

  解題思路: 因為原文中無法找到題干所描述的事件,因此答案為NOT GIVEN。

  Question 12

  參考譯文:居民和政府組織不同意不同的州和社會組織之間的合作-

  難度及答案: 難度中等;答案為FALSE

  關鍵詞:disapprove 、 working together

  定位原文: 第 8 段第 3 句 “We are pleased that…of the firefighters union.” “我們很高興現(xiàn)任加利福尼亞州的行政部門.非常積極主動地支持我們,同時已經(jīng)通過了我們渴望已久的、滿足基礎設施需求的預算支持方案?!毕狸犅?lián)盟的麥克黑爾先生表示。

  解題思路: 根據(jù)對應原文,發(fā)現(xiàn)居民和政府對于州際之間聯(lián)合是proactive的態(tài)度,而是題干中所說的disapprove,因此為FALSE。

  Question 13

  參考譯文:Randy Jacobs認為因為火災而失去生命的人的數(shù)量不會改變,盡管(在救火能力上)已經(jīng)有了改變。

  難度及答案: 難度中等;答案為FALSE

  關鍵詞: Randy Jacobs、the same level.

  定位原文: 第 10 段最后—句 “Notwithstanding all the damage.., he says.” “盡管由森林 大火引起的損失還將持續(xù),但我們不會像過去那樣蒙受生命損失了,因為火災預防和消防措施已經(jīng)到位?!彼f道。

  解題思路: 由原文可知we will no longer suffer... endured in the past.題干描述與之不符, 因此為FALSE。

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