英语听力：自然百科 喜马拉雅冰川融化加剧

 Mount Everest looms¹ in the distance. Its snow and ice-capped peak gleams in the sunshine. The Himalayan glacier² is a fragile ecosystem³, which environmentalists warn could soon disappear. Greenpeace says that as global warning increases temperatures around the world, as much as 80% of these glaciers⁴ could melt away in the next 30 years with devastating⁵ effects.

 

We have to take immediate⁶ actions in order to stop the current speed of retreating of the glacier, otherwise we will witness probably the biggest water shortage in human history.

 

These glaciers supply majority of water to China and India’s largest rivers. If the glaciers melt rapidly, the extra water flowing down the stream could cause flooding. Then with the snow and ice melted away, hundreds of millions of people who rely on the river will face droughts and water shortages.

 

And this is not something that only one country can accomplish. It will have to be a global action.

 

Increasing levels of green house gases are blamed for causing global warming. Car exhausts, industrial output and agriculture development, all contribute to the problem. But how exactly the levels can be steadied or even lowered will be hotly debated, with few countries willing to put the environment over economic interests.

1 looms   

n.织布机( loom的名词复数 )v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的第三人称单数 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• All were busily engaged,men at their ploughs,women at their looms. 大家都很忙，男的耕田，女的织布。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The factory has twenty-five looms. 那家工厂有25台织布机。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 glacier   

n.冰川，冰河

参考例句：

• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。
• The upper surface of glacier is riven by crevasses.冰川的上表面已裂成冰隙。

3 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

4 glaciers   

冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Glaciers gouged out valleys from the hills. 冰川把丘陵地带冲出一条条山谷。
• It has ice and snow glaciers, rainforests and beautiful mountains. 既有冰川，又有雨林和秀丽的山峰。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

5 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

6 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。