natural world. They wanted to find out if global warming was dangerous for plants and animals. The scientists were surprised by what they found. They saw that during the next 50 years about 25% of land animals and plants will disappear from the earth. More than 1 million plants and animal species will die out by 2050.

　　The head of the research team, Christ Thomas, who is a professor of conservation biology at Leeds University, said the results of their research were frightening. More than 10% of all plants and animals will disappear from the earth. It is too late to save many plants and animals because of the greenhouse gases that are already in the atmosphere. But the scientists say if we control greenhouse gases now, we can save many more plants and animals from disappearing.

　　The scientists studied some areas of the world with very rich biology. These areas were Europe, Australia, Central and South America, and South Africa. Their studies showed that species living in mountainous areas had a better chance of survival because they could move uphill to get cooler. In flat areas, such as deserts, plants and animals would have to move very long distances to get cooler, so they are in great danger of dying out. The scientists found many surprising things. For example, they found that half of the 24 species of butterfly they studied in Australia would soon disappear.

　　语篇解读：本文是一篇记叙文。作者通过一组科学家所作的报告推测在不久的将来，温室气体量的增加对动植物物种有毁灭性的影响。由于全球变暖，动植物的生存空间也在发生改变，其数量和种类也在不断减少。作者试图通过分析现状唤起人们对环境保护的意识。

　　1．According to this passage, global warming can be best described as to many plants and animals.

　　A．deadly　　　　　　　 B．surprising

　　C．disappointing D．frightening

　　解析：选A　推理判断题。根据文章大意可知，全球变暖带来的是动植物物种的不断减少，这种影响对动植物来说是致命的。

　　2．What's the purpose of the research led by Christ Thomas?

　　A．To protect animals and plants from global warming.

　　B．To call on people to control greenhouse gases.

C．To warn us of the dying out of many animals and plants.