Question

Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are a major cause of climate change, and now a new study has confirmed that atmosphere CO₂ is also affecting the ocean chemistry and potentially harming sea life.
Montana State University scientist Robert Dore has been researching the water in the Pacific Ocean for almost two decades. “We’ve been going to the same spot in the Pacific Ocean, and we try and characterize long-term change in the open ocean environment. And one of the key things that we measure is CO₂ levels. And we’ve been able to record this increasing quantity of atmosphere CO₂ into the ocean.”
Scientists expected that as atmosphere CO₂ increased, more and more of the carbon dioxide would be absorbed into the ocean, affecting the chemical balance of the sea water, with a potentially harmful impact on shellfish and coral in particular.
“As carbon dioxide dissolves in the water or seawater in this case, it forms a weak acid, carbonic acid,” Dore explains. “And therefore, as the concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere goes up and that exchanges with the surface seawater, it drives the pH down, and makes it more acidic.”
The seawater samples Dore and his colleagues have analyzed confirm what the theory predicts.
The effect was particular striking at about 250 meters down, and again at 500 meters. Dore and his colleagues came up with two possible explanations. It could be that surface water picked up CO₂ and then moved to those depths. Or there could be a biological explanation.
“It’s important to realize that the oceans are really becoming acidic. And it can have negative impacts on a whole variety of sea life from fish to coral. It’s potentially catastrophic.”
小題1:What can be the best title of the passage?

A．Scientist Researching Seawater

B．Sea Life Facing Danger

C．Oceans Becoming More Acidic

D．Climate Change Affecting Seawater

小題2:With the increase of atmospheric CO₂, _______.

A．more corals will appear in the sea

B．the chemical balance of the seawater is affected

C．the surface water is becoming warmer

D．the pH of the ocean out here has been increasing

小題3:Which of the following shows the process of the impact of atmospheric CO2 on sea life?
a. Sea life is endangered.
b. CO₂ goes into the surface water.
c. The ocean chemistry is affected.
d. CO₂ decreases the pH and makes the seawater more acidic.
e. CO₂ levels in the atmosphere go up.

A．a→b→c→d→e	B．e→b→c→d→a
C．a→e→b→c→d	D．e→d→c→b→a

小題4:Scientist Robert Dore came to the conclusion based on_______.

A．the expectation of other scientists

B．some former theory

C．his research and analysis

D．a major cause of climate change

Answer 1

小題1:B
小題2:B
小題3:B
小題4:C

試題分析：一項新的研究已經證實，大氣中二氧化碳也在著海洋物質的化學平衡，對海洋生命有著潛在的傷害。二氧化碳氣體被海洋吸收，逐漸使海水原來的酸堿平衡被打破，這樣的話，海洋生物就失去了生存的環境而面臨死亡的危險。
小題1:根據第一段“and now a new study has confirmed that atmosphere CO₂ is also affecting the ocean chemistry and potentially harming sea life.”第三段“as atmosphere CO₂ increased, more and more of the carbon dioxide would be absorbed into the ocean, affecting the chemical balance of the sea water, with a potentially harmful impact on shellfish and coral in particular.”和最后一段“the oceans are really becoming acidic. And it can have negative impacts on a whole variety of sea life from fish to coral. It’s potentially catastrophic.”可知，文章講的是大氣中二氧化碳含量的升高對海洋生態造成的威脅，故選B。
小題2:根據第三段“as atmosphere CO₂ increased, more and more of the carbon dioxide would be absorbed into the ocean, affecting the chemical balance of the sea water”可知，隨著二氧化碳含量的增多，越來越多的二氧化碳被海洋吸收，這會影響海水的化學平衡，故選B。
小題3:根據第三、四段“as atmosphere CO₂ increased, more and more of the carbon dioxide would be absorbed into the ocean, affecting the chemical balance of the sea water ...As carbon dioxide dissolves in the water or seawater in this case, it forms a weak acid, carbonic acid, it drives the pH down, and makes it more acidic”可知，先是大氣中的二氧化碳含量增加，排除A、C；接著是二氧化碳被海水吸收，影響海水的化學平衡，隨著酸性物質的形成，海水的PH值下降，給海洋生態環境帶來威脅，故選B。
小題4:根據“Montana State University scientist Robert Dore has been researching the water in the Pacific Ocean for almost two decades. ...The seawater samples Dore and his colleagues have analyzed confirm what the theory predicts.”可知，科學家得出的結論是建立在研究和分析的基礎之上的，故選C。