The mystery of the Pacific “cold tongue”

江西 孫朝嵐

主題語境：自然環境 篇幅：345詞 建議用時：7分鐘

1A narrow region of the eastern Pacific Ocean has been getting colder for the past 30 years, challenging global trends and confusing many scientists.Over at least three decades, the region has cooled by roughly half a degree, which has been causing scientists to wonder how long that will hold.

2The unusual phenomenon, known as the “cold tongue”, is affecting a vast area of ocean west of South America. Scientists are not entirely certain what is keeping the “cold tongue” cool. Richard Seager, from the Earth Observatory at Columbia University, said one factor appears to be trade winds in the equatorial region, which carry warm water away from the surface, stimulating cooler water to rise. “The trade winds blow from east to west across the tropical Pacific Ocean,” Seager said. “As the water is driven away from the surface,water flows up from below. And since the water below the surface is cold, this creates the‘cold tongue’.”

3Yet despite the effect of these winds, the “cold tongue” has puzzled scientists,because advanced climate computer models suggest that the waters should have been warming for decades at a faster rate than the rest of the Pacific due to rising greenhouse gas emissions.

4Pedro DiNezio of the University of Colorado Boulder, considers it “the most important unanswered question in climate science”.Scientists can't predict when it will end or start warming since the cause is unknown.According toNew Scientist, this has huge worldwide implications, including determining California's permanent drought and Australia's wildfires. More profoundly still, it could even alter the extent of climate change globally by understanding how sensitive Earth's atmosphere is to rising greenhouse gas production.

5Despite this, the overall ocean temperatures are rising. Solving the puzzle of the“cold tongue” isn't about proving climate models wrong. Rather, the “cold tongue” is the last big piece of the puzzle. Fit that in and we can build a more accurate picture of how life will change in a warming world and how best to prepare for that future.

Reading

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Detail 1. What may be the cause of the“ cold tongue”?

A. The arrival of ocean currents.

B. Trade winds in the equatorial regions.

C. The change in the direction of water flow.

D. The temperature differences between sea and land.

Detail 2. Why are scientists confused about the“ cold tongue” phenomenon?

A. It has lasted for many years.

B. It forms a minor ocean ecosystem.

C. It contradicts the global warming trend.

D. It mirrors increasing carbon emissions.

Detail 3. What makes solving the“ cold tongue” puzzle important?

A. It can help predict droughts in California.

B. It contributes to adjusting ocean temperatures.

C. It can help improve the accuracy of climate models.

D. It offers insights into dealing with future climate events.

Inference 4. What is the purpose of the text?

A. To stress the effect of climate change.

B. To introduce an unusual phenomenon.

C. To explain reasons for strange natural disasters.

D. To appeal to people to pay more attention to the ocean.

Language

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Ⅰ. Text-centered chunks

appear to 似乎；好像

trade wind 信風

in the equatorial region 在赤道地區

drive sb away 使離去

greenhouse gas emissions 溫室氣體排放

prepare for為……做準備

Ⅱ. Difficult sentences in the text

1. Over at least three decades, the region has cooled by roughly half a degree, which has been causing scientists to wonder how long that will hold. 在至少30年的時間里，該地區已經冷卻了大約半度，這讓科學家們想知道這種情況還能持續多久。

【點石成金】本句中，which 引導定語從句，在從句中作主語，指代前面的整個句子；how long引導賓語從句。

2. Scientists can't predict when it will end or start warming since the cause is unknown. 由于原因不明，科學家們無法預測它何時會結束或開始變暖。

【點石成金】本句中，when引導賓語從句，since引導原因狀語從句。