考研英语：历年真题阅读要点之1992-Text 2

　　If this warming up took place, the ice caps in the poles would begin to melt, thus raising sea level several metres and severely flooding coastal cities.

　　take place发生;raising和flooding现在分词表示必然结果，其前可用thus;如果是不定式to do表示意外结果，其前可用only;flood充当动词，表示“淹没”。

　　But the weather experts are now paying more attention to West Antarctic, which may be affected by only a few degrees of warming: in other words, by a warming on the scale that will possibly take place in the next fifty years from the burning of fuels.

　　pay attention to“注意，重视”;which引导非限定性定语从句表示补充说明West Antarctic;冒号的出现，说明冒号前后语义一致，冒号后补充说明冒号前，二者看懂其一即可;从in other words也可以判断出这种关系。

　　This seems to have a considerable effect on the distribution of the earth’s atmospheric pressure, and consequently on wind circulation.

　　have a considerable effect on..., and consequently on...“对...造成重大影响，从而影响到...”，这个句式可以应用于写作。

　　关于文章把握以上内容基本上就可以了。接下来，我们看一下38题。

　　38. Although the fuel consumption is greater in the northern hemisphere, temperatures there seem to be falling. This is ________.

　　[A] mainly because the levels of carbon dioxide are rising

　　[B] possible because the ice caps in the poles are melting

　　[C] exclusively due to the effect of the inertia of the earth’s climate(D)

　　[D] partly due to variations in the output of solar energy

　　这是一道因果细节题。首先返回原文定位。可以定位到第五段However, most of the fuel is burnt in the northern hemisphere, where temperatures seem to be falling.正好对应题干。接下来，Scientists conclude, therefore, that up to now natural influences on the weather have exceeded those caused by man. The question is: Which natural cause has most effect on the weather?科学家得出的结论中只提到natural influences。段尾是个问句，究竟是什么自然因素呢?我们关注下一段首句One possibility is the variable behavior of the sun.接下来，整段都在描述太阳活动对地球温度的影响，所以本题选D。看一下C选项，exclusively“仅仅，唯独”属于极端词，过于绝对;no, never, all都属于极端词;选项如果含有这样的表达往往是错的。相反，possible, may, partly这样的词均属于委婉表达;选项如果含有这样的表达往往是对的。当然，这种方法主要用于实在选不出来的时候。