剑桥雅思6
READING PASSAGE 3
Questions 27-32
Reading Passage 3 has ven paragraphs, A-G.
Choo the correct heading for paragraphs B-G from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-ix, in boxes 27-32 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings i The reaction of the Inuit community to climate change ii Understanding of climate change remains limited iii Alternative sources of esntial supplies iv Respect for Inuit opinion grows v A healthier choice of food vi A difficult landscape vii Negative effects on well-being viii Alarm caud by unprecedented events in the Arctic ix The benefits of an easier existence |
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Example Answer Paragraph A viii |
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27 Paragraph B
28 Paragraph C
29 Paragraph D
30 Paragraph E
31 Paragraph F
32 Paragraph G
A Unusual incidents are being reported across the Arctic. Inuit families going off on snowmobiles to prepare their summer hunting camps have found themlves cut off from home by a a of mud, following early thaws. There are reports of igloos losing their insulating properties as the snow drips and refreezes, of lakes draining into the a as permafrost melts, and a ice breaking up earlier than usual, carrying als beyond the reach of hunters. Climate change may still be a rather abstract idea to most of us, but in the Arctic it is already having dramatic effects - if summertime ice continues to shrink at its prent rate, the Arctic Ocean could soon become virtually ice-free in summer. The knock-on effects are likely to include more warming, cloudier skies, incread precipitation and higher a levels. Scientists are increasingly keen to find out what's going on becau they consider the Arctic the 'canary in the mine' for global warming - a warning of what's in store for the rest of the world.
B For the Inuit the problem is urgent. They live in precarious balance with one of the toughest environments on earth. Climate change, whatever its caus, is a direct threat to their way of life. Nobody knows the Arctic as well as the locals, which is why they are n
ot content simply to stand back and let outside experts tell them what's happening. In Canada, where the Inuit people are jealously guarding their hard-won autonomy in the country's newest territory, Nunavut, they believe their best hope of survival in this changing environment lies in combining their ancestral knowledge with the best of modern science. This is a challenge in itlf.
C The Canadian Arctic is a vast, treeless polar dert that's covered with snow for most of the year. Venture into this terrain and you get some idea of the hardships facing anyone who calls this home. Farming is out of the question and nature offers meagre pickings. Humans first ttled in the Arctic a mere 4,500 years ago, surviving by exploiting a mammals and fish. The environment tested them to the limits: sometimes the colonists were successful, sometimes they failed and vanished. But around a thousand years ago, one group emerged that was uniquely well adapted to cope with the Arctic environment. The Thule people moved in from Alaska, bringing kayaks, sleds, dogs, pottery and iron tools. They are the ancestors of today's Inuit people.
D Life for the descendants of the Thule people is still harsh. Nunavut is 1.9 million squa
re kilometres of rock and ice, and a handful of islands around the North Pole. It's currently home to 2,500 people, all but a handful of them indigenous Inuit. Over the past 40 years, most have abandoned their nomadic ways and ttled in the territory's 28 isolated communities, but they still rely heavily on nature to provide food and clothing.
Provisions available in local shops have to be flown into Nunavut on one of the most costly air networks in the world, or brought by supply ship during the few ice-free weeks of summer. It would cost a family around f7,000 a year to replace meat they obtained themlves through hunting with imported meat. Economic opportunities are scarce, and for many people state benefits are their only income.
E While the Inuit may not actually starve if hunting and trapping are curtailed by climate change, there has certainly been an impact on people's health. Obesity, heart dia and diabetes are beginning to appear in a people for whom the have never before been problems. There has been a crisis of identity as the traditional skills of hunting, trapping and preparing skins have begun to disappear. In Nunavut's 'igloo and email' society, where adults who were born in igloos have children who may never have been o
ut on the land, there's a high incidence of depression.
F With so much at stake, the Inuit are determined to play a key role in teasing out the mysteries of climate change in the Arctic. Having survived there for centuries, they believe their wealth of traditional knowledge is vital to the task. And Western scientists are starting to draw on this wisdom, increasingly referred to as ‘lnuit Qaujimajatuqangit’, or IQ. ‘In the early days scientists ignored us when they came up here to study anything. They just figured the people don't know very much so we won't ask them,’ says John Amagoalik, an Inuit leader and politician. 'But in recent years IQ has had much more credibility and weight.' In fact it is now a requirement for anyone hoping to get permission to do rearch that they consult the communities, who are helping to t the rearch agenda to reflect their most important concerns. They can turn down applications from scientists they believe will work against their interests, or rearch projects that will impinge too much on their daily lives and traditional activities.
G Some scientists doubt the value of traditional knowledge becau the occupation of the Arctic doesn't go back far enough. Others, however, point out that the first weather st
ations in the far north date back just 50 years. There are still huge gaps in our environmental knowledge, and despite the scientific onslaught, many predictions are no more than best guess. IQ could help to bridge the gap and resolve the tremendous uncertainty about how much of what we're eing is natural capriciousness and how much is the conquence of human activity.
Questions 33-40
Complete the summary of paragraphs C and D below.
Choo NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from paragraphs C and D for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 33-40 on your answer sheet.
If you visit the Canadian Arctic, you immediately appreciate the problems faced by people for whom this is home. It would clearly be impossible for the people to engage as a means of supporting themlves. For thousands of years they have had to rely on as a means of sustenance.
The harsh surroundings saw many who tried to ttle there pushed to their limits, although some were successful. people were an example of the latte
r and for them the environment did not prove unmanageable. For the prent inhabitants, life continues to be a struggle. The territory of Nunavut consists of little more than ice, rock and a In recent years, many of them have been obliged to give up lifestyle, but they continue to depend mainly for their food and clothes. 40.................... produce is particularly expensive.
