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1、Passage7ANewIceAgeWilliamCurryisaserious,soberclimatescientist,notanartcritic.ButhehasspentalotoftimeperusingEmanuelGottliebLeutze'sfamouspainting"GeorgeWashingtonCrossingtheDelaware,"whichdepictsaboatloadofcolonialAmericansoldiersmakingtheirwaytoattackEnglishandHessiantroopstheda
2、yafterChristmasin1776."Mostpeoplethinktheseotherguysintheboatarerowing,buttheyareactuallypushingtheiceaway,"saysCurry,tappinghisfingeronareproductionofthepainting.Sureenough,theleadoarsmanisbashingthefrozenriverwithhisboot."IgrewupinPhiladelphia.Theplaceinthispaintingis30minutesaw
3、aybycar.Icantellyou,thiskindofthingjustdoesn'thappenanymore." Butitmayagainsoon.Andice-chokedscenes,similartothoseimmortalizedbythe16th-centuryFlemishpainterPieterBruegheltheElder,mayalsoreturntoEurope.Hisworks,includingthe1565masterpiece"HuntersintheSnow,"makethenow-temperateEu
4、ropeanlandscapeslookmorelikeLapland.Suchfrigidsettingswerecommonplaceduringaperioddatingroughlyfrom1300to1850becausemuchofNorthAmericaandEuropewasinthethroesofalittleiceage.Andnowthereismountingevidencethatthechillcouldreturn.Agrowingnumberofscientistsbelieveconditionsareripeforan
5、otherprolongedcooldown,orsmalliceage.WhilenooneispredictingabrutalicesheetliketheonethatcoveredtheNorthernHemispherewithglaciersabout12,000yearsago,thenextcoolingtrendcoulddropaveragetemperatures5degreesFahrenheitovermuchoftheUnitedStatesand10degreesintheNortheast,northernEurope,a
6、ndnorthernAsia."Itcouldhappenin10years,"saysTerrenceJoyce,whochairstheWoodsHolePhysicalOceanographyDepartment."Onceitdoes,itcantakehundredsofyearstoreverse."AndheisalarmedthatAmericanshaveyettotakethethreatseriously. Adropof5to10degreesentailsmuchmorethansimplybumpingupthethermost
7、atandcarryingon.Botheconomicallyandecologically,suchquick,persistentchillingcouldhavedevastatingconsequences.A2002reporttitled"AbruptClimateChange:InevitableSurprises,"producedbytheNationalAcademyofSciences,peggedthecostfromagriculturallossesaloneat$100billionto$250billionwhileals
8、opredictingthatdamagetoecologiesc
