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1、ByTimberSongANewIceAge2015年1月17日雅思阅读Passage2AWilliamCurryisaserious,soberclimatescientist,notanartcritic.ButhehasspentalotoftimeperusingEmanuelGottliebLeutze’sfamouspainting“GeorgeWashingtonCrossingtheDelaware,”whichdepictsaboatloadofcolonialAmericansoldiersmakingtheirwa
2、ytoattackEnglishandHessiantroopsthedayafterChristmasin1776.“Mostpeoplethinktheseotherguysintheboatarerowing,buttheyareactuallypushingtheiceaway,”saysCurry,tappinghisfingeronareproductionofthepainting.Sureenough,theleadoarsmanisbashingthefrozenriverwithhisboot.“IgrewupinPh
3、iladelphia.Theplaceinthispaintingis30minutesawaybycar.Icantellyou,thiskindofthingjustdoesn’thappenanymore.”BButitmayagainsoon.Andice-chokedscenes,similartothoseimmortalizedbythe16th-centuryFlemishpainterPieterBruegheltheElder,mayalsoreturntoEurope.Hisworks,includingthe15
4、65masterpiece“HuntersintheSnow,”makethenow-temperateEuropeanlandscapeslookmorelikeLapland.Suchfrigidsettingswerecommonplaceduringaperioddatingroughlyfrom1300to1850becausemuchofNorthAmericaandEuropewasinthethroesofalittleiceage.Andnowthereismountingevidencethatthechillcou
5、ldreturn.Agrowingnumberofscientistsbelieveconditionsareripeforanotherprolongedcooldown,orsmalliceage.WhilenooneispredictingabrutalicesheetliketheonethatcoveredtheNorthernHemispherewithglaciers(n.冰川）about12,000yearsago,thenextcoolingtrendcoulddropaveragetemperatures5degre
6、esFahrenheitovermuchoftheUnitedStatesand10degreesintheNortheast,northernEurope,andnorthernAsia.C“Itcouldhappenin10years,”saysTerrenceJoyce,whochairstheWoodsHolePhysicalOceanographyDepartment.“Onceitdoes,itcantakehundredsofyearstoreverse.”AndheisalarmedthatAmericanshaveye
7、ttotakethethreatseriously.DAdropof5to10degreesentailsmuchmorethansimplybumpingupthethermostatandcarryingon.Botheconomicallyandecologically,suchquick,persistentchillingcouldhavedevastatingconsequences.A2002reporttitledByTimberSong“AbruptClimateChange:InevitableSurprises,”
8、producedbytheNationalAcademyofSciences,peggedthecostfromagriculturallossesaloneat$100billionto$250billi
