托福阅读真题Official 48 Passage 3（六）

托福阅读真题Official 48 Passage 3（六）

Climate and Urban Development

For more than a hundred years,it has been known that cities are generally warmer than surrounding rural areas.This region of city warmth,known as the urban heat island,can influence the concentration of air pollution.However,before we look at its influence,let’s see how the heat island actually forms.

The urban heat island is due to industrial and urban development.In rural areas,a large part of the incoming solar energy is used in evaporating water from vegetation and soil.In cities,where less vegetation and exposed soil exist,the majority of the Sun’s energy is absorbed by urban structures and asphalt.Hence,during warm daylight hours,less evaporative cooling in cities allows surface temperatures to rise higher than in rural areas.The cause of the urban heat island is quite involved.Depending on the location,time of year,and time of day,any or all of the following differences between cities and their surroundings can be important:albedo(reflectivity of the surface),surface roughness,emissions of heat,emissions of moisture,and emissions of particles that affect net radiation and the growth of cloud droplets.

At night,the solar energy(stored as vast quantities of heat in city buildings and roads)is slowly released into the city air.Additional city heat is given off at night(and during the day)by vehicles and factories,as well as by industrial and domestic heating and cooling units.The release of heat energy is retarded by the tall vertical city walls that do not allow infrared radiation to escape as readily as does the relatively level surface of the surrounding countryside.The slow release of heat tends to keep nighttime city temperatures higher than those of the faster-cooling rural areas.Overall,the heat island is strongest(1)at night when compensating sunlight is absent;(2)during the winter,when nights are longer and there is more heat generated in the city;and(3)when the region is dominated by a high-pressure air pressure(atmospheric pressure)is the pressure exerted by the mass of air above a given place area with light winds,clear skies,and less humid air.Over time,increasing urban heat islands affect climatological temperature records,producing artificial warming in climatic records taken in cities.This warming,therefore,must be accounted for in interpreting climate change over the past century.

The constant outpouring of pollutants into the environment may influence the climate of the city.Certain particles reflect solar radiation,thereby reducing the sunlight that reaches the surface.Some particles serve as nuclei upon which water and ice form.Water vapor condenses onto these particles when the relative humidity is as low as 70 percent,forming haze that greatly reduces visibility.Moreover,the added nuclei increase the frequency of city fog.

Studies suggest that precipitation may be greater in cities than in the surrounding countryside;this phenomenon may be due in part to the increased roughness of city terrain,brought on by large structures that cause surface air to slow and gradually converge.This piling up of air over the city then slowly rises,much like toothpaste does when its tube is squeezed.At the same time,city heat warms the surface air,making it more unstable,which enhances rising air motions,which,in turn,aids in forming clouds and thunderstorms.This process helps explain why both tend to be more frequent over cities.

On clear still nights when the heat island is pronounced,a small thermal low-pressure area forms over the city.Sometimes a light breeze—called a country breeze—blows from the countryside into the city.If there are major industrial areas along the outskirts,pollutants are carried into the heart of town,where they tend to concentrate.Such an event is especially probable if vertical mixing and dispersion of pollutants are inhibited.Pollutants from urban areas may even affect the weather downwind from them.

Question 11 of 14

The word“pronounced”in the passage is closest in meaning to

A.examined

B.relative

C.strongest

D.darkest

正确答案：C

题目详解

题型分类：词汇题

选项分析：

C选项：强烈的，原句说在晴朗、无风的夜晚，当热岛……时，在城市上空形成了一个小热低压区域。这里表示“显著的，强烈的”。

A选项：检测；检验。

B选项：相对的。

D选项：最黑的。

Question 12 of 14

According to paragraph 6,the highest concentration of pollutants is likely to be found

A.in the center of the city

B.over industrial areas outside the city

C.in rural areas downwind of the city

D.high in the atmosphere during daylight hours

正确答案：A

题目详解

题型分类：事实信息题

原文定位：Sometimes a light breeze—called a country breeze—blows from the countryside into the city.If there are major industrial areas along the outskirts,pollutants are carried into the heart of town,where they tend to concentrate.有的时候，微风——又被成为乡村风——从乡村吹向城市。如果有很多主要工业区位于郊区附近，污染物就会被吹到城镇热的地方，在热的地方聚集。

选项分析：

A选项正确，通过定位句可以判定风的吹向是由乡村到城市的。

B选项在城区外工业区上方，错误。

C选项downwind顺风，没提到，错误。

D选项白天的大气中，没提。

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