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Passage 1
短文 1
During the Arctic winter from October to March, the average temperature in the frozen north typically hovers around minus 20 degrees Celsius.
在10月至3月，北極的冬季，冰凍的北方平均氣溫通常在零下20攝氏度左右。
But this year, the Arctic is experiencing much higher temperatures.
但今年，北極地區的氣溫要高得多。
On February 20, the temperature in Greenland climbed above freezing or zero degrees Celsius and it stayed there for over 24 hours.
2月20日，格陵蘭島的氣溫攀升至零度以上，并持續了24個多小時。
Then on February 24, the temperature on Greenland's northern tip reached six degrees Celsius. Climate scientists described the phenomenon as "stunning."
2月24日，格陵蘭島北端的溫度達到了6攝氏度。氣候科學家稱這一現象“令人震驚”。
Weather conditions that drive this bizarre temperature surge have visited the Arctic before. They typically appear about once in a decade.
導致這種奇怪的氣溫飆升的天氣條件以前也曾出現在北極地區。它們通常每十年出現一次。
However, the last such increase in temperature took place two years ago.
然而，最近一次氣溫上升發生在兩年前。
This is troubling as climbing Arctic temperatures combined with rapid sea-ice loss are creating a new type of climate feedback loop which could accelerate Arctic warming.
這令人擔憂，因為北極氣溫不斷攀升，加上海冰迅速減少，正在形成一種新型的氣候反饋回路，可能加速北極變暖。
Indeed, sea-ice cover in the Arctic is melting faster than expected.
事實上，北極海冰的融化速度比預期的要快。
Without those masses of cooling sea ice, warm air brought to the Arctic can penetrate further inland than it ever did before.
沒有這些大量的冰冷的海冰，帶到北極的暖空氣可以以前所未有的程度都深入內陸。
The air can stay warmer longer, too. This drives additional melting.
空氣變暖也還會持續更長時間。這會導致進一步的融化。
Overall, Earth is warming at a rapid pace—2014 through 2017 rank as the hottest years on record—and the Arctic is warming twice as fast as anyplace else on Earth.
總的來說，地球正在快速變暖——2014年到2017年是有記錄以來最熱的年份，北極的變暖速度是地球上其他地方的兩倍。
This raises unique challenges for Arctic wildlife and indigenous people who depend on Arctic ecosystems to survive.
這對依賴北極生態系統生存的北極野生動物和土著居民提出了獨特的挑戰。
Previously, climate forecasts predicted that Arctic summer ice would disappear entirely by around 2060.
此前，氣候預報預測，北極夏季冰層將在2060年左右完全消失。
But based on what scientists are seeing now, the Arctic may be facing summers without ice within 20 years.
但根據科學家目前的觀察，北極可能在20年內面臨沒有冰的夏季。
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.
請根據你剛剛聽到的短文回答第9題至第11題。
9. What did climate scientists describe as "stunning"?
9. 氣候科學家認為什么是“驚人的”？
10. What does the passage say about the temperature surge in the Arctic?
10. 這篇文章對北極的氣溫飆升有什么看法？
11. What may occur in 20 years according to scientists' recent observations?
11. 根據科學家最近的觀察，20年后可能會發生什么？
