6．Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are a major cause of climate change，and now a new study has confirmed that atmosphere CO2is also affecting the ocean chemistry and potentially harming sea life．
Montana State University scientist Robert Dore has been researching the water in the Pacific Ocean for almost two decades．"We've been going to the same spot in the Pacific Ocean，and we try and characterize long-term change in the open ocean environment．And one of the key things that we measure is CO2levels．And we've been able to record this increasing quantity of atmosphere CO2into the ocean．"
Scientists expected that as atmosphere CO2increased，more and more of the carbon dioxide would be absorbed into the ocean，affecting the chemical balance of the sea water，with a potentially harmful impact on shellfish and coral in particular．
"As carbon dioxide dissolves in the water or seawater in this case，it forms a weak acid，carbonic acid，"Dore explains．"And therefore，as the concentration of CO2in the atmosphere goes up and that exchanges with the surface seawater，it drives the pH down，and makes it more acidic．"
The seawater samples Dore and his colleagues have analyzed confirm what the theory predicts．
The effect was particular striking at about 250meters down，and again at 500meters．Dore and his colleagues came up with two possible explanations．It could be that surface water picked up CO2and then moved to those depths．Or there could be a biological explanation．
"It's important to realize that the oceans are really becoming acidic．And it can have negative impacts on a whole variety of sea life from fish to coral．It's potentially catastrophic．"
59．What can be the best title of the passage？B
A．Scientist Researching Seawater
B．Sea Life Facing Danger
C．Oceans Becoming More Acidic
D．Climate Change Affecting Seawater
60．With the increase of atmospheric CO2，B．
A．more corals will appear in the sea
B．the chemical balance of the seawater is affected
C．the surface water is becoming warmer
D．the pH of the ocean out here has been increasing
61．Which of the following shows the process of the impact of atmospheric CO2on sea life？B
a．Sea life is endangered．
b．CO2goes into the surface water．
c．The ocean chemistry is affected．
d．CO2decreases the pH and makes the seawater more acidic．
e．CO2levels in the atmosphere go up．
A．a→b→c→d→e B．e→b→c→d→a
C．a→e→b→c→d D．e→d→c→b→a
62．Scientist Robert Dore came to the conclusion based onC．
A．the expectation of other scientists
B．some former theory
C．his research and analysis
D．a major cause of climate change．
分析 本文是一篇科普类文章，主要讲述了大气中二氧化碳水平上升是气候变化的主要原因，现在一项新研究证实，大气中二氧化碳也影响了海洋化学并有损害海洋生物的潜在可能．本文以此展开谈论，介绍了科学家Robert Dore通过研究分析得出的结论．
解答 59．答案：B．主旨大意题．通读全文可知，本文主要讲述了大气中二氧化碳水平上升是气候变化的主要原因，现在一项新研究证实，大气中二氧化碳也影响了海洋化学并有损害海洋生物的潜在可能．故标题为Sea Life Facing Danger更贴切．故选B．
60．答案：B．细节理解题．根据"as atmosphere CO2 increased，more and more of the carbon dioxide would be absorbed into the ocean，affecting the chemical balance of the sea water"可知，随着CO2的增加，影响了海水中的化学平衡．故选B．
61．答案：B．细节理解题．根据"As carbon dioxide dissolves in the water or seawater in this case，it forms a weak acid，carbonic acid"和"And therefore，as the concentration of CO2in the atmosphere goes up and that exchanges with the surface seawater，it drives the pH down，and makes it more acidic"可知，正确的顺序为"CO2 levels in the atmosphere go up-CO2 goes into the surface water-The ocean chemistry is affected-CO2 decreases the pH and makes the seawater more acidic-Sea life is endangered"．故选B．
62．答案：C．推理判断题．根据"The seawater samples Dore and his colleagues have analyzed confirm what the theory predic"及文章内容，可推测出，科学家Robert Dore 是通过研究和分析得出结论的．故选C．
点评 本文是一篇科普类阅读，题目涉及主旨大意题，细节理解题，推理判断题，做题时应结合文章上下文内容并根据所给选项的含义进行分析，从而得出正确答案．切记胡乱猜测，一定要做到有理有据．
