Question

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　　SHISHMAREF, an Eskimo village on an island off northwestern Alaska, is falling into the ocean．Giant storm waves have so hit the place－once well buffered by sea ice－that villagers voted in 2002 to leave their ancestral home for the mainland．They are being called one of the first refugees(难民)of global warming．

　　“We tend to describe climate change in terms that are abstract－a one degree rise in temperature, an increase in greenhouse gases－but when waves wash away a village, that’s concrete and very emotional,” says Igor Krupnik, an expert at the National Museum of Natural History．“When they lose a piece of their land, they aren’t just losing a certain number of square miles．They are losing part of their history and their memory．They are losing childhood events and grandparents’ tales．”

　　Before temperatures began to rise in Shishmaref about 30 years ago, 20 to 30 miles of hard sea ice protected the village from powerful fall storms．But the natives say the ice doesn’t freeze as solidly or as soon as it used to and now stretched only six or seven miles, leaving the community of 600 people more exposed．Storms have swept houses into the ocean．

　　The villagers’ plan is to move to Tin Creek, a site on the Alaska mainland 12 miles away, and they have received ＄180 million from the government．Residents hope that in their new community they’ll be able to maintain their close ties, continue hunting animals, and keep fishing, much as their ancestors have done for centuries．“People are asking why the government should be spending so much money on so few people．” said a government official．“But people in Alaska are like everyone else．We want to help keep their culture alive．”

1．Find a word in the passage closest in meaning to the underlined word “buffered”．

2．According to the villagers’ saying, what do we know about the sea ice around Shishmaref in the past?(回答词数不超过8个)

3．What is the villagers’ main purpose to rebuild their community?(回答词数不超过6个)

Answer 1

答案：
解析：

1．Protected． 　　2．It froze more solidly and sooner．/It covered a larger area． 　　3．To keep their culture alive．/To save their way of life．