Fromthelossofwildlifetorisingsealevels，
we’reallwellawareoftheproblemsthatclimatechangecouldcause.
Butwhileitmayseemlikesuchissueswon’taffectmostofusdirectly，
itlookslikefuturegenerationscouldgrowupwithoutsomethingthatmanyofusnowtakeforgranted：
chocolate.
AccordingtoanessaypublishedbytheUSNationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration，
changestotheclimateintheregionsthatproducecacao—theplantfromwhichchocolateisproduced—maymeanthatitwillsoonbecomeextinct.
Mostoftheworld’scacaogrowsincountriesclosetotheequator，
withoverhalfofitgrowingintheAfricannationsofGhanaandIvoryCoast.
It’spredictedthatby2050，
climatechangewillhaveacceleratedtherateatwhichtemperaturesinthesecountriesrise，
makingitextremelydifficultforcacaotogrowthere.
Theproblemdoesn’tlieinincreasedheat，however，butinlowerhumidity(湿度)，
asit’sbelievedthatrainfallwillstayatthesamelevelifthetemperaturerises.
“Inotherwords，ashighertemperaturessqueezemorewateroutofsoilandplants，
it’sunlikelythatrainfallwillincreaseenoughtooffsetthemoisture(含水量)
loss，”MichonScott，theessay’sauthor，wrote.
Tohelpfightthisproblem，
researchersfromBerkeleyUniversityintheUSareworkingonchangingtheDNAofcacaoplantstoallowthemtosurviveindryerconditionsbyusinggeneeditingtechnology，accordingtoUSNews.
Inthemeantime，UScompanyMars，oneoftheworld’sbiggestmanufacturersofchocolateproducts，announcedinJanuarythatitwouldspend 1billiontohelpreducetheeffectsofclimatechange.
“Thisisaworldissue，
anditrequireseveryonetoworktogether，”MarsspokespersonBarryParkintoldBusinessInsider.
Themessagehereisthatifwealldoourpart，
wemaybeabletopreventsomeoftheworstimpactsofclimatechange.Orifwe’reunlucky，
chocolatewillbecomeathingofthepast.
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语篇解读 本文是一篇说明文，主要讲了未来由于气候的变化，为制造巧克力提供原料的可可树可能会灭绝，所以巧克力有可能会成为历史。
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1．Whatcouldmakeithardforcacaotosurvivearoundtheequatorinthefuture?
A．Theincreasedheatthere.
B．Thehigherhumiditythere.
C．Thedecreaseinrainfallthere.
D．Themoisturelossinthesoilthere.
答案 D
解析 细节理解题。由第七段可知，未来赤道附近的可可树很难存活，是因为那里土壤中水分的流失，故选D。
2．Whatdoestheunderlinedword“offset”intheseventhparagraphmean?
A．Holdback. B．Makeupfor.
C．Protect. D．Accept.
答案 B
解析 词义猜测题。由第七段可知，高温带走了土壤和植物中更多的水分，降雨量不可能增长到足以抵消水分流失的水平，所以“offset”的意思是“弥补，抵消”，故选B。
3．WhatwillUScompanyMarsdotohelpcacaosurvive?
A．Itwillworkhardtoplantcacaoingreenhouses.
B．Itwillapplygeneeditingtechnologyinplantingcacao.
C．Itwillgivefinancialsupporttohelpfightclimatechange.
D．Itwilldevelopcacaothatcansurviveindryerconditions.
答案 C
解析 细节理解题。由倒数第三段可知，美国的火星巧克力公司将为对抗气候变化提供资金援助，故选C。
4．Whatmaybethebesttitleforthistext?
A．ChocolateCouldBecomeHistory
B．WorkTogethertoFightClimateChange
C．HowDoWeGrowCacaointheFuture?
D．HowDoCacaoPlantsAffectClimateChange?
答案 A
解析 标题归纳题。本文主要讲了未来由于气候的变化，为制造巧克力提供原料的可可树可能会灭绝，所以巧克力有可能会成为历史，故选A。
