Kiribati covers a massive 3.5 million square kilometers stretch of the Pacific Ocean, but in population terms it is one of the smallest countries in the world, with only 100,000 people. More than half of them live in the capital Tarawa—strip of coral which measures just 450 meters at its widest point. As well as being narrow, Kiribati is extremely low lying, which makes it one of the most easily influenced countries in the world when it comes to climate change.
“We are counting the days rather than the decades…We don't have the time that we thought we had previously,” Kiribati President Anote Tong said.
Pelenise Alofa returned to Kiribati six years ago. The changes she saw led to her becoming one of the islands principal climate change campaigners. "Things began to change when I came here. I realized the king tides were big, and I told them 'have you heard of climate change, have you heard of global wanning, this is part of it, you're in it,'" Ms Alofa told SBS.
Linda Uan and her New Zealand born husband John have been documenting the changing climate in Kiribati for nearly 20 years. They didn't have to travel far to film the effects of a storm three years ago when for the first time it washed through their home. "There's been a lot of changes," Linda said, “When we were little there was a definite dry season and a definite wet season, now you can't feel the difference anymore.”
Kiribati is not just facing one knock-out punch but a whole round of killer blows. Because of its sensibility to the El Nino and La Nina weather patterns, climate scientists say droughts and floods will be more severe than in the past. Warmer seas could affect the migration patterns of fish, taking away vast taxes it gains from selling fishing licenses to foreign trawlers, while increased storms are expected to destroy crops and make the limited supply of water in the shallow water pools undrinkable.
It’s a claim the country will take to Copenhagen as it seeks to get the world's big emitters （排放者） to face up to the consequences of their actions. “It's a whole world issue,” President Tong said. “It’s a moral issue…it's almost criminal.”
57．According to the passage, we can infer that________.
A．Kiribati covers a land area of 3,500,000 km2
B．the country's average altitude is 450 meters in Kiribati
C．Kiribati is one of the countries facing the climate change calmly
D．Over fifty thousand people live in Tarawa
58．President Anote’s words are quoted in order to show________ .
A．the high pressure from time        B．the importance of measuring time
C．the different timing units         D．the personal attitude towards time
59．Which of the following statements does Ms Alofa probably agree with?
A．The tides hitting Kiribati used to be bigger than they are now.
B．Most people in the world have never heard of global warming.
C．Nobody can keep away from the effects caused by climate changes.
D．Changes in this country will make you a climate change campaigner.
60．Climate changes have brought about the consequences EXCEPT________ .
A．Severe droughts and floods        B．abundant fresh water
C．fiercer storm and tide            D．changed living patterns of fish