Perched among the highlands of western Cameroon,
bordered by green mountains and cliff laces, Lake Nyos is a scene of
breathtaking beauty. But the picture cannot be (36) . A
detailed study reveals that the lake could release a (37)
cloud of carbon dioxide, capable of wiping out entire communities
around its shores. Tile warning, from a team of scientists,
comes nearly 20 years after the lake (38) an estimated 80m
cubic metres of CO2 into the atmosphere. Heavier than air, the cloud
of gas rolled down, (39) hillsides and villages. Silent and
invisible, it (40) the air of oxygen, killing hundreds of
cattle and claiming the lives of more than 1,700 people up to 26km away. "It was
one of the most mysterious (41) scientists have ever
investigated," said George Kling, an ecologist at the University of
Michigan. Researchers called in after the 1986 (42)
discovered that the lake, which sits atop a volcano, contained record
levels of carbon dioxide. Gas bubbling up from the Earth’s magma was under
such (43) at the bottom of the 200-metre-deep lake that it
dissolved until it reached max. (44) . To
prevent a recurrence, in 2001 engineers installed a pipe to suck CO2
from the bottom of the lake and release it harmlessly into the air.
(45) . Dr Kling’s team recommends the urgent installation of a
further tbur pipes in each lake at a rate of one a year. (46)
.
【参考答案】
“By2010，those five pipes would be enough to get the carbon d......