Now we go to the northern Indian state Himachal Pradesh to look at the effects of rising temperatures right now. The town of Manali is in the Kullu Valley. It is economically dependent on the thousands of people who travel up the Himalaya Mountains every year to escape the heat of the Indian plains.
D.S. Aditya is manager of Sterling Resorts in Manali. He says many people like to visit a snow-covered pass that lies about 50 kilometers up one mountain.
"Wherever you go like there's one destination, this is famous. If you visited Manali, Rohtang is main attraction. Because of the snow."The Rohtang Pass has many more visitors now than it did 10 years ago, thanks partly to the growing financial success of India's middle class. In summer months, more than two thousand vehicles crowd the narrow mountain road.
Ravi Thakur of Himalayan Caravan Adventure has lived in Manali since he was a child.
"Twenty years ago, we could count how many cars are here in Manali. Now, if you come in season time, we do have traffic jam for four, five, six kilometers on the Rohtang Road."
Visitors enjoy the beauty of the pass. But environmentalists are warning about the increasing traffic on mountains and glaciers.
J.C. Kuniyal is a scientist at the GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development. He is studying temperature changes in the Rohtang area. He says temperatures in the Kullu Valley have risen about six-tenths of a degree Celsius. That is about the same as the average increase worldwide.
But, what worries him is the effects of uncontrolled tourism on the mountain ecosystem.
"I have seen that the regions which are facing a high influx due to floating population or human activity, there aerosols（气态悬浮物） are increasing. These are supposed to be the main causes to melt the Himalayan glaciers."
The aerosol gases come both from diesel-powered vehicles and burning of wood for cooking by local people. The smoke leaves thick black ash on the glaciers. This causes them to absorb, or take in, more heat.
Local people are witnessing the effects of climate change and human activity on glaciers. Ravi Thakur has been walking the mountains since childhood. He says he has seen a loss of mountain snow and glacial ice.
"We keep going every year, almost to the same routes, and I have seen that glaciers, they are receding. In 15 years I have seen that big change."
That has raised concerns. The area's local glaciers are the headwaters for rivers like the Indus and the Ganges. The two rivers are the source of fresh water for millions of people in South Asia.
Pradipto Ghosh is a director at the Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi.
"If the present trend of gradual loss of net glacial mass continues, then over time the flow from the glaciers would reduce."
Scientists say there is serious concern about water for agriculture on the Indian plains. Arun Shrestha is a climate change specialist at the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development in Nepal.
"Those communities, their agricultural system relies quite heavily on melt water."
Some people, like mountain guide Ravi Thakur, worry about possible changes in the future.
"Till I leave my life, we won't be facing those scarcity of water, but later on, the coming generation, they will have problems."
Environmentalists will continue trying to establish how deep those problems might become.
Why does the Rohtang Pass have many more visitors than before?

A．because the Indian people have more vehicles.

B．because it is becoming hotter and hotter in the Indian plains.

C．because India's middle class is becoming rich.

D．because the Rohtang Pass is more famous than before.

Which of the following statements is not the reason why aerosols（气态悬浮物） are increasing?

A．The flowing population is becoming larger.

B．The human activities here are more frequent.

C．More vehicles come here and local people burn wood for cooking.

D．The melt water is becoming less and less.

What does the underlined word “receding”mean in the twelfth paragraph？

A．become weaker and smaller.

B．move back.

C．become larger.

D．change greatly.

Why do the Scientists care about water for agriculture on the Indian plains?

A．because the area's local glaciers are the headwaters for rivers like the Indus and the Ganges.

B．because gradual loss of net glacial mass continues, the water for agriculture from the glaciers would reduce.

C．because people there face the scarcity of water now.

D．because we should be responsible for our coming generation.

What is the main idea of the passage?

A．The Rohtang Pass has many more visitors now than it did 10 years ago.

B．Scientists care about water for agriculture on the Indian plains.

C．The temperature is rising and the human activity is the main cause.

D．The mountain snow and glacial ice are reducing.

What type of writing is the article likely to be?

A．Science report	B．A medical report
C．A news report	D．Advertisement

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