Trying to 17 ______ how much each of these factors contributes to rising sea levels is critically important to 18 ______ climate change, and forecasting future temperature rises, scienti[r]
(1) Choose the word or phrase (A, B, C, or D) that best fits the blank space in the following passage The world's oceans have warmed 50 percent faster over the last 40 years than previously thought (11) climate change, Australian and US climate researchers reported Wednesday Higher ocean temperatures expand the volume of water, (12) a rise in sea levels that is submerging small island nations and threatening to wreak havoc in low-lying, densely-populated delta regions around the globe Rising sea levels are driven by two things: the thermal expansion of sea water, and additional water (13) melting sources of ice Both processes are caused (14) global warming The ice sheet (15) sits atop Greenland, for example, contains (16) to raise world ocean levels by seven meters (23 feet), which would bury sea-level cities from Dhaka to Shanghai Trying to (17) how much each of these factors contributes to rising sea levels is critically important to (18) climate change, and forecasting future temperature rises, scientists say But (19) , there has been a perplexing gap (20) the projections of computer-based climate models, and the observations of scientists gathering data from the oceans A due to B thanks to A makes B contributing to A by B for A of B from A when B as A water B water enough A figure out B argue A understanding B understand A anyway B up to now A from B about C about D of C contributing D leads to C from D in C to D by C which D that C enough water D enough C think of D manage C dealing D deal C also D from now C to D between (2)