PTE考生目前最大的问题之一就是练习题缺乏。除了有限的基本官方书（PLUS，Testbuilder, OG）之外，就没有题了。很多英语基础不是很扎实的同学很难找到练习材料。墨尔本文波雅思PTE培训学校专门为墨尔本，悉尼PTE考生准备了适合PTE听力阅读练习的科学60秒。各位PTE同学可以练习PTE听力中的summarise spoken text和PTE口语中的retell lecture，练习记笔记技巧和复述。废话少说，下面开始：
60秒科学：Paintings-of-Sunsets-Shed-Light-on-Past-Air-Quality
听力内容：
60秒科学节目（SSS）是科学美国人网站的一套广播栏目，英文名称：Scientific American – 60 Second Science,节目内容以科学报道为主，节目仅一分钟的时间，主要对当今的科学技术新发展作以简明、通俗的介绍，对于科学的发展如何影响人们的生活环境、健康状况及科学技术，提供了大量简明易懂的阐释。
A volcanic eruption hurls ash particles and gas high into the sky. Once airborne, these substances circle the globe, scattering sunlight more and giving sunsets a redder color. The effect only lasts for a few years but paintings by gifted artists can preserve it for centuries. And give us clues about past air quality.
Between the years 1500 and 2000, some 50 major volcanic eruptions occurred all over the world. Meanwhile, artists painted thousands of sunsets.
To see if such paintings could reveal atmospheric info, researchers analyzed high-quality digital photos of the art for the balance of red and green colors along the horizon. Based on the red-green ratio, they calculated the amount of particles in the atmosphere.
These numbers indeed corresponded with recent volcanic eruptions. And they also reflected an increase in airborne particles after the industrial revolution. The research is in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.
For much of human history, we had no instruments to measure air quality. But this study shows that great painters may shed light on past pollution.
–Sophie Bushwick
