Like many eco-conscious films, I’ve seen Don’t Look Up many times, and shown it to my friends and family whenever anyone suggests a movie night. I rarely pass up the moment to educate my loved ones on any possible disaster or crisis in an entertaining or thought-inspiring way. It’s a refreshing break from the usual doom-mongering that conversations can often get into. The power of cinema in communicating the climate crisis plays a critical role in affecting public attitudes and behaviors in relation to environmental justice.

Films appeal to our emotions in a way scientific presentation, academic papers or broadcast interview rarely can. Accordingly, films have an unusual way of engaging our emotions, which is a vital step in driving changes in people’s behavior. Films can make full use of this by presenting climate messages within fantastic narratives (叙述) that seasoned movie watchers will be familiar with. In the case of Don’t Look Up, it’s about meteor (流星) strikes. For The End We Start From, it’s extreme flooding. In First Reformed, climate activism is the predominant focus.

Films and TV dramas can also bring the vastness of climate disaster down to earth by integrating everyday events. The TV series Years and Years, launches climate issues into public debate, helping viewers relate to the characters’ experiences. The End We Start From, set in an extreme flood in London, follows the everyday experience of having a newborn child. This creates a heart-felt emotional connect ion between the themes of the film and the viewers’ own experiences. The Day After Tomorrow, the first hit released in 2004, enhances public awareness and concern through its vivid imagery of environmental disaster.

Films like this generate a strong empathetic (同理心的) connect ion that can help people change the way they behave far more than facts and data can. Of course, the growing type of climate change cinema is not always scientifically accurate. But if cinema is to be used more forcefully as a tool to raise the public awareness of climate crisis, then accuracy is not entirely necessary: it is the emotional connection and thrilling storytelling that are most crucial.

【小题1】What does the underlined word “doom-mongering” probably mean?

A．Misfortune.

B．Imbalance.

C．Disbelief.

D．Irrelevance.

【小题2】What can be inferred about climate disaster movies from Paragraph 2?

A．They can change environmental efforts.	B．They can uniquely create emotional link.
C．They can help viewers out of their trouble.	D．They can solve social issues academically.

【小题3】How is Paragraph 3 mainly developed?

A．By inferring results.	B．By analyzing reasons.
C．By giving examples.	D．By making comparisons.

【小题4】What of the following might the author agree with?

A．Disaster films are educational and entertaining.

B．Scientific accuracy is a necessity for disaster films.

C．The growing popularity of cinema is not desirable.

D．Public awareness of entertainment needs raising.