Force other than damaging winds are also at work inside tornadoes. Sometimes, as the turning, jumping funnel(漏斗) passes over a house, the walls and ceiling burst apart as if a bomb had gone off inside. This explosion(爆炸) is caused by the low air pressure at the center of a tornado.

The pressure at the center of a tornado is usually 13 pounds per square inch. However, inside the house the air pressure is normal, about 15 pounds per square inch. The difference of 2 pounds per square inch between the inside and outside pressure may not seem like much. But suppose a tornado funnel passes over a small building that measures 20 by 10 by 10 feet. On each square inch of the building, there is 2 pounds of pressure from the inside that is not balanced by air pressure outside the building. On the ceiling, that adds up to an unbalanced pressure of 57,600 pounds. The pressure on the four walls adds up to 172,800 pounds.

If windows are open in the building, some of the inside air will rush out through them. This will balance the pressure inside and outside the building. But if the windows are shut tightly, the great inside pressure may cause the building to burst.

  Unfortunately, heavy rain happens in thunderstorms that later produce tornadoes. So, people often shut all windows to protect their property. This may cause far worse damage later.

63. Which of the following is the main topic of the passage?

A. Where tornadoes are formed.          B. When tornadoes usually occur.

C. How tornadoes can be prevented.       D. Why tornadoes cause so much damage.

64. According to the passage, tornadoes can destroy building because the _____.

A. force of a tornado increases the air pressure in a building

B. air pressure at the center of a tornado is over 172,000 pounds

C. weight of a tornado can crush a building’s roof when it passes overhead

D. air pressure inside a tornado is less than the air pressure inside a building

65. According to the passage, the pressure on a building during a tornado can be reduced    by _____.

A. closing the windows              B. opening the windows

C. using an electric fan               D. making the roof and walls stronger

       Australia -a huge island continent that lies to the south of Asia. Australia-more than two hundred years old, a nation that is still growing.

Its big cities lie on the southeast coast, this is where most Australians live. Australians prefer to own their own houses, though some live in apartments. Australians are a suburban(郊区的) people. The suburbs surround the cities for many miles, and so efficient transport is of great importance. As the economy grows, so do its industries- a higher level of production, a wider range of products.

   The Australian works hard, but he likes his leisure. The climate makes outdoor activities the most popular.

   Canberra, the capital of Australia, is a planned modern city located inland. Australia is governed by a parliamentary democracy(议会民主). The representatives of other countries have their embassies here. Australia wants to strengthen relations with her neighbors.

Australia is a strange land, a land of vast expanses- fertile valleys, snow fields and deserts- also a land with unique animal, many that can not be found on any other continent in the world today.

Much of the continent is dry, but man has utilized the land, made it productive, with its tools, with its technology. This is the driest continent of all, and water is a precious possession, more precious than all other natural resources. Large dams are built to collect the water, there to irrigate the fields of pastures(牧场) and crops.

But Australia is changing. The land of wool and wheat is now a land of large-scale industry and mining. The costs of developing the new mineral discoveries are enormous, but the rewards are great too.

Australia — a young and developing nation. Australia — a nation that wants to communicate with its neighbors. .w.^w.k.&s.5*u.c.#om.

Australia is an island located ______ of Asia and its big cities lie ____ of the coast.

A. to the south; on the southeast         B. to the north; on the southwest

C. to the east; on the northeast             D. to the east; on the southwest

We can infer from the passage that the Australian likes outdoor activities for the _____ climate.

A. dull and wet      B. fine and shiny  C. gloomy and rainy           D. wet and cold

____ is the most precious source in Australia.

A. Mineral resource                     B. Animal         C. Desert             D. Water

Which of the following statements about Australia is wrong?

A. Australians are a suburban people

B. Australia is governed by a parliamentary democracy.

C. Australia prefers to live in the downtown of big cities.

D. Wool and wheat used to be the main products of Australia. .w.^w.k.&s.5*u.c.#om.

Going to the beach is many American’s favorite activity. They went swimming in the ocean without giving a thought to what was underwater. But those days are long gone. In the summer of 1988, many of the beaches had to be closed because garbage(废料)from hospitals was found in the water. The garbage included glass bottles with samples of blood, and people were afraid they might get AIDS from the blood. At some beaches, sewage(下水道)was found in the water. Americans were shocked by this state of affairs. People didn’t think of the underwater garbage because it was out of sight.

Some of the most polluted waters still look beautiful. San Francisco Bay is a good example of a beautiful bay that’s full of chemicals. Scientists discovered pollution in some lakes and rivers when they found fish with rotting skin. People are told not to eat too much fish because of pollution. Most American cities put their garbage in the ground. But New York and a few other cities put their garbage in the ocean. Boston Harbor is so polluted that scientists say it won’t recover until the next century. The government has ordered the city to build a sewage treatment plant, Cleaning up oceans won’t be easy, but people can no longer ignore(忽视)this challenge.

The main idea of the article is that _____.

A. ocean waters around America have become polluted.

    B. Americans are bringing too much garbage to the beach.

    C. beaches were closed because Americans were shocked.

    D. going to the beach is many American’s favorite activity.

The oceans are polluted by _____.

    A. swimmers, AIDS patients and fish.

    B. Boston, San Francisco and New York only.

    C. garbage, sewage and medical waste and so on.

D. swimmers and fishes

Many polluted waters are beautiful because _____.

A. chemicals can be beautiful.

B. they have been cleaned up.

C. pollution is underwater or hard to see.

D. there are still many fish in them

More people can go to the beaches near Boston if _____.

A. the city puts its garbage in the ground

B. a sewage plant is built

C. they don’t eat too much fish

D. they stop polluting the water

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