Question

       Many people like the feeling of the gentle wind in spring£®Many like to see the falling leaves dancing in the wind in autumn£®But sometimes, when the wind becomes a storm, it can be very destructive £¨»ÙÃðÐԵģ©£®

       A series of such storms struck the US last month and caused very serious damage and human pain£®

       Every year, major storms cause many problems around the world£®There is nothing people can do to stop these powerful forces of nature£®But new techniques are helping scientists to predict how, when, and where big storms will happen£®The more exact scientists¡¯ warnings are, the better people can prepare for the storms£®

       Predictions are improving£®¡°We¡¯ve gotten better over the years, especially the last few years,¡± says Phil Klotzback, a scientist at an American university£®How is a storm formed? Even if scientists know where a storm will happen, winds can suddenly change, carrying the storm to a new direction£®¡°For a hurricane to happen, conditions have to be just right,¡± Klotzback says£®

       First, the ocean water needs to be warm enough so that it evaporates and rises into the air£®As it rises, the air containing drops of water cools and turns back into liquid£®This process gives off heat£®This produces energy like an engine that causes winds to increase£®It drives the formation of a hurricane£®

       If wind speeds reach 40 miles per hour, the system is called a ¡° tropical storm¡±, and it gets a name£®At 75 miles per hour, it becomes a hurricane£®Hurricanes that hit the US start when a thunderstorm forms off the coast Africa£®Storms also develop over tropical waters in other parts of the world£®

       On average, 60 or 70 storms form off Africa every year£®About 10 of them get names£®There are usually about six hurricanes£®Two tend to be very big, with winds of 115 miles per hour or a bit higher£®

       The hurricane season lasts from June to November£®Ninety percent of all hurricanes hit in August, September and October£®

1£®According to the text, hurricanes usually ________£®

       A£®form off the coast of Africa and America

       B£®hit parts of the world in summer and autumn

       C£®cause sea winds to rise and blow over the sea

       D£®strike the US but cause no damage

2£®The underlined word ¡°evaporates¡± £¨in Paragraph 5£© probably means ¡°________¡±

       A£®begins to move                               B£®gets lost

      C£®becomes hot                                     D£®changes into a gas

3£®Which of the following about the information of a hurricane is the correct order?

       a£®The ocean water evaporates and goes into the air£®

       b£®Heat creates energy and causes winds to increase£®

       c£®The vapor cools£®

       d£®The ocean water is warm enough£®

       e£®The vapor changes back into liquid£®

       f£®This course gives out heat£®

       A£®a, d, e, b, c, f                                 B£®a, b, c, f, d, e

       C£®d, a, c, e, f, b                                  D£®d, a, b, c, e, f

Answer 1

BDC