The south and east of the Great Lakes is famous for the huge amounts of snow it receives. When the snow starts to fall every year,　people start discussing the phrase “lake-effect snow”.
Lake-effect snow which is influenced by the movement of cold air over the relatively warm water of the Great Lakes often comes in late autumn and early winter. Because of the at least 20 degrees’ difference between the lake water and the overrunning air, it’s easy to form huge amounts of snow.
As the cool air crosses the water of Great Lakes, the lowest levels of the atmosphere begin to warm and pick up moisture. This newly warmed atmosphere is lighter than the cold air above it, so it starts rising. As the changed air continues to climb higher and higher, it finally meets much colder atmosphere which changes the moisture into water drops and ice, forming clouds. After this course repeats a number of times, the clouds become heavier and heavier, and then they are changed into snow and fall down.
The most important point that decides the amount of snowfall is the direction of the wind. If the wind runs perpendicularly（垂直地）across the lake, there won’t be plenty of time for clouds to develop. However, if the wind runs in the opposite direction, clouds will form easily. The longer the cold air travels over the lake, the more moisture it is able to produce, which leads to a greater amount of snow.
The largest amount of the lake-effect snow was found across the U.P. of Michigan, the northwestern Pennsylvania and the far southwestern and northwestern New York, which are all along the south or east of the Great Lakes. It has been over 100 inches of snowfall in a winter season.
【小题1】The level of the snowfall depends on ________.

An explosion on Thursday killed one and injured 21 in a busy street in Tongren, Southwest China’s Guizhou Province.

　　The bomb was hidden in a rubbish bin in the city’s commercial hub（商业中心），where lots of shops and restaurants are concentrated.

　　The ear-splitting blast was heard around 12∶50 p.m.，said a local newspaper, citing witnesses. The power of the blast shattered（使粉碎）nearby shop windows and ripped the stainless（不生锈的）steel rubbish can to pieces.

　　One passer-by，identified（确认）only as Zhang，said she was shocked by the noise and saw a lot of pedestrians lying on the ground when she got to the scene.

　　Thirteen of the injured were taken to a local hospital after the explosion. A doctor there said five were in serious condition but already out of danger after emergency treatment. The others were just slightly hurt.

　　The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, said an officer with the Tongren police, but refused to speculate as to the cause.

It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

　　A. All the injured were taken to a hospital

　　B. 8 of the injured were not taken to a hospital

　　C. The rubbish bin with a bomb was in a restaurant

　　D. The rubbish bin with a bomb was in a shop

Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

　　A. One passer- by, indentified only as Zhang, saw the man throwing a bomb into a bin.

　　B. Some customers in restaurants were injured.

　　C. The writer didn’t get to the scene.

　　D. All customers in shops got hurt.

In the last paragraph the underlined word“ speculate” probably means ________.

　　A. tell　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. guess

　　C. discuss　　　　　　　　　　　　D. talk

On the morning of May 29, Donna left unusually early for her 5:30 a.m. work at Noone’s Restaurant. She drove along a rural road,    1    as she often did to admire the old farmhouse she passed each day. But as she looked more    2   , she saw flames on one of the porch’s(门廊) posts. Donna pulled into the driveway and honked her horn(喇叭).

No response. With flames cutting her    3    from the front entrance, she ran to a side door, which was   4   . “Wake up,” she cried, running through the house. “   5   !”

    Just hours earlier Corinne Allin had put 18-month-old Benjamin, Devon, seven, and Amy, nine, to   6   . Now, awakened by the shouts, she stumbled(踉跄) down the steps into a    7    and saw the fire immediately. “My children , my husband ---they’re   8    upstairs,” Corinne said.

    “I’ll get them,” Donna said. “Call 911.”

    Donna    9    her way up the stairs through the    10   . While Hugh Allin went to see if he could put the fire    11    with the hose(水管), Devon dashed into Amy’s room. “Get up,” he cried. Amy lifted Benjamin from his bed. With windows exploding and smoke surrounding them, they made their way out of the    12   door.

In the disorder that followed, Donna slipped away to work. Passing the blackened house that evening, she stopped and left a note. Later that night the Allin family paid a    13   . Corinne explained that the fire began when she pressed out a    14    in a potted plant on the front porch. “But thanks to you,” she said with tears in her eyes, “we’re    15   .”

1. A. speeding B. slowingC. getting off　　  D. going out

2. A. closely    B. quietly　　　　    C. proudly   D. tightly

3. A. up　　　　  B. in　　　　　　　　  C. around　　　　   D. off

4. A. closed    B. open　　　　　　  C. locked　　　　   D. unlocked

5. A. Fire　　    B. Help　　    C. Hello　　　　　　  D. Come on

6. A. bed　　    B. desk　　    C. playground　　 D. school

7.A. room　　   B. heat　　    C. stranger   D. street

8.A. already    B. just　　　　 C. still　　　　　　  D. even

9.A. found　　  B. stepped   C. made　　　　　　 D. moved

10A. flames    B. smoke　　　　    C. rubbish    D. ashes

11.A. out　　    B. down　　　　　　 C. up　　　　   D. over

12.A. room    B. back      C. front　　　　　　  D. side

13.A. bill　　    B. visit　　    C. look　　   　　   D. part

14.A. match    B. wood　　　　　　 C. cigarette  D. oven

15.A. free　　   B. awake　　　　    C. alive　　 &ntbs?

p;  D. successful

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　The Festival of Cultures

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　August 11-14

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　City Park

　　The Festival of Cultures is an annual event to celebrate the wide range of cultures found in our great state. People representing 40 cultural groups will share their traditions and customs. Here are just a few of the festival’s many activities.

　　Crafts: See the fine art of basket weaving from Vietnam and Zimbabwe. Watch the delicate art of making paper umbrellas from Thailand and the decorative craft of paperl picado, or paper cutting, from Mexico. All craft demonstrations provide a firsthand view of how things are made. You will appreciate the process involved in making these products.

　　Music and Dance: Experience musical instruments that you have never heard before. Listening to the music of a sho from Japan, a bull-roarer from Australia, a sitar from India, and a chakay from Thailand. You will also be entertained by folk dances from around the world, such as the troika from Russia and the mayim mayim from Israel. From 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. on August 14, special folk-dancing classes for children will be offered. Children ranging in age from 6-8 can learn the kinderpolka from Germany. Children ranging in age from 9-12 can learn the raspa from Mexico.

　　Storytelling: Listen for hours as professional storytellers charm you with captivating tales. Fables, folktales, and ballads from various countries will be told. By popular demand, Gwendolyn Washington, a famous African American storyteller, is back.

　　Food: Enjoy irresistible foods from other countries, such as gyros from Greece, seafood paella from Spain, crepes from France, and tandoori chicken from India. These tasty dishes will be difficult to pass up.