Ever wonder how much a cloud weighs? What about a hurricane? A meteorologist has done some estimates and the results might surprise you.

Let's start with a very simple white puffy cloud — a cumulus cloud（积云）. How much does the water in a cumulus cloud weigh? Peggy LeMone, senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, did the numbers. "The water in the little cloud weighs about 550 tons," she calculates. "Or if you want to convert it to something that might be a little more meaningful … think of elephants."

The thought of a hundred elephants-worth of water suspended in the sky begs another question — what keeps it up there?

"First of all, the water isn't in elephant sized particles（微粒）, it's in tiny tiny tiny particles," explains LeMone. And those particles float on the warmer air that's rising below. But still, the concept of so much water floating in the sky was surprising even to a meteorologist like LeMone. "I had no idea how much a cloud would weigh, actually, when I started the calculations," she says.

So how many elephant units of water are inside a big storm cloud—10 times bigger all the way around than the "puffy" cumulus cloud? Again, LeMone did the numbers: About 200,000 elephants.

Now, ratchet up the calculations for a hurricane about the size of Missouri and the figures get really massive. "What we're doing is weighing the water in one cubic meter theoretically pulled from a cloud and then multiplying by the number of meters in a whole hurricane," she explains.

The result? Forty million elephants. That means the water in one hurricane weighs more than all the elephants on the planet. Perhaps even more than all the elephants that have ever lived on the planet.

1.The weight of      is NOT mentioned in the passage.

A．a cumulus cloud    B．a tornado          C．a hurricane        D．a storm cloud

2.How did Peggy LeMone feel about the result of her calculations?

A．She found it not convincing.

B．She thought it needed further calculations.

C．She was quite surprised at it.

D．She considered the calculations inaccurate.

3.What can be inferred from the passage?

A．A storm cloud weighs about 200,000 elephants.

B．The water in a hurricane weighs more than that in any other kind of cloud.

C．There are less than forty million elephants living on the earth.

D．The water in the cloud is in very tiny partials.

D
Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. It is also one of the most interesting. It was named after Jupiter, the most important of the Roman gods, and nicknamed the “King of Planets.” It is the fifth planet from the sun and the fourth brightest object in the sky. Before the invention of the telescope, Jupiter was thought to be a bright star.
In 1610, the famous astronomer Galileo realised that Jupiter was actually a planet. He also noticed that it had four large moons. These are known as the Galilean moons. The biggest is Ganymede, and it is larger than the planets Pluto and Mercury. Next in size is Callisto, which is the farthest away from Jupiter. It is the closest to the planet, and has a lot of active volcanoes. The smallest of the Galilean moons is Europa. Europa is covered in ice, and scientists believe there may be an ocean underneath.
Galileo's discovery that Jupiter was not a star but a planet was very important. Before this time, people believed the Earth to be the centre of the universe. They thought that the sun, stars, and other planets all revolved around the Earth. However, Galileo proved that the sun was at the centre of the universe!
(A) Jupiter is farther out in the solar system than Earth, so it takes longer to revolve around the sun. (B) However, a day on Jupiter is much shorter, only 9.8 Earth hours. (C) This is because it spins(旋转) a lot faster than the Earth does. (D)
Another of Jupiter's interesting features（特性） is its “Great Red Spot.” On the surface of the planet is a large red spot. The spot is actually a huge storm like a hurricane, but bigger. It covers an area twice as big as the Earth and has been going on for at least 400 years!
62. What is the passage mainly about?
A. Features of the planet Jupiter.     
B. Differences between Jupiter and other planets.
C. Galileo's accomplishments in astronomy（天文）.
D. How Jupiter moves in the solar system.
63. According to Paragraph 3, why is Galileo's discovery important?
A. Because Jupiter was thought to be smaller than Earth.
B. Because people knew that Earth is not the only planet.
C. Because it meant that the planet goes around the Earth.
D. Because it proved that Earth is not the centre of the universe.
64. The underlined word “revolved” in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to           .
A. approached        B. stopped            C. sped up            D. circled
65. Where would the following sentence best fit into Paragraph 4, (A), (B), (C) or (D)?
This means that one year on Jupiter is as long as 11.6 Earth years.

第三部分 阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

On October 16th 1987, southern Britain was hit by a hurricane, the worst storm to hit Britain since 1703.

Twenty years later, Britain is remembering the disaster known as The Great Storm. 15 million trees across the area were uprooted by the wind, and a wet autumn had made the ground very muddy (泥泞的).

The falling trees caused damage to buildings and vehicles, and blocked roads and railway lines, forcing everyone, from adults to schoolchildren to stay at home.

There were also blackouts across the area, as power lines were damaged by falling trees and flying debris (残骸). People used candles and flashlights (手电) for light, and gas stoves and open fires to cook food.

The storm lasted for 4 hours, and killed 18 lives. The bad weather caused so much damage mostly because of the fact that most people were completely unprepared, and be-cause many weather forecasters didn’t think it could cause a problem.

Earlier that week, weather forecasts had predicted severe (严重的) weather, but forecasters thought it would miss Britain and only affect the English Channel. A well-known weatherman, Michael Fish, ever said that the storm wouldn’t happen, though in fact he was talking about a hurricane in Florida at that time.

The unusual storm caused more than ￡1billion in dam-age, and hundreds of people were injured.

Could the same thing happen today in Britain? Well, as a result of climate change many people think that sudden and severe weather changes are more likely. However, technology has improved, and satellites give us a much more accurate(精确的)picture of future weather. If another Great Storm comes along, the British public will probably be warned earlier and have more time to prepare!

56. The bad weather in 1987 in Britain caused a lot of damage because ______.

A. it caused a great flood                    B. most people were not prepared

C. it happened in the summer                            D. there was no weather forecast

57. Which of the following was NOT one of the effects of The Great Storm?

A. There were a number of deaths and injuries.   B. The electricity went out.

C. It hit Florida first.                                D. Roads and railway lines were blocked.

58. One week before The Great Storm, weather forecasts ______.

A. could not predict severe weather at all

B. had predicted the severe weather, but some weather forecasters thought it would miss Britain

C. showed that the terrible storm would not hit the English Channel

D. showed that The Great Storm would affect both England and Florida

59. We learn from the last paragraph that ______.

A. this kind of bad weather will not happen in Britain again

B. bad weather will happen more frequently in Britain now

C. people will be better prepared if there is bad weather in Britain now

D. bad weather may be stopped with the development of technology

【小题1】You can use a clean ________ (手帕)to cover the bleeding point.
【小题2】 A hurricane struck the __________ （东南）of England last week.
【小题3】 _________ (判断) from his appearance, he seems a gentleman.
【小题4】 He had the photos           (冲洗) which had been taken the day before.
【小题5】.He was           (极其) tired after so many days’ overwork.
【小题6】 Few students in my class can     ________ (付得起) a trip to New Zealand.
【小题7】.The travel to Mount Tai last year was an     _______  (难忘的) experience.
【小题8】.My watch doesn’t work, so I’ll have it ______________（修理）
【小题9】 _______    _(赢得) the support of the majority requires time, energy and devotion.
【小题10】In early spring workers come to cut off useless         __(树枝)of trees.

 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(具有破坏性的).

   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(预测) 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’re gotten better over the years, especially the last few years,” says Phil Klotzbach, 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, ” Klotzbach says.

First, the ocean water needs to be warm enough so that it evaporates and rises into the air. As it rises, the vapor（水蒸气）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(形成) of a hurricane.

If wind speeds reach 40 miles per hour, the system is called a “tropical storm”(热带风暴), 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 of 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 higher.

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

49. 1.According to the passage, hurricanes usually ____.

A. form off the coast of Africa and America

B. travel at 40 miles per hour and get its name

C. cause sea winds to rise and blow over the sea

D. hit parts of the world in summer and autumn

50. 2.The underlined word “evaporates” probably means “____”.

A. begins to move    B. gets lost    C. becomes hot      D. changes into gas

51. 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

52. 4.According to the passage, the speed of the biggest two hurricanes reaches ____.

A.115 miles per hour                 B.110 miles per hour

C.75 miles per hour                  D.95 miles per hour