E
Wouldn’t it be great if you could just look up at the sky and read the weather forecast right away? Well, you can. The forecast is written in clouds. If you can read that writing, you can tell something about the atmosphere. With some practice, you can become a pretty good weather forecaster. Who knows, you might even do as well as meteorologists.
　　Meteorologists use much more information than just the appearance of the clouds to make their forecasts. They collect data from all over the world. Then they put it into powerful,  high-speed computers.
This does give meteorologists an advantage, because they can track weather patterns as they move from west to east across the country.
But you have an advantage, too. You can look at the sky and get your data directly. A meteorologist uses a computer forecast that takes several hours to make a local forecast.
What are you seeing when you look at a cloud? “A picture of what moisture is doing in the atmosphere,” says meteorologist Peter Leavitt. There’s moisture throughout the atmosphere. Most of the time you don’t see it ,because it’s in the form of an unseen gas called water vapor.
Sometimes, the temperature of the air gets cold enough to cause the water vapor to change into liquid water. That’s called condensation, and we see it happen all the time(for example, when damp air hits the cold glass of a mirror). When enough water vapor condenses, tiny drops form in the air. These drops spread light. A cloud is seen. Watching clouds over a day or two tells you a lot more than a single cloud about the weather to come. Changes in clouds show changes in the atmosphere.
You should begin to notice patterns. Certain clouds, following each other in order, can signal a coming storm. But don’t take our word for it; see for yourself.
57．This passage mainly tells us about how to_______.
A．become a meteorologist               B．keep an eye on the weather
C．be an assistant to a meteorologist        D．change water vapor into liquid water
58．According to the passage, ordinary people might do as well as meteorologists in weather forecast________.
A．with the help of the high-speed computers
B．through a complex process of calculation
C．with simple practice looking up at the sky
D．asking for information from weather station
59．Your advantage in weather forecasts is that______.
A．you have more powerful computers at home
B．your brain works as well as a high-speed computer
C．you observe the sky and obtain your data directly
D．meteorologists give their data to you as soon as they get them
60．What causes vapor to change into water?
A．A lot of moisture.      B．Thick clouds. 
C．Warm atmosphere.       D．Cold air temperature.

There was one thought that air pollution affected only the area immediately around large cities with factories and heavy automobile traffic. At present, we realize that although these are the areas with the worst air pollution, the problem is literally worldwide. On several occasions over the past decade, a heavy cloud of air pollution has covered the east of the United States and brought health warnings in rural areas away from any major concentration of manufacturing and automobile traffic. In fact, the very climate of the entire earth may be infected by air pollution. Some scientists consider that the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the air resulting from the burning of fossil fuels (coal and oil) is creating a “greenhouse effect”— conserving heat reflected from the earth and raising the world’s average temperature. If this view is correct and the world’s temperature is raised only a few degrees, much of the polar ice cap will melt and cities such as New York, Boston, Miami, and New Orleans will be in water.

Another view, less widely held, is that increasing particular matter in the atmosphere is blocking sunlight and lowering the earth’s temperature — a result that would be equally disastrous. A drop of just a few degrees could create something close to a new ice age, and would make agriculture difficult or impossible in many of our top farming areas. Today we do not know for sure that either of these conditions will happen (though one recent government report drafted by experts in the field concluded that the greenhouse effect is very possible). Perhaps, if we are lucky enough, the two tendencies will offset each other and the world’s temperature will stay about the same as it is now. Driven by economic profits, people neglect the damage on our environment caused by the “advanced civilization”. Maybe the air pollution is the price the human beings have to pay for their development. But is it really worthwhile?

As pointed out at the beginning of the passage, people used to think that air pollution _______.

A. cause widespread damage in the countryside

B. affected the entire eastern half of the United States

C. had damaged effect on health

D. existed merely in urban and industries areas

As to the greenhouse effect, the author __________.

A. share the same view with the scientist.

B. is uncertain of its occurrence

C. rejects it as being ungrounded

D. thinks that it will destroy the world soon

The word “offset” in the second paragraph could be replaced by _________.

A. slip into   B. make up for　　 C. set up    D. catch up with

It can be concluded that ____________.

A. raising the world’s temperature only a few degrees would not do much harm to life on earth

B. lowering the world’s temperature merely a few degrees would lead major farming areas to disaster 

C. almost no temperature variations have occurred over the past decade

D. the world’s temperature will remain constant in the years to come

This passage is primarily about __________.

A. the greenhouse effect        　    B. the burning of fossil fuels

C. the potential effect of air pollution  　D. the likelihood of a new ice age

Last summer, I travelled to Meixian County with my friends. It is a small county at the foot of Taibai Mountain in Shanxi Province. We stayed there for one week and I__1__ my vacation because of the beautiful scenery at the top of the mountain.

I will__2__ forget the day when we climbed the main peak(山顶). The __3__in that area changes very quickly: it was sunny in the early morning when we set out, __4__ it began to rain heavily when we were only halfway up.

Soon，we were all__5__ and some of us wanted to go home. They said, “There is nothing__6__ here. We came to see the scenery，__7__the pouring rain！” However, the guide__8__， “Since we have got wet already, why not just go on with our journey？”

So we carried on up the mountain and，__9__we even noticed, the rain stopped and the sun was smiling again. When we reached the top of the peak, the view was unique (独特的)．

Up there, it was bright and clear. The sky was__10__and the air was fresh. The gentle wind made us feel cool. All the clouds were just like waves in the ocean, __11__ and falling under our feet. We could only see the peaks of mountains, as if they were __12__ floating sparsely (稀疏的) in the ocean. It was a really magical experience.

While we were enjoying the scene, the guide said __13__，“You see, I knew that there would be no rain above the clouds.”

It is __14__. While it may rain below the clouds, the sun is still there above them.

You will never see the sun __15__ you don't try your best to climb to the top of the mountain. If we had stopped and gone home when the rain was very heavy, we would never have seen the beautiful scenery __16__ the clouds. I think this is also true in __17__.

As the song says, “You won't see the rainbow unless you have gone through the thunder and storm.” I think in the__18__， whenever I have any difficulties in my life, I will remember the__19__from the top of Taibai Mountain and the __20__ which touched my heart deeply: There is no rain above the clouds.

1．A.spent　　　B．killed　　　C．had　　　D．enjoyed

2．A.ever       B．never      C．certainly  D．perhaps

3．A.scenery    B．cloud      C．sky       D．weather

4．A.so        B．while      C．but        D．instead

5．A.tired      B．hungry     C．angry      D．wet

6．A.necessary  B．fun       C．important    D．instructive

7．A.not       B．no         C．never      D．hardly

8．A.suggested  B．ordered     C．asked     D．demanded

9．A.when            B．before  C．while         D．then

10．A.dark          B．green      C．black         D．blue

11．A.jumping   B．dropping  C．going      D．rising

12．A.islands   B．fish       C．animals     D．waves

13．A.excited   B．proudly    C．angrily     D．happily

14．A.false     B．a lie        C．a guess     D．true

15．A.when     B．unless      C．if         D．while

16．A.over     B．on         C．above      D．under

17．A.study      B．rest       C．real world  D．life

18．A.past      B．present      C．future   D．life

19．A.weather   B．change     C．view      D．time

20．A.word    B．phrase       C．speech     D．sentence

There was one thought that air pollution affected only the area immediately around large cities with factories and heavy automobile traffic. At present, we realize that although these are the areas with the worst air pollution, the problem is literally worldwide. On several occasions over the past decade, a heavy cloud of air pollution has covered the east of the United States and brought health warnings in rural areas away from any major concentration of manufacturing and automobile traffic. In fact, the very climate of the entire earth may be infected by air pollution. Some scientists consider that the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the air resulting from the burning of fossil fuels (coal and oil) is creating a “greenhouse effect”— conserving heat reflected from the earth and raising the world’s average temperature. If this view is correct and the world’s temperature is raised only a few degrees, much of the polar ice cap will melt and cities such as New York, Boston, Miami, and New Orleans will be in water.

Another view, less widely held, is that increasing particular matter in the atmosphere is blocking sunlight and lowering the earth’s temperature — a result that would be equally disastrous. A drop of just a few degrees could create something close to a new ice age, and would make agriculture difficult or impossible in many of our top farming areas. Today we do not know for sure that either of these conditions will happen (though one recent government report drafted by experts in the field concluded that the greenhouse effect is very possible). Perhaps, if we are lucky enough, the two tendencies will offset each other and the world’s temperature will stay about the same as it is now. Driven by economic profits, people neglect the damage on our environment caused by the “advanced civilization”. Maybe the air pollution is the price the human beings have to pay for their development. But is it really worthwhile?

46. As pointed out at the beginning of the passage, people used to think that air pollution _______.

　A. cause widespread damage in the countryside

　B. affected the entire eastern half of the United States

　C. had damaged effect on health

　D. existed merely in urban and industries areas

47. As to the greenhouse effect, the author __________.

　A. share the same view with the scientist.

　B. is uncertain of its occurrence

　C. rejects it as being ungrounded

　D. thinks that it will destroy the world soon

48. The word “offset” in the second paragraph could be replaced by _________.

　A. slip into   B. make up for　　 C. set up    D. catch up with

49. It can be concluded that ____________.

　A. raising the world’s temperature only a few degrees would not do much harm to life on earth

　B. lowering the world’s temperature merely a few degrees would lead major farming areas to disaster 

　C. almost no temperature variations have occurred over the past decade

　D. the world’s temperature will remain constant in the years to come

50. This passage is primarily about __________.

　A. the greenhouse effect        　    B. the burning of fossil fuels

　C. the potential effect of air pollution  　D. the likelihood of a new ice age