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.

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36-55各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。
In the seventh grade when my mother suggested that I should join the golf team,  I thought she had lost her mind. But as  36 , my mother won in the end. I  37  on the junior school golf team in the seventh and eighth grade. The summer before  38  school came, I had a burning  39  to play on the high school team.
That summer I  40  almost every Sunday morning on the golf course (高尔夫球场) with my  41 , and too many afternoons counting on the course with my mother. This  42  relationship with my parents  43  during my high school years,  and Mom and I  44  it to the hours spent together on the golf course.   45  you're walking down the freshly mowed fairway (高尔夫球场上的平坦大道), staring (凝视) out  46  miles of nothing but golf course,  and looking up at the beautiful blue sky, you will realize  47  is important in life. My mom and I have solved most of the world's 48  there and plan to write a book together one day. We talk about such things in the middle of a round of (一轮比赛) golf as we would never do at  49 ,  where she is Mom and I am an annoying ( 惹人烦恼的 ) teenager. On the golf course, we're just two people who  50  golf.
51  has become part of my life during the past years. My friends know in the summer the place to find me is on the golf course.  There is  52  I love more than a perfect autumn morning,  riding around in a golf cart with my dad. Golf has  53  me and made me into the person I am today. And I have to  54  that all of it is thanks to my mom who  55  me join that middle school golf team. She was right -- as usual.

I’m lying on my back in my grandfather’s orchard（果园）,looking up at the branches above me. It is one of the last days of summer. Already the days are shorter and the nights are cooler. Some kinds of apples are already ripe（成熟的）. Others will be ready to pick soon. I think of my grandmother’s apple pie(苹果馅饼), and how I used to make it with her. She died last year, before the apple harvest, and I have not had her pie since. I really miss her. I hear bees busily humming about, visiting the late summer flowers. The gentle hum of their wings nearly sends me to sleep.
The sky is as blue as my grandfather’s eyes. Above me, big white clouds race across the sky like pieces of cotton blowing in the wind. School starts in another week, and time seems to have slowed down.
“Sophie!” calls my grandfather. “Is that you?” I stand up, take his hand, and tell him all about my day as we walk through the orchard. We talk about apples, and bees, and Grandma. He tells me that he misses her too.
He puts his rough, brown farmer’s hand around my shoulder and pulls me close. “You know, Sophie,” he says, “ I spent the morning in the attic（阁楼）, and you’ll never guess what I found. It’s the recipe（烹饪法）for Grandma’s apple pie. I used to help her make it sometimes. I can’t do it all alone, but you used to help her too. Maybe between the two of us, we can work it out. Want to try?”
“ But it won’t be the same without Grandma,” I tell him.
“ That’s true,” he says, “ but nothing is the same without Grandma. Still, I don’t think that she would want us never to have another apple pie. What do you say?” I nod yes, and we walk towards home… towards an afternoon in the farmhouse kitchen, making Grandma’s famous apple pie.
【小题1】 We learn from the passage that Sophie       .

I’d meant to go to Miros that day. I’d packed my bag and was ready. The motor-boat ? ? in on time. The sky was cloudy, but the wind wasn’t too strong for the two-hour ? ? ?? . I stood at my window, staring at the boat. Then I lost ? ? ? of her, an old light-house partly blocked my view of the harbor. A dozen passengers were? ? ? ?? ? their way there. I was about to join them --- when a man’s face? ?? ? ?? at the light-house window.

This was strange, because the light-house had been empty, unused and ? ? ?? for thirty years. It was stranger still --- because I’d seen that ? ? ? before. I couldn’t place it but it was, or had once been, familiar to me. I opened my window and ? ? ? across. “I know we’ve met before, but I can’t remember where.”

I ? ? ? him to open his if he could and answer me. He did neither. The face behind the glass ? ? ? motionless (静止). Seeing him more clearly now, I knew he was not looking at me. He seemed to be looking upwards, ? ? ? the clouds. How well I’d known that face, sometime, somewhere!

I ? ? ?? again. “We met years ago. Was it in Athens in the 1950s? I used to live in Plaka.”

He didn’t reply nor give any ?? ? ? that he’d heard. I went back further, to ? ? ?? I was in the navy. “Perhaps we met at sea during the war,” and that thought at once ?? ? ? him to mind. Commander Leftis! He was Commander Leftis of course! How could I have forgotten? I’d saved his life once. But surely he …

The motor-boat ? ? ? her bell. I turned my eyes. The wind had risen, but she was pulling ? ?? . Laughing, I called, “Now I’ve missed her, and it’s your ?? ? ? , Commander!”

As the boat drew away, the face at the window faded. ? ? ? minute it was there. Looking up, I could see the whites of the eyes. The ? ? minute it was gone.

Well, I didn’t rush to the light-house. I knew that Leftis was dead. He died at sea in 1963 or 1964. But there’s one other thing I ought to tell you: the motor-boat never reached Miros. It was lost in a storm, with all the passengers.

1.A. reached??? ????????????? ????????????? B. arrived????????????? ??? ????????????? ????????????? C. went????????????? ??? ????????????? ????????????? D. came

2.A. voyage??? ????????????? ????????????? B. crossing????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C. travel????????????? ??? ????????????? ????????????? D. boating

3.A. sight?????? ????????????? ??? B. way????????????? ??? ????????????? ????????????? C. patience????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. chances

4.A. searching??? ? ????????????? B. finding????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C. making????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. hurrying

5.A. placed?? ????????????? ????????????? B. existed????????????? ???? ????????????? ????????????? C. occurred????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. appeared

6.A. locked? ????????????? ????????????? ??? B. opened????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C. rebuilt? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. chained

7.A. man??? ????????????? ????????????? ??? B. face????????????? ??? ????????????? ????????????? C. window????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. light-house

8.A. jumped?? ? ????????????? B. ran????????????? ??? ????????????? ????????????? C. shouted????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. screamed

9.A. expected?? ????????????? ????????????? B. hoped????????????? ??? ????????????? ????????????? C. believed????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. asked

10.A. became??? ????????????? ????????????? B. remained????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C. seemed????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. grew

11.A. through? ????????????? ????????????? B. after????????????? ??? ????????????? ????????????? C. for????????????? ?? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. at

12.A. persuaded? ????????????? B. repeated????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C. tried????????????? ??? ????????????? ????????????? D. continued

13.A. suggestion? ????????????? ????????????? B. answer? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C. sign????????????? ? ? ????????????? ????????????? D. action

14.A. when?? ????????????? ????????????? B. which????????????? ??? ????????????? ????????????? C. where????????????? ??? ????????????? ????????????? D. how

15.A. kept??? ????????????? ????????????? B. brought? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C. caused????????????? ??? ????????????? ????????????? D. changed

16.A. beat???? ????????????? ????????????? B. rang????????????? ??? ????????????? ????????????? C. turned on????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. put on

17.A. up?????? ????????????? ????????????? B. down????????????? ??? ????????????? ????????????? C. in????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. out

18.A. problem ????????????? ????????????? B. question ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C. duty????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. fault

19.A. Each????? ????????????? B. Every???? ????????????? ????????????? C. One????????????? ??? ????????????? ????????????? D. Some

20.A. next???? ????????????? ????????????? B. rest????????????? ??? ????????????? ????????????? C. other????????????? ??? ????????????? ????????????? D. last

Nowadays everybody seems to think that they know English. Many people speak it but few speak it really well. Practice is necessary in speaking English well.

Reading is also one of the things that will help you to speak English better. Read whenever you can and whatever you like! Read papers and Internet sites that you like in English every day. Then, you will see that the number of known words is increasing and you are able to speak with more skills. Then you will have made the foundations (基础) and a good basis of English. It is not good to stop and get stuck there.

Going to England or an English–speaking country is a good choice, but many people cannot afford it. If you cannot go, reading and speaking with your friends will also help you to practice your English. However, I think it is very good to visit some English – speaking country to see and test your knowledge in everyday life. You will understand the everyday usage of the language in its natural environment. There your level of English is going to improve even faster. Your ability to speak English is better. Nothing can match the excitement and happiness when a native speaker tells you that your English is very good!

Finally, in order to speak English well, you must be persistent (坚持的) and do it every day. It is like playing the piano. Pianists play it every day and so should you. Include English in your life and you will see where it is going. Practice, practice! Read, write and improve your language skills and you are on you way when you will be able to speak it with more and more confidence!

1.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．How to Improve Your Language Skills

B．How to Speak English Well

C．Speaking English

D．Practice, Practice!

2.What does the writer suggest about reading?

A．Trying to improve your vocabulary.

B．Keeping on reading when you have time.

C．Stopping when you have a good basis of English.

D．Looking up every unknown word when reading.

3.In the writer’s eyes, the essential(基本的) way to improve your speaking skills is _______.

A．practicing         B．going abroad       C．reading           D．writing

4.The main idea of the last paragraph is that ________.

A．we should play the piano every day

B．speaking English is fun and entertaining

C．we should practice English every day to improve our speaking skills

D．if we’ve learned to read and write, we’ll certainly be able to speak

5.According to the passage, what may make the author excited?

A．Reading papers and Internet sites.

B．Having a good basis of English.

C．Going to an English–speaking country.

D．A native speaker’s praise.