Too cold for recess? School policies vary as much as temps

When is it too cold for schoolchildren to go outside for recess（课间休息）? The answer varies widely based on where a school is located and what the kids are used to．

Consider: One northern Minnesota school says it has to be 15 below zero before kids are kept inside． But in areas along the East Coast, temperatures below 35 to 40 degrees could keep kids inside． Canceling recess because of the cold is no small issue considering that much of the USA is trembling through what may be its coldest winter in a generation, according to AccuWeather．

There is no national temperature standard for when to keep kids inside during the winter months, the U．S． Department of Education says． Decisions are made at the local level, either by principals or school districts．

Consequently, policies are all over the map:

? In International Falls, Minn．, the self-described "Icebox of the Nation," where the average high temperature in January is 13 degrees, Falls Elementary School Principal Jerry Hilfer says, "if it's 15 below （or warmer）, they go out, no matter what．" "At 20 below, it gets iffy," he adds．

? In Wicomico County, Md．, principals typically keep children indoors when temperatures drop below freezing, or if it's raining or snowing, says Susan Jones, the school system's director of elementary education．

"That's the bottom line," says Curtis Twilley, principal of Pemberton Elementary School in Salisbury, Md． Twilley says students get little exercise when recess stays indoors． At Pemberton Elementary, the students will typically play board games or computer games in a classroom because the school's gym is occupied with other classes, he says．

? For schools in Marquette, Mich．, which averages about 12 feet of snow per season, school officials acknowledge students are probably a little more prepared than those in some more mild climates．

61． Which of the following is not true according to the passage_________．

　　　 A． No national temperature standard is made for when to keep kids inside during the winter months．

　　　 B． Susan Jones insists students get little exercise when recess stays indoors．

　　　 C． In Wicomico County, children are kept indoors when temperatures dip below freezing．

　　　 D． Mich has about 12 feet of snow per season on average．

62． Which place calls itself Box of Ice?

　　　 A． Wicomico County　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B． Marquette　 　　　

　　　 C．Salisbury　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D． Minn

63． Considering_______, canceling recess In USA because of the cold is a big issue．

　　　 A． different schools have different principles．　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　　 B． much of the USA has very cold winter．

　　　 C． physical activity can boost student performance．　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　　 D． decisions are made at the local level,

64． The underlined word iffy means _______．

　　　 A． uncertain 　　　　　　 B． surprising 　　　　 C． serious 　　　　　 D． worse

65． What will be talked about next?

　　　 A． More school policies 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

B． The reasons why school policies vary．

　　　 C． Measures to improve the situation．　　　　　

D． Necessities to improve the situation．

"It's this time of year when the weather starts warming up and frogs start breeding - but they haven't been breeding," says John Wilkinson, research and monitoring officer at the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust (ARC).

Amphibians (两栖动物) are just one of the groups of animals that nature observers fear may have problems reproducing this year, as groundwater levels are even lower now than in the infamously dry summer of 1976, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). According to the UK's Centre for Hydrology and Ecology the average rainfall so far this winter has been the lowest since 1972.

　 "If ponds dry up totally," says Mr. Wilkinson, "you could have lots of dead tadpoles." Drier and windier conditions could also make it more difficult for juvenile amphibians to survive their journeys between wet habitats.

　 But Peter Brotherton, the biodiversity manager for Natural England, says that "drought is part of nature's cycle", and, at present, a lot of animals, plants and insects are still in hibernation. This means that the population picture is unclear. "However, when we get extreme events, we get animals dying," he says. "And what is worrying is that normally at this time of year we expect soil to be near saturation（湿润）after winter."

　　 Charlie Kitchin, the RSPB's site manager of the Nene Washes in Cambridgeshire, says the 2,000-acre wetland and grassland area is now struggling following two winters with relatively little winter rain and no flooding. One species that could suffer, he says, is the black-tailed godwit（黑尾豫）. "There are only 50 breeding pairs in the country, and we have 40 of them, and everything is bone-dry," Mr Kitchin says.

　 But one bad nesting season, he says, is "not the end of the world". "One of the features of flood plains is that they're volatile anyway," he adds. "But if they fail to breed another year, the population is likely to dip again."

71. According to the passage animals may have problems reproducing this year mainly due to ________.

A. drought　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. hibernation　　　　

C. windier conditions 　　　　　　　　　　 D. extreme events

72. What really worries Peter Brotherton is that ________.

　 A. drought is part of nature’s cycle

　 B. animals are still in hibernation

　 C. soil at this time is far from saturation

　 D. the population of animals is still unclear

73. Which of the following is NOT true of Charlie Kitchin’s words?

　 A. Drought has so far continued for two winters.

　 B. Animals could survive one bad nesting season.

　 C. The black-tailed godwit is in danger of extinction.

　 D. 40 black-tailed godwits live in the Nene Washes.

74. The underlined word volatile in the last paragraph can be replaced by ________.

　 A. losing water 　　　　　　　　　　　 B. undergoing changes

　　 C. breeding animals 　　　　　　　　 D. suffering flood

75. It can be learnt from the text that ______________.

　 A. groundwater levels this summer are lower than those of 1976

B. the average rainfall this year has been the lowest since 1972

　 C. windier conditions could also cause some amphibians’ death

　 D. flooding plays no useful role in wetlands and grasslands