题目内容
The forecast on Wednesday said no effective and widespread rainfall could be expected before May, _______ weak rainfall was likely in the second half of this month.
A. because B. so that C. although D. when
B
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May 26, 2011—Cities and provinces along the Yangtze River in central China are struggling with the country’s worst drought in more than 50 years. Resource analysts say, the drought highlights(突出，强调) not only the impact of climate change, but also China’s long-lasting problem of lack of water and how it must balance that with the country’s enormous demand for energy and economic growth.In a natural disaster—a hurricane, flood, volcanic eruption, or other catastrophes—minutes and even seconds of warning can make the difference between life and death．Because of this, scientists are working to use the latest technological advances to predict when and where disasters will happen．They are also studying how best to analyze and communicate this information once it is obtained．
On September 29, 1998, Hurricane Georges made landfall in Biloxi, Mississippi, after damaging Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and several islands of the Caribbean badly with torrential rains and winds up to 160 km per hour．Few people lost their lives along the Gulf Coast of the United States, although hundreds died in the Caribbean．
This was a very different outcome from 1900, when a powerful Gulf Coast hurricane made an unexpected direct hit on Galveston, Texas, killing at least 6,000 people．
Vastly improved hurricane warnings explain the different circumstances at either end of the 20th century——residents of Galveston had no advance warning that a storm was approaching, while residents of Biloxi had been warned days in advance, allowing for extensive safety precautions（预防）．
At the same time that people in Biloxi were thankful for the advance warning, some residents of New Orleans, Louisiana were less satisfied．A day before Georges made landfall, forecasters were predicting that the hurricane had a good chance of striking New Orleans．Because much of New Orleans lies below sea level, the city is at risk for flooding．Emergency management officials must begin evacuations（疏散）well before a storm strikes．But evacuation costs money: businesses close, tourists leave, and citizens take precautionary measures．The mayor of New Orleans estimated that his city' s preparations for Georges cost more than 50 million．After Georges missed New Orleans, some residents questioned the value of the hurricane forecasts in the face of such high costs．
The different views on the early warnings for Hurricane Georges show some of the complexities related to predicting disasters．Disaster prediction is a process of providing scientific information to the government officials and other decision makers who must respond to those predictions．
【小题1】What is the purpose of disaster prediction according to the passage?
| A．To identify the cause of disasters． |
| B．To save people' s lives and property． |
| C．To prevent natural disasters from happening, |
| D．To apply advanced technology to disaster prediction． |
| A．Puerto Rico． | B．New Orleans． |
| C．Biloxi, Mississippi． | D．Galveston, Texas． |
| A．the forecast hurricane did not hit the city |
| B．the hurricane warning arrived rather late |
| C．their preparations were made in vain |
| D．they suffered from a heavy hurricane attack |
| A．The different ways of disaster prediction． |
| B．Technological advances in disaster prediction． |
| C．The importance and uncertainty of disaster prediction． |
| D．The benefits and preparations of disaster prediction． |
D
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 (气象学家).
Meteorologists use much more information than just the appearance of the clouds to make their forecast. 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 have your brains. You can look at the sky and get your data directly. A meteorologist uses a computer forecast that’s several hours old to make a local forecast.
What are you seeing when you look at a cloud? “A picture of what moisture (水气) is doing in the atmosphere,”says meteorologist Peter Leavit. There’s moisture throughout the atmosphere. Most of the time you don't see it, because it's in the form of an invisible gas called water vapor.
Sometimes, the temperature of the air gets cold enough to cause the water vapor to change to liquid water. That’s called condensation, and we see it happen all the time, for example, when humid air from the shower hits the cold glass of a mirror. When enough water vapor condenses, droplets form in the air. These droplets scatter 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, fol1owing each other in order, can signal an approaching storm. But don’t take our word for it; see for yourself.
53. According to the passage, ordinary people can tell the weather because __________.
| A. they can look up at the sky | B. they can read weather writings |
| C. information is stored in computers | D. clouds signal the weather to come |
| A. you can keep weather patterns in mind. |
| B. you have more powerful computers at home |
| C. your brain works as well as a high-speed computer |
| D. meteorologists give their data to you as soon as they get them |
| A. there are droplets in the air | B. light is scattered |
| C. moisture exists in the form of invisible gas | D. water vapor changes to liquid water |
| A. to become a weather forecaster | B. to collect data directly |
| C. to be an assistant to a meteorologist | D. to keep an eye on the weather |