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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.

Hurricane(飓风) reached the northeastern United States today and caused death and destruction everywhere. The killer storm carried winds of 135 miles per hour. The high winds and heavy rains created extremely dangerous waves. It is not yet known how many people died or were hurt in this storm, but it is said that the numbers will be very high.

With the arrival of the tornado season, the National Weather Service is again telling people how to protect themselves from these deadly storms. The winds from tornadoes are the most violent winds on earth. They can blow up to 400 miles per hour. A tornado looks like a funnel(漏斗). It is also very loud. It may sound like a train coming at you. In fact, the winds from a tornado can pick up a train and throw it around. If a tornado is seen in your area, it is very important that you protect yourself. A basement (地下室) is the safest place to go. Try to wait under a table in the basement. Stay away from windows. If you are outside or in your car, try to find a narrow place to hide.

As the area tries to deal with the worst flood of the century, there are many heartwarming stories of people helping other people. From all over the world people have sent food and clothes to help the thousands who have had to leave their homes. Many volunteers have come to help to make sandbags and use them to build walls against the overflowing river. While the result of this disaster will be terrible for many, it is beautiful to see people coming together to help others and save lives.

1.What does the underlined word “tornado” mean?

2.Which of the following is WRONG about tornados?

3.According to the passage, a person who sees a tornado in his area had better NOT ______.

4.We can learn from the passages that ______.

An Announcement

It was a small town which lay by the coast.Most people there lived by catching fish.The hurricanes often struck the area from July to October.Some of the people died on the sea when their boats were blown over by the high winds.So they paid much attention to the weather forecasts.They were afraid to meet with the hurricanes when they were catching fish on the sea.Each of the families had a radio and people always took them with themselves and listened to them at any time.

It was September.A hurricane attacked the town one night.Plenty of trees were pushed over and all the electric and telephone lines were broken.People couldn’t watch TV,or call their friends,or go to work.To their anger,they couldn’t listen to the weather forecasts the Town Radio Station broadcast.The food and fresh water would soon be short and the patients couldn’t be given medical care—no medicine could be carried there.People didn’t know what would happen and they looked anxious.

On the fourth day they read an announcement（通告）on the Town Weekly.It was written,“Recently we have to stop the weather forecast because of the bad weather.We usually get the forecasts from the airport.But the roads are all blocked by the fallen trees and stones.Whether or not we’ll be able to broadcast the weather forecast tomorrow depends on the weather！”

The people in the town often took radios with themselves because______.

A.they felt lonely when catching fish on the sea and listened to the weather forecasts

B.they were interested in the weather forecasts

C.they couldn’t watch TV on the sea

D.they hoped to listen to some good news

The writer writes the passage mainly to ______.

A.desrcibe the importance of weather forecast

B.give a news report

C.describe a bad effect of natural disasters

D.to warn people to be careful against hurricane

Read the announcement,the people were______.

A.encouraged                B.happy                       C.excited                      D.disappointed

An Announcement

It was a small town which lay by the coast.Most people there lived by catching fish.The hurricanes often struck the area from July to October.Some of the people died on the sea when their boats were blown over by the high winds.So they paid much attention to the weather forecasts.They were afraid to meet with the hurricanes when they were catching fish on the sea.Each of the families had a radio and people always took them with themselves and listened to them at any time.

It was September.A hurricane attacked the town one night.Plenty of trees were pushed over and all the electric and telephone lines were broken.People couldn’t watch TV,or call their friends,or go to work.To their anger,they couldn’t listen to the weather forecasts the Town Radio Station broadcast.The food and fresh water would soon be short and the patients couldn’t be given medical care—no medicine could be carried there.People didn’t know what would happen and they looked anxious.

On the fourth day they read an announcement（通告）on the Town Weekly.It was written,“Recently we have to stop the weather forecast because of the bad weather.We usually get the forecasts from the airport.But the roads are all blocked by the fallen trees and stones.Whether or not we’ll be able to broadcast the weather forecast tomorrow depends on the weather！”

1.The people in the town often took radios with themselves because______.

A.they felt lonely when catching fish on the sea and listened to the weather forecasts

B.they were interested in the weather forecasts

C.they couldn’t watch TV on the sea

D.they hoped to listen to some good news

2.The writer writes the passage mainly to ______.

A.desrcibe the importance of weather forecast

B.give a news report

C.describe a bad effect of natural disasters

D.to warn people to be careful against hurricane

3.Read the announcement,the people were______.

A.encouraged　　　　 B.happy　　　　　　 C.excited　　　　　 D.disappointed

Hurricane(飓风) reached the northeastern United States today and caused death and destruction everywhere. The killer storm carried winds of 135 miles per hour. The high winds and heavy rains created extremely dangerous waves. It is not yet known how many people died or were hurt in this storm, but it is said that the numbers will be very high.
With the arrival of the tornado season, the National Weather Service is again telling people how to protect themselves from these deadly storms. The winds from tornadoes are the most violent winds on earth. They can blow up to 400 miles per hour. A tornado looks like a funnel(漏斗). It is also very loud. It may sound like a train coming at you. In fact, the winds from a tornado can pick up a train and throw it around. If a tornado is seen in your area, it is very important that you protect yourself. A basement (地下室) is the safest place to go. Try to wait under a table in the basement. Stay away from windows. If you are outside or in your car, try to find a narrow place to hide.
As the area tries to deal with the worst flood of the century, there are many heartwarming stories of people helping other people. From all over the world people have sent food and clothes to help the thousands who have had to leave their homes. Many volunteers have come to help to make sandbags and use them to build walls against the overflowing river. While the result of this disaster will be terrible for many, it is beautiful to see people coming together to help others and save lives.
【小题1】What does the underlined word “tornado” mean?