英美国家41. 天气(9)英语阅读理解精选

2021年1月17日发(作者：祝玉成)
Passage

1

Many
of
the
most
damaging
types
of
weather
begin
quickly,
strike
suddenly,
and
disappear
rapidly, destroying small areas while leaving neighboring areas untouched. Such event as a tornado
struck the northeastern part of Edmonton, Alberta, in
July 1987. Total damages from the tornado
went beyond $$250 million, the highest ever for any Canadian storm.

Traditional
computer
models
of
the
atmosphere
have
limited
value
in
predicting
short
-
lived
local
storms
like
the
Edmonton
tornado,
because
the
available
weather
data
are
generally
not
detailed
enough
to
allow
computers
to
study
carefully
the
slight
atmospheric
changes
that
come
before these storms. In most nations, for example, weather
-
balloon observations are taken just once
every
twelve
hours
at
places
separated
by
hundreds
of
miles.
With
such
limited
data,
traditional
forecasting models do a much better job predicting general weather conditions over large areas than
they do forecasting specific local events.

Until recently, the observation intensive method needed for exact, very short
-
range forecasts, or

weather
stations
was
extremely
high,
and
the
difficulties
concerned
in
rapidly
collecting
and
processing the weather data from such a network were hard to overcome.

Fortunately,
scientific
and
technological
advances
have
overcome
most
of
these
problems.
Radar
systems and satellites are all able to make detailed, nearly continuous observation over large areas
at
a
lower
cost.
Communications
satellites
can
send
out
data
around
the
world
cheaply
and
immediately, and modem computers can quickly collect and analyze this large amount of weather
information.

Meteorologists
(
气象学家
^)
and
computer
scientists
now
work
together
to
design
computer
programs
and video equipment
able to
change
weather data into words and graphic displays
that
forecasters
can
understand
easily
and
quickly.
As
meteorologists
have
begun
using
these
new
technologies in weather forecasting offices, Nowcasting is becoming a reality.

1.

Why can't traditional computer models predict short
-
lived local storms?

A.

T
he weather data people collect are often wrong.

B.

D
etailed weather data in some small areas are not available.

C.

T
he computers are not advanced enough to predict them.

D.

T
he computers are not used to forecast specific local events.

2.

The word












.

A.

a
network to collect storm data

B.

a
way of collecting weather data

C.

a
more advanced system of weather observation

D.

a
forecast which can predict weather in the small area

3.

What can make

A.

S
cientific and technological advances.

B.

A
dvanced computer programs.

C.

C
omputer scientists.

D.

M
eteorologists.

4.

What does the passage mainly talk about?

A.

T
he advantages of

B.

A
tornado in Edmonton, Alberta.

C.

T
he difficulty in predicting tornado.

D.

A
great development in weather forecast.

参考答案：
BDAD

1

Passage
2

When a storm is coming, most people leave the area as quickly as possible and head for safety.
But there are a few people who will get into their cars and go straight for the center of the storm.
These people are willing to risk(
冒
......
危险
) being killed by floods or 100
-
kilometer
-
an
-
hour winds
for the excitement of watching the storm close up.


chasing(
追逐
)
is
becoming
an
increasingly
popular
hobby(
喜好
),
especially
in
the
Midwest of the United States, where there are frequent storms between March and July. A storm
chaser begins the day by checking the Internet for the latest weather reports, and then drives up to
1,000 kilometers to where the storm will be and waits for it to develop.

Although anyone can do it, storm chasing is extremely dangerous. The power of a big storm
can throw a cow into the air or destroy a whole house in seconds. Storm chasers are also often hurt
in accidents caused by driving in a heavy rain. If you are a beginner, it is much safer to join a group
for storm
-
chasing vacations during the storm season.

Even then, storm chasing is not all adventure and excitement.
says Daniel Lynch, who spends most of his summer storm
-
chasing.
for hours waiting for something to happen, and all you get is blue sky and a few light showers.

However, for storm chasers, it is all worth it.
exciting sight you will ever see in your life,
power of nature. It is the greatest show on Earth.

(

)1. For storm chasing, the first thing storm chasers do is to
_________
.

A. head straight for the center of the storm

B.

get into the car for safety

C.

wait patiently for the storm to develop

D.

collect information about a coming storm

(




) 2. Beginners of storm chasing are advised

_________
.

A. not to drive in a heavy rain

B. to do it in an organized way

C.

not to get too close to a storm

D. to spend more time on it in summer

(

) 3. By saying
_______
.

A.

storm chasing costs a lot of money

B.

storm chasing is worth hours of waiting


C.

efforts in storm chasing are well repaid

D.

a storm presents the greatest show on Earth

参考答案：
DBD








Passage

3

When people want to know about the weather, they usually go to their radios, TVs, newspapers,
or to the Internet. However, you can also find many weather signs among wildlife, because of their
2

highly developed senses. Drops in air pressure(
压力
) produce an effect on small animals in many
ways. Mice and deer are good weather indicators. People who spend a lot of time outdoors have
observed that, before a storm, field mice come out of their holes and run around. Deer leave high
ground and come down from the mountains.
Birds are especially
good weather indicators because they
also
show the effect
of
a pressure
drop in many ways. For example, some birds become irritable(
急躁的
) and quarrelsome and will
fight over a piece of bread. Other birds chirp(
叽叽喳喳
) and sing just before a storm. It seems they
know they won’t g
et another chance for an hour or two. Birds also seek safe places before a storm.
You will sometimes see birds settling in trees or gathering together on a wire close to a building.
Pre-storm low pressure makes the air so thin that birds have difficulty flying.
It
is
unusual
to
see
many
birds
flying
overhead
in
the
summertime,
rather
than
during
the
periods in
the spring or
autumn. Watch for other weather signs if
you see this.
If they fly in
the
wrong direction, they may be flying ahead of a storm.
By paying closer attention to some important signs in nature, we can become better prepared
for any kind of weather.
1
.The word “indicators” in Paragraph 1 probably means
______.
A. maps



es ns
will be a storm if birds ______.
A .make more noise than usual



in different directions
C. come down from tall trees


a piece of bread
can birds sense the coming of a storm?
feeling a drop in air temperature.
noticing the change of wind directions.
feeling a drop in air pressure.
noticing the movements of other animals.
best title for the text would be ______.
of a Storm


in Air Pressure
s’
Sharp Senses




’s Weather Signs



参考答案：
C A C D







Passage

4

Climate change will increase U.S wildfires, and the smoky air will cause terrible problems in areas
far beyond those burned, reports an environmental group Thursday.
3


Two-thirds of Americans, or nearly 212 million, lived in states suffering from wildfire smoke
three years ago, according to the report by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). These
areas, which had smoke for at least a week, were nearly 50 times greater than those burned directly
by fire.
“
It affects a much wider area of the United States
than people have realized,”
says author Kim
Knowlton, a Columbia University health professor, adding the smoke can move up to hundreds of
miles. She says the smoke contains airpollution and can cause several kinds of disease.
Texas was hit hardest in 2011, when smoke stayed for at least a week in areas that are home to
25 million people, according to NRDC’s report. Illinois, which recorded no wildfires within its
borders(
边界
) ,ranked (
排名

) second with nearly 12 million people affected by smoke that
moved in from elsewhere. The other eight states with the most people exposed (
接触
) to smoky air
were, in descending (
下降的
) order: Florida, Missouri, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan,Alabama,
Oklahoma and Iowa.
Nearly two dozen states had no wildfires within their borders in 2011, but eight of them still
had at least one week of smoky
air: Illinois, Missouri, Iowa,Kansas, Nebraska, Indiana, Wisconsin and Ohio.
Only 18 states and the District of Columbia had no people exposed to at least a week of smoke
that year, although five of them----Alaska, California, Hawaii,Nevada and Utah---had a large area
burned by wildfires.
The problem will only get worse, Knowlton say. Scientific research shows climate is causing
higher temperatures and health problems.
1. We can learn from the first two paragraphs that __________.
A. most Americans suffered from climate change.
B. the states burned by wildfires had more serious problems.
C. most Americans suffered from wildfire smoke in 2011.
D. Every state had wildfire smoke for at least a week.
2. Which of the following states had wildfires within its borders?
A. Texas

B. Kansas.

C. Ohio

D. California.
3. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Climate change causes more wildfires.
B. More wildfires cause climate change.
C. Wildfire smoke becomes a serious health problem.
D. Air pollution becomes a terrible problem.


参考答案：
CDC




Passage

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