If you enjoyed the spring-like sunshine over the weekend and thought the weather has finally turned a corner, you’re sadly mistaken.
Chilly (寒冷的) days and grey clouds are forecast for the week—making it far too early to pack away the winter woollies.
Temperatures will struggle to rise above zero at night and fail to make double figures during the day.
People enjoy the spring sunshine in Sefton Park, Aigburth, Liverpool. Forecasters have predicted a return to chilly weather this week.
Met Office forecaster Charlie said, “It was a nice, dry, bright weekend in many parts and Monday is going to be a similar affair for many.”
“Temperatures will be between 5℃and 8℃, which is below average for the start of spring.”
The sun will disappear from the south of the country after today, with dry but cloudy conditions forecast for tomorrow and Wednesday.
Wednesday will be warmest of the three, with temperatures peaking at 9℃. But this is still two degrees below the March average for the district.
Overnight, temperatures will drop sharply, with lows of minus 3℃for the next three nights.
“It will generally stay on the cold side of average,” said Mr. Powell.
The March misery comes at the end of the coldest winter for more than 30 years.
Temperatures in December, January and February struggled to stay above zero, with the UK’s average 1.5℃, making it the deepest freeze since 1978—79.
It claimed there was just a one-in-seven chance of a cold December to February.
The agency also sadly predicted a “barbecue summer”, saying it was “quite optimistic” that it would be warmer and drier than average.
Following the two mistakes, the Met Office has dropped its long-range seasonal forecasts and will instead publish a monthly prediction for Britain, updated once a week.
In its defense, it says that while short-term forecasts are extremely accurate, Britain’s size and geographical position makes long-term predictions much more challenging.
It also points out that it gave warning of any heavy falls of snow this winter.
60. According to the passage, the weather on Tuesday in the south might be _______.
A. dry but cloudy B. sunny but chilly C. sunny and warm D. cloudy and chilly
61. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. British people can put away their winter clothes now.
B. The Met Office has shortened its forecast range.
C. The weather forecast becomes more and more accurate.
D. The agency was quite confident of long-term predictions.
62. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. The big chill isn’t over yet B. A warm spring finally arrives
C. A heavy snow is on the way D. The Met Office drops forecasts
63. From the passage, we can conclude ________.
A. the weather report is more and more important
B. British people become worried about bad weather
C. Britain has just experienced a very freezing winter
D. The Met Office can always predict any heavy snow falls accurately
Boxing was long viewed sickly. Generally forbidden by law in earlier days, the fighting was usually done with bare fists, and matches often lasted forty or fifty rounds.
In 1882 John L. Sullivan, a fighter of great power, won the world heavyweight championship from Paddy Ryan in a bare fisted battle marked by hitting, scratching, and biting without any rule. Five years later, while fighting Patsy Cardiff at Minneapolis, Sullivan broke his right arm in the third round, but he continued fighting to the sixth round and won. In 1889, Sullivan defeated Jade Kilrain with his bare fists in another championship fight, winning twenty thousand dollars and a diamond prize medal. His admirers talked then of running him for the next governor, but he traveled to Australia for a boxing tour instead, coming back only to lose his title in a twenty-one-round match with a young Californian named James J. Corbett.
“Gentleman James” victory in this match marked a turning point, for it showed scientific boxing was over strength. But Corbett’s title ended in 1897, when another boxer, Bob Fitzsimmons, in less than three seconds, achieved his feats and then Fitzsimmons knocked out an Irishman, won the heavyweight championship of the world, and invented the terrible “solar plexus punch.”
64.Boxing matches in the early days were. - .
A. short and bloody B. usually spare-time competitions
C. governed by strict rulesD. cruel
65.Sullivan held the world’s heavyweight title for. .
A.at least seven years B. only a year
C．five years D．twenty-one years
66.Sullivan’s fight with Kilrain was .
A．the first boxing championship match B. a bare-fisted championship fight
C．the last boxing match to be fought bare-fisted D．a six-round match
67. Sullivan was so popular that his admirers .
A．encouraged him to be a governor B．raised twenty thousand dollars for him
C．advised him to take boxing tour of Australia D．refused to believe he could be defeated
If you travel around the world , you will be surprised to find just how different the foreign customs can be from your own .
A visitor to India would do well to remember that people there consider it impolite to use the left hand for passing food at table . The left hand is supposed to be used for washing yourself . Also in India , you might see a man apparently shaking his head at another and assume that he is disagreeing . But in many parts of India a shake of the head is a gesture that shows agreement of acceptance .
Nodding your head when offered a drink in Bulgaria is likely to leave you thirsty . In that country you shake your head to indicate “yes” —a nod indicates “no”. The Arabs are known for their hospitality . At a meal in countries on the Arabic Peninsula , you will find that any drinking vessel （容器，器皿）is repeatedly refilled as soon as you drink it up .
In Europe it is quite usual to cross your legs when sitting talking to someone , even at an important meeting . Doing this when meeting an important person in Thailand , however , could cause offence . It is too informal an attitude for such an occasion . Also when in Thailand you are not supposed to touch the head of an adult —it’s just not done . In Japan , it is quite usual for men to plan evening entertainments for themselves and leave their wives at home . In Europe such attitudes are disappearing .
Customs vary from country to country . Visitors may be at a loss as to what to do in a foreign environment . In such circumstances , the golden rule to follow is : When in Rome , do as the Romans do .
60．In which country , a left — hand is not welcomed ? .
A．Thailand B．India C Arabic peninsula D．Bulgaria
61．In which country , if someone shakes his head at another , it shows that he agrees or accepts ?
.
A．Bulgaria B．Thailand C．China D．Arabic Peninsula
62．Which of the following is impolite in Europe ? .
A．to cross your legs
B．to touch the head of an adult
C．That men plan evening entertainment and leave their wives at home
D．To drain the glass in your hand
63．If you don’t know the customs in the country where you visit , the golden rule to follow is .
A．to do as the Romans do B．to do nothing
C．to visit Rome only D．to do as the natives do
When I was a child, I often dreamed of the time when I could leave home and escape to the city. We lived on a farm, in the winter especially, we wear quite out off from the outside world. As soon as I left school, I packed my bags and moved to the capital. However, I soon discovered that my life has its, too.
One big disadvantage is money. It costs so much to go out, not to mention basics like food and housing. Another disadvantage is pollution. I suffer from asthma (哮喘), and the air is so that I am afraid to go outside. Then there is the problem of traveling round. Although I have a car, I seldom use it because of the traffic jams. One choice is to go by bicycle, but that can be quite dangerous.
Of course there are advantages. First, there is so much to do in the city, whatever you tastes in culture or entertainment. Besides, there are wonderful jobs and greater chances of moving to a more important job or position. Finally, if you like shopping, the variety of goods is very surprising --- and, what is more, shops are often only a short walk away.
Is life better then, in the city? Perhaps it is , when you are in your teens or twenties. However, as you get older, and especially if you have small children, the peace of the countryside may seem preferable. I certainly hope to move back there soon. What was the writer always thinking about when he was a child?
| A．Staying on the farm. | B．Moving to the countryside. |
| C．Leaving home for the city. | D．Running away from the school. |
Which of the following is true about the writer?
| A．He is very old now. | B．He is in good health. |
| C．He prefers driving a car. | D．He lives in the city now. |
In the passage, the writer tries to __________.
| A．express his opinions about way of life | B．describe his life in the countryside |
| C．an interest in the outside world | D．persuade the reader to live in the city |
How is the passage mainly developed?
| A．By inferring. | B．By comparing. | C．By listing examples. | D．By giving explanations. |
The city of Rome has passed a new law to prevent cruelty to animals. All goldfish bowls are no longer allowed and dog owners must walk their dogs.
This comes after a national law was passed to give prison sentences to people who desert cats or dogs.
“The civilization of a city can be measured by this,” said Monica Cirinna, the councilor (议员)behind the new law.
“It’s good to do whatever we can for our animals who in exchange for a little love fill our existence with their attention,” she told a Rome newspaper.
The newspaper reported that round bowls don’t give enough oxygen for fish and may make them go blind.
“Rome has tried to protect fish more than anywhere else in the world. It stands out for recognizing that fish are interesting animals who deserve our respect and compassion every bit as much as dogs and cats and other animals,” said Karin Robertson, a director of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Last year a law was passed in Italy that gives people who desert pets big fines and prison sentences. Since then local governments have added their own animal protection rules.
The northern city of Turin passed a law in April to give pet owners fines of up to $598 if they do not walk their dogs three times a day.
The new law in Rome also says that owners mustn’t leave their dogs in hot cars or cut their dogs’ tails to make them look lovelier. The law also gives legal recognition to the “cat ladies” who feed homeless cats. The cats live all over the city from ancient ruins to modern office car parks.The new law passed in Rome will ________.
| A．help improve fishing environment |
| B．guarantee better conditions for goldfish |
| C．stop people from catching goldfish |
| D．discourage keeping goldfish at home |
People in Rome believe that the civilization of a city can be judged by its ________.
| A．exchanges with other cities |
| B．protection for ancient ruins |
| C．awareness of animal protection |
| D．recognition of animal lovers |
The underlined word “compassion” in Paragraph 6 is the closest in meaning to ________.
| A．pity | B．praise | C．support | D．popularity |
People may break the law in Turin if they ________.
| A．keep their dogs or cats in cars |
| B．feed homeless animals in car parks |
| C．raise their cats near ancient ruins |
| D．shut their dogs home all day long |
Generations of Americans have been brought up to believe that a good breakfast is essential to one’s life. Eating breakfast at the start of the day, we have been told, and told again, is as necessary as putting gasoline in the family car before starting a trip.
But for many people, the thought of food as the first thing in the morning is never a pleasure. So in spite of all the efforts, they still take no breakfast. Between 1977 and 1983, the latest year for which figures could be obtained(可获得的), the number of people who didn’t have breakfast increased by 33%—from 8.8 million to 11.7 million—according to the Chicago-based Market Research Corporation of America.
For those who dislike eating breakfast, however, there is some good news. Several studies in the last few years have shown that, for grown-ups especially, there may be nothing wrong with omitting(省略) breakfast. “Going without breakfast does not affect work,” said Arnold E. Bender, former professor of nutrition at Queen Elizabeth College in London, “nor does giving people breakfast improve work.”
Scientific evidence linking breakfast to better health or better work is surprisingly inadequate(不适当), and most of the recent work involves(涉及) children, not grown-ups. “The literature,” says one researcher, Dr Earnest Polite at the University of Texas, “is poor.” The main idea of the passage is _______.
| A．breakfast has nothing to do with people’s health |
| B．a good breakfast used to be important to us |
| C．breakfast is not as important to us as gasoline to a car |
| D．breakfast is not as important as we thought before |
For those who do not take breakfast, the good news is that _______.
| A．several studies have been done in the past few years |
| B．the omission of breakfast does no harm to one’s health |
| C．grown-ups have especially made studies in this field |
| D．eating little in the morning is good for health |
The underlined part “nor does giving people breakfast improve work” means _______.
| A．people without breakfast can improve their work |
| B．not giving people breakfast improves work |
| C．having breakfast does not improve work, either |
| D．people having breakfast do improve their work, too |
The word "literature" in the last sentence refers to _______.
| A．stories, poems, play, etc |
| B．written works on a particular subject |
| C．any printed material |
| D．the modern literature of America |
What is implied but not stated by the author is that _______.
| A．breakfast does not affect work |
| B．Dr Polite works at an institution of higher learning |
| C．not eating breakfast might affect the health of children |
| D．Professor Bender once taught college courses in nutrition in London |