B
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
Tom was going home at five yesterday. He got on a bus. A mother with her little boy was sitting nearby. Suddenly the boy cried. His mother tried her best to make the boy stop crying. But the boy would not do so. At last Tom said angrily, “Oh, how that boy cried! Why don’t you give him what he wanted?” “I would if I could." answered the mother quietly,“But he wanted your cap.” What time was Tom going home yesterday?
A.At four | B.At five | C.At six | D.At seven |
Who was sitting near Tom on the bus?
A.An old man with his little girl |
B.A young woman |
C.A woman with her little boy |
D.A young man |
The mother tried her best to make the boy ______.
A.wake up | B.go to sleep | C.not talk much | D.stop crying |
When the boy cried, Tom ______
A.was very angry | B.was very hungry | C.was very happy | D.did not hear this |
Why was the boy crying?
A.Because he wanted something to eat. |
B.Because he wanted to get off the bus. |
C.Because he wanted to go home. |
D.Because he wanted Tom's cap |
Baseball (棒球) Match
Mr. Jenkins works in a middle school. There he teaches his students English. He works hard and is very busy. After supper, when his family watch TV, he always reads some newspapers in his room. At times Robert comes in and asks him to tell him a story. He likes his little son and does all what the boy wants.
One Sunday Mrs. Jenkins was doing some housework and Mr. Jenkins was reading a newspaper.
Robert came in but he didn’t say anything. About ten minutes later the boy showed a newspaper to him and called out, “There will be a baseball match tonight, Dad!”
Mr. Jenkins was surprised. He said to himself, “The boy is only three years old. How can he read the newspaper?”
He held up the newspaper and began to look for the news. But he couldn’t find it. At last the boy showed him an exclamation mark on the newspaper.Mr. Jenkins is a ______.
A.doctor | B.teacher | C.driver | D.farmer |
Mr. Jenkins always reads newspapers after supper because ______.
A.he’s very busy at school |
B.he works hard at school |
C.he wants to teach his son |
D.he wishes his family to listen to him |
“An exclamation mark” in the story means ____.
A.逗号 | B.冒号 | C.句号 | D.感叹号 |
Robert found ______ and called out.
A.a baseball match | B.a piece of good news |
C.a today's newspaper | D.an exclamation mark |
Mr. Jenkins thought ______, so he was surprised.
A.there was a baseball match |
B.his son bought a newspaper for him |
C.his little son learned to read |
D.his little son learned to write |
On New Year’s Eve, people in Italy throw out all the old things. So there are chairs, beds, clothes and plates in the trees. In Spain, the New Year comes in more quietly. In the evening people come together to the streets. Each holds a bag of grapes. When twelve o’clock comes, people start eating the grapes. In Japan, people eat noodles on New Year’s Eve. This food is said to bring long life. Early the next morning, some families climb Mount Fuji(富士山). There they watch the first sunrise(日出) of the New Year.This story is about New Year’s Eve in_______
A.Italy | B.Spain | C.Japan | D.All of the above |
People in Spain welcome New Year by _______after twelve .
A.eating grapes |
B.eating noodles |
C.throwing the old things |
D.watching the sunrise. |
People in both Spain and Japan _______ to bring in the New Year.
A.throw things away | B.get together |
C.eat some food | D.climb a mountain |
Japanese climb Mount Fuji to _______
A.look at the stars |
B.look for New Year’s wishes |
C.see the sun coming up |
D.have a rest |
The people in _______ hope to get long life from their New Year’s food
A.Japan | B.China | C.Spain | D.Italy |
In the rush to get to school, you drop a piece of toast on the floor. Do you throw it away or dec ide it’ s still OK to eat? If you’re like most people, you eat it. Maybe you follow the “5-second rule”, which claims foods are safe to eat if you pick them up within 5 seconds after dropping them. But you might want to think again. Scientists now say that 5 seconds is all it takes for foods to become polluted with enough bacteria(细菌) to make you sick.
Bacteria can cause many kinds of illnesses. Some kinds of bacteria can grow on food. If you eat foods on which these bacteria are growing, you can become sick.
One of these food-borne bacteria is Salmonella. It makes 1.4 million people sick every year. Salmonella is often found in raw eggs and chicken. Cooking kills these bacteria, which is why it is so important to cook eggs, chicken, and other foods thoroughly.
But how long does it take these bacteria to pollute food? A team of scientists in South Carolina did an experiment. First, they placed an amount of Salmonella on three surfaces; wood, tile (瓦片), and carpet. They placed a piece of bread and a piece of bologna(大腊肠) on each surface for 5,30, or 60 seconds. After just 5 seconds, both the bread and the bologna picked up enough bacteria to make you sick.
So forget the 5-second rule. If your toast drops on the floor, throw it away and get another piece of clean toast. This time, be careful not to drop it! In which part of a newspaper can you most probably find this passage?
A.Culture | B.Health | C.Advertisement | D.Technology |
After dropping a piece of toast , a person who follows the “5-second rule”will
A.throw away dirty toast immediately and go away |
B.pick up the toast as quickly as possible and eat it |
C.eat the toast within 5 seconds and feel pleased |
D.get another piece of clean toast quickly and eat it |
The scientists in South Carolina did the experiment to
A.see how quickly bacteria can pollute food |
B.show that the 5-second rule a correct |
C.see how harmful bacteria are to people’ health |
D.show that bacteria grow at different speeds on different foods |
What’s the writer’s attitude to the “5-second rule”?
A.Positive | B.Negative | C.Neutral (中立) | D.Cautious (谨慎) |
March, April and May are months full of festivals and events all over the world. Here are some wonderful festivals around the world that happen in spring.
SongKran--Thailand
Dates: 13th-15th, April
In Thailand, it’s time to celebrate the coming monsoon season, which will bring the rain many people have been looking forward to. They celebrate it with a festival called Songkran,when people head out to the streets with water guns to spray(喷,洒)everyone who walks past. If you walk on the streets where the festival is celebrated, prepare to get soaked!
Naghol--Vanuatu
Dates: Every Saturday from April to May
Every year, villagers come together to celebrate the harvest of yams, an important part in the people’s diet in Vanuatu. The festival is most famous for its “land di ving ceremony”. During the ceremony men and boys dive to the ground from high wooden towers with only two thin vines(藤条) attached(附于)to their ankles(脚踝). The divers’ heads have to lightly touch the ground when they jump---something very dangerous if the vines are not measured(测量)properly.
Cherry Blossom Viewing ---Japan
Dates: The cherry blossom season is different from year to year depending on the weather forecast.
The cherry blossom season has huge importance to the people of Japan, who celebrate the days when the flowers finally blossom. Only a few days later, the petals(花瓣) fall to the ground, like pink snowflakes. This is one of the most beautiful things to see. In Japan, almost everyone has picnics in the parks to view the flowers.
Sinhalese New Year--Sri Lanka
Dates: 13th or 14th, April
Just like in many other countries in South an South East Asia, this is the time when the Sinhalese celebrate the traditional New Year, an ancient celebration which marks the end of the harvest season and is one of two times of the year when the sun is straight above Sri Lanka. There are a lot of delicious foods during the celebration.What does the underlined word “soaked” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A.tired | B.wet | C.crazy | D.interested |
The writer thinks that the “land diving ceremony” can be dangerous for the divers because ___________.
A.the divers may fall onto the ground if the thin vines break |
B.the divers may bump into (撞在…上)the wooden tower on the way down |
C.the divers’ ankles may get injured if the vines are tied too tightly |
D.the divers may injure their heads if the vines aren’t measured properly |
. We can learn from the passage that__________________.
A.the Cherry Blossom Celebration usually lasts a long time in Japan |
B.the Cherry Blossom Celebration is the most important festival in Japan |
C.the time for the Cherry Blossom Celebration in Japan can be different yearly |
D.people usually stay at home for celebration during the cherry blossom season |