No one can change the weather. Nobody can control the weather. But if we read correctly the signs around us, we can tell what the more important changes in the weather will be. This way of telling what the weather will be like on the following day or two is called weather forecasting(天气预报).
For many centuries and in all countries, people have studied the weather and tried to make weather forecasting. Rings around the sun are a sign of coming rain. That many people feel their joints(关节) hurt is a sign of wet weather. Some birds fly high if fine weather is coming, but they fly near the ground if rainy or stormy weather is on the way. If you see a rainbow during rainy weather, this is a sign that the weather will become clear and fine. Such rainbows come in the evening. If the stars twinkle clearly at night, then fine weather will continue. If a fog appears in the morning just above a river, then the day will be warm. If the sunset is mostly red in colour, then the following day will be fine. If a rainbow appears in the morning, rainy weather will probably come.
Most of the above sayings have been made by the people who have used their eyes and brains to make weather forecasting.Which of the following can be used here to replace(取代) the underlined phrase “on the way”?
| A．away. | B．gone. | C．disappearing. | D．coming. |
When you see the stars twinkle clearly at night, the weather will be _______.
| A．warm | B．rainy | C．clear and fine | D．cold |
Which of the following signs can tell the weather will probably be rainy?
| A．A rainbow appears in the morning. |
| B．Some birds fly high. |
| C．The stars twinkle clearly at night. |
| D．Fogs appear in the morning just above a river. |
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
第三部分阅读理解 (共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Saving the Planet with Earth-Friendly Bamboo Products
Jackie Heinricher’s love affair with bamboo started in her backyard. “As a child, I remember playing among the golden bamboo my dad had planted, and when there was a slight wind, the bamboos sounded really musical.”
A fisheries biologist, Heinricher, 47, planned to work in the salmon industry in Seattle, where she lived with her husband, Guy Thornburgh, but she found it too competitive. Then her garden gave her the idea for a business: She’d planted 20 bamboo forests on their seven-acre farm.
Heinricher started Boo-Shoot Gardens in 1998. She realized early on what is just now beginning to be known to the rest of the world. It can be used to make fishing poles, skateboards, buildings, furniture, floors, and even clothing. An added bonus: Bamboo absorbs four times as much carbon dioxide as a group of hardwood trees and releases 35 percent more oxygen.
First she had to find a way to mass-produce the plants—a tough task, since bamboo flowers create seed only once every 50 to 100 years. And dividing a bamboo plant frequently kills it.
Heinricher appealed to Randy Burr, a tissue culture expert, to help her. “People kept telling us we’d never figure it out,” says Heinricher. “Others had worked on it for 27 years! I believed in what we were doing, though, so I just kept going.”
She was right to feel a sense of urgency. Bamboo forests are being rapidly used up, and a United Nations report showed that even though bamboo is highly renewable, as many as half of the world’s species are threatened with dying out. Heinricher knew that bamboo could make a significant impact on carbon emissions (排放) and world economies, but only if huge numbers could be produced. And that’s just what she and Burr figured out after nine years of experiments—a way to grow millions of plants. By placing cuttings in test tubes with salts, vitamins, plant hormones, and seaweed gel, they got the plants to grow and then raised them in soil in greenhouses.
Not long after it, Burr’s lab hit financial difficulties. Heinricher had no experience running a tissue culture operation, but she wasn’t prepared to quit. So she bought the lab.
Today Heinricher heads up a profitable multimillion-dollar company, working on species from all over the world and selling them to wholesalers. “If you want to farm bamboo, it’s hard to do without the young plants, and that’s what we have,” she says proudly.
56. What was the main problem with planting bamboo widely?
A. They didn’t have enough young bamboo.
B. They were short of money and experience.
C. They didn’t have a big enough farm to do it.
D. They were not understood by other people.
57. What does Heinricher think of bamboo?
A. Renewable and acceptable B. Productive and flexible.
C. Useful and earth-friendly. D. Strong and profitable.
58. The underlined word “renewable” in Paragraph 6 probably means “________”.
A. able to be replaced naturally B. able to be raised difficultly
C. able to be shaped easily D. able to be recycled conveniently
59. What do you learn from the passage?
A. Heinricher’s love for bamboo led to her experiments in the lab.
B. Heinricher’s determination helped her to succeed in her work.
C. Heinricher struggled to prevent bamboo from disappearing.
D. Heinricher finally succeeded in realizing her childhood dream.
D
Some years ago factories had more freedom than they have now, and they did not need to be as careful as they must be today. They did not need to worry a lot about the safety of the new products (产品) that they developed. They did not have to pay much attention to the health and safety of the people who worked for them. Often new products were dangerous for the people who used them; often conditions in the work place had very bad effects on the health of the workers.
Of course sometimes there were real accidents which attracted the attention of governments and showed the need for changes. Also scientists who were doing research into the health of workers sometimes provided information which governments should pay attention to. At such times, there were inquiries(调查) into the causes of the accidents or the problems. New safety rules were often introduced as a result of these inquiries; however, the new rules came too late to protect the people who died or became seriously ill.
Today many governments have special departments which protect customers (顾客) and workers. In the U.S., for example, there is a department which tests new airplanes and gives warnings about possible problems. It also makes the rules that plane producers (生产商) must follow. Another department controls the foods and drugs that companies sell. A third department looks at the places where people work, and then reports any companies that are breaking the laws which protect the health and safety of workers. Of course, new government departments and new laws cannot prevent every accident or illness, but they are having some good results. Our work places are safer and cleaner than before. The planes and cars which we use for travel are better. Producers are thinking more about the safety and health of the people who buy and use their products.
67. Some years ago safety rules __________.
A. were put forward due to workers’ suggestions
B. came into being as a result of the workers’ needs
C. were introduced because many people were killed or seriously injured
D. were good enough to protect workers and customers
68. It can be inferred from the passage that in the past __________.
A. workers often got ill because of the poor working conditions
B. companies had less freedom to develop new products
C. many people were killed by dangerous products
D. factories were as careful as they are today
69. According to the passage, __________.
A. new laws have no good results at all
B. governments did not listen to scientists
C. governments paid no attention to the safety of products at all
D. in the past factories did not have to pay much attention to the health of workers
70. The main topic of the passage is __________.
A. conditions in the work place B. the importance of government departments
C. the freedom of factories D. the safety and health of workers and customers
C
It is a lot of trouble to learn a new language. When we go to all that trouble, we certainly want to be understood. But understanding is based on more than speech. Sometimes misunderstanding comes not from the wrong words, but from the wrong style. In our own country, we learn the style for politeness. But this polite style may be misunderstood in another country. This can cause unexpected difficulties. Since you have spent so much effort learning this new language, it is sensible and practical to learn the politeness rules also. Even if you think some of the customs are foolish, learning them can help you to be clearly understood.
In your country, is it considered polite to listen quietly to other people without any change of expression on the face? If this is the style you have learned, perhaps you should watch two Americans talking. Notice how the person who is listening will have frequent changes of expression. The listener may also make little remarks while the other person is talking. These little remarks may be one word, like “Really?” or they may just be a little sound, like “Uhhuh” or “Mmm.” This is the way American listeners show that they are listening in a friendly way. This is why Americans get uneasy when the listener is silent and shows no change of expression. In the American style of speaking, an unmoving face often means that the listener is unfriendly, or perhaps even angry.
Sometimes people from two countries are uncomfortable with each other for very small reasons. Here is an example: Americans think that perspiration odor is not polite. In fact, they worry so much about this subject that they spend a great deal of money on deodorants (除臭剂) and dry cleaning and washing their clothes. If a foreign student does not follow the same rule, Americans may be disturbed and think the foreigner is not nice. The problem can be especially troublesome because Americans are so embarrassed about this subject that they do not even like to talk about it, so they are not likely to tell that person why they are uneasy.
63. If you want to be clearly understood in another country, besides the language, you should also learn _________.
A. its common knowledge B. its style C. its wrong words D. how to make a speech
64. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. American listeners have frequent changes of expression.
B. A foreign student may not get along well with Americans if he smells.
C. An unmoving face and silence of listeners will make Americans feel unhappy.
D. Making little remarks like “Really”, “Uhhuh” or “Mum” is impolite while listening to an American.
65. The underlined phrase in the last paragraph probably means _________.
A. an unpleasant smell B. a good style of talking
C. an unfriendly way D. a polite expression
66. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Learning a new language B. Different people, Different languages
C. Body Language D. Different Countries, Different Cultures
B
Ed Viesturs grew up in Rockford, Illinois, where the tallest thing on the horizon was the water tower. But on Thursday, Viesturs became the only American to climb to the top of the world’s 14 highest mountains.
His last hike was up Mount Annapurna, in Asia’s snow-capped Himalayas. At 26, 545 feet, its peak is the 10th highest in the world. It is the mountain that inspired him to start climbing.
“It tends to be the trickiest, the most dangerous, ” said Viesturs, “There’s no simple way to climb it. There are threatening avalanches (雪崩) and ice falls that protect the mountain.”
In high school, Viesturs read French climber Maurice Herzog’s tale of climbing the icy Annapurna. Herzog’s story was of a lot of difficulty and near-death experiences. Viesturs was hooked right away.
Viesturs got his start on Washington’s Mount Rainier in 1977, guiding hikes in the summer. Fifteen years ago, he set out to walk up to the world’s highest peaks. Finally, he’s done.
The pioneering climber talks about mountains as if they were living creatures that should be treated with respect. “You have to use all of your senses, all of your abilities to see if the mountain will let you climb it,” said Viesturs. “If we have the patience and the respect, and if we’re here at the right time, under the right circumstances (情况), they allow us to go up, and allow us to come down. ”
What’s next for a man who can’t stop climbing? “I’m going to hug my wife and kids and kind of kick back and enjoy the summer. ” says Viesturs. But for a man who’s climbed the world’s 14 tallest mountains, he will probably soon set off on yet another adventure.
59. What record has Ed Viesturs set?
A. He has succeeded in climbing to the top of the world’s 14th highest mountain.
B. He has become the first American to climb to the top of the world’s 14 highest mountains.
C. He has become the first to climb to the height of 26, 545 feet.
D. He has become the first man to climb to the top of 14 highest mountains in the world.
60. The underlined word “hooked” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by “__________”.
A. frightened B. discouraged C. interested D. upset
61. The author used Viestures’ words in Paragraph 6 to support a view that __________.
A. mountain climbing is a dangerous sport
B. mountains should be regarded as living creatures
C. mountain climbing needs more strength than skills
D. those who like mountain climbing won’t stop climbing
62. What’s the next probable plan of Viestures?
A. Stopping climbing and staying with his family.
B. Climbing to the top of the world’s 14 tallest mountains again.
C. Meeting other challenges.
D. Writing down the experiences about his adventure.