Ever wonder how much a cloud weighs? What about a hurricane? A meteorologist(气象学者) has done some estimates and the results might surprise you.
Let's start with a very simple white puffy cloud — a cumulus cloud（积云）. How much does the water in a cumulus cloud weigh? Peggy LeMone, senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, did the numbers. "The water in the little cloud weighs about 550 tons," she calculates. "Or if you want to convert it to something that might be a little more meaningful … think of elephants."
The thought of a hundred elephants-worth of water suspended(悬浮的) in the sky begs another question — what keeps it up there?
"First of all, the water isn't in elephant-sized particles（微粒）, it's in tiny tiny tiny particles," explains LeMone. And those particles float on the warmer air that's rising below. But still, the concept of so much water floating in the sky was surprising even to a meteorologist like LeMone. "I had no idea how much a cloud would weigh, actually, when I started the calculations," she says.
So how many elephant units of water are inside a big storm cloud—10 times bigger all the way around than the "puffy" cumulus cloud? Again, LeMone did the numbers: About 200,000 elephants.
Now, ratchet up(略微调高) the calculations for a hurricane about the size of Missouri and the figures get really massive(巨大的). "What we're doing is weighing the water in one cubic meter theoretically pulled from a cloud and then multiplying by(乘上) the number of meters in a whole hurricane," she explains.
The result? Forty million elephants. That means the water in one hurricane weighs more than all the elephants on the planet. Perhaps even more than all the elephants that have ever lived on the planet. The weight of is NOT mentioned in the passage.
| A．a cumulus cloud | B．a tornado |
| C．a hurricane | D．a storm cloud |
How did Peggy LeMone feel about the result of her calculations?
| A．She found it not convincing. |
| B．She thought it needed further calculations. |
| C．She was quite surprised at it. |
| D．She considered the calculations inaccurate. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．A storm cloud weighs about 200,000 elephants. |
| B．The water in a hurricane weighs more than that in any other kind of cloud. |
| C．There are less than forty million elephants living on the earth. |
| D．The water in the cloud is in very tiny partials. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．How Much a Cloud Weighs | B．How Much a Hurricane Weighs |
| C．Surprising Results | D．Elephants in the Sky |
Scientists in Israel have discovered a new way to test for water pollution by "listening" to what the plants growing in water have to say．By shining a laser beam(激光束) on the tiny pieces of algae(海藻) floating in the water, the researchers said they hear sound waves that tell them the type and amount of pollution in the water．
"It is a red light, telling us that something is beginning to go wrong with the quality of water," said Zvy Dubinsky, an aquatic biologist at Israel's Bar Ilan University．"Algae is the first thing to be affected by a change in water quality．"
As water sources deteriorate worldwide, the testing of algae could be used to monitor water quality faster, more cheaply and more accurately than techniques now in use, Dubinsky said．The secret is to measure the rate of photosynthesis(光合作用) in the algae, meaning the plant's ability to transform light into energy．During photosynthesis, plants also release oxygen into the air．
Dubinsky's technique is easy to perform because of the over-abundance of algae in the planet's water．Most of the oxygen in the atmosphere comes from algae．A prototype tester shoots a laser beam at water samples to stimulate photosynthesis in the algae．But not all of the laser's heat is used．
Depending on the condition of the algae and the rate of photosynthesis, some of the heat is shot back into the water, creating sound waves, Dubinsky said．With a special underwater microphone, researchers are able to analyze the strength of the sound waves and determine the health of the algae and the condition of the surrounding water．
"Algae suffering from lead poisoning, like waste discharged from battery and paint manufacturing plants, will produce a different sound than those suffering from lack of iron or exposure to other toxins," said researcher Yulia Pinchasov．
72．To study water quality, scientists choose algae mainly because．
A．algae is most easily affected by pollution
B．most oxygen is produced by algae
C．the amount of algae is decreasing
D．algae is a kind of plant floating in the water
73．When Dubinsky studied water quality, he mainly focused on．
A．the amount of laser used by algae
B．the rate of photosynthesis in the algae
C．the condition of the algae
D．the heat of laser used by algae
74．After the study, scientists proved that．
A．the increase in population is caused by lack of water
B．global warming causes water resources to reduce worldwide
C．algae can show the type and amount of pollution in the water
D．algae is dying out in the ocean around the world
75．What would be the most suitable title for the passage?
A．Water pollution is reduced with the growth of algae
B．Pollution makes it hard for plants to make photosynthesis
C．Water pollution affects the growth of marine plants
D．Scientists listen to plants to find pollution
Who Is Kimberly Kirberger? Kimberly Kirberger is the president and founder of Inspiration and Motivation for Teens, Inc．(I．A．M．for Teens, Inc．) a corporation formed exclusively (专有地) to work for teens．It is her goal to see teens represented in a more positive light and it is her strong belief that teens deserve better and more positive treatment．
She spends her time reading the thousands of letters and stories sent to her by teen readers and traveling around the country speaking to high school students and parents of teens．She has appeared as a teen expert on many television and radio shows．
Kimberly says that the College Soul book has been an amazing journey．In getting close to and heating from so many teenagers she kept hearing about this very emotionally packed time that begins with application to college and extends through the four-year experience．It became clear to her that this was a time of life that was filled with many challenges and that college students could really benefit from a book like this．For her, it was simply a continuation of a commitment that she has made to teenagers to do what she can to inspire and motivate them while letting them know there are people who believe in them．
Kimberly is the co-author of the bestseller, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul and the New York Times bestseller, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul II, as well as Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul Journal．She is also the co-author of the forthcoming Chicken Soup for the Parent’s Soul and Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul III, and the author of Teen Love: On Relationships, a Book for Teenagers．
Kimberly started the Teen Letter Project with Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Health Communications, InC．The Project is responsible for answering the heartfelt letters received from teenagers and also reaching out to teens in trouble and encouraging them to seek professional help．
To book Kimberly for a speaking engagement or for further information on any of her projects, please contact:
I．A．M．for Teens, Inc．
P．O．Box 936, Palisades, CA 90272 phone: 310-573-3655
fax:．310-573-3657
e-mail for stories: stories @ teenagechickensoul.com
e-mail for letters: letters @ teenagechick
Web site: www.Teenagechickensoul.com
68．Kimberly Kirberger devotes herself to ________．
A．helping people in trouble B．writing books for children
C．the research of teen problems D．the healthy growth of teenagers
69．The third paragraph mainly tells us ________．
A．why Kimberly wrote the College Soul book
B．how Kimberly wrote the College Soul book
C．the College Soul book was a great success
D．college students benefit from the College Soul book
70．Which of the following was written alone by Kimberly Kirberger ?
A．Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul．
B．Chicken Soup for the Parent’s Soul．
C．Teen Love: On Relationship, a Book for Teenagers．
D．Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul．
71．What’s the purpose of the Teen Letter Project?
A．Helping problem teenagers． B．Collecting teenager problems．
C．Attracting the teenagers． D．Offering help to teenagers．
Submit your photos and videos to You Witness News to have them considered for use on Reuters.com, Yahoo!, and the Reuters professional picture service, used by thousands of news organizations worldwide．
When you send images to pics@ reuters.com, please provide the following so that we can review and post them:
·Your full name
·Your email address or phone number
·A brief description of the event you shot with the place and date that it occurred．
The next images shown across the world’s newspapers, television channels, and news sites could be yours．Share your take with the world．
What makes a good news photograph?
As you’re thinking about taking news photographs, think about what makes up a good picture．
Most importantly, it will be of interest to a wide audience．It may describe an event in the news: a train crash, a clash in the streets, crazily happy fans the moment the big game is won．
Uniqueness is eye-catching．A picture that no one else took has much more news value than one taken alongside a rank of other photographers．A good news picture will tell a story without words．It will have context by showing the surrounding scene, or show the emotion on the faces of the people in the picture．
Timeliness is critical．Whatever the content, a news picture can lose its value in a short space of time．News events move quickly, and the shot of a mini tornado you took last week may have been destined for the front page when you took it, but of no interest to a newspaper or a website a week later．
Control is important．Please remember, absolutely no photo is worth bothering others, putting yourself or others in danger, or getting in trouble with the law．
We’re looking forward to seeing your pictures．
64．The following are the features of a good news photograph except that．
A．it is unique B．it is timely
C．it respects others’ privacy and the law D．it can arouse specialists’ interest
65．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A．You Witness News is a popular column of a website．
B．The photos or videos you take are only shared by Yahoo! and Reuters.com．
C．Attach a brief description of yourself when submitting your photos and videos．
D．Any photo or video you take will be accepted by You Witness News．
66．The purpose of the passage is．
A．to teach you how to take photos
B．to tell people what makes a good news photo
C．to encourage you to share the take
D．to remind people not to disturb others while taking photos
67．Which of the following is a good news photograph?
A．A bird escapes from the cage．
B．A policeman is robbed in the street．
C．Two dogs fight in the park．
D．An old couple quarrel at home．
Animal Services
Town Lake Animal Center is the largest animal shelter in Central Texas, offering shelter to more than 23,000 animals each year and animal control services to all of Austin and Travis County．In the shelter, no animal will be turned away．
Hours of Operation
Shelter:
Monday－Friday, 11:30 a．m．to 7:00 p．m．
Saturday－Sunday, 11:30 a．m．to 5:00 p．m．
Closed City Holidays
Homeless or unwanted animals can be safely dropped off at the shelter．
Animal Protection and Control:
Monday ― Friday, 7:00 a．m．to 6:00 p．m．
Saturday ― Sunday, 7:00 a．m．to 5:00 p．m．
City Holidays, 7:00 a．m．to 3:00 p．m．
Officers on call overnight
Administrative Offices:
Monday ― Friday, 9:00 a．m．to 5:00 p．m．
Closed City Holidays
Location: 1156 W．Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78703
Mailing address: Town lake Animal Center, POBox 1088, Austin, TX 78767
What’s New
Animal Cruelty Prevention Classes
PURPOSE: To teach people how to recognize and report animal cruelty．
WHO: All citizens are encouraged to take this class．
CAUSE: Usually animal cruelty is in relation to(与……有关) family cruelty．People who hurt animals often move on to hurt human beings．If you’re able to recognize and report animal cruelty, you can help prevent cruelty from spreading throughout your area．
Programs
Town Lake Animal Center offers a number of animal-related services to Austin and Travis County, including Animal Protection & Control, a Pet Lost & Found, Pet Adoptions(领养) and Pet Registration(登记)．
Because the shelter accepts all animals, and because there is a big problem of a large population of pets in our area, the shelter does carry out painless killing of animals that have no other choices for lifetime care．
60．According to the passage, Town Lake Animal Center．
A．is the largest animal shelter in the USA
B．kills or sells homeless animals
C．offers many services to animals
D．is a place that raises animals for food
61．If you meet a badly injured pet dog at night, you’d better．
A．send it to the shelter directly
B．call Administrative Offices immediately
C．send it to Animal Cruelty Prevention Classes
D．call Animal Protection and Control officers
62．Attending Animal Cruelty Prevention Classes can also help．
A．avoid family cruelty B．know more about the wildlife
C．stop any animal cruelty D．treat injured animals quickly
63．According to the passage, Town Lake Animal Center has the right to．
A．kill any animal in the area B．reduce animals’ population greatly
C．balance the number of animals D．stop animals’ life without pain
Q:
I’d like to know about fluency．What can I do to feel better when I’m talking to other people? Do you have some ways to learn it faster? Please help me! —Roberto in Brazil
A:
Roberto wants to know how to become more fluent in English, and this is something you want to be able to do “fast”．
First, if you get to meet English speakers much, the important rule is to listen not just to native speakers of English, but also to very good users of English．If you don’t, then listen to the radio, TV or films in English．
The next step is to notice what it is that speakers of English do, which makes them sound fluent．The first trick(诀窍) is to probably have confidence．Some people think they might make mistakes．Don’t worry about that．Your listeners will usually try hard to understand you — a few grammar mistakes aren’t going to worry them．
What you do need to worry about is pronunciation, especially stress(重音)．When you learn a new word or expression, learn it with its stress．Notice how a native speaker says it or look it up in a dictionary．
Another good thing that speakers of English do is to have a few tricks up their sleeves(袖子) for when they need to give themselves thinking time．Sometimes they use “filler sounds” like er, um and so on．
It is also useful to know how to bring other speakers into your conversation so that you keep them interested － and this is often done by asking questions like “What do you think?” “How do you feel about this?” and so on．
So, to become a fluent speaker, you’ll need to put into practice all these kinds of things．And there’s the key: practise, practise, practise． －Susan Fearn
56．Susan first encourages English learners to．
A．meet English speakers B．listen to very good speakers
C．talk to English speakers D．buy a radio or a TV set
57．When mentioning pronunciation, Susan pays special attention to．
A．stress B．expressions C．dictionaries D．words
58．What do the underlined words “to have a few tricks up their sleeves” probably mean?
A．To wear a lot of clothes．
B．To have a secret plan or idea．
C．To hide some tricks into their sleeves．
D．To have sleeves covering their whole arms．
59．What do we know from the passage?
A．One can only learn stress from dictionaries．
B．Grammar mistakes worry one’s listeners a lot．
C．Asking questions can make one’s conversation attractive．
D．One can become fluent if one practises one of the suggestions．