文章大意:这是一篇说明文。这篇文章讨论了闪电的各个方面。闪电是一种世界范围内的常见现象,每天大约发生800万次,其温度可能比太阳表面还要高。这篇文章还强调了闪电的奇怪现象,以及提到了安全问题,最后,文章解释了气象追踪者发射气球来收集气象数据和预测闪电。
Lightning(闪电) strikes more than eight million times a day worldwide. That’s about 93 times per second. What a phenomenon!
How hot is a lightning bolt? About 50, 000°F-five times hotter than the surface of the sun. Yes, it really can rain frogs, fish, and other decidedly odd things. It’s a rare meteorological(气象学的) event, but scientists say strong winds from a tornado or from a storm can be powerful enough to drive animals and objects high into the air, and they have to comedown eventually.
It is a bad idea to take a shower during a thunderstorm. If lightning hits your house, it can travel through your plumbing(管道设备) and shock anyone who comes into contact with water flowing through it. People have been shocked or killed while bathing, washing dishes and clothes. This is also why indoor pools often close during storms. Rubber tires are not what protect you from lightning when you’re in your car. You’re protected because when lightning hits a car, it travels around the outside of the metal structure to get to the ground. Just be careful not to touch any metal areas inside.
Lightning can strike the same place twice—and it often does, especially objects that are tall, pointy, and separated. The Empire State Building, for example, is hit almost 100 times a year, according to the CDC.
You can be struck by lightning even when it’s no training. About 10 percent of lightning strikes take place when there’s no rainfall. In the 1980s, NASA flew one airplane through 1.496 thunderstorms. It was struck by lightning more than 700 times. Today, a commercial airplane will be hit by lightning about once a year on average, typically with no ill effects. It has been decades since a U.S. airliner has crashed as a result of a lightning strike.
To deal with such a frequent phenomenon, every day, twice a day, weather trackers, at the same time, launch giant balloons from almost 900 locations worldwide. The balloons measure above ground weather data such as temperature, humidity(湿气), and wind speed, and they provide vital information that meteorologists use to make forecasts and predict lightning.
8. What can lightning lead to according to the text?
A.Burning everything. | B.Raining animals. |
C.Shocking everybody outdoors. | D.Hitting an object for once. |
9. What is the right thing to do during a lightning strike?
A.Take abath at home. | B.Swim in a pool. |
C.Avoid metal things. | D.Stand under at all tree. |
10. What can be inferred from the text?
A.No sign of rainfall means no lightning. |
B.Efforts have been made to keep aircraft safe. |
C.Commercial planes can escape lightning hits. |
D.The Empire State Building faces most lightning strikes. |
11. What reduces the damage of a lightning strike?
A.Lightning location. | B.Measurement balloons. |
C.Changing wind direction. | D.Weather forecast and prediction. |