Predicting (预测) something in the future seems as if it would need supernatural powers—which doesn’t sound very scientific! But there’s no magic here. Instead, scientists who study the weather use special tools to help make their predictions.
Weather science is called meteorology. That may sound as if it’s about studying meteors (流星), but it’s not. The name comes from an ancient Greek word and means “the study of things that are up high.” And, to study those high-up things, scientists put tools up there to help. Now let’s see how these tools are used to help predict the weather.
First of all, a small tool called the weather station is connected to a weather balloon. And then scientists send both the weather station and the weather balloon high into the sky. There, the weather station takes important information about the things like air pressure and temperature. What’s happening way up there can influence what happens in our part of the sky.
After that, the weather stations on the ground throughout the world give correct, real-time information, which help scientists see how the weather is changing from moment to moment. At the same time, the satellites (卫星), both far above our atmosphere and within it, are other tools that also collect facts or important information for weather scientists. After receiving information from weather stations and satellites, radar (雷达) shows rainfall and where it’s moving, as well as wind speed and direction.
Finally, all the information is sent into supercomputers, which can tell what might most probably happen next (according to what has happened under those conditions before).
Scientists combine all of this with their own knowledge and experience to let you know what kind of weather might be on the way. Since a change in any factor (因素) can change the final result, weather predictions are more precise for upcoming hours and days, rather than weeks. That’s why scientists need to change their predictions often-and can’t tell you today whether it will rain when you’re at camp in July!
1. The writer thinks predicting the weather ______.| A．needs supernatural powers | B．is all about studying meteors |
| C．requires some special tools | D．was popular in ancient Greece |
①The information like temperature is recorded.
②Supercomputers tell what is going to happen.
③Radar tells information about rainfall and wind.
④The weather station is connected to a weather balloon.
| A．①④③② | B．①③④② | C．④②③① | D．④①③② |
| A．cheaper | B．safer | C．more exact | D．more convenient |
| A．How do satellites help predict the weather? | B．How do scientists know about the weather? |
| C．How does nature tell secrets about the weather? | D．How does the weather station influence the weather? |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】In modern times, we get our weather report scientifically. The meteorologists(气象学家) use information from satellites (卫星) to tell us what the weather will be like. They make predictions about the weather for today, tomorrow and even for the whole season. Will it rain? Will it snow? Will it be hot or will it be a long and cold winter?
But what did people do before modern technology? Well, not so long ago, people lived much closer to nature. Using the power of observation (观察), humans made predictions about the weather according to what was happening in the insect world. Sometimes their predictions were correct, and sometimes they weren’t.
My grandfather spent his whole life as a farmer in Canada. He is long gone now. But I still remember his stories about how to predict the weather. For example, in summer, he would often stop to observe the anthills — those little sandy mounds (沙堆) at the entrance (入口) to the ants’ nest.
“Look closely at the anthills in July,” Grandpa used to say. “If the anthills are high in July, expect a snowy winter.” Of course, as a kid, I believed my grandfather. But you know what? The anthills are often correct. Not always, but often enough to make me a believer.
In September, Grandpa would often point out a woolly caterpillar (毛毛虫) in a sunny location, “Observe the orange circle around its belly (腹部). If it’s wide and full, we’re sure to have a warm and easy winter. If it’s thin, be careful! The winter will be severe.”
I am older now. I get my weather mostly from the television or radio. Scientists hardly get it wrong. After all, they have the latest scientific instruments to help them.
But I still stop to observe the anthills in July, and of course, the woolly caterpillars in September. The older generation (老一辈) can teach us many things. My grandfather was not a meteorologist, but he knew a lot about insects and the weather.
1. ________ can help us predict the weather more correctly.| A．Satellites | B．Anthills | C．Woolly caterpillars | D．Televisions or radios |
| A．a rainy winter | B．a snowy winter | C．a long and cold winter | D．a warm and easy winter |
| A．hot | B．warm | C．cool | D．cold |
| A．we should only listen to the meteorologists |
| B．his grandpa knew more than the meteorologists |
| C．we needn’t observe the insects to predict the weather |
| D．his grandpa’s ways to predict the weather are still helpful |
| A．The power of observation | B．Weather according to insects |
| C．Weather report in modern times | D．Different ways to make predictions |
【推荐2】No one can change the weather. But if we understand the signs around us, we can tell the changes in weather. This way of telling what the weather will be like on the following days is called weather forecasting (预测).
For many centuries and in all countries, people have studied the weather and tried to make weather forecasting. For example, rings around the sun are a sign of coming rain. And wet weather often makes people feel their joints (关节) hurt. Some birds fly high if fine weather is coming, but they fly near the ground if rainy weather is on the way. If you see a rainbow (彩虹) during rainy weather, this is a sign that the weather will become clear and fine. Such rainbows come in the evening.
If the stars look bright and clear at night, then fine weather will continue. If a big fog (雾) appears in the morning just above a river, then the day will be warm. If the sunset (落日) is red in color, then the following day will be fine. If a rainbow appears in the morning, rainy weather will probably come. If you know how to read these signs in the right way, you will become a good weather reporter!
1. What does the underlined phrase “on the way” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Leaving. | B．Disappearing. | C．Coming. | D．Changing. |
| A．It will be windy. | B．It will be rain. | C．It will be snowy. | D．It will be fine. |
| A．By seeing a rainbow appears in the morning. | B．By seeing some birds fly high in the sky. |
| C．By seeing a big fog appears in the morning. | D．By seeing the sunset is red in color. |
| A．It tells us different kinds of weather. | B．It tells us some stories about weather. |
| C．It tells us how to make weather forecasting. | D．It tells us all animals can help us forecast weather. |
【推荐3】No one can change the weather. But if we read the signs around us correctly, we can tell how the weather will be. This way of telling what the weather will be like on the following day or two is called weather forecasting. 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. Many people feel in their bones the coming of wet weather—they feel joints (关节). Some birds fly high if fine weather is coming, but they fly near the ground if rainy or stormy weather is on the way. It is probably because of the insects which they are hunting that they fly low. 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 (闪烁), 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, 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.
1. Many people feel joints pain _______.| A．because of coming rain |
| B．because they are ill |
| C．without any reason |
| D．because of the insects |
| A．Weather forecasting is a way of telling about the weather on the following day or two. |
| B．Weather forecasting isn’t a way of telling what the weather will be like. |
| C．People can change the weather. |
| D．Weather forecasting is a sign of coming rain. |
| A．be rainy | B．be warm | C．continue to be clear and fine | D．be cold |
| A．fine weather | B．a rainy day | C．fog | D．bad weather |
| A．use our eyes and brains | B．study the weather |
| C．read the natural signs | D．all of the above |
【推荐1】Two baby pandas born in a French zoo have finally got names!
The names were chosen from an online vote(投票).
Giant pandas usually have two names, a nickname and an official name. The nickname is for panda babies. This way, they can be told from each other. In case of twins, the older baby gets a nickname with the character “Da” and the younger gets a nickname with the character “Xiao”. They mean “older” and “younger” in Chinese. For example, the panda “Jingjing” gave birth to twins.
Once they get their official names, nicknames are no longer used. This is because the pandas go into a special database(数据库).
根据材料内容，从下面五个选项中选出能填入文中空缺处的最佳选项，使文章意思通顺、内容完整。
| A．They were named Yuan Dudu and Huan Lili. |
| B．Online votes are not the only way to name the pandas. |
| C．Their names will carry information about their family relationships. |
| D．More than 122,000 people chose the names from five different pairs. |
| E．The older one would be nicknamed “Jingda”, while the younger would be “Jingxiao”. |
【推荐2】A good night’s sleep can improve your mood and your memory. Now data show that getting enough sleep might also get your cuts to grow back together faster. In fact, sleep was more important than good healthy food in speeding wound（伤口）growing back together.
This wasn’t what scientists had expected to see.
They had hoped to show that giving people the right type of food for good health and growth would make their skin wounds grow back together faster—even in people who were prevented from having enough sleep. The scientists thought it should work because good healthy food keeps the body strong, helps repair injuries and guards against infection（感染）.
Tracey Smith is a scientist at the U. S. Army Research Institute. She and her team studied three groups of healthy people who came to their lab to take part in tests. They gave each group small skin wounds.
*One group of 16 volunteers got a normal amount of sleep—seven to nine hours a night. The other two groups of 20 people each got only two hours of sleep a night, for three nights in a row. To stay awake, the volunteers were asked to do things such as walking, playing video games, watching TV, sitting on an exercise ball or playing table tennis. Throughout the experiment, one of the sleep-losing groups got a healthy drink with protein and vitamins. The other group also got a drink: It looked and tasted the same but had no healthy chemicals in it.
Sleep clearly helped. People who slept normally got well in about 4.2 days. The volunteers without enough sleep took about 5 days. And getting better healthy food offered no clear benefit.
What to make of the data
Sleep expert Clete Kushida didn’t find the results all that surprising. He is a doctor at Stanford University Medical Center in California. The idea that lost sleep harms the body is true.
Why didn’t healthy food help healing time? Smith can think of a few possibilities. The healthy drinks may have helped a little—just not enough to show up clearly in the small numbers of men and women tested here. Different people need different amount of time to become better.
For people who can’t avoid losing sleep, scientists still don’t have a good way to help them. Smith says, “If you want to become better faster, your best bet for now is to get more ‘vitamin Z’.”
1. Why did the writer write the paragraph with a *?| A．To show how right the scientists’ prediction was. | B．To introduce which group worked better. |
| C．To tell readers how the experiment was. | D．To show what volunteers took part in it. |
| A．he thinks healthy drinks just helped a little because not everyone needs them |
| B．he believes different people need spend different time in becoming better |
| C．be guesses the drinks may be not healthy enough to work properly |
| D．he thinks not having enough sleep is bad for people’s body and health |
| A．A vitamin called Z. | B．A helpful healthy chemical. |
| C．A vitamin which is helpful to wound. | D．Sleep. |
| A．A useful and helpful report on sleep | B．Sleep makes wounds better faster |
| C．Healthy food helps repair injuries | D．A useful and important experiment |
When winter comes, it seems that everyone looks forward to seeing snow. How much do you know about snow? Let’s learn some fun facts about it!
What is the ▲ of a snowflake? A diameter of a snowflake is≥2mm. One cubic meter of snow includes 6 to 8 billion snowflakes. |
As for the snow in the northern and southern part of China, which is heavier?  The same amount of snowfall may cover an area differently in northern and southern China because the snow in the northern part of China is loose while the snow in the southern part is tight. |
Is snow always white? Snow is not actually white but clear. It looks white because of the way the light reflects off of the ice crystals. However, it is made of water. Large amounts of frozen water really are pale blue, so a lot of snow, will show this blue color. But white and blue are not the only colors of snow or ice. Algae can grow on snow, making it appear more red. |
| A．size | B．taste | C．color | D．shape |
| A．will show white color in dark places | B．sometimes looks red with algae on it |
| C．is heavier in the north than in the south | D．it is looser in the south than in the north |
| A．art | B．health | C．culture | D．science |
【推荐1】School days are the best days of your life—or are they? If they are, why do so many people have problems during those years?
Exam stress, pressure(压力) from parents and friends can be a bit of a shock after the happy days of primary school. Yes, you will get through, but will you come out on the other side with good experiences, good grades and good friends? Or will you overwork, but not do as well as you should or find yourself left out by your friends? There’s no doubt about it. School is the ideal place for at least one or two hard lessons in life.
School is also a place full of opportunities(机会) and new experiences. You are independent(独立的) of your family there, and you begin to make your own way and make lifelong friends. You learn lessons at school—not only about the world, but also about yourself, about other people and how to make friends with them. You go on having ideas of your own, learning how to take responsibility(责任) and how to stand on your own feet.
A great thing about school is: it doesn’t last forever! Whatever challenges you are facing at school, there is an end to them. Like everything in life, you will get through them and they will soon become a memory.
1. What will you get through at school according to paragraph 2?| A．Self-doubt. | B．A lot of stress or pressure. |
| C．Happy days. | D．A great shock. |
| A．don’t include you in their activities | B．don’t trust you any more |
| C．work much harder than you | D．get higher grades than you |
| A．You may work too hard but still fail exams. |
| B．School is a place full of good experiences. |
| C．Family members will share responsibility with you. |
| D．Many people had problems when they were at primary school. |
【推荐2】The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important festivals in China. The festival has a very long history of over 1, 000 years. And people celebrate it when the moon is at its fullest and brightest.
It is a tradition in China to eat mooncakes around the time of the festival. They are a symbol of the full moon. It is also traditional to spend the night with family and loved ones admiring the moon. And for me, a great part of the festival is looking up at the moon and thinking about all my family.
This year, it is the third time that I have been in China for the Mid-Autumn Festival. The first year, I celebrated the festival in Guangzhou, Guangdong. And it came as a shock to me when I learned that millions of people left the city to spend time with their families back in their hometown. The festival is a great time for family reunion.
Last year, I spent the festival in Sanya, Hainan. There, I found many people celebrating the festival on the beach. People enjoyed picnics, music, dancing, and a lot of fireworks near the sea.
This year, I spent the festival in Hong Kong. They mainly celebrated with lanterns and lights here, as well as mooncakes. In Victoria Park, there was a fantastic lantern festival featuring(以……为特色) a “Rising Moon”. I had a great time in the park. I also saw many dragon dances on the street and went to a few parties.
For me, the Mid-Autumn Festival has always been a time to celebrate a bit of Chinese culture and get to know the people and the families around me. I also enjoy looking up at the moon and missing my family and friends back in Britain, thinking of them looking up at the same moon as me.
根据短文内容，判断句子正(T)、误(F)。
1. It is a tradition in China to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival when the moon is at its fullest and brightest.
2. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important festivals for the writer.
3. When in Hainan, the writer was shocked to learn that millions of people returned to hometown to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with their families.
4. Besides eating mooncakes, Chinese people also celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with different activities.
5. The writer may be a foreigner from Africa.
【推荐3】Life in the 2050s will be different from it is now, because many changes will take place. What will the changes be?
The population is growing fast. There will be more and more people in the world and most of them will live longer.
Computers will be much smaller and more useful, and there will be at least one in every home. And computer study will be one of the important subjects in schools.
People will work fewer hours, but have more free time for sports, TV and traveling. Traveling will be much cheaper and easier. And many people will go to other countries for holiday.
There will be changes in our food, too. Because more and more people know the importance of healthy diet, maybe no one will eat meat. Instead they will eat more vegetables and fruit. So people will be healthier.
Work in the future will be different, too. Dangerous and hard work will be done by robots. Because of this, many people won’t have enough work to do. This will be a problem.
1. In the 2050s，there will be ____________.| A．more trees | B．fewer countries |
| C．more people | D．more work to do |
| A．computer | B．house | C．plane | D．robot |
| A．travel | B．work hard | C．work long | D．eat meat |
| A．less interesting | B．more difficult |
| C．more expensive | D．much cheaper and easier |
| A．fruit | B．meat | C．bread | D．vegetables |
