Do you know what makes lightning（闪电）?Why does lightning strike（击打）?
Lightning strikes happen when ice and water in clouds rub（摩擦）together, and cause atmospheric（大气层的）changes. When this happens, it creates a static charge（静电）．Lightning can strike inside the cloud, between two clouds or between a cloud and Earth. It’s the last kind of strike that is the most dangerous for humans.
Lightning can be very dangerous. Every year, lightning kills people because it can start big fires or because it reaches a temperature of 28, 000 ℃. About 1, 000 people are hit by lightning every year in the United States, and about 100 of them die as a result.
Lightning makes people shocked, and it happens all over the world! Scientists think that there are more than three million lightning strikes every day in the world—that’s thirty strikes every second（秒）. An American man Roy Sullivan, who worked in a park, survived from the most lightning strikes. Between 1942 and 1983, he was hit seven times! And he keeps the highest world record.
Lightning is sure not something to play with. When lightning strikes, it’s best to stay inside a large building. To stay safe, do not stand under trees, on hills or near water. Also, do not lie down on the ground, or the electricity may go through you and cause a heart problem.
1. Lightning strikes ________.| A．happen thirty times each day | B．happen when there are big fires |
| C．can reach a very high temperature | D．can kill all those who work in a park |
| A．幸存 | B．选择 | C．遇难 | D．失忆 |
| A．About 1000 people. | B．About 28,000 people. |
| C．About one tenth of people. | D．About one fourth of people. |
| A．Under a tree. | B．Near a river. |
| C．On the top of a hill. | D．Inside a building. |
2 . Oct 29, 2012 was a dark day for the American people. A huge hurricane (飓风) named Sandy hit the US, along with thunderstorms, heavy snow and flooding. It caused great damage in many places. Cities like New York were left with flooded streets and no electricity.
A hurricane is a kind of tropical cyclone (热带气旋) that is found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, South Pacific, or North Atlantic Ocean. When it appears in the northwestern Pacific, it is called a typhoon. Southern China has the longest record of experiencing typhoons in the area.
So hurricanes and typhoons are the same thing; the only difference is where they happen. They form on the sea and are caused by temperature differences.
There is another kind of cyclone called a tornado. A tornado forms from the twisting (扭曲) of rising air. It's a violently rotating (旋转的) column of air that connects with clouds above it and the land below.
Tornados form on the land and often begin with thunderstorms. The US has the most tornados of any country. This is because of some of the special features of the North American continent. The continent spreads from the tropical north to the arctic (北极的). There are no large mountains from east to west, so it is easy for warm and cold air to meet. When this happens, thunderstorms soon follow.
As for Hurricane Sandy, scientists believe that it began due to unusually warm water. Then it joined with a large Arctic weather system, which increased its size and changed it into a winter storm with far more power.
1. What do we know about Sandy?| A．It hit the US in summertime. | B．It is a kind of natural disaster. |
| C．It came with thunderstorms and rain. | D．It caused little damage to New York. |
| A．Hurricanes can also be called typhoons. |
| B．Typhoons usually appear in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. |
| C．Hurricanes and typhoons are totally different. |
| D．Hurricanes and typhoons are caused by the same things. |
| A．air | B．a cyclone | C．a tornado | D．a column |
| A．the continent is wide |
| B．there are no high mountains there to stop the air |
| C．they are too strong to be stopped |
| D．the continent spreads from the east to the west |
| A．Hurricane Sandy | B．Hurricanes and Typhoons |
| C．Cyclones in Different Areas | D．Winter storms in the US |
3 . Earthquakes usually come without warning. What should you do if this happens to you? An earthquake is dangerous, but there are still things you can do to protect yourself.
Stay calm as the earth begins to shake. Your chances of survival in an earthquake go up if you can keep calm. Staying calm is not easy, but it can save your life.
If you are inside when the earthquake starts, get under a table or a bed. You need to have something strong around you to protect you from falling objects. Do not stand near walls and windows and stay out of the kitchen. The kitchen is dangerous because of many glass objects.
If you are outside, get to an open area as fast as you can. Stay away from buildings and trees. If you are in a car, pull over to a place where there are no trees or tall buildings and stay in the car. If you are close to the sea, try to get as far away from the water as possible. Earthquakes can cause huge waves(浪) that can really harm the people nearby.
When the earthquake is over, there is still plenty of danger. For example, gas fire often comes with an earthquake. If you see a fire, quickly move outdoors to an open area.
Always remember to hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
1. What does the underlined word “survival” mean in Chinese?| A．坍塌 | B．废墟 | C．幸存 | D．失踪 |
| A．To get under a table. | B．To get under a bed. |
| C．To stay out of the kitchen. | D．To stand near walls or windows. |
| A．To stay away from buildings and trees. |
| B．To get as far away from the sea water as possible. |
| C．To run into your house quickly to take something valuable. |
| D．To drive your car to a place where there are no trees or tall buildings and stay in |
| A．electronic fire | B．gas fire | C．forest fire | D．grass fire |
| A．The ways to stay calm. |
| B．The ways to stay away from tall buildings. |
| C．The ways to move outdoors to an open area. |
| D．The ways to protect yourself when an earthquake happens. |
What has happened? These are just the types of problems a solar storm（太阳风 暴）might cause. You may not think of storms as putting our society in danger. But today, a solar storm is as serious as other bad events, such as earthquakes.
A solar storm is caused by solar flares（太阳耀斑）: large explosions（爆炸）near the sun that can give off lots of energy. The strong energy can stop the satellite systems（卫星系统）that control our computers, telecom networks and so on. These storms can even cause the power to go out for weeks or months.
In the past few months, scientists have recorded some of the strongest sun flares in years. The most recent one happened around Valentine’s Day, 2011. It caused radio and satellite signals to go down in some northern cities in China.
“Solar flare activity is going to be much worse than what we’ve seen in the past. We’re not talking about a few cities losing power, it could be half of the country, maybe more.” SolarStormWarning.com, a US website about space weather, warned.
Scientists say that little can be done to predict such a storm. Governments around the world are trying to work together before the next storm, although they are not sure when that may happen.
根据短文内容，选择最佳选项，并在答题卡上将选定的答案字母标号涂黑。
1. According to the passage, a solar storm can cause many problems EXCEPT that
.
| A．earthquakes happen |
| B．mobile phones have no signals |
| C．people cannot get online |
| D．the power may go out |
| A．telecom networks | B．solar storms |
| C．large explosions near the sun | D．US websites |
a.solar flares give off lots of energy
b.people can’t get online with their computers
c.solar storms happen
d.satellite systems are stopped
| A．a-b-c-d | B．a-c-d-b | C．c-a-b-d | D．c-b-a-d |
| A．call for scientists to predict when the next solar storm will happen |
| B．tell people how to solve the problems caused by solar storms |
| C．introduce what solar storms are to people |
| D．ask people to work to prevent the solar storm from happening |
| A．电池 | B．标志 | C．力量 | D．信号 |
T: I was doing some shopping in a shopping center at that time.
R:
T: I felt a slight(轻微的) shake and then I heard a big noise.
R: What did you do when the earth started to shake?
T:
R:
T: Yes, I think so. But I just didn’t know what to do at that time.
R: How did you feel when you found yourself in danger?
T: A little afraid.
R:
T: Yes, I did, but no one came.
R: Did you eat anything before you got help?
T: Yes, I did.
R: Well, thank you, Timmy. I hope you’ll be well soon.
| A．It is dangerous to run during the earthquake. |
| B．I ate some chocolate. |
| C．What did you feel and hear at first? |
| D．I tried my best to run out to the street. |
| E．Did you shout for help? |
6 . Tornadoes(龙卷风) are one of the worst weather events on earth. Each year, tornadoes kill many people. The storms often carry homes, cars and trees from one place to another. And they can alsodestroyanything when they pass by.
A tornado comes from a thunderstorm(雷雨) in the sky down to the ground. It is big at the top and small at the bottom.
A tornado appears when winds in different directions meet in the cloud and begin to turn in circles. People can see tornadoes almost everywhere in the world. But most happen from late winter to middle summer. There is a second high season in November. During spring, warm air moves north and mixes with the cold air left from winter. In November, the opposite happens. Cold air moves south and mixes with the warm air left from summer.
Tornadoes always come suddenly. Weather scientists have done something to predict(预测) tornadoes. But the storms often move too fast for people to protect themselves. Last year, tornadoes killed more than one hundred people in United States.
Scientists say the best place to be in is a small room, without windows, in the middle the lowest part of a building when tornadoes come.
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。
1. According to the passage, we know the shape of the tornadoes may be like ______.
A． | B． | C． | D． |
2. In the United States, most tornadoes happen _____.
| A．from late summer to middle summer |
| B．from late autumn to middle winter |
| C．from late autumn to middle spring |
| D．from late winter to middle summer |
| A．warm air and cold air mix |
| B．cold air and cold air mix |
| C．warm air and warm air mix |
| D．warm water and cold water mix |
| A．保护 | B．珍惜 | C．毁灭 | D．惩罚 |
| A．the United States has very few tornadoes |
| B．tornadoes are one of the worst weather events in the world |
| C．people should stay in big rooms with windows when tornadoes come |
| D．more than one thousand people were killed by tornadoes in the USA last year |
7 . Earthquake safety tips
On April 14, 2010, a big earthquake hit Yushu, Qinghai. Over 2,000 people died. Many people were hurt. Why are there earthquakes?
The surface of the Earth has many pieces. These pieces are always moving. When two pieces move past each other, there is an earthquake.
Scientist are working hard to find out more about earthquakes. They try to predict(预测) them, but it’s very hard.
Do you know how to get ready for an earthquake? Do you know what to do during an earthquake? Here are some things you should know.
What to do before an earthquake
Make sure you have two bottles of water, a packet of biscuits(饼干), a clean towel(毛巾), a few band-aids(创口贴), a radio and a flashlight(电筒) at home.
What to do during an earthquake
If you are inside:
★ Stay where you are. Quickly move under a strong desk, or along a wall. This will protect you from falling things.
★Don’t stand near windows.
★Turn off the lights.
★Don’t get into a lift during an earthquake. If your are in a lift, get out as quickly as possible.
If you are outside:
★Don’t stand near buildings. Things may fall on you.
★Lie on the ground until the shaking stops.
1. An earthquake hit Yushu _______.| A．on April 12, 2010 | B．on April 14, 2010 | C．on May 14, 2010 | D．on May 12, 2010 |
| A．some water and biscuits | B．a clean towel and a few band-aids |
| C．a radio and a flashlight | D．all of the things above |
| A．keeping you from falling things | B．turning on the lights |
| C．standing near the window | D．getting into a lift |
| A．the surface of the earth is thin |
| B．the pieces of the surface are moving slowly |
| C．two pieces of the surface move past each other |
| D．there are too many people on the earth |
| A．You can play under a big tree. |
| B．You can’t stand near the buildings. |
| C．You can lie on the ground until the shaking stops. |
| D．Both B and C. |
