Lightning is very common but one of the most powerful weather forces to hit the Earth.
If you are outside,
If you are indoors during a lightning storm, you could still be
2 . This summer has brought extreme heat and droughts to places around the world. The droughts are leading to serious problems, including shortages of food and energy, problems with transportation, and food price increases. The effects of the droughts are likely to be felt for years.
From Africa to Europe to the US to China, record temperatures and low rainfall have been causing problems. Droughts aren’t new, but Earth’s rising temperatures because of global warming are making them much harder to avoid.
The drought in the Horn of Africa may be the most serious situation. For several years, the area has had very little rain during the rainy seasons. Now the area, which includes Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, is suffering from its worst drought in 40 years.
Almost two-thirds of Europe is threatened (威胁) by what may be the worst drought there in 500 years. With temperatures reaching 40℃ and hotter, many crops have been damaged. In France, Spain, Portugal, and even Britain, firefighters have struggled to control wildfires.
In the US, many states that use water from the Colorado River are struggling with low water levels. Farmers in California and Arizona have been hit particularly hard. In California water use is being limited now and farmers aren’t able to grow as many crops. That can drive up food prices, and that affects everyone.
China is facing similar problems. It has been attacked by a terrible drought this summer, with temperatures as high as 45℃. The drought has dried up much of the water in the Yangtze, China’s longest river. That has cut the amount of energy produced by the world’s largest dam by 40%.
There are no easy solutions for any of these droughts. It took years to create the climate crisis, and it will take a long time to get it under control. For now, governments and people will need to carefully manage water supplies and other resources to limit the damage as much as possible.
1. What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 2 refer to?A.Problems. | B.Droughts. |
C.The effects of the droughts. | D.Earth’s rising temperatures. |
A.Wildfires. | B.Food prices. |
C.Water limits. | D.High water levels. |
A.By giving some examples. | B.By offering some reasons. |
C.By answering some questions. | D.By explaining some puzzles. |
A.The Reasons Behind Worldwide Droughts |
B.The Effects of Extreme Heat and Droughts |
C.Droughts Cause Problems Around the World |
D.Solutions Are Needed for Worldwide Droughts |
Several examples told us that a knowledge of natural disasters can save our lives.
Alice Brown was teaching
Sabrina Andron helped many people escape danger
The Great Barrier Reef is almost the size of Japan, which can be seen from outer space. The reef is made up of living coral
The candidates are supposed to find out
The job was finally offered to Ben Southall from the UK. Ben did a lot when he worked as
Every Wednesday at 7 p.m., a group of runners from different countries gather at a bar in Shanghai before
6 . Have you ever stopped to consider how empty the world would look without trees? Below are five of the top benefits that trees provide.
Trees help you heal faster. Natural environments, including forests, help you reach a more positive state of mind.
Trees reduce air pollution and improve respiratory (呼吸的) health. Trees take in many harmful pollutants from our environment.
Trees provide oxygen. Trees are like the lungs of our Earth. They supply us with oxygen while taking away our carbon dioxide and ask for nothing in return. A single tree can provide enough oxygen for four people.
Trees cool cities. Trees cool things down by offering shade and through evapotranspiration (蒸腾作用).
A.Trees cheer you up! |
B.Trees help reduce the effects of climate change. |
C.This, in turn, affects your overall state of wellness. |
D.In fact, large forests can influence regional weather patterns. |
E.So plant more trees around your home if you want to feel cooler. |
F.And of course, trees also provide plenty of oxygen for birds and other wildlife. |
G.For example, in the US, forests remove 17.4 million tons of pollution per year. |
7 . Earthquakes usually happen on the edges of large sections of the Earth’s plates. These plates slowly move over a long period of time. Sometimes the edges, which are called fault lines, can get stuck , but the plates keep moving.Pressure slowly starts to build up where the edges are stuck and, once the pressure gets strong enough, the plates will suddenly move, causing an earthquake.
Generally before and after a large earthquake there will be smaller earthquakes. The ones that happen before are called foreshocks. The ones that happen after are called aftershocks. Scientists don’t really know if an earthquake is a foreshock until the bigger earthquake occurs.
Shock waves from an earthquake that travel through the ground are called seismic waves (地震波). They are most powerful at the center of the earthquake, but they travel through much of the earth and back to the surface. They move quickly at 20 times the speed of sound.
Scientists use seismic waves to measure how big an earthquake is. They use a device called a seismograph (地震仪) to measure the size of the waves. The size of the waves is called the magnitude.
To tell the strength of an earthquake, scientists use a scale called the Moment Magnitude Scale or MMS (it used to be called the Richter Scale). The larger the number on the MMS, the larger the earthquake. You usually won’t even notice an earthquake unless it measures at least a 3 on the MMS.Here are some examples of what may happen depending on the scale:
4.0—Could shake your house as if a large truck were passing close by. Some people may not notice.
5.0—If you are in a car, it may shake. Glasses and dishes may rattle(发出嘎嘎声). Windows may break.
6.0—Items will fall off shelves. Walls in some houses may crack and windows break. Pretty much everyone near the center will feel this one.
7.0—Weaker buildings will collapse and cracks will occur in bridges and on the street.
8.0—Many buildings and bridges fall down. Large cracks in the earth.
9.0 and up—Whole cities flattened and largescale damage.
1. If a 5.0 magnitude earthquake hit your area, what might happen?A.Your house might shake violently. |
B.People might feel no shaking at all. |
C.The family photo may fall off the wall. |
D.There might be cracks everywhere on the street. |
A.It’s still hard to tell foreshocks from main earthquakes. |
B.Scientists can’t exactly measure the strength of an earthquake. |
C.People may ignore foreshocks when an earthquake is not so strong. |
D.The earthquake won’t cause any damage unless it reaches 9.0 MMS. |
A.By listing examples. |
B.By giving explanations. |
C.By making comparisons. |
D.By offering data. |
A.To enrich people’s knowledge of selfrescue in disasters. |
B.To stress the importance of earthquake rescue. |
C.To issue early warnings before an earthquake. |
D.To present facts about the earthquake. |
8 . A powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck southern California on July 5, 2019. This event was widely felt.
Earthquakes are also called temblors.
Scientists give a magnitude rating to earthquakes based on the strength and duration of their seismic (地震的) waves. A magnitude of 3 to 4.9 is considered minor or light; 5 to 6.9 is moderate (中等的) to strong; 7 to 7.9 is major; and 8 or more is great.
A.It is called the “Ring of Fire”. |
B.They can cause huge damage. |
C.Protect yourself as quickly as possible. |
D.In fact, a magnitude 8 quake strikes somewhere every year. |
E.One important way is to try to make your home as safe as possible. |
F.However,the loss of life can be avoided through planning and education. |
G.It caused several fires and damage to buildings and roads in Ridgecrest and nearby. |
Death, suffer, breathe, deliver, damage, strike, bury, shock |
Disasters such as tornadoes, floods, landslides, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, hurricanes and earthquakes have come one after another, causing great
Nowadays, more and more wild animals are entering cities. Most of us assume that urban
We should learn to better understand and appreciate our wild neighbours and