1 . Scientists are developing unmanned planes—called drones—what can collect weather information from the atmosphere.
Weather experts say their weather forecasts would be more accurate if they had information from many parts of the atmosphere. They already place satellites, drones and balloons at different altitudes (高度). And they use radar (雷达) and collect information from equipment on towers. But that information only helps experts predict weather conditions for the next few days. It does not help predict changes in the next few hours. This is very important where sudden, violent storms happen.
So scientists at Oklahoma State University are developing new drones to collect information from more parts of the Earth’s atmosphere. This will help forecasters improve predictions about local weather conditions.
Jamey Jacob is an aerospace engineer and a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Oklahoma State University. He and other scientists at the university are developing small drones that do not cost a lot of money but can fly for hours, collecting information from many atmospheric levels.” Oklahoma is a really good example, because even though we’re already a very weather-dynamic (动态天气的) state, Oklahoma only has two balloon launches a day—one at dawn and one at dusk—from a single location in the state, and that’s where all the weather forecasting information comes from. So that data is really sparse, and it’s difficult for weather experts to get a very good idea about how that weather is changing from these very limited number of data points.”
Phillip Chilson, a professor of meteorology (气象的) at Oklahoma State University, says the drone program should give researchers a low-cost way of understanding storms better, and improve computer-based forecasting. The drone can measure atmospheric conditions, send live video to forecasters, and help search for people hurt in storms. “Our real goal is to try to develop systems. I don’t want to say they will replace weather balloons but there may be that possibility. Researchers still have a lot of work to do before the drones are ready. That includes making sure the drones know how to stay away from other planes.”
1. According to the text, the drones being developed can________.| A．raise people’s interest in science |
| B．help to improve weather predictions |
| C．replace weather balloons and satellites |
| D．examine different altitudes of the Earth |
| A．limited | B．reliable | C．confused | D．correct |
| A．Worried. | B．Hopeful. | C．Doubtful. | D．Satisfied. |
| A．The drones can not be put into use now. |
| B．It will cost a lot of money to build drones. |
| C．Researchers find it difficult to design planes. |
| D．The drone program should be carried out on planes. |
| A．To introduce a team of scientists. |
| B．To explain how unmanned planes work. |
| C．To report a new way of predicting weather. |
| D．To give some advice on preparing for storms. |
2 . Climate change can happen naturally or in response to human activities, including the burning of fossil fuels and clearing of forests. Burning fossil fuels creates gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. In fact, about 90 percent of the heat is absorbed by the ocean. So it’s really important to track the oceans’ warming, says Jörn Callies. He’s an oceanographer at the California Institute of Technology. Tracking how that heat affects the ocean is difficult because of its depth and size, though. This makes it hard for scientists to understand long-term changes in temperature.
In September 2020, Callies and other scientists reported a new way to check the temperature of the ocean. As temperature affects how fast sound travels (sound travels faster in warmer water than colder water). Scientists originally proposed using sounds produced by machines to measure ocean warming, but it would affect marine animals. Whales, for example, use sound to communicate. Finally, Callies and his team showed they could use the natural sounds produced by earthquake instead.
For their study, the scientists looked at data for 2,000 pairs of earthquakes. Each earthquakes pair happened in the same place but at different times. What did the scientists find? The sound waves traveled a few tenths of a second faster in more recent quakes than in older ones. This difference suggests a warming trend of 0.04 degrees Celsius (about 0.08 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade. A tiny amount of a degree may not sound like a lot. But it represents a huge of heat that the ocean absorbed. It takes a lot of heat to change the temperature of a body of water almost 3,200 kilometers (2,000 miles) wide and several kilometers deep.
However, Callies says it’s not the time to worry about that yet. They don’t know if the warming is only specific to the one region (East Indian Ocean) or if it’s happening elsewhere. “We just don’t have the data yet.” he says.
1. The heat caused by burning fossil fuels is mainly ________.| A．cleared by the forest | B．disappearing naturally |
| C．taken in by ocean | D．trapped by human activities |
| A．scientists can’t understand the changes in temperature |
| B．measuring the temperatures cost too much |
| C．the changes in temperature is too small |
| D．oceans are so deep and big to measure |
| A．natural sounds is less harmful to marine animals |
| B．sounds produced by machines are not correct |
| C．marine animals absorb sounds produced by machines |
| D．sounds produced by earthquakes travels faster than those by machines |
| A．The change of sound sped affects temperature. |
| B．The change in the ocean’s heat can be ignored. |
| C．The experiment was not a success. |
| D．The change in the ocean’s heats is actually very big. |
| A．Study should be continued and more data need to be collected. |
| B．There is no need to worry about the climate change. |
| C．He lost confidence in the study. |
| D．The scientists can’t analyze the data correctly. |
3 . Picking up free newspaper at the Tube station, I see the title “Hot! Hot! Hot!”. Today, the temperature in London is expected to reach 30 plus degrees. The average high temperature in July is only 22 degrees, so over 30 is not usual for London. It's going to be awful on the central line with no air conditioning. Why did they have to invent the Tube before air conditioning? It's just typical that my journey is on one of the oldest lines, as well as one of the deepest. It's the hottest on the whole tube system.
Sure enough, going down the stairs and onto the platform is like jumping into a volcano that's erupting. This, however, is nothing compared to the train. Because there's no air conditioning, the temperature inside the train can reach 35 degrees! It's lovely at the beach, but not so when you are wearing a suit and in a crowd of passengers. I'm sure the passenger next to me and I are melting and becoming one. I had bacon and eggs for breakfast and now I'm feeling a bit sick — I hope I can make it to bank station. I will avoid the feeling by thinking about work. I work in a tall, glass building. One very hot summer, the sun reflected off it and melted cars park below. Will this happen again today?
Yes, each summer in London definitely seems hotter than the last. I suddenly feel a bit scared. Perhaps now is the time to start planning for the future. I should probably put my flat on the market and buy a boat. That way, when the Thames rises and there is a flood in London, I'll still be able to get to work. But wait! Would I still have a workplace to go? My office is only on the third floor of the building, so quite low. I'll speak with my manager about moving to the top floor. Most importantly, I will need to learn to swim! I would join a beginner swimming class immediately. Then I'll be able to survive even when the tall buildings are flooded.
Looking through my newspaper, I'm shocked by photos showing that a hurricane in Asia has destroyed a town. What's more, heavy rain in Eastern Europe has caused landslides, and the heat across the Southern Europe has caused forest fires. Experts say this bad weather has occurred due to climate change. News like this makes me feel nervous. Now that it's hard to avoid disaster on Earth, perhaps I should start thinking about moving to space. . .
“The next station is bank!” comes the announcement. That's my destination. stepping out of the station with a heavy heart, I suddenly feel a fresh wind on my face. Well, maybe I have been worrying too much. After all, it's only 30 degrees outside!
1. What is true about the Central Line in Paragraph 1?| A．The Central Line is one of the oldest Tube lines in London |
| B．The temperature in the Central Line is between 22 to 30 degrees |
| C．The air conditioning of the Central Line makes passengers feel awful |
| D．The Central Line is the hottest because it is the deepest line of the tube system |
| A．The author tried to endure the sick feeling on his / her own |
| B．The author wanted to taste bacon and eggs at the bank station |
| C．The author was thinking about saving his / her money in the bank: |
| D．The author was worried about the hot environment at the station |
| A．The author will buy a flat which is far away from the Thames |
| B．The author will try to persuade the manager to move to the top floor |
| C．Tie author will improve his / her swimming skills to join a competition |
| D．The author will buy a boat from which he / she can jump into the water |
| A．The climate in different regions on Earth varies greatly |
| B．The natural disasters can be avoided by moving to space |
| C．Bad weathers happen more frequently due to climate change |
| D．The author is reading the weather forecast section carefully |
| A．To complain about the London Tube |
| B．To warn people about the danger of London being flooded |
| C．To explain why summers in London are getting hotter and hotter |
| D．To express his worries about the dangers of extreme weather conditions |
1. Where are the speakers?
| A．At home. | B．In a park. | C．In the office. |
| A．Enjoyable. | B．Changeable. | C．Comfortable. |
| A．Windy. | B．Rainy. | C．Sunny. |
5 . Antarctica is known for being a vast land of ice and snow, a place too cold for most life. Despite this, the continent is slowly starting to turn warm. According to the Guardian, the Antarctic has registered a new high temperature for the first time on record, prompting fears of climate instability in the world's iciest place.
On Feb 9, Brazilian researchers at Seymour Island reported a temperature of 20.75℃ on the icy continent of Antarctica. It was almost a full degree higher than the previous record of 19.8℃, taken on Signy Island (西格尼岛) in January 1982.
This record-breaking reading was taken at a monitoring station in the northern part of Antarctica. According to Brazilian soil scientist Carlos Schaefer, the temperature was documented during a 20-year-long research project. The focus of this project is to study the effect that climate change has on the permafrost(永久冻土)within the region. Permafrost is soil that stays frozen for at least two years. Although this is a first record high for Antarctica, Schaefer stressed that "We can't use this to anticipate climatic changes in the future. It's simply a signal that something different is happening in that area."
But in fact, the last high temperature reading was in the 19℃ range. These higher temperatures can cause ice and glaciers in Antarctic regions to melt. The Antarctic peninsula(半岛)---the long finger of land that stretches towards Argentina---is most dramatically affected. Scientists saw glaciers that have retreated by more than 100 meters in Discovery Bay where the snow melted in little more than a week, leaving dark exposed rock. This melted ice leads to a rise in sea levels that can threaten the safety of coastal areas. It's believed to be behind an alarming decline of more than 50 percent in chinstrap penguin(帽带企鹅) colonies, which are dependent on sea ice.
Like American writer Ernest Hemingway once said, "The Earth is a fine place and worth fighting for." We should do everything we can to help save our planet. Otherwise, it may become too hot for us to fix.
1. What did Brazilian researchers report on Feb 9?| A．Seymour Island is the warmest region in the Antarctic. |
| B．Antarctica hit a record high temperature of 20.75℃. |
| C．The average temperature of Antarctica ranges from 19.8℃ to 20.75℃. |
| D．Antarctica's new record temperature is a full degree higher than the previous decade. |
| A．To predict possible climatic change in the future. |
| B．To monitor Antarctica's contributions to world climate change. |
| C．To explain why the permafrost may cause glaciers to melt. |
| D．To examine how the permafrost is influenced by climate change. |
| A．moved backward. | B．increased in size. |
| C．covered a certain area. | D．stretched in an opposite direction. |
| A．the pollution of ocean water | B．the release of various viruses |
| C．threats to penguin habitats | D．disappearances of coastal cities |
| A．The Earth will be hotter and hotter. |
| B．The high temperature can cause ice in Antarctica melt. |
| C．People should spare no effort to protect the earth and the environment. |
| D．A rise in sea levels can threaten the safety of coastal areas. |
| A．Sunny. | B．Cloudy. | C．Rainy. |
