1 . Several security guards of residential compounds in Beijing and workers were seen shoveling snow and some parked vehicles were covered by thick overnight snow. The first snowfall of winter arrived in Beijing early Monday, covering the Chinese capital with a mantle (披风) of white overnight and plunging (使……下降) the city into freezing temperatures, with even colder weather coming this week in northern China.
Snowfall reached 5.8 mm on average by early Monday, with the highest snowfall of 10.2 mm recorded in Fangshan district, Beijing Meteorological (气象的) Service data showed. Beijing typically sees its first snow of the season between late November and February, or even none at all. More snowfall is expected this week, with temperatures seen further sliding to as low as -20°Celsius. The Chinese capital last saw such similarly extremely cold weather on Jan. 7, 2021, when the temperature dropped to -19.6℃.
The cold snap (寒潮) in Beijing this week, compared with the autumn-like conditions a week ago, mirrored the sharp swings in temperatures recently. In October, Beijing experienced one of its warmest Octobers in decades in a year of weather extremes.
On Monday, the government warned of road icing in large parts of the city of nearly 22 million, with authorities shutting some expressways or partially closing sections. By 10 a. m. local time, 62 out of a few hundred flights had been cancelled at the Beijing Capital Airport. Railway authorities enforced speed limits on lines connecting Beijing and Guangzhou in southern China, causing delays in some passenger trains. By 7 a. m. Monday, more than 180 bus routes in Beijing had been suspended.
The official Beijing Daily reported that vegetable stocks were enough, hitting this year’s highest daily market volume of 23,800 tons, as merchants stocked up (备货) ahead of time. Huang, a Beijing resident working in the internet sector, said the snow in Beijing came early. “Normally, it doesn’t snow until the Spring Festival,” Huang said, referring to the start of the Lunar New Year, which typically falls in January or February.
1. Which of the following is not used to show the seriousness of the snowfall in paragraph?| A．By listing out numbers. | B．By illustrating a viewpoint. |
| C．By citing data from the authority. | D．By making comparisons. |
| A．From hot summers to mild winters. |
| B．From dry conditions to heavy rainfall. |
| C．From autumn-like conditions to a sudden coldness. |
| D．From constant snow to unexpectedly warm temperatures. |
| A．introduced | B．obeyed | C．happened | D．improved |
| A．Organized community support groups. | B．Increased storage of essential supplies. |
| C．Created emergency shelters for the homeless. | D．Offered discounts and sales to boost business. |
| A．More snow. | B．Outdoor activities. | C．Holiday celebrations. |
1. What is the ship captain going to do?
| A．Speed the ship. | B．Change the direction. | C．Stop the ship. |
| A．Sunny and nice. | B．Windy and rainy. | C．Stormy and cold. |
| A．Run for safety. | B．Stay in their rooms. | C．Call 911. |
4 . You have probably eaten a hot dog, but have you ever spotted a sundog? This isn’t your pet dog napping in the sun!
A sundog is a weather event that causes two bright bursts of rainbow colored light to appear on either side of the sun. You would see them around 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock. Sundogs can be very beautiful, with a red glow closest to the sun and a white in the center. The scientific name for sundogs is parhelia, which comes from a Greek word meaning “beside the sun”.
Conditions need to be just right for sundogs to appear. Sunlight passes through high clouds that spread out like feathers in front of the sun. These clouds contain flat, six-sided ice crystals (晶体). If the crystal drifts toward the ground, with the larger face facing the Earth, light is refracted (折射). These crystals then separate the light, forming a sundog.
Sundogs can be seen during any season but are most often seen during the winter months when the sun is lower in the sky. You are also more likely to see them early or late in the day, when the sun is near the horizon. Sundogs have been spotted around the world, across North America, Europe, and Asia, at the South Pole and in the far north. Scientists have even predicted what sundogs might look like on other planets.
Throughout history, sundogs have been used to predict weather because they indicate snow or rain on its way. Some people believed that sundogs were a sign of good luck, while others saw them as a warning from God. Shakespeare described sundogs in poems as frightening.
Ready to try out your weather detective skills? First, use your hand to block the center of the sun to protect your eyes. Search for clouds in a winter sky and a circle or burst of light around the sun. Be sure to show off your sundog smarts to your friends and family — you’ll be their top dog!
1. What can be inferred about a sundog from the passage?| A．It leads the sun to produce crystals. | B．It forms under strict circumstances. |
| C．It causes the appearance of rainbow. | D．It separates the sun from high clouds. |
| A．One summer midday in China. | B．One late winter night in America. |
| C．One winter morning in Europe. | D．One summer morning in the Arctic. |
| A．To convince readers of the beauty of sundogs. |
| B．To illustrate the wide range of topics of his poems. |
| C．To help readers understand the function of sundogs. |
| D．To show impressions of sundogs vary among viewers. |
| A．Confident. | B．Encouraging. | C．Worried. | D．Fearful. |
1. What can we say about the weather on Sunday?
| A．It was fine. | B．It was hot. | C．It was changeable. |
| A．It’s beyond their expectations. |
| B．It’s a common phenomenon. |
| C．It’s caused by climate change. |
1. When is the report being broadcast?
| A．In the morning. | B．At noon. | C．In the afternoon. |
| A．A car accident. | B．The bad weather. | C．The road construction. |
| A．Change trains at East River Station. |
| B．Get a free pass for the blue line train. |
| C．Avoid taking trains to DuPont Circle. |
| A．Weather updates. | B．News on a bridge. | C．An interview with the police. |
1. What does the speaker think of the weather in London?
| A．Changeable. | B．Great. | C．Uncomfortable. |
| A．8. | B．11. | C．14. |
| A．Underground. | B．Subway. | C．Fall. |
| A．Sports. | B．Traffic rules. | C．Some expressions. |
1. When will the first storm arrive?
| A．Today. | B．This weekend. | C．Next week. |
| A．New York City. | B．Saint Paul. | C．Boston. |
| A．People traveling on foot. | B．People driving on the road. | C．People celebrating by the water. |
| A．Sunny. | B．Snowy. | C．Windy. |
1. What is the man doing today?
| A．Playing soccer. |
| B．Watching soccer on TV. |
| C．Going to a soccer game. |
| A．Sunny. | B．Cloudy. | C．Rainy. |
| A．Three years ago. |
| B．Seven years ago. |
| C．Eleven years ago. |
| A．To play in the Olympics. | B．To attend college. | C．To get a scholarship. |
1. Which road will stay closed?
| A．M43. | B．M30. | C．M16. |
| A．The snow hasn’t been cleared. |
| B．There is an accident. |
| C．It is under repair. |
| A．By visiting a website. |
| B．By reading a magazine. |
| C．By making a phone call. |
| A．Snowy | B．Windy | C．Sunny |
