7 . Much of the United States is locked by an unusually large winter storm, which has sent temperatures dropping sharply across the country, from coast to coast and as far south as southern Texas. In many areas, ice and snow storms have added to the challenges. Only a few areas in the south have dodged the freezing weather pattern. The National Weather Service( NWS) says that a winter storm, this large and this serious, has almost never been seen before.
The NWS reports that over 150 million Americans were under winter storm warnings. In Texas, over 2.7 million people were left without power on Monday. Texas isn't used to such serious winter weather. In the city of Houston, temperatures have dropped to - 9℃. The storm has led to huge, deadly highway accidents, and has forced its airport to cancel flights. On Sunday, President Joe Biden declared an emergency in Texas, allowing the state to get more help for the weather disaster from the US government. Several other states have declared some sort of weather-related emergency. In Washington and Oregon, warming shelters were opened to help people stay warm and safe.
The NWS says cold air from the Arctic is behind the record-breaking low temperatures. Though it may seem surprising, global warming may be one of the causes. A strong wind known as the jet stream usually flows in a circle around the Arctic, keeping super-cold air near the North Pole. But as the jet stream weakens because of climate change, the cold air is able to escape the Arctic and bring freezing temperatures to places that are normally much warmer.
The NWS is forecasting there’ll be more snow and freezing rain over the next few days as a new storm cuts up toward the Northeast from the middle of the country. The NWS says that much of the country will continue to have extremely cold temperatures, and it's likely that hundreds of cold weather records will be broken. Perhaps, people should think about the consequences of global warming.
1. Which can best replace the underlined word “
dodged” in paragraph 1?
| A．Seen. | B．Recorded. |
| C．Avoided. | D．Defeated. |
2. Why does the author mention Texas?
| A．It’s hit the hardest by extreme weather. |
| B．It's brought the super cold under control. |
| C．It's the first to warn of the climate disaster. |
| D．It's helping other states with the winter storm. |
3. What does paragraph 3 mainly focus on?
| A．How the jet stream forms in the Arctic. |
| B．What causes the extreme cold in America. |
| C．Why the cold air escapes from the Arctic. |
| D．When the global warming affects America. |
4. What is the NWS’s prediction about the rough weather?
| A．It’ll change climate permanently. | B．It’ll cause another new storm. |
| C．It’ll lessen global warming. | D．It’ll go on for some time. |
