1 . Brownrigg is a London tour guide and leads walks through the capital all summer long, whatever the weather. His dozen or so routes range in topics from Harry Potter to the London Underground, but all have something in common. “I often end up talking about the weather,” he says. “It’s a national obsession (痴迷). I realised how much it has shaped London’s existence and history.”

Brownrigg’s Discovering Britain walk takes in several of the city’s famous landmarks, from the Tower of London lo the Shard, each stop exploring some of London’s extraordinary weather events.

We begin at the Monument Christopher Wren’s elegy to the Great Fire of London. With its pale stone column topped by a golden orb. the Monument was designed to look like a giant candle. It stands 202ft high, exactly 202ft away from where the lire began in Pudding Lane. Despite its size, the structure is dwarfed by (相形见绌) today’s surrounding tower blocks. Similarly, the causes behind the fire are sometimes overlooked. The Great Fire was a significant event in the City of London’s history, one that was shaped by the capitals geography. The spark was the weather.

As we enjoy some autumn sun beside the Monument, Brownrigg explains: “The summer of 1666 was unusually warm. At that time London was crammed (塞满) with wooden buildings, many only a few feet apart. A long, hot summer left them bone dry. Add stores of flammable materials including gunpowder left over from the Civil War and the city was a giant tinderbox.” It caught a light on 2 September when a bakery oven wasn’t cleaned properly. The inferno (特大火) lasted three days thanks to a strong breeze. Besides fanning the flames, the wind caused more mess by changing direction.

1. What does “it” refer to in paragraph 1?

A．Introducing the celebrities in London.	B．Talking about the weather.
C．Explaining the public transport.	D．Exploring the culture of Britain.

2. What does Brownrigg do mainly in each stop?

A．Admiring the special architecture.

B．Warning tourists of the public safety.

C．Paying a visit to the famous museums.

D．Probing some historical matters with weather.

3. How does the third paragraph develop?

A．By making a comparison.	B．By analyzing the important figures.
C．By offering some examples.	D．By describing the features of the buildings.

4. What can be inferred mainly from Brownrigg’s words in the last paragraph?

A．Showing the materials of the buildings.	B．Expressing the cause of the Great Fire.
C．Predicting the change of the weather.	D．Describing the surroundings of the bakery.

2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

A sandstorm from Mongolia swept through northern areas of China on Monday and    1    (lead) to the suspension of classes at schools and flight cancellations. The sandstorm was the strongest in nearly a decade,     2    (affect) 12 provincial-level regions in northern China, according to the National Meteorological Center.

“At least nine people     3    （kill）in a heavy dust in Mongolia over the weekend”, the country's National Emergency Management Agency said. The airport in Manzhouli was also     4    (serious) affected and closed     5    safety reasons at noon on Monday, according to the city's authorities. As of 4:40 pm, Beijing Capital International Airport canceled 46 flights     6     Beijing Daxing International Airport canceled eight flights due to the sandstorm, according to the airports. Beijing Meteorological Service weather forecasters, some     7    ( influence) persons in this field, had an     8    (argue) over the sandstorm .The capital's educational authority has advised all schools and educational institutions    9    (stop) outdoor activities.

"Temperatures in Mongolia and northwestern China remained 5 to 8 C higher than the same period of normal years. Little rain in the region caused the dry conditions,     10     contributed to the sandy and dusty weather", Zhang said.

3 . Learning about Rainfall around the World

We all need rain

Rain is a necessity around the world. Whatever your feelings, we all need rain. On other planets, it may rain methane (甲烷), iron or sulphuric acid (硫酸).     1    

Wettest and driest

    2     It’s difficult to work out precisely which place on Earth is the wettest, but some contenders (竞争者) include the Indian Himalayas, Hawaii and the town of Tutunendo in Colombia, which can receive 25 meters of rain per year. At the other extreme, the driest place on Earth is the Antarctic, where rainfall is rare and winds are cold, strong and dry.

It’s going to rain

    3     In different cultures, owls, blackbirds, swallows and peacocks and in the US state of Texas, even toads can predict weather change.

    4    

It’s not surprising that ancient people respected the rain and developed myths (神话) connected to animals to explain it. The San people of South Africa say stormy weather is brought by the dangerous rain-bull escaping from his cave, but that soft rain the gift of the gentle rain-cow.     5     Its wings cause thunder as it carries messages across the sky. And the strangest rain myth? In Thailand, a breed of cat called the cloud cat is carried out into the fields and water is sprinkled on its face to bring rain. With global warming making many parts of the world drier, those cats could come in handy!

A．Rain and animals.

B．Animals and ancient people.

C．Animals are believed to predict rain.

D．Rain has different functions and meanings.

E．Some places are luckier than others when it comes to rain.

F．Peoples in North America use strong images of the powerful rain-bird.

G．But, in our universe, only on Earth does fresh water fall from the sky to sustain life.

4 . 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

2. What is the meaning of the underlined part in Paragraph 2?

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

3. Which of the following is a plan for the “coming” flood in London?

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

4. What do the hurricane, heavy rain and the heat mentioned in Paragraph 4 show?

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

5. What is the author's purpose in writing the passage?

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

5 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What will the weather be like tomorrow afternoon?

A．Sunny

B．Snowy

C．Rainy

2. Why would the woman give up driving to Birmingham?

A．The roads will be closed

B．Her car is broken

C．The roads will be icy

3. What will the man do if the class is canceled?

A．Visit the woman

B．Invite the woman to his house

C．Go to the cinema

6 . 听下面一段较长对话,回答以下小题。
1. Where are the speakers?

A．In New Orleans.

B．In Memphis.

C．In Boston.

2. Why doesn't the boy want to go skiing in the front yard?

A．He thinks skiing there dangerous.

B．He wants to build a snowman instead.

C．He doesn't want to be covered in snow.

3. How does the girl know so much about the snow?

A．She grew up in a cold area.

B．She learned about it from her mother.

C．She spent every winter in the mountains.

7 . Why are there so many people in the shop?

A．There is a sale.

B．They need furniture.

C．They are hiding from the rain.

8 . 阅读下列材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或者括号内单词的正确形式。

One day at The Dubai Mall, a workmate warned that a sandstorm was going on and suggested not going out. I didn't know    1     a sandstorm looked like and I told him I wanted to go out just to see it for myself. I received an    2     (astonish) look because he thought I was crazy to even want to see a sandstorm. I decided to go to the bus stop to ride a bus that would take me home. Another workmate joined me as he    3     (head) towards the same street as I was. We stepped    4     The Dubai Mall with our faces    5     (cover) in order to protect ourselves from the sandstorm.

On the way, the wind became much    6     (strong), which covered the city in a thick, brown-yellow dust. I could hardly keep my eyes open. It was really dangerous and frightening because there were so many cars on the road and it was already dark. At that moment, I would rather I    7     (not go) out.

    8     (fortune), the storm stopped afterwards. This was the first time I    9     (be) in a sandstorm in Dubai and I don’t ever want to be in    10     again.

9 .    

A．It was miserable all day long.	B．The trip was ruined by the bad weather.
C．It was sunny on Saturday morning.	D．The trip turned out to be good.

10 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

China's national observatory on Monday issued a yellow alert for sandstorms in the northern part of the country. “    1    （start）from Monday to 8 a. m. Tuesday, affected by cold fronts and heavy winds, floating sand and dust       2    （expect）to sweep parts of several northern provinces and the city of Beijing,”     3    （forecast）the NMC.

Some regions in Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Shaanxi and Shanxi were hit by strong sandstorms. The capital Beijing was enveloped in yellow dust     4     Monday morning with visibility at less than 1 km,     5     followed an official yellow warning for the sandstorm. The sandstorm is the strongest and the most sweeping     6     in nearly a decade. Remote sensing images of dust in northern China show the dust from Mongolia     7    （gradual）traveled south with the airflow.

This wave of sandstorms is a result of the combined       8    （effect）of cold air and cyclones from Mongolia. “The combined action of the Mongolian cyclone and the cold high     9    （press）provided a strong impetus（动力）for the sandstorm,” said Zhang Bihui,     10     senior engineer with the NMC.