It’s hardly surprising that weather is a favorite topic for so many people around the world---it affects where we choose to live, what we wear, our moods, and perhaps even our national characteristics. Studies have shown that changeable weather can make it difficult to concentrate, cloudy skies slow down reaction, and high humidity with hot, dry winds makes many people bad-tempered.

If you live in a place like Britain, where the weather seems to change daily if not hourly, you could be forgiven for thinking that the weather is random. In fact, the weather is controlled by systems which move around areas of the globe. In the UK the weather depends on depressions, often called lows, and anticyclones, also known as highs. These systems start in the Atlantic Ocean, and make their way across the British Isles from the west to the east. Highs bring sunny weather, while lows bring rain and wind. In modern times, human activities seem to be altering weather patterns. Gases produced by heavy industry change the temperature of the Earth’s surface, and affect cloud formation. Some researchers say that factories in Europe and North America may have been one of the causes of the droughts in Africa in the 1980s.

The human race has always tried to guess the weather, especially in areas of the world where there are frequent changes. Traditional rhymes point to early attempts to identify weather patterns, popular poems include:

Red sky at night, shepherds’ delight; red sky in the morning, shepherds’ warning.

Flies will swarm before a storm.

Rain before 7, clear by 11.

While folk wisdom can still provide a guide to help forecast weather, today’s methods of prediction increasingly rely on technology. Satellites, balloons, ships, aircrafts and weather centers with sensitive monitoring equipment, send data to computers. The data is then processed, and the weather is predicted. However, even this system cannot predict weather for longer than about a week.

51. When weather keeps changing, ______________________.

A. people become bad-tempered

B. people’s reaction slows down

C. people find it hard to focus on their work

D. people become hungrier

52. What is mainly talked about in the second paragraph?

A. Changes in weather.                              B. Weather in Britain.

C. African droughts. D. Research on weather.

53. The weather in Britain is ____________________________.

A. random                 B. moist                    C. depressing            D. satisfying

54. According to a traditional rhyme, if there is a red sky at night, the next day will be _______.

A. windy                   B. rainy                     C. fine                      D. snowy

55. Which of the following statements is true?

A. Anticyclones often bring rain and wind.

B. Weather forecasting has been done for a long time.

C. Weather could never be predicted.

D. Modern methods of weather prediction are developed from folk wisdom.

練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:2012屆上海市華師大一附中等八校高三2月聯(lián)合調(diào)研考試英語(yǔ)試卷 題型:閱讀理解

I once had my Chinese MBA students brainstorming on “two-hour business plans”. I separated them into six groups and gave them an example: a restaurant chain. The more original their idea, the better, I said. Finally, five of the six groups presented plans for restaurant chains. The sixth proposed a catering service. Though I admitted the time limit had been difficult, I expressed my disappointment.
My students were middle managers, financial analysts and financiers from state owned enterprises and global companies. They were not without talent or opinions, but they had been shaped by an educational system that rarely stressed or rewarded critical thinking or inventiveness. The scene I just described came in different forms during my two years’ teaching at the school. Papers were often copied from the Web and the Harvard Business Review. Case study debates were written up and just memorized. Students frequently said that copying is a superior business strategy, better than inventing and creating.
In China, every product you can imagine has been made and sold. But so few well developed marketing and management minds have been raised that it will be a long time before most people in the world can name a Chinese brand.
With this problem in mind, partnerships with institutions like Yale and MIT have been established. And then there’s the “thousand talent scheme”: this new government program is intended to improve technological modernization by attracting top foreign trained scientists to the mainland with big money. But there are worries about China’s research environment. It’s hardly known for producing independent thinking and openness, and even big salary offers may not be attractive enough to overcome this.
At last, for China, becoming a major world creator is not just about setting up partnerships with top Western universities. Nor is it about gathering a group of well-educated people and telling them to think creatively. It’s about establishing a rich learning environment for young minds. It’s not that simple.
【小題1】Why does the author feel disappointed at his students?

A.Because there is one group presenting a catering service.
B.Because the six groups made projects for restaurant chains.
C.Because all the students copied a case for the difficult topic.
D.Because the students’ ideas were lacking in creativeness.
【小題2】We can infer from the passage that ________.
A.China can make and sell any product all over the world
B.high pay may not solve the problem of China’s research environment
C.cooperation with institutions has been set up to make a Chinese brand
D.the new government program are aimed at encouraging imagination
【小題3】Which is the best title of the passage?
A.Look for a New Way of Learning.B.Reward Creative Thinking.
C.How to Become a Creator.D.Establish a technical Environment.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:2010年深圳市高三年級(jí)第一次調(diào)研考試(一模) 題型:閱讀理解

I once had my Chinese MBA students brainstorming on “two-hour business plans”. I separated them into six groups and gave them an example: a restaurant chain. The more original their idea, the better, I said. Finally, five of the six groups presented plans for restaurant chains. The sixth proposed a catering(餐飲) service. Though I admitted the time limit had been difficult, I expressed my disappointment.
My students were middle managers, financial analysts and financiers from state-owned enterprises and global companies. They were not without talent or opinions, but they had been shaped by an educational system that rarely stressed or rewarded critical thinking or inventiveness. The scene I just described came in different forms during my two years’ teaching at the school. Papers were often copied from the Web and the Harvard Business Review. Case study debates were written up and just memorized. Students frequently said that copying is a superior business strategy, better than inventing and creating.
In China, every product you can imagine has been made and sold. But so few well-developed marketing and management minds have been raised that it will be a long time before most people in the world can name a Chinese brand.
With this problem in mind, partnerships with institutions like Yale and MIT have been established. And then there’s the “thousand-talent scheme”: this new government program is intended to improve technological modernization by attracting top foreign-trained scientists to the mainland with big money. But there are worries about China’s research environment. It's hardly known for producing independent thinking and openness, and even big salary offers may not be attractive enough to overcome this.
At last, for China, becoming a major world creator is not just about setting up partnerships with top Western universities. Nor is it about gathering a group of well-educated people and telling them to think creatively. It’s about establishing a rich learning environment for young minds. It’s not that simple.
【小題1】Why does the author feel disappointed at his students?

A.Because there is one group presenting a catering service.
B.Because the six groups made projects for restaurant chains.
C.Because all the students copied a case for the difficult topic.
D.Because the students’ ideas were lacking in creativeness.
【小題2】Which of the following scenes is NOT considered as lack of creation?
A.Papers were often downloaded from the Internet.
B.Students often said that copying is a preferable business strategy.
C.Students combine knowledge and critical thoughts to solve a problem.
D.Case study debates were written up as well as recited.
【小題3】The underlined word “scheme” in the forth paragraph means__________.
A.timetableB.themeC.projectD.policy
【小題4】We can infer from the passage that ___________.
A.China can make and sell any product all over the world
B.high pay may not solve the problem of China’s research environment
C.cooperation with institutions has been set up to make a Chinese brand
D.the new government program are aimed at encouraging imagination
【小題5】Which is the best title of the passage?
A.Look for a New Way of LearningB.Reward Creative Thinking
C.How to Become a CreatorD.Establish a technical Environment

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:2016屆天津市和平區(qū)高一上學(xué)期期末考試英語(yǔ)試卷(解析版) 題型:閱讀理解

In films, dads change from cruel men to loving souls. Here is a list of good and bad movies dads .Atticus Finch in To kill a Mockingbird(殺死一只知更鳥(niǎo))

GOOD DAD:A man whose wife has died with a young family and a busy job as a lawyer, Gregory Peck's character in the  1962 film is one of the great heroes of American cinema  Firm but fair he teaches his children respect and human decency(正派).Harper Lee's novel gets a respectable transposition(轉(zhuǎn)變)to film, thanks to Gregory Peck's perfect performance.

Jack Torrance in The Shining

BAD DAD: When Jack Torrance ,his wife ,Wendy ,and son, Danny ,escaped from the cold winter to  the Overlook Hotel  we know that Jack has hardly been a model father But when Jack becomes extremely angry and tries to murder his family with an axe, Danny used his intelligence to defeat him and left him to  freeze to death.

George Bailey in It's a Wonderful life

GOOD DAD: James Stewart's character is a father-of-four who is saved from the edge of suicide (自殺)and realizes his positive effect on others lives.Much of the film is unpleasant, with George shouting at his children as he faces financial problems.  But finally the lovable father realizes the worth of his own life, the value of friendship and the importance of being a loving dad

Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back(帝國(guó)大廈)

BAD DAD: When the unfriendly cyborg(半機(jī)器人)told Luke Skywalker that he was his father ,the son's reaction says it all: "No! No!" It's hardly a joyful welcome to the family.  For most of his son's life, Darth Vader has been an absent dad—and he has just cut off Luke's hand You can understand why Father's Day cards might not be available.

1.Who is Harper Lee?

A.   An actor.        B.   A novelist    C.   A movie director.     D.   A translator.

2.According  to the text, ______died of freezing cold

A.  Jack Torrance     B.  Wendy        C.  Danny               D.  Darth Vader

3.Which movie should you watch if you want to see a helpless father change?

A.To kill a Mockingbird               B.The Shining

C.It's a Wonderful Lift                 D.The Empire Strikes Book

4.What happened to Luke?

A. He lost his hand in an accident     

B. His father changed him into a cyborg.

C. He discovered that he had a cruel father:

D.His father lived with him for most of his life.

 

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:2012年人教版高中英語(yǔ)選修八 unit3 練習(xí)卷(解析版) 題型:閱讀理解

I once had my Chinese MBA students brainstorming on “two-hour business plans”. I separated them into six groups and gave them an example: a restaurant chain. The more original their idea, the better, I said. Finally, five of the six groups presented plans for restaurant chains. The sixth proposed a catering(餐飲) service. Though I admitted the time limit had been difficult, I expressed my disappointment.

My students were middle managers, financial analysts and financiers from state-owned enterprises and global companies. They were not without talent or opinions, but they had been shaped by an educational system that rarely stressed or rewarded critical thinking or inventiveness. The scene I just described came in different forms during my two years’ teaching at the school. Papers were often copied from the Web and the Harvard Business Review. Case study debates were written up and just memorized. Students frequently said that copying is a superior business strategy, better than inventing and creating.

In China, every product you can imagine has been made and sold. But so few well-developed marketing and management minds have been raised that it will be a long time before most people in the world can name a Chinese brand.

With this problem in mind, partnerships with institutions like Yale and MIT have been established. And then there’s the “thousand-talent scheme”: this new government program is intended to improve technological modernization by attracting top foreign-trained scientists to the mainland with big money. But there are worries about China’s research environment. It's hardly known for producing independent thinking and openness, and even big salary offers may not be attractive enough to overcome this.

At last, for China, becoming a major world creator is not just about setting up partnerships with top Western universities. Nor is it about gathering a group of well-educated people and telling them to think creatively. It’s about establishing a rich learning environment for young minds. It’s not that simple.

1.Why does the author feel disappointed at his students?

A.Because there is one group presenting a catering service.

B.Because the six groups made projects for restaurant chains.

C.Because all the students copied a case for the difficult topic.

D.Because the students’ ideas were lacking in creativeness.

2.Which of the following scenes is NOT considered as lack of creation?

A.Papers were often downloaded from the Internet.

B.Students often said that copying is a preferable business strategy.

C.Students combine knowledge and critical thoughts to solve a problem.

D.Case study debates were written up as well as recited.

3.The underlined word “scheme” in the forth paragraph means__________.

A.timetable

B.theme

C.project

D.policy

4.We can infer from the passage that ___________.

A.China can make and sell any product all over the world

B.high pay may not solve the problem of China’s research environment

C.cooperation with institutions has been set up to make a Chinese brand

D.the new government program are aimed at encouraging imagination

5.Which is the best title of the passage?

A.Look for a New Way of Learning

B.Reward Creative Thinking

C.How to Become a Creator

D.Establish a technical Environment

 

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:2011-2012學(xué)年上海市等八校高三2月聯(lián)合調(diào)研考試英語(yǔ)試題 題型:閱讀理解

I once had my Chinese MBA students brainstorming on “two-hour business plans”. I separated them into six groups and gave them an example: a restaurant chain. The more original their idea, the better, I said. Finally, five of the six groups presented plans for restaurant chains. The sixth proposed a catering service. Though I admitted the time limit had been difficult, I expressed my disappointment.

My students were middle managers, financial analysts and financiers from state owned enterprises and global companies. They were not without talent or opinions, but they had been shaped by an educational system that rarely stressed or rewarded critical thinking or inventiveness. The scene I just described came in different forms during my two years’ teaching at the school. Papers were often copied from the Web and the Harvard Business Review. Case study debates were written up and just memorized. Students frequently said that copying is a superior business strategy, better than inventing and creating.

In China, every product you can imagine has been made and sold. But so few well developed marketing and management minds have been raised that it will be a long time before most people in the world can name a Chinese brand.

With this problem in mind, partnerships with institutions like Yale and MIT have been established. And then there’s the “thousand talent scheme”: this new government program is intended to improve technological modernization by attracting top foreign trained scientists to the mainland with big money. But there are worries about China’s research environment. It’s hardly known for producing independent thinking and openness, and even big salary offers may not be attractive enough to overcome this.

At last, for China, becoming a major world creator is not just about setting up partnerships with top Western universities. Nor is it about gathering a group of well-educated people and telling them to think creatively. It’s about establishing a rich learning environment for young minds. It’s not that simple.

1.Why does the author feel disappointed at his students?

A.Because there is one group presenting a catering service.

B.Because the six groups made projects for restaurant chains.

C.Because all the students copied a case for the difficult topic.

D.Because the students’ ideas were lacking in creativeness.

2.We can infer from the passage that ________.

A.China can make and sell any product all over the world

B.high pay may not solve the problem of China’s research environment

C.cooperation with institutions has been set up to make a Chinese brand

D.the new government program are aimed at encouraging imagination

3.Which is the best title of the passage?

A.Look for a New Way of Learning.

B.Reward Creative Thinking.

C.How to Become a Creator.

D.Establish a technical Environment.

 

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案