When a storm is coming, most people leave the area as quickly ad possible and head for safety. But there are a few people who will get into their cars and go straight for the center of the storm. These people are willing to risk being killed by floods or 100-kilometer-an-hour winds for the excitement of watching the storm close up.
“Storm chasing” is becoming an increasingly popular hobby, especially in the Midwest of the United States, where there are frequent storms between March and July. A storm chaser begins the day by checking the Internet for the latest weather reports, and then drives up to 1,000 kilometers to where the storm will be and waits for it to develop.
Although anyone can do it , storm chasing is extremely dangerous. The power of a big storm can throw a cow into the air or destroy a whole house in seconds. Storm chasers are also often hurt in accidents caused by driving in a heavy rain. If you are a beginner, it is much safer to join a group for storm-chasing vacations during the storm season.
Even then, storm chasing is not all adventure and excitement . “Storm chasing is 95% driving,” says Daniel Lynch, who spends most of his summer storm-chasing. “Sometimes you can sit around for hours waiting for something to happen, and all you get is blue sky and a few light showers.”
However, for storm chasers, it is all worth it. “When you get close to a storm, it is the most exciting sight you will ever see in your life,” says Jasper Morley. “Every storm is an example of the power of nature, It is the greatest show on Earth.”
【小題1】For storm chasing, the first thing storm chasers do is to .

E
In the old days, children were familiar with birth and death as part of life. Now this is perhaps the first generation of American youngsters who have never been close by during of the birth a baby and have never experienced the death of a family member.
　　Nowadays when people grow old, we often send them to nursing homes. When they get sick, we send them to a hospital, where children are forbidden to visit patients— even when those patients are their parents. This deprives（剝奪）the dying patient of family members during the last few days of his life and it deprives the children of an experience of death, which is an important learning experience.
　　Some of my colleagues and I once interviewed and followed about 500 in order to find out what they could teach us and how we could be of more benefit, not just to them but to the members of their families as well. We were most impressed by the fact that even those patients who were not told of their serious illness were quite aware of its potential outcome.
　　It is important for family members, and doctors and nurses to understand these patients’ communication in order to truly understand their needs, fears and fantasies. Most of our patients welcomed another human being with whom they could talk openly, honestly, and frankly about their trouble. Many of them shared with us their reat need to be informed, to be kept up-to-date on their medical condition and to be told when the end was near. We found out that patients who had been dealt with openly and frankly were better able to deal with the coming of death and finally to reach a true stage of acceptance before death.
82.The elders of today's Americans________ .
　　A. are often absent when a family member is born or dying
　　B. usually see the birth or death of a family member　　
C. are unfamiliar with birth and death
　　D. have often experienced the fear of death as part of life
83.Children in America are deprived of the chance to________.
　　A. visit a patient at hospital　　　　                             B. visit their family members
　　C. look after the patients　　　　                                          D. learn how to face death　
84.The need of a dying patient for people to accompany him shows________.
　　A. his wish for communication with other people　　             
B. his fear of death
　　C. his unwillingness to die                    　     
D. he feels very upset about his condition
85.It may be concluded from the passage that________.
　　A. dying patients should be truthfully informed of their condition
　　B. dying patients are afraid of being told of the coming of death
　　C. most patients are unable to accept death until it can’t be avoided
D. dying patients are not likely to be informed about their condition         

完形填空
Charles Plumb, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, was a jet fighter pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was   36  by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb was   37  and spent six years in prison in Vietnam. He survived and now   38  about lessons learned from that experience.
One day, Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant when a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You   39  jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier (航空母艦) Kitty Hawk . You were   40  !"
"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.
"I   41  your parachute," the man replied. Plumb gasped（倒吸一口氣） in surprise and   42  .The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!"
Plumb assured him, "It   43  did—if your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today."
Plumb couldn't sleep that night，thinking about that man. He says, "I wondered how many times I might have passed him   44  the Kitty Hawk. I wondered how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you', or anything   45  , you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a   46  ."
Plumb thought of the many days the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels（深處）of the ship   47  working on each chute, holding in his hands each time the   48  of someone he didn't know.
Plumb asks his   49  , "Who's packing your   50 ? Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it   51  the day." Plumb also says that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down-he needed his   52  parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these   53  before reaching safety. His experience reminds us all to   54  and be kind to people who pack our daily parachutes, and strengthen us to go through   55  times.

Sometimes teens (十幾歲的少年) need to have some time away from their families. They may want to move out of the family or home for a while.
Many parents will say no to this demand. But experts say it might be a good idea to let your teens live with a friend or a relative. “It was the break I needed at the time,” said Richard Lerne. He is talking about the time he spent living with his grandmother when he was 15. “It allowed me to be a more different person than I was with my parents.” Lerne said. He now heads the Institute for Children, Youth and Families at Michigan State University.
Experts say teens living away from their families can test new ways of thinking and getting along with people. They may see new ways to problems. Some teens who want some time away from family attend a structured summer program. Others live for a while with a relative or with the family of a friend.
If there is conflict (沖突) at home, having a teen live elsewhere can benefit other family members. It gives everyone space to develop better relationships.
Joseph Kett teaches history at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He says living at home until the late ten years has become the norm (準則) only in recent times. “In the 17th century, children were often sent to live in other people’s home when they were about 10 or 11”, he said.
Peter Sheras teaches education at the University of Virginia. He says parents should listen when a child wants to move out. They should try to find out why the child wants some time away.
【小題1】According to this passage, many parents may think it _____ for their children to live away from them.

D
A team of scientists proved that seals had a very good sense of hearing. These men trained blind seals to expect food when they heard sounds. The seals always began snapping(猛咬) when a strong signal was sounded.
It was proved that even a soft signal, a considerable distance away, could make these sea animals respond. That should make the fisherman who makes much noise while working, or talks loudly, start thinking.
The same team of scientists also trained seals to recognize different sounds. One bell-tone meant food ,two bell-tones meant no food. In the beginning, the seals made mistakes when the two bell-tones were sounded. They were given a light tap after each mistake. The seals were good learners. They easily learned to tell the difference between the sounds.
67.Why was it necessary to use blind seals? Because they______.
A. were unable to use sight for clues    B. had better hearing
C. were waiting to be fed             D. were the only animals to be found
68. To those seals strong signal meant_____.
A. snapping     B. nothing      C. food       D. a light tap
69. The article doesn’t say directly but suggests that fishermen usually think______.
A. seals have no good sense of hearing   B. seals have good sense of hearing
C. seals can only recognize bell sounds   D. seals can not hear soft or long distant sounds
70. Which title will be the best to suit the article?
A. Clever Seals                      B. Smart Learners 
C. An Underwater School             D. An Unknown School