A severe heatwave sweeping India, with temperatures of almost 44??C, the highest in 52 years, has killed at least 80 people this month, officials said on Sunday. The hot weather, which officials say would continue over northern, north-western and central India in the next 48 hours, also may have some impact on wheat production, exporters and flour-mill associations said.
New Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 43.7??C on Saturday, indicating a hot summer in the next two months in the nation's capital and other parts of northern and eastern India. The highest temperature in the past 24 hours was 47??C at Ganganagar city, in Rajasthan state. Summer temperatures have been 4??C-6??C above normal over most parts of northern and central India since March, weather officials said.
In the eastern state of Orissa, authorities have decided to shut down schools from next Tuesday, advancing the annual summer holiday. Authorities said they were investigating reports of 53 deaths from various parts of the state.
"District collectors have been asked to investigate and submit reports on other deaths," Bhimsen Gochhayat, a government official said. Other deaths were reported from northern state of Uttar Pradesh and central Madhya Pradesh states.
India is expected to produce about 82 million tons of wheat in 2009-2010, but there could be a shortage of 1-1.5 million tons due to the heatwave, said Veena Sharma, Secretary General of the Roller Flour Millers Federation of India. "Most of the harvesting is over, but there definitely will be a slight shortage o
f 1-1.5 million tons due to the extreme weather conditions," she told Reuters.
India is relying on an abundant wheat crop to make up for a 14.2% drop in rice output, the major summer-sown food grain, marred by the worst monsoon （季风）in 37 years last year. Weather officials say with summer temperatures in India set to remain above average, there were hopes of heavy rains at the start of the monsoon season that will help early sowing of rice, soybeans and lentils.
The purpose of the passage is ____________.
A. to tell a piece of news of a heatwave B. to record the highest temperature in India
C. to report the deaths in the heatwave D. to inform people of a drop of rice output
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The hi
ghest temperature in the history of India was 44??C.
B. Schools were closed because of the hot weather throughout India.
C. India is expected to produce about 82 million tons of rice in 2009-2010.
D. India has a good harvest of wheat while the rice output is decreasing.
The underlined word “marred” in the last paragraph probably means “___________”.
A. reduced B. damaged C. blown D. followed
What is the main idea of the passage?
A. A severe heatwave would continue over India.
B. At least 80% people were killed in the disaster this month.
C. A severe heatwave swept India with a great loss.
D. A slight shortage of 1-1.5 million tons is due to the heatwave.
阅读快车系列答案科目：高中英语 来源：黄冈题库练考新课堂 高二英语(上) 题型：050
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EARTH WEEK－A DIARY OF THE PLANETEnduring Storms
Several more rounds of severe storms, tornadoes and flash flooding struck many parts of the American Midwest and Northeast as bad weather continued across the US for a second month.
Monsoon Storms
A south-west monsoon has caused havoc in parts of SriLanka. Government meteorologists said that unexpected monsoonal winds blew directly across the country from the Southern Hemisphere at about 100 km/h, producing several rounds of stormy weather. Nearly 250 houses in the capital Colombo were damaged.
For the week ending 3 July 1998
Mt. Etna Erupts
Sicily’s Mount Etna volcano erupted shortly after midnight on July 1, shooting“bombs”of lava nearly 1.5 metres in diameter on the eastern side of the mountain. The 30-minute eruption could be seen for several miles, but did not threaten any nearby villages.
Hurricane
Hurricane Blas lost strength as it moved over cooler waters in the Pacific Ocean to the west of Mexico. Blasformed off southwest Mexico during the previous week, but squalls on the outer fringes of the storm lashed western Michoacan State, killing four people when their wood and cardboard home collapsed.
Monkey Repellent
After years of unsuccessful attempts to keep crop-eating monkeys out of Japanese fields, a Tokyo research team believes that it may have finally found a way to prevent the damage caused by the monkeys. Animal raids on crops were successfully prevented by shooting chilli powder into the air, irritating the eyes and noses of monkeys that passed in front of carefully-placed warning sensors.“We’ve tried…all kinds of preventive measures, but the monkeys are smart enough to outwit the tricks,”said Toshiaki Wada, Director of the Tokyo Forestry Experiment Station in western Tokyo.
1．The monsoon is Sri Lanka ________.
[ ]
A．was of average strength
B．destroyed more property than previous monsoons
C．was not typical for that time of the year
D．affected only the outer areas of the nation
2．What aspect of Hurricane Blas does the map show?
[ ]
3．According to the information, which of the following statements is TRUE?
[ ]
A．The eruption of Mt. Etna lasted thirty days.
B．Hurricane Blas was formed off the coast of Italy.
C．The American Midwest had fine weather throughout July 1998.
D．The eruption of Mt. Etna did not destroy local villages.
4．According to the information, the monkeys in the Japanese fields ________.
[ ]
A．destroy crops
B．kill unsuspecting humans
C．spread eye diseases to humans
D．stop farmers from working
5．Toshiaki Wada, Director of the Tokyo Forestry Experiment Station, would describe the monkeys as ________.
[ ]
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
In a natural disaster—a hurricane,flood,tornado,volcanic eruption,or other calamity—minutes and even seconds of warning can be the difference between life and death.Because of this,scientists and government officials are working to use the latest technological advances to predict when and where disasters will happen.They are also studying how best to analyze and communicate this information once it is obtained.The goal is to put technology to effective use in saving lives and property when nature unleashes its power with devastating results.
On September 29,1998,Hurricane Georges made landfall in Biloxi,Mississippi,after devastating Haiti,the Dominican Republic,Puerto Rico,and several islands of the Caribbean with torrential rains and winds up to 160 km/h （100 mph）.Few people lost their lives along the Gulf Coast of the United States,although hundreds died in the Caribbean.
This was a very different outcome from 1900,when a powerful Gulf Coast hurricane made an unexpected direct hit on Galveston,Texas,killing at least 6 000 people.Vastly improved hurricane warnings explain the different circumstances at either end of the 20th century—residents of Galveston had no advance warning that a storm was approaching,while residents of Biloxi had been warned days in advance of Georges’s approach,allowing for extensive safety precautions.
At the same time that people in Biloxi were thankful for the advance warning,some residents of New Orleans,Louisiana,120 km to the west,were less satisfied.A day before Georges made landfall,forecasters were predicting that the hurricane had a good chance of striking New Orleans.Because much of New Orleans lies below sea level,the city is at risk for flooding.In addition,because New Orleans has a large population in vulnerable locations,emergency management officials must begin evacuations well before a storm strikes.But evacuation costs money:Businesses close,tourists leave,and citizens take precautionary measures.The mayor of New Orleans estimated that his city’s preparations for Georges cost more than 50 million.After the full fury of Georges missed New Orleans,some residents questioned the value of the hurricane forecasts in the face of such high costs.
The differing views on the early warnings for Hurricane Georges illustrate some of the complexities involved in predicting disasters.Disaster prediction is more than just forecasting the future with advanced technology—it is also a process of providing scientific information to the government officials and other decision makers who must respond to those predictions.
In general,the process has three phases.First,there is the challenge of forecasting the event itself.In the case of Georges,scientists worked to predict the future direction and strength of the hurricane days in advance.
A second important challenge is communicating the forecast to decision－makers.Because forecasts are always uncertain,a central factor in disaster predictions is communicating this uncertainty.Uncertainty is usually described in terms of odds or probabilities,much like daily weather forecasts.The media plays an important role in communicating predictions and their uncertainty to the public.
The third part of the process is the use of predictive information by decision makers.Even the most accurate information is of little value if the decision maker does not use it appropriately,for example in deciding whether to order an evacuation.If there is a breakdown in any of these three phases of prediction,the result is increased danger and a higher risk of loss of life.
The underlined word“calamity”refers to ______.
A.nature B.thunderstorms C.disaster D.dangers
According the passage,the purpose of disaster prediction is to______.
A.demonstrate the power of advanced technology
B.bring out the truth between life and death
C.prevent such natural disasters from happening
D.reduce human casualties and loss of property
Which of the following areas suffered the most severe damage?
A.Biloxi,Mississippi. B.Gulf Coast of U. S.
C.Galveston,Texas. D.New Orleans.
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科目：高中英语 来源：2010-2011四川成都玉林中学高二下学期期中英语试卷 题型：阅读理解
ERATH WEEK---A DIARY OF THE PLANET
Enduring Storms
Several more rounds of severe storms, tornadoes and flash flooding struck many parts of the American Midwest and Northeast as bad weather continued across the US for a second month. 
Monsoon Storms
A south-west monsoon has caused havoc in parts of Sri Lanka. Government meteorologists said that unexpected monsoonal winds blew directly across the country from the Southern Hemisphere at about 100km/h, p
roducing several rounds of stormy weather. Nearly 250 houses in the capital Colombo were damaged.
Mt. Etna Erupts
Sicily’s Mount Etna volcano erupted shortly after midnight on July 1, shooting “bombs” of lava nearly 1.5 meters in diameter on the eastern side of the mountain. The 30-minute eruption could be seen for several miles, but did not threaten any nearby villages.
Hurricane
Hurricane Blas lost strength as it moved over cooler waters in the Pacific Ocean to the west of Mexico. Blas formed off southwest Mexico during the previous week, but squalls on the outer fringes of the storm lashed western Michoacan State, killing four people when their wood and cardboard home collapsed.
Monkey Repellent
After years of unsuccessful attempts to keep crop-eating monkeys out of Japanese fields, a Tokyo research team believes that it may have finally found a way to prevent the damage caused by the monkeys. Animal raids on crops were successfully prevented by shooting chilli powder into the air, irritating the eyes and noses of monkeys that passed in front of carefully-placed warning sensors. “We’ve tried al kinds of preventive measures, but the monkeys are smart enough t
o outwit the tricks, “said Toshiaki Wada, Director of the Tokyo Forestry Experiment Station in western Tokyo.
【小题1】.
. According to the information, which of the following statements is TURE?
A. The eruption of Mt. Etna lasted thirty days.
B. Hurricane Blas was formed off the coast of Italy.
C. The American Midwest had fine weather throughout July 1998.
The eruption of Mt. Etna did not destroy local villages.
【小题2】.
. According to the information, the monkeys in the Japanese fields ________.
| A．destroy crops | B．kill unsuspecting humans |
| C．spread eye diseases to humans | D．stop farmers from working |
| A．predicts future weather patterns |
| B．gives advice on dealing with monsoons |
| C．shows that weather can be unpredictable |
| D．shows the effects that storms have on animals |
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科目：高中英语 来源：20102011四川成都玉林中学高二下学期期中英语试题 题型：阅读理解
ERATH WEEK---A DIARY OF THE PLANET
Enduring Storms
Several more rounds of severe storms, tornadoes and flash flooding struck many parts of the American Midwest and Northeast as bad weather continued across the US for a second month.
Monsoon Storms
A south-west monsoon has caused havoc in parts of Sri Lanka. Government meteorologists said that unexpected monsoonal winds blew directly across the country from the Southern Hemisphere at about 100km/h, producing several rounds of stormy weather. Nearly 250 houses in the capital Colombo were damaged.
Mt. Etna Erupts
Sicily’s Mount Etna volcano erupted shortly after midnight on July 1, shooting “bombs” of lava nearly 1.5 meters in diameter on the eastern side of the mountain. The 30-minute eruption could be seen for several miles, but did not threaten any nearby villages.
Hurricane
Hurricane Blas lost strength as it moved over cooler waters in the Pacific Ocean to the west of Mexico. Blas formed off southwest Mexico during the previous week, but squalls on the outer fringes of the storm lashed western Michoacan State, killing four people when their wood and cardboard home collapsed.
Monkey Repellent
After years of unsuccessful attempts to keep crop-eating monkeys out of Japanese fields, a Tokyo research team believes that it may have finally found a way to prevent the damage caused by the monkeys. Animal raids on crops were successfully prevented by shooting chilli powder into the air, irritating the eyes and noses of monkeys that passed in front of carefully-placed warning sensors. “We’ve tried al kinds of preventive measures, but the monkeys are smart enough to outwit the tricks, “said Toshiaki Wada, Director of the Tokyo Forestry Experiment Station in western Tokyo.
1..
. According to the information, which of the following statements is TURE?
A. The eruption of Mt. Etna lasted thirty days.
B. Hurricane Blas was formed off the coast of Italy.
C. The American Midwest had fine weather throughout July 1998.
The eruption of Mt. Etna did not destroy local villages.
2..
. According to the information, the monkeys in the Japanese fields ________.
A. destroy crops B. kill unsuspecting humans
C. spread eye diseases to humans D. stop farmers from working
3..
. The information in the “Earth Week” diary _______.
A. predicts future weather patterns
B. gives advice on dealing with monsoons
C. shows that weather can be unpredictable
D. shows the effects that storms have on animals
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：
第三节 短文填词（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
阅读下面短文，根据以下提示（汉语提示、首字母提示或语境提示），在每个空格内填入一个适当的英语单词，并将该词完整地写在右边相对应的横线上。所填单词要求意义准确，拼写正确。
There is a chemical factory near my home. The manager, who was in
90) c_____of the factory, was criticized (批评) by the government because 90. ________
the factory gave out a lot of waste gas every day, 91)_____ badly influences 91. ________
(影响) people’s health. But the manager still paid no attention to environmental
92)_________(保护). When the factory was forced to stop production, the 92. ________
manager said angrily, “Is there any evidence to prove that we did 93) h______ 93. ________
to people’s health? In 94) r_____, we haven’t done anything wrong.” Just then, 94. ________
a doctor came, with the manager’s physical examination report, saying that the
manager was 95)s________ from a severe lung cancer. 95. ________
96)_______ is very clear that the pollution has an extremely bad effect 96. ________
97)______ the people around the factory, including the manager himself. The 97. ________
manager regretted (后悔) that what they had done had 98) r______ in so much 98. ________
pollution. Now he has realized the 99) i__________ of keeping the air clean. 99. ________
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