When a storm is coming, most people leave the area as quickly as 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-kilometre-an-hour winds for the excitement of watching the storm close up.

“Storm chasing (追赶)” 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 or excitement. “Storm chasing is 95% driving,” says Daniel Lynch, who spends most of his summer storm chasing. Sometimes you can sit round 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.”

36. For storm chasing, the first thing storm chasers do is to 　　　　．

A. head straight for the center of the storm　 B. get into the car for safety

C. wait patiently for the storm to develop D. collect information about a coming storm

37. Beginners of storm chasing are advised 　　　　．

A. not to drive in a heavy rain　　　　 B. to do it in an organized way

C. not to get too close to a storm D. to spend more time on it in summer

38. By saying “it is all worth it” in the last paragraph, the author means that 　　　　．

A. storm chasing costs a lot of money　　 B. storm chasing is worth hours of waiting

C. efforts in storm chasing are well paid　 D. a storm presents the greatest show on Earth

39. What can we learn from the text? 　　　　．

A. Sometimes storm chasers get nothing but disappointment

B. Many storm chasers get killed in the storms.

C. Storm chasing is becoming popular around the world

D. Storm chasing is only fit for young people.

40. According to the passage, the right order in which the following things happen is_________.

a. collect information about a coming storm

b. get into their cars and go a long way for the area where the storm will be

c. determine on the months between March and July

d. be patient and waits for the storm to develop

A. c, d, a, b　 B. c, a, d, b　 C. a, c, d, b　　 D. c, a, b, d

When a storm is coming, most people leave the area as quickly as 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-kilometre-an-hour winds for the excitement of watching the storm close up.

“Storm chasing (追赶)” 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 or excitement. “Storm chasing is 95% driving,” says Daniel Lynch, who spends most of his summer storm chasing. Sometimes you can sit round 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.”

36. For storm chasing, the first thing storm chasers do is to 　　　　．

　 A. head straight for the center of the storm　 B. get into the car for safety

　 C. wait patiently for the storm to develop　　 D. collect information about a coming storm

37. Beginners of storm chasing are advised 　　　　．

　 A. not to drive in a heavy rain　　　　 B. to do it in an organized way

　 C. not to get too close to a storm　　　 D. to spend more time on it in summer

38. By saying “it is all worth it” in the last paragraph, the author means that 　　　　．

　 A. storm chasing costs a lot of money　　 B. storm chasing is worth hours of waiting

　 C. efforts in storm chasing are well paid　 D. a storm presents the greatest show on Earth

39. What can we learn from the text? 　　　　．

　 A. Sometimes storm chasers get nothing but disappointment

　 B. Many storm chasers get killed in the storms.

　 C. Storm chasing is becoming popular around the world

D. Storm chasing is only fit for young people.

40. According to the passage, the right order in which the following things happen is_________.

a. collect information about a coming storm

b. get into their cars and go a long way for the area where the storm will be

c. determine on the months between March and July

d. be patient and waits for the storm to develop

A. c, d, a, b　 B. c, a, d, b　 C. a, c, d, b　　 D. c, a, b, d

With his attention________on the shops along the roadside，he knocked an old man down while riding to school.

A  concentrating     B．concentrated     C．to concentrate      D．concentrates

答案　B

解析　考查词组，故选B项。

 

阅读理解

　　To learn English well you must learn about yourself. You must discover what your own special needs are in English. You should pick out what makes English different from your own language and concentrate(集中) on those parts. And above all, you should pick out your personal weaknesses in English, pick out your own special problems, find out what mistakes you most often make and make a list of them.

　　It will be best if, in your preparation, you can practise doing the various sorts of work you will be asked to do in an examination. You should then make a careful note of any mistakes you make more than once. Count(数) up how many times you make each mistake, and the mistake you make most often should be at the top of your list, the next most common in the second place, and so on.

　　For example, if your own language is Japanese, you may find the problem of articles comes at the top of your list. If you speak German, you may find using some of the conjunctions(连词) is your biggest problem. If your mother tongue is French, you may find you are always having trouble with some prepositions(介词). And if Italian is your language, you may often forget to use a suitable pronoun(代词) when you should.

　　But these are only examples of mistakes typical(典型的) of certain languages. They may or may not be your particular personal mistakes. As I say, these personal ones are the most important of all to discover.

　　Find out your problems, deal with them and remember them.

1．To learn English well the most important thing is to ________.

[　　]

A．learn about yourself

B．discover your own special need

C．find out the difference between your own language and English

D．pick out your own personal weaknesses in English

2．The writer advises the readers to ________.

[　　]

A．spend as much time on English as possible

B．take examinations of various sorts

C．find their own problems through doing carefully designed exercises

D．keep a notebook with the most important language points in it

3．The first item(项目) on the list should be the mistake you make ________.

[　　]

4．According to the examples given ________ may have difficulty in using the word “if”.

[　　]

5．To make a list of personal mistakes ________.

[　　]

A．needs careful work

B．takes little time

C．is an easy job

D．is all one has to do in learning English