四、阅读理解
An old saying used for predicting the weather says, "Red sky at night, sailors' (水手) delight (高兴). Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning (警告)." Is the saying true? It turns out that it is. A red sky at sunset may mean that there are clear skies to the west, where the sun sets. A red sky at sunrise usually means that the clear weather has already passed, so storms might be coming.
Forecasting (预报) the weather has been practised for thousands of years. In the 5th century B.C., the Greeks sent out forecasts to sailors. They used signs in nature to forecast the weather. But today, *meteorologists* send detailed forecasts further in advance (提前). They use scientific skills to study weather conditions around the world and make forecasts. Pilots (飞行员), farmers and many other people depend on these forecasts. Luckily, now most of us can simply check on the smartphone or turn on the TV to find out what kind of weather is coming.
If you are looking for some signs of the weather, pay attention to nature. There are two basic rules that are used in weather forecasting: Weather generally moves from west to east, and low air pressure (压力) usually means coming rain or snow. So pay attention to the signs. If rainbows form in the west at sunrise, the sun is on the way. Smell the flowers—their smells are stronger in wet air. What are the ants doing? Are they moving to the higher ground? This could mean a drop in air pressure. Are the birds flying low or high? Falling air pressure may have an effect on birds' ears, so they fly low. And if the sky is red at sunset, you might plan a picnic for the next day!
(
C
) 1. What is the old saying about?
A. The beauty of sunrise.
B. The night sky.
C. The signs of the weather.
D. The sailors' work.
(
D
) 2. The underlined word "meteorologists" means the people who ______.
A. give daily weather reports on TV
B. carry out studies on nature
C. take an interest in plants
D. do scientific studies of weather
(
C
) 3. Which of the following is introduced in Paragraph 2?
A. The reasons for terrible weather.
B. A true story about weather forecasting.
C. Different ways of forecasting the weather.
D. The problems in forecasting the weather.
(
B
) 4. What do we know from the last paragraph?
A. It'll be sunny if ants move to higher places.
B. The smells of flowers are stronger in wet air.
C. Birds fly higher because of the low air pressure.
D. It'll rain if rainbows form in the west at sunrise.
(
C
) 5. What is the writer's purpose in writing the text?
A. To encourage people to get close to nature.
B. To express the need for weather forecasting.
C. To show nature can tell us about the weather.
D. To discuss how important weather forecasting is.
