An old saying used for forecasting the weather says, “Red sky at night, sailors’ (水手) delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.” Is the saying true? It turns out that it is.
Forecasting the weather has been practised for thousands of years. In the 5th century BCE, the Greeks used signs in nature to forecast the weather and sent out forecasts to sailors. But today, meteorologists send exact forecasts further in advance (提前). They use scientific instruments to study weather conditions around the world and make forecasts. Pilots, farmers and many other people depend on these forecasts. Luckily, most of us can simply check 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 in weather forecasting: weather generally moves from west to east, and low air pressure (压力) usually means rain or snow. Smell the flowers—their smells are stronger in wet air. What are the ants doing? Are they moving to higher ground? This could mean a drop in air pressure. Are the birds flying low or high? Falling air pressure may influence birds’ ears, so they fly low. And if the sky is red at sunset, you might plan a picnic for the next day!
() 36. What is the old saying in Paragraph 1 about?
A. The beauty of sunrise.
B. The night sky.
C. The signs of the weather.
D. The sailors’ work.
() 37. How is modern weather forecasting different from the ancient Greek way?
A. It is only for sailors.
B. It uses scientific tools.
C. It studies birds and ants.
D. It is less accurate.
() 38. The underlined word “meteorologists” means the people who .
A. give weather reports on TV
B. carry out research on natural history
C. are interested in forecasts
D. study scientific weather conditions
() 39. What can we know from the last paragraph?
A. The smells of flowers are stronger in wet air.
B. It will be sunny if ants move to higher places.
C. Birds fly higher because of the low air pressure.
D. It will be a fine day if the sky is red at sunrise.
() 40. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A. History of weather forecasting
B. Why low air pressure causes rain
C. Nature and rules for weather forecasting
D. Checking weather on phones and TVs