Question

Half of the world’s population is affected by Asian monsoons（季風）, but monsoons are difficult to predict. American researchers have put together a 700-year record of the rainy seasons, which is expected to provide guidance for experts making weather predictions.

Every year, moist （潮濕的）air masses，known as monsoon，produce large amounts of rainfall in India, East Asia, Northern Australia and East Africa. All this wet air is pulled in by a high pressure area over the Indian Ocean and a low pressure area to the south.

According to Edward Cook , a weather expert at Columbia University in New York., the complex nature of the climate systems across Asia makes monsoons hard to predict. In addition, climate records for the area are too recent and not detailed enough to be of much use. Therefore, he and a team of researchers spent more than fifteen years traveling across Asia, looking for trees old enough to provide long-term records. They measured the rings, or circles, inside thousands of ancient trees in more than 300 places.

Rainfall has a direct link to the growth and width of rings on some kinds of trees. The researchers developed a document they are calling a Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas. It shows the effect of monsoons over seven centuries, beginning in the 1300s.

Professor Cook says the tree-ring records show periods of wet and dry weather. “If the monsoon basically fails or is a very weak one, the trees affected by monsoons at that location might put on a very narrow ring. But if the monsoon is very strong, the trees affected by that monsoon might put on a wide ring for that year. So, the wide and narrow ring widths of the chronology that we developed in Asia provide us with a measure of monsoon variability.” With all this information, researchers say they can begin to improve computer climate models for predicting the behavior of monsoons.

“There has been widespread famine and starvation and human dying in the past in large droughts. And on the other hand, if the monsoon is particularly heavy, it can cause extensive flooding.” said Eugene Wahl, a scientist with America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “So, to get a sense of what the regional moisture patterns have been, dryness and wetness over such a long period of time in great detail, I would call it a kind of victory for climate science.”

1.What’sthe passage mainly about？

A. The effects of Asian monsoons.

B. A breakthrough in monsoon prediction.

C. The achievements of Edward cook.

D. The necessity of weather forecast.

2. It is difficult for experts to predict Asian monsoons because_________

A. it is hard to keep long-term climate records.

B. they are formed under complex climate systems.

C. they influence many nations.

D. there is heavy rainfall in Asia.

3.What can be inferred from the passage?

A. Long and details climate records can offer useful information for monsoon research.

B. The Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas has a monsoon record for about 1,300 years.

C. The trees affected by monsoon grow fast if the monsoon is weak.

D. The rainfall might be low although the monsoon is strong in monsoon-affected areas.

4.What do we know about the research according to Eugene Wahl?

A. It will help people prevent droughts and floods.

B. It should include information about human life in the past.

C. It has analyzed moisture models world wide,

D. It is a great achievement in climate science.

5.Which of the following best describes the tone of this passage?

A. Humorous B. Pessimistic

C. Matter-of –fact D. Friendly.

Answer 1

1.B

2.B

3.A

4.D

5.C

【解析】本文是一篇關于季風研究的說明文。亞洲季風影響著世界上半數的人口，然而亞洲季風對于氣象系統的影響卻很難預測，目前美國學者收集了大量的記錄，這給我們了解季風提供了有力的支持。

1.

2. the complex nature of the climate systems across Asia makes monsoons hard to predict.亞洲復雜的自然氣象系統使得季風很難預測。故選B

3. In addition, climate records for the area are too recent and not detailed enough to be of much use.此外，該地區的氣象記錄日期太近并且沒有詳細到足夠能用。以及下一句的 looking for trees old enough to provide long-term records. 尋找足夠老的樹來提供長期的記錄。從這里可以推測出長期且詳盡的氣象記錄可以對季風研究提供有用的信息故選A

4. to get a sense of what the regional moisture patterns have been, dryness and wetness over such a long period of time in great detail, I would call it a kind of victory for climate science.”所以得知地域氣候類型、詳細的得知這段時間的干濕度，我會稱這是氣候科學的一種勝利。故選D

5.

考點：考察說明文閱讀。