One warm day when I was walking in my backyard, I saw a pinecone(松球) on the ground. I picked it up, and some seeds fell out of it. Those seeds would be a tasty treat for a squirrel (松鼠).
I realized that pinecones were not always open like this one. Sometimes cones were tightly closed. I decided to find out why.
I gathered pinecones from my backyard. I watched them for over a year. Here’s what I learned.
Pinecones open and close slowly as the weather changes. When it’s cold or wet, cones are tightly closed. This protects the seeds inside from rain and snow.
When the weather becomes warm and dry, pinecones open. On a hot day, you might even hear the sound of cones popping open. The seeds inside may then fall to the ground. The wind may blow the seeds to places where they can grow into new pine trees. A seed has a better chance of taking root and growing when the weather is warm.
“Pine seeds are an important source of food for many animals,” says Monty Maldonado. He is a pinecone expert with the United States Forest Service. He says squirrels depend on pinecone seeds for most of their meals. They spend lots of time gathering and storing the cones. Maldonado says some animals eat only the seeds from a pinecone. But red squirrels and gray squirrels will eat the whole thing.
Small animals aren’t the only creatures that eat pine seeds. Maldonado says big grizzly bears (灰熊) and people eat them, too.
Seeds inside a pinecone are important for the growth of new trees and as food for animals. It is the pinecone’s job to protect them. So take note of the pinecones you see on the ground. They hold treasures inside.
45．According to the passage, when it is rainy, cones          .
A．are open   B．are usually shut       C．grow quickly    D．stop growing
46．According to Monty Maldonado,        .
A．not all squirrels eat the whole pinecone        
B．pine seeds are difficult to find for many animals
C．people in the forest are sometimes attacked by grizzly bears
D．most small animals depend on pinecone seeds for their meals
47．We can learn from the passage that on sunny days         .
A．seeds may fall out of the cones      
B．squirrels stay still in their nests      
C．it’s difficult for a seed to take root
D．the wind will put the pine trees in danger
48．In the last paragraph, the author points out that         .
A．more and more new trees need to be planted in future 
B．people should be responsible for protecting animals
C．people should be careful not to damage the pinecones  
D．squirrels now have few seeds to feed themselves
49．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．The author learned why pinecones are not always open in the forest.  
B．The author gathered pinecones and observed them for a month.  
C．The author is fond of gathering and storing the cones. 
D．Pine trees are precious to animals and people.

One warm day when I was walking in my backyard, I saw a pinecone(松球) on the ground. I picked it up, and some seeds fell out of it. Those seeds would be a tasty treat for a squirrel (松鼠).

I realized that pinecones were not always open like this one. Sometimes cones were tightly closed. I decided to find out why.

I gathered pinecones from my backyard. I watched them for over a year. Here’s what I learned.

Pinecones open and close slowly as the weather changes. When it’s cold or wet, cones are tightly closed. This protects the seeds inside from rain and snow.

When the weather becomes warm and dry, pinecones open. On a hot day, you might even hear the sound of cones popping open. The seeds inside may then fall to the ground. The wind may blow the seeds to places where they can grow into new pine trees. A seed has a better chance of taking root and growing when the weather is warm.

“Pine seeds are an important source of food for many animals,” says Monty Maldonado. He is a pinecone expert with the United States Forest Service. He says squirrels depend on pinecone seeds for most of their meals. They spend lots of time gathering and storing the cones. Maldonado says some animals eat only the seeds from a pinecone. But red squirrels and gray squirrels will eat the whole thing.

Small animals aren’t the only creatures that eat pine seeds. Maldonado says big grizzly bears (灰熊) and people eat them, too.

Seeds inside a pinecone are important for the growth of new trees and as food for animals. It is the pinecone’s job to protect them. So take note of the pinecones you see on the ground. They hold treasures inside.

45．According to the passage, when it is rainy, cones          .

A．are open   B．are usually shut       C．grow quickly    D．stop growing

46．According to Monty Maldonado,        .

A．not all squirrels eat the whole pinecone        

B．pine seeds are difficult to find for many animals

C．people in the forest are sometimes attacked by grizzly bears

D．most small animals depend on pinecone seeds for their meals

47．We can learn from the passage that on sunny days         .

A．seeds may fall out of the cones      

B．squirrels stay still in their nests      

C．it’s difficult for a seed to take root

D．the wind will put the pine trees in danger

48．In the last paragraph, the author points out that         .

A．more and more new trees need to be planted in future 

B．people should be responsible for protecting animals

C．people should be careful not to damage the pinecones  

D．squirrels now have few seeds to feed themselves

49．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The author learned why pinecones are not always open in the forest.  

B．The author gathered pinecones and observed them for a month.  

C．The author is fond of gathering and storing the cones. 

D．Pine trees are precious to animals and people.

One warm day when I was walking in my backyard, I saw a pinecone(松球) on the ground. I picked it up, and some seeds fell out of it. Those seeds would be a tasty treat for a squirrel (松鼠).

I realized that pinecones were not always open like this one. Sometimes cones were tightly closed. I decided to find out why.

I gathered pinecones from my backyard. I watched them for over a year. Here’s what I learned.

Pinecones open and close slowly as the weather changes. When it’s cold or wet, cones are tightly closed. This protects the seeds inside from rain and snow.

When the weather becomes warm and dry, pinecones open. On a hot day, you might even hear the sound of cones popping open. The seeds inside may then fall to the ground. The wind may blow the seeds to places where they can grow into new pine trees. A seed has a better chance of taking root and growing when the weather is warm.

“Pine seeds are an important source of food for many animals,” says Monty Maldonado. He is a pinecone expert with the United States Forest Service. He says squirrels depend on pinecone seeds for most of their meals. They spend lots of time gathering and storing the cones. Maldonado says some animals eat only the seeds from a pinecone. But red squirrels and gray squirrels will eat the whole thing.

Small animals aren’t the only creatures that eat pine seeds. Maldonado says big grizzly bears (灰熊) and people eat them, too.

Seeds inside a pinecone are important for the growth of new trees and as food for animals. It is the pinecone’s job to protect them. So take note of the pinecones you see on the ground. They hold treasures inside.

45．According to the passage, when it is rainy, cones          .

       A．are open   B．are usually shut       C．grow quickly    D．stop growing

46．According to Monty Maldonado,        .

       A．not all squirrels eat the whole pinecone        

       B．pine seeds are difficult to find for many animals

       C．people in the forest are sometimes attacked by grizzly bears

       D．most small animals depend on pinecone seeds for their meals

47．We can learn from the passage that on sunny days         .

       A．seeds may fall out of the cones      

       B．squirrels stay still in their nests      

       C．it’s difficult for a seed to take root

       D．the wind will put the pine trees in danger

48．In the last paragraph, the author points out that         .

       A．more and more new trees need to be planted in future 

       B．people should be responsible for protecting animals

       C．people should be careful not to damage the pinecones  

       D．squirrels now have few seeds to feed themselves

49．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

       A．The author learned why pinecones are not always open in the forest.  

       B．The author gathered pinecones and observed them for a month.  

       C．The author is fond of gathering and storing the cones. 

       D．Pine trees are precious to animals and people.

National Forecast
LONDON —This Evening and Tonight:
Rain, locally heavy across northwest Scotland. Mostly cloudy but dry in other northern and western areas.  Dry with clear spells(持续时间)in more central and eastern parts, but some low cloud and fog will develop. Generally mild with light winds.
Saturday:
Cloud and rain over western Scotland at the beginning will gradually push down over N. Ireland and northwest England. Largely dry, warm with sunny spells elsewhere, once early fog and low cloud clears.
http://www.times.online.co.uk/tol/news/weather/
The Nation's Weather
Fri, Aug 24,
NEW YORK—Heavy rain was forecast throughout Friday in parts of the Midwest. The heaviest rainfall was over northern Illinois, with more than 4 inches possible around Chicago.
Wet weather was also expected in the Plains as the same storm system tracks through the region.
Periods of heavy rain were also forecast for the Northeast as the remnant(剩余部分)of tropical storm Erin moves into the Canadian Maritimes.
Hot weather was expected to continue in the South and West.
http://www.underground.com
Death toll rises to 36 in China typhoon
Wed, Aug 22,
BEIJING— At least 36 people were killed by Typhoon Sepat in four provinces in eastern and central China in widespread destruction that also forced the evacuation (撤退)of l.37 million people.
More than 60,000 homes in the provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Hunan also were destroyed or damaged, Xinhua News Agency said.
Total economic losses in the provinces have reached $ 663 million.
Fujian was the worst-hit province, with 18 people killed, Xinhua said.
Earlier, the storm, named after a Malaysian fish, killed at least one person in Taiwan, and left three dead in the Philippines.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap
【小题1】On August 25, in N. Ireland and northwest England, there will be _____.

National Forecast

LONDON —This Evening and Tonight:

Rain, locally heavy across northwest Scotland. Mostly cloudy but dry in other northern and western areas.  Dry with clear spells(持续时间)in more central and eastern parts, but some low cloud and fog will develop. Generally mild with light winds.

Saturday:

Cloud and rain over western Scotland at the beginning will gradually push down over N. Ireland and northwest England. Largely dry, warm with sunny spells elsewhere, once early fog and low cloud clears.

http://www.times.online.co.uk/tol/news/weather/

The Nation's Weather

Fri, Aug 24,

NEW YORK—Heavy rain was forecast throughout Friday in parts of the Midwest. The heaviest rainfall was over northern Illinois, with more than 4 inches possible around Chicago.

Wet weather was also expected in the Plains as the same storm system tracks through the region.

Periods of heavy rain were also forecast for the Northeast as the remnant(剩余部分)of tropical storm Erin moves into the Canadian Maritimes.

Hot weather was expected to continue in the South and West.

http://www.underground.com

Death toll rises to 36 in China typhoon

Wed, Aug 22,

BEIJING— At least 36 people were killed by Typhoon Sepat in four provinces in eastern and central China in widespread destruction that also forced the evacuation (撤退)of l.37 million people.

More than 60,000 homes in the provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Hunan also were destroyed or damaged, Xinhua News Agency said.

Total economic losses in the provinces have reached $ 663 million.

Fujian was the worst-hit province, with 18 people killed, Xinhua said.

Earlier, the storm, named after a Malaysian fish, killed at least one person in Taiwan, and left three dead in the Philippines.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap

1.On August 25, in N. Ireland and northwest England, there will be _____.

A．low cloud and fog                       B．typhoon and flood

C．cloud and rain                          D．sunshine and mild wind

2.What was the weather like in the south and west of the USA on Thursday?

A．It was hot.                             B．It was rainy.

C．It was foggy.                            D．It was warm.

3.The storm named Sepat _____.

A．caused one death in the Philippines

B．killed 18 people in Taiwan

C．destroyed about 60,000 homes in Fujian

D．caused great economic losses

4.The name of Typhoon Sepat comes from  _____.

A．a tropical storm                         B．a Malaysian fish

C．a place                               D．a person