If you enjoyed the spring-like sunshine over the weekend and thought the weather has finally turned a corner, you’re sadly mistaken．

Chilly  （寒冷的）days and grey clouds are forecast for the week—making it far too early to pack away the winter woollies．

Temperatures will struggle to rise above zero at night and fail to make double figures during the day．

People enjoy the spring sunshine in Sefton Park, Aigburth, Liverpool．Forecasters have predicted a return to chilly weather this week．

Met Office forecaster Charlie said, “It was a nice, dry, bright weekend in many parts and Monday is going to be a similar affair for many．”

“Temperatures will be between 5℃and 8℃, which is below average for the start of spring．”

The sun will disappear from the south of the country after today, with dry but cloudy conditions forecast for tomorrow and Wednesday．

Wednesday will be warmest of the three, with temperatures peaking at 9℃．But this is still two degrees below the March average for the district．

Overnight, temperatures will drop sharply, with lows of minus 3℃for the next three nights．

    “It will generally stay on the cold side of average,” said Mr. Powell．

The March misery comes at the end of the coldest winter for more than 30 years．

    Temperatures in December, January and February struggled to stay above zero, with the UK’s average 1．5℃, making it the deepest freeze since 1978—79．

It claimed there was just a one-in-seven chance of a cold December to February．

The agency also sadly predicted a “barbecue summer”, saying it was “quite optimistic” that it would be warmer and drier than average．

Following the two mistakes, the Met Office has dropped its long-range seasonal forecasts and will instead publish a monthly prediction for Britain, updated once a week．

In its defense, it says that while short-term forecasts are extremely accurate, Britain’s size and geographical position makes long-term predictions much more challenging．

It also points out that it gave warning of any heavy falls of snow this winter．

1．According to the passage, the weather on Tuesday in the south might be _______．

       A．dry but cloudy                                   B．sunny but chilly  

       C．sunny and warm                                D．cloudy and chilly

2．Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

     A．British people can put away their winter clothes now．

     B．The Met Office has shortened its forecast range．

     C．The weather forecast becomes more and more accurate．

     D．The agency was quite confident of long-term predictions．

3．Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

       A．The big chill isn’t over yet                   B．A warm spring finally arrives

       C．A heavy snow is on the way                 D．The Met Office drops forecasts

4．From the passage, we can conclude ________．

       A．the weather report is more and more important

       B．British people become worried about bad weather

    C．Britain has just experienced a very freezing winter

    D．The Met Office can always predict any heavy snow falls accurately

Stronger typhoons, more flooding in low lying areas, deepening drought—all possible, if not likely, according to a report from British climatologists. They say 2007 has a 60 percent probability of being the hottest year on record,　citing（以…为例）high levels of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, and El Nion, now underway in the Pacific and expected to last until May.

       Temperature studies for 2006 are not yet complete. But the new study, noting that the world’s ten warmest years since 1850 have occurred in the past decade, says 2006 is set to be the sixth warmest year globally, and 2007 is likely to set a new all time high.

1,3,5

       Even as dangerous winter storms blanket parts of the Western United States, much of the rest of the nation is unusually warm. For the first time in 130 years, New York City has had no snow. In Washington D. C, the spring cherry flowers are already prepared to bloom（开花） and botanists note southern species of flowers are being found further north.

       Meteorolgist Bernie Rayno says,“We expected much of the country to be warmer than normal during the month of December. However, we also expect that scene to be turning around during the month of January.”A benefit for many in the United States: crude oil（原油）prices are at their lowest levels since the middle of 2005.

       Ira Epstein is a trader at the New York Mercantile Exchange.“Mild weather in the Northeast…we’re having ample supplies in this country domestically（本国）and we came off kind of a dull year in 2006.”

       Whether lower oil prices will hold is unclear, but for many on America’s East Coast this is a winter, at least so far, unlike any they have seen before.

1．Which of the following can be a suitable title for the passage?

       A．Warns on warmer climate.

       B．The bad effects caused by global warmness.

       C．Higher temperature, lower oil price.

       D．Changeable weather, changeable oil price.

2．According to the second paragraph,        .

       A．2007 will be the fifth warmest year in history

       B．several of the ten warmest years occurred over twenty years ago

       C．2006 is a warmest year only second to 2007 till now

       D．2007 will probably become the warmest year since 1850

3．The writer mainly wants to show us a fact that       in paragraph 3.

      A．the winter is getting warmer than before in the United States

       B．snow is seldom seen in the Western United States

       C．New York City usually has snow in winter season

       D．another spring has come to Washington D.C.

4．What Bernie Rayno says means that       .

       A．they don’t like the warmer December at all

       B．they expect for a much warmer January besides December

       C．they expect for a colder January

       D．the scene in the area will look quite different in January 

5．According to Ira Epstein       .

       A．the oil prices in 2007 will remain lower for the whole year

       B．the United States won’t use oil from other countries any longer

       C．they didn’t have a good business in 2006

       D．more oil fields have been found because of the mild weather