One day, around Christmas time, fishermen off the west coast of Peru (秘鲁) started on their traditional fishing trip. Much to their surprise, there were no fish! They knew immediately what had happened. Tales from years gone by had told them this was the result of El Nino which sometimes stop fishing for many months!

　 El Nino is a warm current (水流) that comes and goes along the west coast of South America. It got its name from fishermen in Peru more than a century ago. Every few years, they noticed a sudden warming in the normally cool Pacific water where they fished. Because this warming often came about around Christmas, they called it El Nino, which is Spanish for the “Christ Child”. Generally, El Nino occurs every three to seven years and lasts only a few weeks to a month or more.

　 El Nino warms the water it flows through. Because the fish and sea birds need cold water to live, many of them die when El Nino comes through. El Nino also causes both floods and droughts (干旱). It is believed that El Nino may have caused the 1993 Mississippi and 1995 California floods. And at the same time, it may have caused droughts in South America, Africa and Australia.

　 El Nino has occurred thirteen times within the last fifty years, bringing natural disasters to many countries such as Indonesia and Peru. However, El Nino does not often trouble China. During this period China was badly hit by El Nino only once. In 1998, North China had a terrible drought, while South China was troubled by floods.

1. The underlined word “occur” (in Paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to “ ______”.

A. happen　　　　　 B. develop　　　 C. change　　　 　 D. move

2. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE about El Nino?

A. It happens in November and December. B. It was named by some Spanish fishermen.　

C. It only happens in South America.　　 D. It lasts a few weeks or more.

3. If El Nino happens, the following will take place EXCEPT ______.

A. sea water temperature rise　　

B. diseases spreading around the world

C. floods and droughts　　　　 　

D. death of fish and sea birds

4. The purpose of this passage is ______.

A. to discuss the prevention of El Nino　

B. to explain how El Nino trouble farmers　

C. to let us know about El Nino　　　　

D. to tell us how to prepare for El Nino

GENEVA，Feb. 11（Xinhua）-The current La Nina weather phenomenon may just be a partial cause of south China’s freeze-up at the start of 2008, said the United Nations World Meteorological Organization （WMO）Monday.

The latest La Nina pattern, which began in the third quarter of 2007, has picked up strength in the past three months, with sea surface temperatures now about 1.5to 2 degrees Celsius（摄氏度）colder than average over large parts of the eastern and central equatorial Pacific Ocean, said the latest report issued by the WNO.

Presenting the Geneva-based body’s report, Rupa Kumar Killi, a WMO climate expert, said the recent month-long snow and ice-storms in China’s central, southern and eastern regions could be connected with the La Nina phenomenon, the climatic opposite of El Nino（厄尔尼诺现象）.

However, he said China’s freeze-up was a result of several causes causes combined and was partly caused by a cold surge from the north and west.

He also said the present La Nina cycle may last at least until mid-2008 and it is also possible, if less likely, that the cycle could stretch into the third quarter.

La Nina is a large pool of unusually cold water in the equatorial Pacific that develops every few years and influences global weather. It is the climatic opposite of El Nino, a warming of the Pacific, and both have been associated with extreme weather around the globe.

Since Jan.10, snow, sleet and low temperatures have swept China’s southern regions, a rare occurrence for the area.

56. What partially caused south China’s freeze-up at the beginning of 2008?

A. La Nina                    B. El Nino                     C. Typhoon                         D. Frost

57. When did the latest La Nina weather phenomenon begin?

A. In the spring of 2007                                   B. In the summer of 2007

C. In the fall of 2007                                        D. In the winter of 2007

58. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Due to the La Nina, sea surface temperatures become colder over the eastern Pacific Ocean

B. The La Nina phenomenon is the climatic opposite of El Nino

C. There were several causes which brought about China’s freeze-up

D. The present La Nina cycle may last until spring in 2008 and disappear

59. What can we learn from the sixth paragraph?

A. La Nina does not happen every year but it influences global weather

B. La Nina happens every year and influences global weather

C. La Nina happens every year but seldom influences global weather

D. La Nina happens every few years and brings about warm and wet weather

60. What is the best title of the passage?

A. La Nina may be partial cause of S China’s freeze-up

B. La Nina and El Nino

C. What cause the La Nina weather phenomenon

D. How La Nina destroys the whole world’s weather

GENEVA, Feb.11 (Xinhua) ―The current La Nina weather phenomenon may just be a partial cause of south China’s freeze-up at the start of 2008, said the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Monday.

The latest La Nina pattern, which began in the third quarter of 2007, has picked up strength in the past three months, with sea surface temperatures now about 1. 5 to 2 degrees Celsius（摄氏度）colder than average over large parts of the eastern and central equatorial Pacific Ocean, said the latest report issued by the WMO.

Presenting the Geneva-based body’s report, Rupa Kumar Killi, a WMO climate expert, said the recent month-long snow and ice-storms in China’s central, southern and eastern regions could be connected with the La Nina phenomenon, the climatic opposite of El Nino（厄尔尼诺现象）.

However, he said China’s freeze-up was a result of several causes combined and was partly caused by a cold surge from the north and west.

He also said the present La Nina cycle may last at least until mid-2008 and it is also possible, if less likely, that the cycle could stretch into the third quarter.

La Nina is a large pool of unusually cold water in the equatorial Pacific that develops every few years and influences global weather. It is the climatic opposite of El Nino, a warming of the Pacific, and both have been associated with extreme weather around the globe.

Since Jan. 10, snow, sleet and low temperatures have swept China’s southern regions, a rare occurrence for the area.

51. What partially caused south China’s freeze-up at the beginning of 2008?

A. La Nina.           B. El Nino.                 C. Typhoon.       D. Frost.

52.When did the latest La Nina weather phenomenon begin?

A. In the spring of 2007.                    B. In the summer of 2007.

C. In the fall of 2007.                        D. In the winter of 2007.

53. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Due to the La Nina, sea surface temperatures become colder over the eastern Pacific Ocean.

B. The La Nina phenomenon is the climatic opposite of El Nino.

C. There were several causes which brought about China’s freeze-up.

D. The present La Nina cycle may last until spring in 2008 and disappear.

54. What can we learn from the sixth paragraph?

A. La Nina does not happen every year but it influences global weather.

B. La Nina happens every year and influences global weather.

C. La Nina happens every year but seldom influences global weather.

D. La Nina happens every few years and brings about warm and wet weather.

55. What is the best title of the passage?

A. La Nina May Be a Partial Cause of China’s Freeze-Up.

B. La Nina and El Nino.

C. What Causes the La Nina Weather Phenomenon?

D. How La Nina Destroys the Whole World’s Weather?   

D
The recent, apparently successful, prediction by mathematical models of an appearance of El Nino—the warm ocean How that periodically develops along the Pacific coast of South America has excited researchers．Jacob Bjerknes pointed out years ago how winds might create either abnormally warm or abnormally cold water in the eastern equatorial （赤道附近的） Pacific．Nevertheless, before the creation of the models, no one could explain why conditions should regularly change between appearances of the warm El Nino and the so-called anti-El Nino．The answer, at least if the current model that links the behavior of the ocean to that of the atmosphere is correct, is to be found in the ocean．
It has long been known that during an El Nino, two conditions exist: unusually warm water extends along the eastern Pacific and winds blow from the west into the warmer air rising over the warm water in the east．The contribution of the model is to show that the winds of an El Nino, which raise sea level in the east, send a signal to the west lowering sea level at the same time．According to the model, that signal is created as a negative （负的） Rossby wave, a wave of lower sea level, that moves westward parallel to the equator at 25 to 85 kilometers per day．Taking months to move across the Pacific, Rossby waves march to the western boundary of the Pacific basin, which is modeled as a smootli wall but in reality consists of quite irregular island chains．
When the waves meet the western boundary, they are reflected, and the model predicts that Rossby waves will be broken into many coastal Kelvin waves carrying the same negative sea-level signal．These eventually shoot toward the equator, and then head eastward along the equator drove by the earth at a．speed of about．250 kilometers per day．When enough Kelvin waves of adequate amplitude （振幅） arrive from the western Pacific, their negative sea-level signal overcomes the feedback mechanism, raising the sea level, and they begin to drive the system into the opposite cold mode．This produces a gradual change in winds, one that will eventually send positive sea-level Rossby waves westward, waves that will eventually return as cold cycle—ending positive Kelvin waves beginning another warming cycle．
67．What is the passage mainly about?
A．How Rossby waves are found．
B．Where El Nino is formed．
C．What the models predict．
D．How the models work．
68．Where does El Nino often appear?
A．Along the western coast of the USA .
B．In the Pacific in the south, of the equator．
C．In the Pacific in the north of the equator．
D．Along the southern coast of South America．
69．What is right according to the passage?
A．Rossby waves and Kelvin waves move in opposite directions along the equator．
B．People could explain El Nino before the creation of the mathematical models．
C．Adequate sea-level waves can produce westward positive cold cycle．
D．The speed of Rossby waves is faster than that of Kelvin waves．
70．What does the underlined word "waves" in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A．Kelvin waves．       B．Sea-level signals．   C．Coastal waves．   D．Rossby waves．

任务型阅读（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入1个最恰当的单词。(Reuters) - A U.N. climate deal due to be agreed in Copenhagen at talks from December 7-18 may fall short of a legally binding(有约束力的) agreement. If Copenhagen fails to live up to hopes of a strong agreement to slow global warming, what are the reasons and who risks blame? The following are some of the candidates:

● Decline in economy distracted(分散) focus from climate change after the world agreed in Bali, Indonesia, in 2007 to work out a new U.N. agreement by December 2009. Rich nations have put billions of dollars into green growth as part of recovery packages but, when unemployment at home is high, find it hard to promise extra money for developing countries. The slowdown in industrial output means a brief fix -- greenhouse gas emissions(排放) are likely to fall by as much as 3 percent this year.

● Many delegates at U.N. talks have given up hope that the United States, the number two emitter after China, will agree legislation(立法, 法律) to limit carbon emissions before Copenhagen. The US is the only industrialized nation outside the Kyoto Protocol(京都协议书) for cutting greenhouse emissions until 2012. Many countries welcomed President Barack Obama's promises of doing more to fight climate change when he took office in January but hoped for swifter action.

● Developing nations accuse the rich of repeatedly failing to keep promises of more aid. Few developed countries live up to a target agreed by the U.N. General Assembly in 1970 to give 0.7 percent of their gross domestic product in development aid. Other plans, such as the Agenda 21 environmental development plan agreed in 1992, have fallen short.

● Most rich nations are promising cuts in greenhouse gas emissions well short of the 25-40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, which are needed to avoid the worst of climate change. Overall cuts promised by developed nations total between 11 and 15 percent. Best offers by countries including Japan, the European Union, Australia and Norway would reach the range.

● More than 90 percent of the growth in emissions between now and 2030 is set to come from developing nations -- with almost 50 percent from China alone, U.S. climate envoy Todd Stern said this week. "No country holds the fate of the earth more in its hands than China. Not one," he said. China and India say they are slowing the growth of emissions but raising living standards is more important. So burning more energy is unavoidable -- as industrialized nations have done for 200 years.

● 2008 was the 10th warmest year since records began in the mid-19th century. The warmest was 1998, when a strong El Nino event in the eastern Pacific disrupted(使混乱) weather worldwide. That has led some to argue that global warming is slowing even though the U.N.'s WMO(世界气象组织) says a long-term warming trend is unchanged.

● People have been slow in changing lifestyles to use less carbon. Simple choices like taking more public transport, using less heating or air conditioning, even changing light bulbs can help if millions of people act.

Who's to blame if U.N. climate deal falls short?