B

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.

60. 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

61. 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.

62. 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

63. 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

B

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.

60. 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

61. 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.

62. 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

63. 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

If you want to keep fit, please refer to the following:

   Move More

   Make it a daily to find ways to move your body.     Climb stairs instead of taking the elevator. Walk your dog; play with your kids. It doesn’t have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute dance class. But that’s great when you’re up to it. At the same time, move more.

   Quit Smoking

   Ever since 1960 when it was announced that smoking was harmful to health, Americans have been reducing their use of tobacco products. Just recently, we’ve seen more and more teens smoking. Could it be the Hollywood influence?    Take care! Warn your children against smoking.

   

While recent studies show a glass of wine or one drink a day can help protect against heart disease, more than that can cause other health problems such as liver and kidney(肝肾) disease and cancer.

Reduce Stress

Easier said than done, stress comes in many ways.     Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like such as walk on the beach or in a park, read a good book, visit a friend, listen to relaxing music, and watch a funny movie.

Protect Yourself from Pollution

If you can’t live in a smog-free environment, at least avoid smoke-filled rooms.     Exercise indoors in air conditioning when air quality is good.

A. Avoid Excessive Drinking

B. There are many things you can do to move your arms and legs.

C. Think carefully about what you will do.

D. Exercise outside when the smog rating is low.

E. It seems that the stars in every movie smoke cigarettes.

F. Keep a Positive Mental Outlook

G. Some techniques given by experts are to think positive thoughts.

A little under one-third of U.S. families have no Internet access and do not plan to get it, with most of the holdouts seeing little use for it in their lives, according to a survey released on Friday.

Park Associates, a Dallas-based technology market research firm, said 29 percent of U.S. families, or 31 million homes, do not have Internet access and do not intend to subscribe（预订） to an Internet service over the next 12 months. The second annual National Technology Scan conducted by Park found that the main reason why potential customers say they do not subscribe to the Internet is because of the low value to their daily lives rather than concerns over cost.

Forty-four percent of these families say they are not interested in anything on the Internet, versus just 22 percent who say they cannot afford a computer or the cost of Internet service, the survey showed. The answer "I'm not sure how to use the Internet" came from 17 percent of participants who do not subscribe. The response "I do all my e-commerce shopping and YouTube-watching at work" was cited by 14 percent of Internet-access refuseniks. Three percent said the Internet doesn't reach their homes.

The study found U.S. broadband adoption grew to 52 percent over 2006, up from 42 percent in 2005. Roughly half of new subscribers converted（转变） from slower-speed, dial-up Internet access while the other half of families had no prior access.

"The industry continues to chip （击破）away at the core of non-subscribers, but has a long way to go," said John Barrett, director of research at Parks Associates. "Entertainment applications will be the key. If anything will pull in the holdouts, it's going to be applications that make the Internet more similar to pay-TV," he predicted.

What does the underlined word “holdouts” in the first paragraph most probably mean?

A. some American families      

B. those who hold out one’s opinions

C. those who have been surveyed    

D. those who still haven’t access to the Internet currently

Many potential customers refuse to subscribe to the Internet mainly because __________.

A. they show too much concern about the cost

B. they can find little value of it

C. they do most YouTube-watching at work

D. the Internet doesn’t reach their homes

From the passage we can infer that _____________.

A. It is not an easy job to transform those holdouts into the Internet users

B. people will adopt dial-up Internet access no more

C. many Americans enjoy doing e-commerce shopping at home

D. more than half of the population are using the Internet in 2005

According to John Barrett, what is the key to attracting more U.S. families to broadband service?

A. making the Internet look more similar to TV set

B. applying the Internet more to entertainment

C. providing more pay-TV programs

D. chipping away at the core of non-subscribers

Which is the best title for the passage?

A. Web develops with technology

B. The present situation of web

C. Many Americans see little point to web

D. It is urgent to promote web service

       A recent study, while showing a generally positive attitude toward science, also suggests a widespread worry that it may be “running out of control”．This idea is dangerous．

       Science can be a force for evil as well as for good．Its applications can be channeled either way, depending on our decisions．The decisions we make, personally or collectively, will determine the outcomes of science．But here is a real danger．Science is advancing so fast is so strongly influenced by businesses that we are likely to believe whatever decisions we come to will make little difference．And, rather than fighting for the best possible policies, we may step back and do nothing．

       Some people go even further．They say that despite the moral and legal objections （反对）, whatever is scientifically possible will be done ——somewhere, sometime．They believe that science will get out of control in the end．This belief is dangerous too, because it a fuels sense of hopelessness and discourages them from making efforts to build a safer world．

       In our interconnected world, the lack of agreement in and of the world of science can lead to the failure to control the use of science．Without a common understanding, the challenges of “controlling” science in this century will be really tough．Take human cloning for example．Despite the general agreement among scientists on its possible huge impact （影响） on traditional moral values, some countries still go ahead with the research and development of its related techniques．The outcomes are hard to predict．

       Therefore, discussions on how science is applied should be extended far beyond scientific societies．Only through the united efforts of people with hope, can we be fully safe against the misuse of science and can science best serve mankind in the future．

What can we conclude from the recent study?

       A．People think highly of science．

       B．People hold mixed opinions about science．

       C．Science is getting dangerously out of control．

       D．Science is used for both good and bad purposes．

According to the passage, what will happen if we hold that science is getting beyond control?

       A．The development of science will hopelessly slow down．

       B．Businesses will have even greater influence on science．

       C．The public will lose faith in bringing about a bright future．

       D．People will work more actively to put science under control．

The discussion should reach beyond scientific societies because __________．

       A．scientists have failed to predict the outcomes

       B．the ties between different areas need strengthening

       C．united efforts are necessary for the development of science

       D．people need to work together to prevent the bad use of science

What is the main idea of the passage?

       A．Science and its applications bring us many dangers．

       B．The development of science mostly lies in people’s attitudes．

       C．Mankind can largely take control of science with their efforts．

       D．The future of science will be influenced by the dangerous ideas．