Comprehension 理解
Give short answers to these questions in your own words as far as possible．Use one complete sentence for each answer.
1 What does the author mean by‘small pieces of weather’?
2 How do modern weather models work ?
3 What do you think‘the butterfly effect’means in this passage?
Vocabulary 词汇
Refer to the text to see how the following words have been used, then write sentences of your own using these words: speculative (1.1); global (1.3); deteriorates (1.4); rapidly (1.4); multiply (1.4); turbulent (1.5); suppose (1.10); accurate (1.10); precisely (1.11); data (1.12); fluctuations (1.14); average (1.15); errors (1.16).
The paragraph 段落
A Which one of these statements do you think the author would agree with?
1 Accurate readings by computers enable us to predict the weather.
2 It will never be possible to predict the weather accurately.
3 The only way to predict the weather accurately is to have sensors one foot apart, rising at one-foot intervals all the way to the top of the atmosphere.
Key structures 关键句型
A Note how these two sentences have been connected:
Errors and uncertainties multiply．They cascade upward through a chain of turbulent features.
Errors and uncertainties multiply, cascading upward through a chain of turbulent features．(11.4-5)
Join these sentences in the same way:
1 There's a fault in the earth's crust．It runs along the west coast of the USA.
2 The hurricane hit Florida．It swept away everything in its path.
3 I noticed the lights were on．I assumed they were at home.
4 He emerged from the airport．The president waved to the reporters.
B We can introduce conditional sentences with conjunctions other than if, for example:
Suppose the earth could be covered with sensors spaced one foot apart．(11.8-9)
Complete these sentences in any way you like:
1 You can go home early, providing (that) ______.
2 We can offer you a job on condition (that) ______.
3 You can come in any time you like tomorrow morning so long as ______.
4 I won't phone you unless ______.
5 He'll definitely win even if ________.
C Study these two sentences:
We will probably have some rain by noon.
By 12.01 those fluctuations will already have created small errors one foot away．(11.15-16)
Explain the differences in meaning between these pairs of sentences:
1 He won't receive this fax tomorrow morning.
He will have received this fax by tomorrow morning.
2 He won't leave Beijing until this message arrives.
By the time this message arrives, he will have left Beijing.
3 They will complete the new motorway by next June.
They won't have completed the new motorway until next June.
Special difficulties 难点
A Explain the meaning of since in these sentences:
1 Some starting data has to be guessed, since ground stations and satellites cannot see everywhere.
2 John feels much happier since he changed his job．
3 Susan left in July and we haven't seen her since.
4 It hasn't stopped raining since eight o'clock this morning.
5 Since you're so clever, see if you can solve the problem!
B The computer will be unable to predict whether Princeton, New Jersey, will have sun or rain on a day one month away．(11.13-14)
Supply if or whether; note the sentences where we can use both if and whether.
1 _____ he has signed the contract (or not) doesn't matter.
2 The question is ______ he has signed the contract.
3 I want to know _______ he has signed the contract.
4 I'm concerned about ______ he has signed the contract.
5 Do you know ______ she's arriving by bus or by car?
Multiple choice questions 多项选择题
Choose the correct answers to the following questions.
Comprehension 理解
1 The reason it's hard to forecast the weather is that ______.
a．conditions rapidly deteriorate
b．there is always turbulence
c．only satellites have a panoramic view of conditions
d．the effect of tiny changes cannot be detected or calculated
2 Even with grid points which are sixty miles apart, forecasters _____.
a．have to depend on satellites for information
b．have to make assumptions about some of the data
c．work on modern weather models
d．prevent errors from multiplying
3 Which of these statements is true?
a．The only way to solve the problem is to have sensors spaced at one-foot intervals.
b．The only way to solve the problem is to have infinitely powerful computers.
c．The only way to solve the problem is to have perfectly accurate readings.
d．At present, there is no way of making absolutely accurate predictions.
4 Tiny variations in temperature, pressure and humidity _____.
a．will be picked up by sensors at one-minute intervals
b．are used to predict the weather one month ahead
c．can lead to completely unexpected weather conditions
d．produce expected results
Structure 句型
5 Generally speaking, any prediction ______ rapidly．(1.2)
a．is deteriorating
b．has deteriorated
c．will deteriorate
d．had deteriorated
6 Only satellites _______ see continent-size features．(11.5-6)
a．are able to
b．could
c．are possible
d．are capable
7 _____ the earth could be covered with sensors．(11.9-10)
a．Providing that
b．On condition that
c．Say
d．Allowing that
8 The computer will be incapable ______ whether Princeton will have sun or rain one month away.(11.13)
a．predict
b．to predict
c．of predicting
d．predicting
Vocabulary 词汇
9 The world's best weather forecasts are based on _______．(1.1)
a．certain knowledge
b．guess work
c．scientific facts
d．accurate calculation
10 The modern weather models work with a _____ of points.(1.7)
a．scale
b．balance
c．line
d．network
11 ‘Humidity’ refers to ______．(1.11)
a．light
b．water vapour
c．pressure
d．heat
12 An infinitely powerful computer takes in all the data and _____ what will happen．(11.11-12)
a．predicts
b．foretells
c．estimates
d．works out