(a) sufficient data have been gathered to show that global weather has gone extreme due to El  Niño and La Niňa

(b) weather study shouldn't be confined to a certain area; instead it should be considered in many aspects

(c) effective data are needed to confirm that weather has gone wild; current extreme weather events occur due to many factors, including El Niño and La Niňa; and the global warming issue should be studied from the global perspective

(d) El Niño is responsible for many weather extreme events, whose power is stronger than La Niňa

B. Comprehending the text.

   Choose the best answer.

1. Concerning the weather issue, some scientists would say ________. ( C )

(a) the weather has gone wild

(b) there are more extreme weather events than ever before

(c) probably more extreme weather events are taking place than at any time in this century

(d) extreme weather events are caused by global warming

2. According to the report by Munich Re, ________. ( B )

(a) earthquake, one of the weather-related disasters, caused half the deaths in natural disasters

(b) roughly speaking, weather-related disasters caused half the deaths in the catastrophes and earthquakes the other half

(c) the number of natural disasters has doubled in the past 50 years

(d) the number of catastrophes in 1999 increased by 53 over 1997

3. What are the ideal data needed for overall analysis of climate? ( B )

(a) Data in recent 10 years confined to a certain area.

(b) Data going back centuries ago and on the global scale.

(c) Data collected in recent years and on the global scale.

(d) Data in 50 years restricted to a certain area.

4. The predictions by the literature ________. ( C )

(a) are supported by scientists

(b) are reproached by scientists

(c) lack evidence and cannot be believed totally

(d) are definitely right

5. What the average citizen cares about is ________. ( B )

(a) long-term change in the climate

(b) change in daily weather

(c) the effects of global warming  in the long run

(d) data collected about weather change

6. What is suggested by "Most of us think heat when we think global warming. Scientists think ice." ( C )

(a) Scientists think global warming will make the world either colder or warmer.

(b) Scientists don't believe that global warming will make the world warmer.

(c) What scientists are concerned with is the possible influence of global warming on ice at Earth's poles, which will bring more rain to the world.

(d) Scientists are afraid that ice at Earth's poles will melt because of global warming and the world will become colder.

7. According to the article, which statement about El Niño is NOT true? ( B )

(a) It historically occurs at sort of regular intervals.

(b) It doesn't have an effect as strong as La Niňa.

(c) It may cause storms, floods, droughts, and fires.

(d) It occurs more irregularly in recent years.

8. According to Trenberth, El Niño ________. ( B )

(a) affects America less than Europe

(b) is likely to bring more storms to California

(c) occurred irregularly but certainly not due to global warming

(d) is studied with perfect models

9. What will it be like with El Niño and La Niňa in the coming century, in Trenberth's view? ( C )

(a) El Niño as well as La Niňa will appear longer than ever before .

(b) Weather will be more changeable.

(c) Weather will be in a fixed pattern.

(d) Dry spells and warm spells will occur in an area alternatively.

10. "The global perspective is important with regard to the global warming issue" suggests that ________. ( C )

(a) it is justified to say La Niňa accounts for recent weather related disasters on a global scale

(b) regional data about El Niño contribute nothing to analysis of harsh weather in recent years

(c) regional data alone cannot confirm the global weather change since they are not representative of the global situation

(d) regional data are not necessary for global research of weather

C. Understanding vocabulary.
   Choose the correct definition according to the context.

1. More than 70 hellholes of wind rampaged through Oklahoma and Kansas, killing 49 and causing more than $1 billion in damages. ( B )

(a) ran quickly

(b) rushed about wildly and violently

(c) destroyed

(d) attacked

2. That doesn't mean you can indict weird weather in your neck of the woods as proof. ( A )

(a) bizarre

(b) fine

(c) evil

(d) torrential

3. But tallying up the damage is. ( C )

(a) telling

(b) considering

(c) calculating

(d) disregarding

4. Globally, insurance companies are calling it a "catastrophe trend." ( B )

(a) favorable

(b) disaster

(c) character

(d) fortune

5.computer resolution is still too coarse to be able to forecast how something as simple as warming might affect climate in specific spots on the globe. ( A )

(a) rough

(b) delicate

(c) incorrect

(d) accurate

6. He doesn't worry much about 30-to-100-year shifts in the climate. ( D )

(a) development

(b) influence

(c) results

(d) changes

7. Heat will hasten ocean evaporation, and because hot air can hold more moisture, it could all be whisked away to rain more upon our heads. ( D )

(a) slow down

(b) cause

(c) meet with

(d) speed up

8. But the scientists cautioned the study analyzed only 80 years of data, confined itself to the United States ... and found nothing out of the realm of pure chance. ( A )

(a) warned

(b) stated

(c) declared

(d) dictated

9. El Niño helped dry Indonesia and other tropical Pacific climate and blister southern Africa, but it drenched California. ( C )

(a) dried

(b) spoiled

(c) soaked

(d) diminished

10. Today Trenberth's hypothesis is high on the agenda in such climate labs. ( A )

(a) theory

(b) speech

(c) reason

(d) program

11. It's a good hypothesis; there's a shred of truth to it. ( C )

(a) a few

(b) plenty of

(c) a small amount of

(d) a great deal of

12. Trenberth is the first to poke holes in his own work. ( B )

(a) make fun of

(b) find fault with

(c) thrust

(d) make suggestions

13. But a lot of these models don't reproduce El Niño very well in the first place. So the confidence in what they're telling is undermined. ( B )

(a) strengthened

(b) weakened

(c) lowered

(d) increased

14. And we can shake the habit of sampling locally and extrapolating globally. ( A )

(a) predicting

(b) researching

(c) exploring

(d) exploiting

D. Discussing the following topics.

1. Why are scientists reluctant to conclude that the weather has gone wild? Has the weather gone extreme in your area?

2. Is global warming to blame for harsh weather?

3.What is El Niño? And what is its influence on the climate?

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