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真题

Part IV   Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth)        (25 minutes)

Questions 47 to 56 are based on the following passage.

       El Nino is the name given to the mysterious and often unpredictable change in the climate of the world. This strange ____47____ happens every five to eight years. It starts in the Pacific Ocean and is thought to be caused by a failure in the trade winds (信风), which affects the ocean currents driven by these winds. As the trade winds lessen in ____48____, the ocean temperatures rise, causing the Peru current flowing in from the east to warm up by as much as 5℃.

       The warming of the ocean has far-reaching effects. The hot, humid (潮湿的) air over the ocean causes severe ____49____ thunderstorms. The rainfall is increased across South America, ____50____ floods to Peru. In the West Pacific, there are droughts affecting Australia and Indonesia. So while some parts of the world prepare for heavy rains and floods, other parts face drought, poor crops and ____51____.

       El Nino usually lasts for about 18 months. The 1982-83 El Nino brought the most ____52____ weather in modern history. Its effect was worldwide and it left more than 2,000 people dead and caused over eight billion pounds ____53____ of damage. The 1990 El Nino lasted until June 1995. Scientists ____54____ this to be the longest El Nino for 2,000 years.

       Nowadays, weather experts are able to forecast when an El Nino will ____55____, but they are still not ____56____ sure what leads to it or what affects how strong it will be.

 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。