Question

When people want to know about the weather,they usually go to their radios,TVs, newspapers,or to the Internet.However,you can also find many weather signs among wildlife, because of their highly developed senses.Drops in air pressure(压力) produce an effect on small animals in many ways.Mice and deer are good weather indicators.People who spend a lot of time outdoors have observed that,before a storm,field mice come out of their holes and run around.Deer leave high ground and come down from the mountains.

Birds are especially good weather indicators because they also show the effect of a pressure drop in many ways.For example,some birds become irritable(急躁的) and quarrelsome and will fight over a piece of bread.Other birds chirp(叽叽喳喳) and sing just before a storm.It seems they know they won’t get another chance for an hour or two.Birds also seek safe places before a storm.You will sometimes see birds settling in trees or gathering together on a wire close to a building.Pre-storm low pressure makes the air so thin that birds have difficulty flying.

It is unusual to see many birds flying overhead in the summertime,rather than during the periods in the spring or autumn.Watch for other weather signs if you see this.If they fly in the wrong direction,they may be flying ahead of a storm.

By paying closer attention to some important signs in nature,we can become better prepared for any kind of weather.

1.The word “indicators” in Paragraph 1 probably means ______.

A.maps                                  B.services

C.signs                                 D.stations

2.There will be a storm if birds ______.

A.make more noise than usual

B.fly in different directions

C.come down from tall trees

D.share a piece of bread

3.How can birds sense the coming of a storm?

A.By feeling a drop in air temperature.

B.By noticing the change of wind directions.

C.By feeling a drop in air pressure.

D.By noticing the movements of other animals.

4.The best title for the text would be ______.

A.Signs of a Storm

B.Drops in Air Pressure

C.Animals’ Sharp Senses

D.Nature’s Weather Signs

Answer

1.C

解析：这是一道词义猜测题。根据第一段中的“People who spend a lot of time outdoors have observed that,before a storm,field mice come out of their holes and run around.Deer leave high ground and come down from the mountains.”可判断出indicators的意思是“指示者；指示物”。

2.A

解析：这是一道细节题。根据第二段中的“...and sing just before a storm.”可判断出当暴风雨来临时，鸟会发出比平常更加多的嘈杂声。

3.C

解析：这是一道细节题。根据第二段中的“Pre-storm low pressure makes the air so thin that birds have difficulty flying.”可判断出鸟通过感觉空气气压下降而感觉到暴风雨即将来临。

4.D

解析：这是一道标题选择题。这篇短文讲述了当暴风雨即将来临时动物的各种异常表现，由此人们可以通过观察这些异常表现而得出暴风雨即将来临的结论，所以这篇短文最好的题目是：Nature’s Weather Signs