2. 外语
  3. Will people ever tame the destructive, often deadly hurricane? Either scientists or meteorologists do not yet understand the for

Will people ever tame the destructive, often deadly hurricane? Either scientists or meteorologists do not yet understand the for

admin2010-06-30  63
问题      Will people ever tame the destructive, often deadly hurricane? Either scientists or meteorologists do not yet understand the forces that generate a hurricane, but perhaps with study and time they can learn to control these enormous storms. One important study project is called Hurricane Strike. This project studies the huge Storms that do harm to thousands of people and destroy property worth millions of dollars. Scientists in this project are trying to learn more about hurricanes, especially the speed and direction of the winds. Then people living in the path of a hurricane can protect themselves and their belongings.
     Dr. Robert Sheets, the chief forecaster at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, explained the importance of this information. "When we post a hurricane warning for a part of the coast," he said, "people spend about $8,000 per mile in preparation. If the hurricane does not strike land where we announced or posted warnings, then that money is wasted. But, even worse, the next time we put out a warning, the people might not pay attention to us." That is the reason for Project Hurricane Strike—to increase the accuracy of the forecast. They need to predict where the storm will be twenty-four hours later.
     One hurricane, named Belle, made forecasters feel trouble. At first it appeared to be headed for Florida, so warnings were posted. However, the storm stayed at sea. Next, warnings were posted in Georgia and the Carolinas, but again it did not hit. In fact, Belle first hit the coast in New York. Millions and millions of dollars were spent on the preparation that was not needed.
     Dr. Sheets said, "We received hundreds of letters. People couldn’t understand how science could send people to the moon but not predict a storm’s path. However, we still can’t tell. The only way to find out about hurricanes is from inside them." Prediction is what Project Hurricane Strike is about, and that is part of the challenge that faces meteorologists.
     The other part of the challenge is controlling hurricanes. Meteorologists work inside a hurricane by "seeding" the center "eye" with silver iodide. The silver iodide causes raindrops to form and fall over the ocean. Taking the water out of the clouds reduces the energy of the storm. So, the rotation of the storm decreases. The wind velocity also decreases. Meteorologists can sometimes use this method to bring a dangerous hurricane under control.
     Scientists have already seeded some hurricanes that were forming over the Atlantic Ocean. Some of these experiments were successful in decreasing wind speeds.
According to Dr. Sheets, the main danger of an error in hurricane prediction is that ______.
选项 A、seeding will prove to be a waste of time and money
B、people won’t pay attention to predictions in the future
C、money spent on preparation will be wasted
D、a hurricane may hit an economic center like New York
答案B
解析 由文章第二段第四句But, even worse, the next time we put out a warning, the people might not pay attention to us可知。
转载请注明原文地址:https://www.kaotiyun.com/show/fJJd777K
本试题收录于： 公共英语四级笔试题库公共英语（PETS）分类
0

公共英语四级笔试

公共英语（PETS）

相关试题推荐
随机试题
最新回复(0)