Half of the world’s population is affected by Asian monsoons (季风), but monsoons are difficult to predict. American researchers have put together a 700-year record of the rainy seasons, which is expected to provide guidance for experts making weather predictions.
Every year, moist (潮湿的) air masses，known as monsoon，produce large amounts of rainfall in India, East Asia, Northern Australia and East Africa. All this wet air is pulled in by a high pressure area over the Indian Ocean and a low pressure area to the south.
According to Edward Cook, a weather expert at Columbia University in New York, the plex nature of the climate systems across Asia makes monsoons hard to predict. In addition, climate records for the area are too recent and not detailed enough to be of much use. Therefore, he and a team of researchers spent more than fifteen years traveling across Asia, looking for trees old enough to provide long-term records. They measured the rings（年轮）, or circles, inside thousands of ancient trees in more than 300 places.
Rainfall has a direct link to the growth and width of rings on some kinds of trees. The researchers developed a document they are calling a Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas. It shows the effect of monsoons over seven centuries, beginning in the 1300s.
Professor Cook says the tree-ring records show periods of wet and dry weather. “If the monsoon basically fails or is a very weak one, the trees affected by monsoons at that location might put on a very narrow ring. But if the monsoon is very strong, the trees affected by that monsoon might put on a wide ring for that year. So, the wide and narrow ring widths of the chronology（大事年表） that we developed in Asia provide us with a measure of monsoon variability.” With all this information, researchers say they can begin to improve puter climate models for predicting the behavior of monsoons.
“There has been widespread famine and starvation and human dying in the past in large droughts. And on the other hand, if the monsoon is particularly heavy, it can cause extensive flooding.” said Eugene Wahl, a scientist with America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “So, to get a sense of what the regional moisture patterns have been, dryness and wetness over such a long period of time in great detail, I would call it a kind of victory for climate science.”
【小题1】What’s the passage mainly about？A．The effects of Asian monsoons.B．The necessity of weather forecast.C．The achievements of Edward cook.D．A breakthrough in monsoon prediction.【小题2】It is difficult for experts to predict Asian monsoons because .A．it is hard to keep long-term climate records. B．they are formed under plex climate systems.C．they influence many nations.D．there is heavy rainfall in Asia.【小题3】What can be inferred from the passage?A．Long and detailed climate records can offer useful information for monsoon research.B．The Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas has a monsoon record for about 1,300 years.C．The trees affected by monsoon grow fast if the monsoon is weak.D．The rainfall might be low although the monsoon is strong in monsoon-affected areas.【小题4】According to Professor Cook, the rings of the trees .A．determine the regional climate. B．have a great influence on the regional climate.C．offer people information about the regional climate.D．reflect all kinds of regional climate information.【小题5】What do we know about the research according to Eugene Wahl?A．It is a great achievement in climate science.B．It should include information about human life in the past.C．It has analysed moisture models world wide,D．It will help people prevent droughts and floods.【小题6】Which of the following best describes the tone of this passage?A．Matter-of –factB．PessimisticC．HumorousD．Friendly.D
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(答案→)D
解析：本文讲述的是在亚洲季风预测方面取得的一个巨大的成就。
【小题1】D 主旨大意题。根据文章倒数第二段最后一句With all this information, researchers say they can begin to improve puter climate models for predicting the behavior of monsoons.可知本文介绍的是在季风预测方面的所取得的一个巨大的突破，已经设计出预测季风的计算机模型了。故D正确。
【小题2】B 细节题。根据文章第三段1,2行According to Edward Cook, a weather expert at Columbia University in New York, the plex nature of the climate systems across Asia makes monsoons hard to predict.可知复杂的气候体系是其难以预测的主要原因。故B正确。
【小题3】A 推断题。根据第三段2,3行In addition, climate records for the area are too recent and not detailed enough to be of much use.可知太短，不够详细的数据记录不利于我们预测季风，也就是说长期的详细的数据有利于我们预测季风。故A正确。
【小题4】C 细节题。根据文章第五段前5行Professor Cook says the tree-ring records show periods of wet and dry weather. “If the monsoon basically fails or is a very weak one, the trees affected by monsoons at that location might put on a very narrow ring. But if the monsoon is very strong, the trees affected by that monsoon might put on a wide ring for that year. So, the wide and narrow ring widths of the chronology（大事年表） that we developed in Asia provide us with a measure of monsoon variability.”可知树木的年轮可以告诉我们当地的气候变化情况。故C正确。
【小题5】A 推理题。根据文章最后一段1,2行“There has been widespread famine and starvation and human dying in the past in large droughts. And on the other hand, if the monsoon is particularly heavy, it can cause extensive flooding.” said Eugene Wahl可知这一发现作用巨大，在气候科学方面是一个巨大的成就。故A正确。
【小题6】A 推理题。本文主要运用了摆事实，讲道理的方法来讲述科学原理，用一种很平和的实事求是的语调在讲述文章中的原理。故A正确。