Directions: You are expected to study this section in class. Don’t preview.

Word Pretest

For each italicized word or expression, choose the best meaning below.

1. Prices fluctuated between 1970 and 1972.
A. kept going up                     B. kept going down
C. remained the same                 D. kept going up and down
2. A belief in magic still prevails among some tribes.
A. is widespread                     B. is liked
C. is remembered                    D. is disliked
3. A fine layer of dust covered everything.
A. covering                         B. square
C. spot                             D. circle
4. The travelers will stay approximately two weeks in Italy.
A. absolutely                        B. nearly
C. exactly                          D. precisely
5. The vertical cliff was the most striking scenery that I had seen in my journey.
A. upright                          B. beautiful
C. historical                         D. strange
6. We have encountered a lot of problems but we will fight to the last.
A. discovered                       B. found
C. bought                          D. met
7. Scientists told us that anything black could absorb most of the rays that fall on it.
A. bring out                        B. show off
C. take in                          D. send out
8. When my father pumped air into the ball, it expanded quickly.
A. became greater                   B. became smaller
C. became heavier                   D. became lighter
9. The plan must be carded out with maximum speed.
A. great                            B. greatest
C. fast                         D. steady
10. In our fast paced world, nothing seems constant.
A. changing                        B. valuable
C. unchanging                       D. unstable

Text A
What Makes the Weather?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

During the early period of the earth's history, the weather on earth apparently     fluctuated between bright sun and showers. In recent times, however, the mountains    and valleys on land and under water have had a great influence on the earth's weather. They affect the movements of the thin film of water we call the sea and the thin layer of air around the earth. These movements produce changes in the temperature and  humidity prevailing at the surface.
Although the sun is approximately 93 million miles away, its rays warm the earth. The areas that receive the sun's rays vertically are, naturally, warmer than those areas that receive only slanting rays. Vertical rays do not need to make as long as a journey through the atmosphere before reaching the surface of the earth. Therefore, less of their heat is lost in the air and more of their heat is saved to warm the earth. Furthermore, slanting rays are spread over a wider area than vertical rays, so that less heat is available at a given point.
The sun's rays do not heat the space between the sun and the earth. If they did,  we should expect to be warmer on top of a high mountain or riding in an air-plane    than we are on the ground. Actually, however, we feel cooler at the top of a ountain; and if we fly a plane high enough, we encounter freezing temperatures, even over the equator.
This is true because the sun's rays are like the waves used in radio broadcasting.  Music sent out by a radio transmitter does not fill the air with sounds for all to hear..     Instead, the music travels in the form of electromagnetic waves, which must pass      through a receiver and an amplifier to be heard. Similarly, the sun's rays cross our    atmosphere and are absorbed by the surface of the earth. These rays warm the surface, which sends back some of this heat into the air.
When the air near the earth's surface has been warmed, it rises and is replaced by cooler air which comes down to take its place. This cool air, in turn, is warmed and rises to be replaced by more cool air. As air rises it becomes cooler because it expands and is less concentrated. The air above it weighs less because there is less of it. If the air is suddenly let out of a tire, the air expands rapidly and becomes much cooler. On the other hand, when air is put under greater pressure, it becomes warmer. This is what happens to the cold air that comes down to take the place of rising warm air.
The earth is much cooler than the sun, and the wave length of the earth's radiation is much longer than that of the sun's rays. These longer heat waves cannot    pass through the atmosphere as easily as the short waves coming from the sun. Similarly, radio stations that transmit programs to distant countries broadcast in short waves, which can travel all around the world. Stations that broadcast local programs send out longer waves, which can be received more easily, but only in a limited area.
Heat waves, rising from the earth, meet resistance in the atmosphere from the    water vapor there. Many of the waves are stopped by the water vapor and cannot get out into space. The atmosphere, when it is warmed up, also sends some heat back to    the earth's surface.
When the sun's rays strike water surfaces, some of the water becomes absorbed    by the air as water vapor. The warmer the air is, the more vapor it can hold. When the air has absorbed its maximum amount of vapor, it is said to be saturated. If the air is then cooled, some of the vapor will condense and clouds will form. These clouds will contain drops of water at temperatures above freezing, or ice crystals at temperatures below freezing.
Clouds can greatly affect the temperature of the earth's surface. When there are    many clouds in the sky, all of the sun's rays cannot reach the earth. The cloudy day, then, will be cooler than the cloudless day. Clouds also prevent the earth from cooling off rapidly at night. For this reason, countries such as the British Isles, which are often covered by clouds, have a relatively constant temperature. The weather in these cloudy areas is neither very hot in summer nor very cold in winter. On the other hand, places such as deserts, which have few or no clouds, have very sharp variations in temperature- between night and day as well as between summer and winter.
Wind is caused by air moving between cold and warm regions. The warm air    around the equator rises, while the cold air near the poles sinks to the ground.    Therefore, in the upper atmosphere there is less air pressure near the poles than near    equator. To compensate for this condition the upper air moves toward the poles in an  attempt to equalize the pressure. This makes the surface pressure greater at the poles,    and sends air toward the equator.
Total words: 859
Total reading time:               minutes          seconds        
             

◆Reading Skill- Finding the Main Idea　
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions below.

Clouds can greatly affect the temperature of the earth's surface. When there are many clouds in the sky, all of the sun's rays cannot reach the earth. The cloudy day, then, will be cooler than the cloudless day. Clouds also prevent the earth from cooling off rapidly at night. For this reason, countries such as the British Isles, which are often covered by clouds, have a relatively constant temperature. The weather in these cloudy areas is neither very hot in summer nor very cold in winter. On the   other hand, places such as deserts, which have few or no clouds, have very sharp variations in temperature -- between night and day as well as between summer and winter.

1. What is the topic or subject being discussed?

2. In your own words, what is the writer's main idea about this topic?

3. What are the specific details that support the main idea?

◆Reading Comprehension
Circle the letter of the best answer.

1. It is warmer at the equator because             .
A. the sun's rays are slanting there
B. the sun's rays are vertical there
C. there are no mountains at the equator
2. It is cooler on the top of a mountain because             .
A. it is closer to the sun
B. there is less air to hold and absorb the earth's heat waves
C. there is more humidity there
3. When air is put under greater pressure,               .
A. it becomes cooler
B. it becomes warmer
C it becomes lighter
4. The heat waves of the earth are       that of the sun rays.
A. shorter than
B. longer than
C. as long as
5. According to the author, clouds contain              .
A. drops of water at temperature above freezing, or ice crystals at temperature above freezing
B. drops of water at temperature below freezing, or ice crystals at temperature below freezing
C. drops of water at temperature above freezing, or ice crystals at temperature below freezing
6. British Isles have a relatively constant temperature because             .
A. they are often covered by clouds
B. they have more sun's rays
C. they have many mountains and highlands
7. Which of the following statements is not true?
A. Wind is caused by air moving between cold and warm regions.
B. The cold air near the poles rises while the warm air around the equator sinks to the ground.
C. The upper air around the equator moves toward the poles while the cold air near the poles moves toward the equator.

◆Vocabulary Building
①Word Search
Find a word in the texts which means:

1. sloping (A: 9)
2. the imaginary line round the middle of the earth at an equal distance from the North Pole and the South Pole (A: 18)
3. a device used to increase the strength of an electric signal (A: 22)
4. a gasoline form of a liquid (A: 44)
5. a large area of land where there is very little rain and not much plant life (A: 54)
6. the distance north or south of the equator measured in degrees (B: 11)
7. the height of a place above sea level (B: 47)
8. the season of heavy rains which fall in India and other Asian countries from April to October (B: 77)
9. cause to dry gradually (B: 91)
10. an action taken to prevent something dangerous or unpleasant from happening (B: 114)

②Semantic Variations
For each italicized word, decide which semantic variation best expresses the meaning of the author. Circle the letter of the best answer.

1. affect (A: 4)
A. to influence
B. to cause feelings of sorrow, anger, love, etc.
C. to pretend to feel, have or do
2.film (A: 4)
A. movie
B. layer
C. a roll of plastic which is used in a camera for taking photos
3. atmosphere (A: 10)
A. the air in any given place
B. general mood or social environment
C. the mixture of gases surrounding the earth
4. program (A: 35)
A. broadcast
B. plan of action
C. project
5. condense (A: 45)
A. to reduce the volume of
B. to express in fewer words
C. to become liquid
6. elements (B: 104)
A. the weather or the powers of nature
B. a particular group of people
C. the first or most simple things one has to learn about a subject

③Stems
Study the following stems and their meanings. List some more examples in the space provided

vid/vis      1.           2.           3.           4:                          
tain/tent     1.           2.           3.           4:                          

Read each of the following sentences, and write down the meaning of the italicized word in the space provided

1. He works in the foreign division of the company.
division:
2. It is evident that we can't reach an agreement, so let's not discuss the matter any more.
evident:
3. Handwriting varies from individual to individual.
individual:
4. The foundations were not strong enough to sustain the weight of the house.
sustain:
5. You have to use a telescope as these stars are hardly visible to the naked eyes.
visible:
6. He decided to pursue his study after he had obtained his first degree.
obtain:

④Synonyms
Synonyms are words with similar meanings. On each line in Column H there is one word which is a synonym of the word in Column I. Circle the synonyms.
I                                           II
1 combination            separation         mixture               division
2. permanent           eternal           brief                   changing
3. influence            ineffectiveness     impact                  impotence
4. moisture            dryness               arid               humidity
5. distant              remote              close              near

◆Cloze
Fill in each blank with a word given below. Change the form of the word if necessary.

      incorrect     misunderstanding       radio         right
up           unexplained           predict       happen

Many people listen to the weather forecast on the         in morning so that they will not overdress on warm days or underdress on cold days. Other people do not listen, because weather forecasts are very often          These people say that weather forecasters are unable even to         when it will rain, so they probably do not know anything. This shows a         of weather science.
Weather scientists have been studying the weather for more than a century Although some things are still     , they understand the causes of different types of weather. However, they cannot always predict what will actually         . For instance, they may know that conditions are right for snow. However, if the temperature goes          a few degrees, or if the wind changes direction just a little, the conditions will not be       for snow anymore. Such small changes are still unpredictable.