EL Nino

Mile some forecasting methods had limited success predicting the 1997 EL Nino(厄尔尼诺现象，指赤道东太平洋南美沿岸海水温度剧烈上升的现象。）a few months in advance，the Columbia University researchers say their method can predict large EL Nino events up to two years in advance. That would be good news for govemments, farmers and others seeking to plan for the droughts and heavy rain fall that EL Nino can produce in various parts of the world.

Using a computer, the researchers matched sea-surface temperatures to later EL Nino occurrences(发生) between 1980 and 2000 and were then able to anticipate EL Nino events dating back to 1857,using prior sea-surface temperatures.The results were reported in the latest issue of the journal Nature.

The researchers say their method is not perfect,but BryanC. Weare,a meteorologist(气象学家)at the University of California,Davis,who was not involved in the work ,said,"It suggests EL Nino is indeed predictable.”

"This will probably convince others to search around more for even better methods," saidWeare.He added that the new method“ makes it possible to predict EL Nino at long lead(提前的)times".Other models also use sea-surface temperatures,but they have not looked as far back because they need other data,which is only available for recent decades,Weare said.

The ability to predict the warming and cooling of the Pacific is of immense importance.The 1997 EL Nino,for example,caused an estimated $20 billion in damage worldwide,offset(抵消) by beneficial effects in other areas, said David Anderson, of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts in Reading,England.The 1877 EL Nino,meanwhile,coincided(同时发生)with a failure of the Indian monsoon and a famine that killed perhaps 40 million in India and China,prompting the development of seasonal forecasting,Anderson said.

When EL Nino hit in 1991 and 1997,200 million people were affected by flooding in China alone,according to a 2002 United Nations report.

While predicting smaller EL Nino events remains tricky(复杂的),the ability to predict larger ones should be increased to at least a year if the new method is confirmed.

EL Nino tends to develop between April and June and reaches its peak between December and February.The warming tends to last between 9 and 12 months and occurs every two to seven years.

The new forecasting method does not predict any major EL Nino events in the next two years,although a weak warming toward the end of this year is possible.

Question 1： The method used by the Columbia University researchers can predict EL Nino a few months in advance.（）

Schooling and Education 

It is commonly believed in the United States that school is where people go to get an education,Nevertheless,it has been said that today children interrupt their education to go to school.The distinction between schooling and education implied by this remark is important.Education is muc.h more open-ended(开放的)and all-inclusive（包罗万象的）than schooling.Education knows no bounds.It can take place anywhere,whether in the shower or in the job,whether in a kitchen or on a tractor(拖拉机),It includes both the formal learning that takes place in schools and the whole universe of informal learning.The agents of education can range from a revered grandparent to the people debating politics on the radio,from a child to a distinguished scientist. 

Whereas schooling has a certain predictability, education quite often produces survirises.A chance conversation with a stranger may lead a person to discover how little is known of other religions.People are engaged in education from infancy on.Education,then,is a very broad,inclusive term.It is a lifelong process,a process that starts long before the start of school,and one that should be an integral part of one s entire life. 

Schooling,on the other hand,is a specific,formalized process,whose general pattern varies little from one setting to the next.Throughout a country, children arrive at school at approximately the same time,take assigned seats,are taught by an adult,use similar textbooks,do homework,take exams,and so on.The slices of reality that are to be learned,whether they are the alphabet or an understanding of the workings of government,have usually been limited by the boundaries of the subject being taught.For example ,high school students know that they are not likely to find out in their classes the truth about political problems in their communities or what the newest filmmakers are experimenting with.There are definite conditions surrounding the formalized process of schooling.

Question 11： Which of the following is true according to the author？（）

Question 15： What is the author' s attitude toward schooling？（）

阅读下面短文，请完成短文后的2项测试任务：

（1）从第16-20题后所给的6个选项中为第①—⑤段每段选择1个正确的小标题；

（2）从第21-25题后所给的6个选项中选择5个正确选项，分别完成每个句子。

（回答Question 16-25） 

McGrady' s Wonderful Art 

① McGrady is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Qingdao Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association.He previously played for the Toronto Raptors,Urlando Magic,Houston Rockets,New York Knicks,Detroit Pistons,and Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association( NBA)． 

② When Tracy McGrady is healthy,his play can be so beautiful that even his own teammates on the court cannot help but admire it-in the middle of a game."It' s hard for me,because I' m a fan of basketball," Houston point guard Rafer Alston told the Houston Chronicle newspaper after McGrady's 44-point performance against Utah on January 5." When he' s shooting the ball like that,a lot of times I' m standing there watching and,all of a sudden,the other team' s getting the ball and going on a fast break,and I' m getting yelled at by the coach." Indeed,McGrady' s body control,his energy, his shooting-watching these are like watching an artist at work,blending colors,constructing sentences,or playing music. 

③ Unfortunately, McGrady, 27 , hasn ' t always been on the job. Already this season, he ' s missed seven games with back spasms.After Yao Ming was injured on Dec.23 ,it appeared Houston would be without both of its stars.McGrady,however,returned three days later and has been playing well ever since,scoring more than 30 points in each of the last six games,as of Tuesday.Houston can' t seem to get on without him.When McGrady was injured,the Rockets won two and lost five. 

④ "Listen,there are only four or five people on the entire planet that can do the things he can o with the basketball," forward Shane Battier said of McGrady." From a fan' s perspective-and spective,his game can affect the entire team.No question.We see him,and we get excited,and that pumps us up.He keeps making shots,and suddenly it seems to become easier for everybody: " 

⑤But it won' t,really.Houston has just begun an important stretch on their schedule.Four of the next seven games will be played away from Houston-and without Yao.Six of the games will beagainst teams with winning records.Opponents will double-team McGrady in an attempt to dull the impact of his art.Instead of watching, McGrady' s teammates will need to create a little art of their own.

Question 16： Paragraph①：（）