Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)

　　Section A

　　Many of the most damaging and life threatening types of weather-torrential rains, severe thunderstorms, and tornadoes-begin quickly, strike suddenly, and disappear rapidly, destroying small regions while leaving neighboring areas untouched. Such event as a tornado struck the northeastern section of Edmonton, Alberta, in July 1987. Total damages from the tornado exceeded $250 million, the highest ever for any Canadian storm.

　　Conventional computer models of the atmosphere have limited value in predicting short lived local storms like the Edmonton tornado, because the available weather data are generally not detailed enough to allow computers to study carefully the subtly atmospheric changes that come before these storms. In most nations, for example, weather-balloon observations are taken just once every twelve hours at locations typically separated by hundreds of miles. With such limited data, conventional forecasting models do a much better job predicting general weather conditions over large regions than they do forecasting specific local events.

　　Until recently, the observation intensive approach needed for accurate, very short-range forecasts, or "Nowcasts", was not feasible. The cost of equipping and operating many thousands of conventional weather stations was extremely high, and the difficulties involved in rapidly collecting and processing the raw weather data from such a network were hard to overcome. Fortunately, scientific and technological advances have overcome most of these problems. Radar systems, automated weather instruments, and satellites are all capable of making detailed, nearly continuous observation over large regions at a relatively low cost. Communications satellites can transmit data around the world cheaply and instantaneously, and modern computers can quickly compile and analyze this large volume of weather information. Meteorologists (气象学者) and computer scientists now work together to design computer cet4v.com video equipment capable of transforming raw weather data into words, symbols, and vivid graphic displays that forecasters can interpret easily and quickly. As meteorologists have begun using these new technologies in weather forecasting offices, Nowcasting is becoming a reality.

　　47. It can be inferred from the passage that the value of damages from torrential rains, severe thunderstorms and tornadoes is ________________________.

　　48. Why do conventional models of the atmosphere fail to predict such a short-lived tornado?

　　___________________________________________________________________________.

　　49. It can be inferred from the passage that conventional forecasting models are now mostly used for ________________________.

　　50. What does "Nowcasts" mean according to the passage?

　　___________________________________________________________________________.

　　51. According to the passage, what makes "Nowcasting" a reality?

　　___________________________________________________________________________.

　　Section B

　　Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked [A],[B],[C] and [D]. You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the center.

　　Passage One

　　Questions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.

　　What makes Americans spend nearly half their food dollars on meals away from home? The answers lie in the way Americans live today. During the first few decades of the twentieth century, canned and other convenience foods freed the family cook from full-time duty at the kitchen range.

　　Then, in the 1940s, work in the wartime defense plants took more women out of the home that ever before, setting the pattern of the working wife and mother. Unless family members pitch in with food preparation, women are not fully liberated from that chore.

　　It's easier to pick up a bucket of fried chicken on the way home from work or take the family out for pizzas or burgers than to start opening cans or heating up frozen dinners after a long, hard day. Also nowadays, the rising divorce rate means that there are more single working parents with children to feed. And many young adults and elderly people, as well as unmarried and divorced mature people, live alone rather than as a part of a family unit and don't want to bother cooking for one. Fast food is appealing because it is fast, it doesn't require any dressing up, it offers a "fun" break in the daily routine, and the outlay of money seems small. It can be eaten in the car-sometimes picked up at a drive-in window without even getting out-or on the run. Even if it is brought home to eat, there will never be any dirty dishes to wash because of the handy disposable wrappings. Children, especially, love fast food because it's finger food, no struggling with knives and forks, no annoying instructions from adults about table manners.

　　52. Americans enjoy fast food mainly because ________.

　　[A] it can be eaten in the car

　　[B] it is much more tasty than home-made food

　　[C] one only uses his fingers while eating it

　　[D] it is time-saving and convenient

　　53. It can be inferred that children ________.

　　[A] want to have freedom at table

　　[B] wash dishes after each meal

　　[C] are not good at using forks and knives while eating

　　[D] take eating time as a fun break

　　54. Many Americans are eating out and not cooking at home nowadays because ________.

　　[A] they want to make a change after eating the same food for years at home

　　[B] the food made outside home tastes better than food cooked at home

　　[C] many of them live alone or don't like taking trouble to cook

　　[D] American women refuse to cook at home due to women's liberation movement

　　55. According to the text, a drive-in window is a ________.

　　[A] car window from which you can see the driver

　　[B] window in the restaurant from which you get your meal in the car

　　[C] place where you check the mechanic condition of your car

　　[D] entrance where you return the used plates after eating

　　56. The expression "pitch in with" (Line 2, Para. 2) probably means________.

　　[A] complain

　　[B] enjoy

　　[C] help

　　[D] deny

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

　　InfraGard is a grass-roots effort to respond to the need for cooperation and collaboration in countering the threat of cyber crime and terrorism to private businesses and the government. By the end of September, there will be InfraGard chapters in all 50 states, Calloway said. With advice from the FBI, each local chapter will be run by a board of directors that includes members of private industry, the academic community and public agencies. Bands, utilities, and other businesses and government agencies will use a secure Web site to share information about attempts to hack into their computer networks. Members can join the system free. A key feature of the system is a two-pronged method of reporting attacks.

　　A "sanitized" description of a hacking attempt or other incident-one that doesn't reveal the name or information about the victim-can be shared with the other members to spot trends. Then a more detailed description also can be sent to the FBI's computer crimes unit to interfere if there are grounds for an investigation. Cyber crime has jumped in recent years across the nation, particularly in hotbeds of financial commerce and technology like Charlotte. "Ten years ago, all you needed to protect yourself was a safe, a fence and security officers," said Chris Swecker, who is in charge of the FBI's Charlotte office. "Now any business with a modem is subject to attack." FBI agents investigate computer hacking that disrupted popular Web sites including Amazon. com, CNN and Yahoo!

　　several North Carolina victims have been identified this year. The investigation has also identified computer systems in North Carolina used by hackers to commit such attacks. Prosecutions of hackers have been hampered by the reluctance of companies to report security intrusions for fear of bad publicity and lost business. Meanwhile, too many corporations have made it too easy for criminals by sacrificing security for speed and accessibility. Jack Wiles, who will lead the local InfraGard chapter's board, said a recent report estimated 97 percent of all cyber crime goes undetected. Wiles, a computer security expert, has a firewall on his personal computer to prevent hackers from getting into his files. "I get at least one report a day that somebody was trying to get into my computer," he said, "the Net is a wonderful place, but it's also a dangerous one."

　　57. From the first paragraph, we know ________.

　　[A] InfraGard is a protective measure against cyber crime

　　[B] InfraGard is a measure of cooperation and collaboration

　　[C] there will be 50 InfraGard chapters in all states

　　[D] private business and the government are now committing cyber crime

　　58. Each local chapter of InfraGard will be run by the following EXCEPT ________.

　　[A] academic communities

　　[B] public agencies

　　[C] FBI

　　[D] private industry

　　59. By saying "too many corporations...speed and accessibility" (Lines 3～4, Para. 3), the author means ________.

　　[A] too many corporations take no notice of the security problem of computers

　　[B] criminals are sacrificing security for speed and accessibility

　　[C] it's very easy to sacrifice security for speed and accessibility

　　[D] many companies suffer from computer hacking because they value speed and accessibility more than security

　　60. All the following are reasons for the rise in cyber crime EXCEPT ________.

　　[A] victims won't report intrusions by hackers

　　[B] victims have no firewalls

　　[C] the use of modem is increasing

　　[D] companies don't pay enough attention to security

　　61. It can be concluded from the passage that ________.

　　[A] not all hacking attempts are worthy of investigation

　　[B] information of the victims is inaccessible

　　[C] InfraGard chapters will be in effect by the end of September

　　[D] Amazon.com was often disrupted by hacking