When a storm is coming, most people leave the area as quickly ad possible and head for safety. But there are a few people who will get into their cars and go straight for the center of the storm. These people are willing to risk(冒…危險)being killed by floods or 100-kilometer-an-hour winds for the excitement of watching the storm close up.

　　“Storm chasing(追逐)” is becoming an increasingly popular hobby(喜好), especially in the Midwest of the United States, where there are frepuent storms between March and July. A storm chaser begins the day by checking the Internet for the latest weather reports, and then drives up to 1,000 kilometers to where the storm will be and wits for it to develop.

　　Although anyone can do it , storm chasing is extremely dangerous. The power of a big storm can throw a cow into the air or destroy a whole house in seconds. Storm chasers are also often hurt in accidents caused by driving in a heavy rain. If you are a beginner, it is much safer to join a group for storm-chasing vacations during the storm season.

　　Even then, storm chasing is not all adventure and excitement . “Storm chasing is 95% driving,” says Daniel Lynch, who spends most of his summer storm-chasing. “Sometimes you can sit around for hours waiting for something to happen, and all you get is blue sky and a few light showers.”

　　However, for storm chasers, it is all worth it. “When you get close to a storm, it is the most exciting sight you will ever see in your life,” says Jasper Morley. “Every storm is an example of the power of nature, It is the greatest show on Earth.”

　　56. For storm chasing, the first thing storm chasers do is to .

　　A. head straight for the center of the storm

　　B. get into the car for safety

　　C. wait patiently for the storm to develop

　　D. collect information about a coming storm

　　57. Beginners of storm chasing are advised .

　　A. not to drive in a heavy rain

　　B. to do it in an organized way

　　C. not to get too close to a storm

　　D. to spend more time on it in summer

　　58. By saying “it is all worth it” in the last paragraph, the author means that .

　　A. storm chasing costs a lot of money

　　B. storm chasing is worth hours of waiting

　　C. efforts in storm chasing are well paid

　　D. a storm presents the greatest show on Earth

　　59. What can we learn from the text?

　　A. Sometimes storm chasers get nothing but disappointment

　　B. Many storm chasers get killed in the storms.

　　C. Storm chasing is becoming popular around the world/

　　D. Storm chasing is only fit for young people.

　　答案 56.D 57.B 58.C 59.A

　　閱讀理解練習題2：

　　Do you have any strong opinion on co-educational or single-sex schools?

　　A supporter of co-educational schools would probably say that schools should be like the societies they belong to .In Hong Kong , men and women mix socially on a day-to-day basis .In many fields men are even likely to have female bosses .It is ,therefore, desirable that boys and girls grow up together ,go to school together ,and prepare themselves for a society that does not value sexual separation.

　　Some would go on to argue further that growing up with members of the opposite sex is important for personal development .Regular contact (接觸)can remove the strange ideas about the opposite-sex and lead to more natural relationships .Single-sex conditions are seen as leading to more extreme opinions, and possibly even as encouraging homosexuality(同性戀),though there is no proof that this is the case.

　　Those who are against coeducation often also fix their attention on the sexual side .Some parents fear that close contact with members of the opposite sex is dangerous for teenagers .They want their children to be attentive to their studies .Such parents feel uncomfortable with modern ways and the free mixing of the sexes.

　　A stronger argument comes from research into school results .Girls grow up earlier than boys ,tend to be more orderly and are likely to be better at languages .In a mixed class ,boys who might do well in a single-sex class become discouraged and take on the rule of troublemaker .Certainly in the UK this situation has greatly alarmed (驚動)the government for it to be encouraging co-educational schools to have some single-sex classes .In the UK the best schools are all single-sex ,strongly suggesting that co-education is not the best answer .This may ,however ,not be as simple as it looks .It may simply be that the famous old schools that attract the best students happen to be single-sex ,rather than that being single-sex makes them better schools.

　　72.In the third paragraph ,by saying “though there is no proof that this is the case” ,the writer means that .

　　A.students in single-sex schools will certainly become homosexual

　　B.students in co-educational schools cannot have extreme opinions

　　C.students in co-educational schools are likely to be homosexual

　　D.single-sex school conditions may or may not have effects on the students.

　　73.All the following arguments can be found in the passage EXCEPT that .

　　A.co-education can produce a society-like situation

　　B.co-educational schools may lead to love affairs between boys and girls

　　C.co-education will help develop a better understanding about the opposite sex

　　D.co-education can make boys perform well in mixed classes

　　74.Alarmed by the situation ,the UK government encourages .

　　A.co-education

　　B.single-sex education

　　C.single-sex classes in co-educational schools

　　D.co-educational classes in single-sex schools

　　75.At the end of the passage the writer suggests that .

　　A.single-sex schools are the best schools in the UK

　　B.being single-sex does not necessarily make a school better

　　C.co-educational schools are better for both sexes in personal development

　　D.because boys cannot compete with girls in study ,they go to single-sex schools

　　答案 72.D 73.D 74.C 75.B