2014年12月英语六级听力备考练习8
英语六级听力部分算是同学们考试时的难点吧。听力这部分不能急于求成，需要时间来练习。对于这部分同学们平时在积累词汇的基础上多加练习就可以，听的多了就能掌握技巧，距离12月份的四六级考试还有一段时间，同学每天练习一点听力，考试时听力就能取得高分了。听力音频点击下载
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On October 17, Hurricane Gonzalo hit the island of Bermuda, knocking down trees and power lines, and making roads and streets impassable. The damage was substantial. But thanks to early warnings from forecasters, residents were able to prepare and no deaths or serious injuries were reported.
Scientists say weather systems are notoriously hard to predict because so many variables have to be taken into account. But increasingly sophisticated algorithms and accessibility to supercomputers are making weather prediction much easier.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says its new storm prediction system, called NEIS, collects millions of data points from all over the world to create a four-dimensional model of the world's weather.
Agency director Alexander MacDonald said the satellite picture of huge storms that bited China in October 2010 seen on the left screen is very similar to the one created by its computer model on the right.
“So this really shows the skill that we are developing, when we run a computer model and Mother Nature does the same thing with the real world and they are pretty alike. We are excited a lot about these improvements.”
Air pollution is another modern calamity that affects large cities and industrial areas. So its adverse effect on health also makes its timely measurement important.
Alan Taylor, Director of the Britain-based company Turnkey Instruments, said their device, called Topas, uses lasers to monitor the air for particulates.
But, he said, providing accurate measurement does not solve the problem.
“It's what cities do about it when they know about it. Do they stop traffic going through, do they stop trucks going through? So we can get that information, but what the city does with that information is a different situation.”
Even in cities that do not have pollution problems, it is important to measure other atmospheric conditions, like the level of pollen, which can make life miserable for those who are allergic to it.
University of Geneva research team leader Svetlana Afonina said their new instrument, called Plair, uses an optical detector with ultraviolet laser technology.
“The device is highly specific and allows identification of different kind of particles in the atmosphere.We are able to detect and measure different species of pollen in the real time.”
The Brussels exhibition, now in its fifth year, drew more than 2,500 people from around the world to see the latest weather and climate change forecasting technology.
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