( A )

　　There are several things about motorcycling that the average citizen dislikes. A cyclist's appearance has something to do with this dislike. Motorcyclists frequently look dirty: in fact, they are dirty. On the road there is little to protect them from mud, bird droppings, etc. For practical reasons they often dress in old clothing which looks much less respectable than the clothing of people who ride in cars. For the same reason motorcyclists usually wear dark colors. Perhaps this helps to explain why they are sometimes believed to have very bad natures. In old plays of long ago, bad characters usually wore black. In cowboy movies the "bad guys" usually wear black hats while the "good guys" wear lighter colors.

　　Something else about their appearance makes an unpleasant impression. In their practical protective clothing they look very much like the men on military motorcycles in the movies of World War II-cruel enemies who roared into peaceful villages filling people's hearts with fear.

　　Probably the machine itself also produces anger and fear. Motorcycles are noisy, though some big trucks are even noisier, but trucks are big and carry heavy loads; they are accepted because they perform a needed service, making America move. Motorcycles, on the other hand, make an unpleasant noise just to give their riders pleasure. That is what is commonly thought. In the woods motorcycles frighten animals, roaring along quiet streets, they wake sleeping families and make babies cry.

　　1. Motorcyclists usually wear dark colors because ________ .

　　A. they want to copy "bad guys" in cowboy movies

　　B. they have bad natures

　　C. they are not easy to look dirty

　　D. they are less respectable than those who drive cars

　　2. Which of the following does NOT explain why a motorcyclist's appearance gives people unpleasant impression?

　　A. Bad characters in old plays wore black.

　　B. At night, motorcyclists wake sleeping families.

　　C. The "bad guys" in cowboy movies wear black.

　　D. The men on military motorcycles in the movies of World War II wear similar protective clothing as motorcyclists do.

　　3. What's the main idea of the passage?

　　A. Why the average people dislike motorcycling.

　　B. Why motorcyclists dress in dark clothes.

　　C. Why the average people some times think motorcycles have bad natures.

　　D. Why big trucks, though they are even noisier than motorcycles, are accepted.

　　( B )

　　Now satellites are used for weather purposes. They are in space and are sending back the weather data and pictures to Earth, which will be dealt with by computers. This is the way how weather forecast is done.

　　Today, nearly five hundred weather stations in sixty countries receive information from satellites. The weathermen with the help of computers work on the data from different places and at different time to foretell the weather change on Earth.

　　So satellites are of great help to the weathermen. Before satellites were invented, the scientists could only forecast the weather a day or two in advance. Now they can make long term forecasts with high reliability.

　　4. Weathermen foretell the weather change with ________ .

　　A. a weather station

　　B. a satellite and its information

　　C. satellites' pictures and computers

　　D. computers at the same time

　　5. In the future people will probably be able to foretell the weather for ________ in advance.

　　A. a dayB. two days C. three days D. a week or even longer

　　[答案与解析]

　　1. C。从第一段可推断出本题答案。2. B。只有选项B在文中没有提及。3. A。本篇短文开头第一句话即本文的主题句,揭示了本文的中心思想。4. C。由短文第二段可知,天气预报员借助于计算机来处理来自于不同时间、不同地区的卫星数据来预报天气。5. D。由短文最后一段可知,在发明气象卫星之前,天气预报员只能提前预报一两天的天气状况。现在,在气象卫星的帮助下,天气预报员可以非常准确地预报长期的天气状况。