题型:阅读理解 题类:常考题 难易度:普通
福建省龙岩市一级达标校2018-2019学年高二下学期英语期末考试试卷
Almost everyone has heard the expression, "the calm before the storm". It is usually used to describe a peaceful period just before a very stressful situation or a tense argument.
British sailors coined the phrase in the late 1600s. They noted that before certain storms the seas would seem to become static(平静的) and the winds would drop. But why is it often so calm before a storm?
According to the US website How Stuff Works, a calm period occurs because many storms, tornadoes and hurricanes draw in all the warm and wet air from the surrounding area. As the air rises into the storm clouds, it cools and acts as "fuel for the storm, like petrol in a car". Once the storm has taken all the energy it can from the air, it is pushed out from the top of the storm clouds and falls back down to ground level. As the air goes down, it becomes warm and dry. Warm and dry air is stable, so once it covers an area, it causes a calm period before the storm.
This same process also causes the "eye of the storm" in hurricanes and tornadoes. In these conditions, the calm occurs in the center of the storm because of the strong circling winds.
The Weather Network has a tip for working out how far away a storm is, First count how many seconds there are between a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder, roughly three seconds equal one kilometer. So, for example, if you count nine seconds, the storm is about three kilometers away. A good judge is that if your count is below 30 seconds, you should seek shelter straight away.
However, due to the complexity of storm system, not all storms are proceeded (领先) by calm. Given the right conditions, some storms announce themselves with heavy rain and icy winds. So, your best bet is to keep yourself updated with weather reports for any predictions regarding a coming storm in your area. That's the most reliable and sensible way to predict the next display of nature's temper.
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