WeatherexpertssaidthisyearcouldbeoneofthestrongestELNin...

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Weather experts said this year could be one of the strongest EL Nino events in recorded history. El Nino means severe weather conditions in parts of the world. In eastern Africa, for example, Kenya and Uganda are preparing for possible flooding. Yet South Africa and Malawi are already dealing with extremely dry weather.

El Nino is Spanish for “the child”. It usually begins in December, near the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. In fact, the weather event was named in his honor. El Nino develops when winds off the west coast of South America weaken. This permits warm water in the western Pacific to expand toward the east and the Americas. At the same time, clouds and rain over the warm water move east, too. El Nio conditions normally appear only about twice every 10 years. Usually, El Nino conditions continue for about 12 to 18 months. They bring warm weather to some areas. These areas become wetter than normal, while others become drier.

The United Nations Children’s Fund warns that many people are at risk from hunger, disease and water shortages resulting from El Nino. In the east and southern Africa up to 11 million children could be affected. East African countries usually experience heavy rainfall during the El Nino. Southern Africa usually has little rainfall which may lead to wildfires or drought(干旱).

Weather changes caused by El Nino depend on the strength of the condition. In the early 1980s, strong El Nino was linked to dry weather in Australia and Asia, rain and flooding in South America and high temperatures in many parts of the U.S. The years later, smaller El Nino caused trouble in parts of the U.S. It caused severe floods in the Southeast and the Middle West. Tom Di Leberto is a meteorologist(气象学家) at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Washington, D.C. He said this year could be the third strongest El Nino on record. But we will not know for sure until all the weather records are examined.

12. The author writes the text to tell us_________.

A. many countries are preparing for the coming floods

B. Africa will probably suffer a lot form this year’s El Nino

C. this year could be one of the strongest El Nino on record

D. 11 million children could be affected by this year’s El Nino

13. The second paragraph is mainly about ____________.

A. what El Nino actually means

B. how El Nino comes into being

C. when El Nino will occur next time

D. why El Nino causes weather changes

14. Which of the following countries often suffers from flooding caused by El Nino?

A. Kenya B. Malawi