“East wind brings rain; west wind brings fine.” People usually know about the weather by watching the weather report, which mainly depends on scientific facts and information models covering the whole world. In fact, there is another way to predict it. That is through watching nature carefully. Nature itself has lots of reporters.

Reading atmospheric (大气层的) signs

If thick circle black clouds gather high up and cover the whole sky, they often give a message that rain is likely to come within the next 24 hours. When these clouds appear to be soft, white and low-lying, they generally show that the weather is fine. However, the large white clouds begin to rise higher and become thicker like towers. They’re often seen during thunderstorms.

Watching animal behaviors

Atmospheric water influences insects’ behaviors a lot. Insects act very quickly to the changes in it. Ants may run in and out of their homes in a hurry to store food or build strong houses against coming rain. Similarly, bees will return to their homes earlier and stop food-searching activity when they feel it’s about to rain.

Knowing plant predictors

The plants of certain kinds, area or environment give dependable signs to predict the weather. As the atmospheric water changes, the structures of plants move too. For example, fallen pine cones can sense immediate wetness levels in the air. There are seeds (种子) inside each scale of the pine cones. The scales open up on a sunny day so that the wind blows seeds away. When rain is possible, they close and hold themselves together to protect seeds from going bad.

1.1. Why does the writer begin the article with a saying?

A To tell a story.

B To explain a word.

C To start a conversation.

D To catch readers’ interest.

解析：选D。答案：D - 题型：推理判断题 - 解析：文章以谚语开篇，不是讲故事、解释单词，也不是开启对话，目的是引出话题，吸引读者阅读兴趣。A 讲故事错误；B 解释单词错误；C 开启对话错误；D 吸引读者兴趣正确。

2.2. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 2?

A The shape of the cloud.

B The height of the cloud.

C The colour of the cloud.

D The speed of the cloud.

解析：选D。答案：D - 题型：细节理解题 - 解析：第二段描写云：颜色（black、white）、高度（high up、low‑lying、rise higher）、形状（circle、like towers）。全文没有提到云移动的速度 speed。A 云的形状、B 云的高度、C 云的颜色均有提及；D 云的速度未提及。

3.3. Which of the following meanings is suitable for the underlined word “immediate”? immediate /ɪˈmi:diət/ adj. 1. happening right away; ongoing 2. next to or very close to a person 3. nearest in relationship 4. having a direct effect (from the dictionary)

A 1

B 2

C 3

D 4

解析：选A。答案：A - 题型：词义猜测题 - 解析：“fallen pine cones can sense immediate wetness levels in the air” 松果可以感知空气中：“当下、即时的”湿度。immediate 此处指 “立刻发生的，当下的”，对应词典义项 1 happening right away;ongoing（立刻发生的）。义项 2 邻近的；3 亲属最近的；4 直接作用的均不符合语境。

4.4. According to the article, when is it possible to rain?

A The thick black clouds grow to be soft and white.

B Ants hurry to run in and out of their homes to store food.

C Bees are busy searching food and won’t come home earlier.

D The scales of pine cones open up to let the wind blow seeds away.

解析：选B。答案：B - 题型：细节理解题 - 解析： A：厚乌云变得柔软洁白，原文说这是晴天标志，不是下雨； B：蚂蚁匆忙进出巢穴储存食物。原文 “Ants may run in and out of their homes in a hurry to store food…against coming rain”，蚂蚁忙碌进出储食预示将要下雨，正确； C：蜜蜂忙着觅食不早回家，原文下雨蜜蜂会提早回家，该选项是晴天； D：松果鳞片张开让风吹走种子，原文鳞片张开是晴天，下雨会闭合。

5.5. In which PART of a magazine can we read the article?

A Travel.

B Sports.

C Nature.

D Culture.

解析：选C。答案：C - 题型：文章出处题 - 解析：整篇讲大自然动植物、云预测天气，属于“自然 nature 栏目”。Travel 旅行；Sports 运动；Culture 文化，均不符。