C
新素材 社会百科 An old saying used for forecasting(预测) the weather says, “Red sky at night, sailors' delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors(水手) take warning.” Is the saying true? It turns out that it is. A red sky at sunset may mean that there are clear skies to the west, where the sun sets. A red sky at sunrise usually means that the clear weather has already passed, so storms might be coming.
Forecasting the weather has been practised for thousands of years. In the 5th century BC, the Greeks sent out forecasts to sailors. They used signs in nature to forecast the weather. But today, meteorologists send exact forecasts further in advance(提前). They use scientific instruments to study weather conditions around the world and make forecasts. Pilots, farmers and many other people depend on these forecasts. Luckily, most of us can simply look on the smartphone or turn on the TV to find out what kind of weather is coming.
If you are looking for some signs of the weather, pay attention to nature. There are two basic rules used in weather forecasting: Weather generally moves from west to east, and low air pressure(压力) usually means rain or snow. So pay attention to the signs. If rainbows form in the west at sunrise, the sun is on the way. Smell the flowers—their smells are stronger in wet air. What are the ants doing? Are they moving to higher ground? This could mean a drop in air pressure. Are the birds flying low or high? Falling air pressure may influence birds' ears, so they fly low. And if the sky is red at sunset, you might plan a picnic for the next day!
()33. What is the old saying in the first paragraph about?
A. The beauty of sunrise.
B. The night sky.
C. The signs of the weather.
D. The sailors' work.
()34. What does the underlined word “meteorologists” mean?
A. The persons who give daily weather reports on TV.
B. The persons who carry out research on natural history.
C. The persons who take an interest in plants and animals.
D. The persons who do scientific studies of weather conditions.
()35. What do we know from the last paragraph?
A. It'll be sunny if ants move to higher places.
B. The smells of flowers are stronger in wet air.
C. Birds fly higher because of the low air pressure.
D. It'll rain if rainbows form in the west at sunrise.
()36. 新考法 写作意图 What is the writer's purpose in writing the text?
A. To encourage people to get close to nature.
B. To express the need for weather forecasting.
C. To explain nature can tell us about the weather.
D. To discuss how important weather forecasting is.

33. C
34. D
35. B
36. C

【分析】
1. 第33题：定位第一段，明确该老话用于预测天气，对应选项中“天气的迹象”，排除与天气无关的A、B、D选项。
2. 第34题：定位划线词所在句，结合后文“用科学仪器研究天气状况、做预报”的描述，判断该词含义，排除不符合的A、B、C选项。
3. 第35题：定位最后一段，逐一核对选项，找到与原文表述一致的选项，排除错误选项。
4. 第36题：通读全文，梳理核心内容，明确作者写作意图，排除偏离主旨的选项。
【解析】
1. 第33题：根据第一段“An old saying used for forecasting the weather”可知，该老话用于预测天气，即关于天气的迹象，故选C。
2. 第34题：根据划线词后文“They use scientific instruments to study weather conditions around the world and make forecasts”可知，meteorologists是研究天气状况并做预报的人，对应D选项。
3. 第35题：最后一段中“their smells are stronger in wet air”与B选项完全一致；A选项蚂蚁移高地预示气压下降（将下雨），错误；C选项鸟飞低因气压低，错误；D选项彩虹在西边日出预示晴天，错误，故选B。
4. 第36题：文章通过介绍预测天气的老话、自然中的天气迹象等，核心是说明自然可以告知天气情况，故选C。
【答案】
33. C；34. D；35. B；36. C
【知识点】
阅读理解、细节理解、词义猜测
【点评】
本题为阅读理解题，考查学生对文章细节、词义及主旨的把握，需结合原文定位信息逐一分析选项，难度适中。
【难度系数】
0.5