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  3. Many of the most damaging and life threatening types of weather torrential rains, severe thunderstorms, and tornadoes(龙卷风) begin

Many of the most damaging and life threatening types of weather torrential rains, severe thunderstorms, and tornadoes(龙卷风) begin

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问题     Many of the most damaging and life threatening types of weather torrential rains, severe thunderstorms, and tornadoes(龙卷风) begin quickly, strike suddenly, and disappear rapidly, destroying small regions while leaving neighboring areas untouched. Such event as a tornado struck the northeastern section of Edmonton, Alberta, in July 1987. Total damages from the tornado exceeded $ 250 million, the highest ever for any Canadian storm.
    Conventional computer models of the atmosphere have limited value in predicting short lived local storms like the Edmonton tornado, because the available weather data are generally not detailed enough to allow computers to study carefully the subtle atmospheric changes that come before these storms. In most nations, for example, weather-balloon observations are taken just once every twelve hours at locations typically separated by hundreds of miles. With such limited data, conventional forecasting models do a much better job predicting general weather conditions over large regions than they do forecasting specific local events.
    Until recently, the observation intensive approach needed for accurate, very short-range forecast, or "Nowcasts", was not feasible. The cost of equipping and operating many thousands of conventional weather station was extremely high, and the difficulties involved in rapidly collecting and processing the raw weather data from such a network were hard to overcome. Fortunately, scientific and technological advances have overcome most of these problems.  Radar systems, automated weather instruments, and satellites are all capable of making detailed, nearly continuous observation over large regions at a relatively low cost.  Communications satellites can transmit data around the world cheaply and instantaneously, and modem computers can quickly compile and analyze this large volume of weather information. Meteorologists(气象学者)and computer scientists now work together to design computer programs and video equipment capable of transforming raw weather data into words, symbols, and vivid graphic displays that forecasters can interpret easily and quickly. As meteorologists have begun using these new technologies in weather forecasting offices, Nowcasting is becoming a reality.
According to the author, the passage mainly deals with ______.
选项 A、a tornado in Edmonton, Alberta
B、what’s a "Nowcast"
C、the disadvantage of conventional computer models of the weather forecast
D、a breakthrough in weather forecast
答案D
解析 文中一开始讲述了某次龙卷风造成的损失，指出传统的计算机天气预测模式由于没有详细的天气情况而不能对类似于龙卷风的暴风雨做出及时的预报。直到最近，由于高科技的发展解决了人们收集天气数据时的种种问题，才使得Nowcast这种准确、及时的天气预报成为现实。因此，文章主要讲述天气预报方面的一大突破(breakthrough)。
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