Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.
For many Americans, 2013 ended with an unusually bitter cold spell. November and December 36 early snow and bone-chilling temperatures in much of the country, part of a year when, for the first time in two 37 , record-cold days will likely turn out to have outnumbered record-warm ones. But the U.S. was the exception; November was the warmest ever 38 , and current data indicates that 2013 is likely to have been the fourth hottest year on record.
Enjoy the snow now, because 39 are good that 2014 will be even hotter, perhaps the hottest year since records have been kept. That’s because, scientists are predicting, 2014 will be an EI Niuo year.
EI niuo, Spanish for “the child”, 40 when surface ocean waters in the southern Pacific become abnormally warm. So large is the Pacific, covering 30% of the planet’s surface, that the 41 energy generated by its warming is enough to touch off a series of weather changes around the world. EI Ninos are 42 with abnormally dry conditions in Southeast Asia and Australia. They can lead to extreme rain in parts of North and South America, even as southern Africa 43 dry weather. Marine life may be affected too; EI Ninos can 44 the rising of the cold, nutrient-rich(营养丰富的)water that supports large fish 45 ,and the unusually warm ocean temperatures can destroy coral(珊瑚).
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
参考答案：
36. N saw
37. F decades
38. H globally
39. D chances
40. G occurs
41. O specific
42. B associated
43. G experiences
44. M reduce
45. K populations
解析：
36. N. saw 第一空显然缺少谓语，优先考虑动词，结合语义并根据Late November and December可以推出应选择过去式动词，故答案锁定saw.
37. F. decades 根据two，首选复数名词，结合语义，“for the first time in the two decades”,二十年来头一次。
38. H.globally 句子为主系表结构，不缺主要成分，所以首选副词和形容词，根据语义，ever表示“一直以来地、向来地”，“十一月向来是全球范围内最温暖的一个月。”
39. D.chances 缺少主语，并且谓语是are，所以首选复数形式的名词，结合前文Enjoy the snow now, “享受现在的雪吧”，因为“时机是好的”。
40. J.occurs 空格前方有主语，且是单数形式，而后面由when引导的时间状语从句的时态是一般现在时，所以主句谓语锁定第三人称单数形式的动词，只能选择occurs.
41. A.specific空格左为定冠词the，空格右为名词，中间只能选形容词，选择“特定的”符合语义。
42. B. associated 空格左为be动词，右边为介词with，中间只能是形容词或动词的过去分词形式，be associated with表示“与…有联系”，符合原意。
43. G.experiences 空格左为主语southern Africa，空格内应该为动词的第三人称单词形式，结合语义，选G，“南非经历着干燥的天气。
44. M.reduce 空格左为情态动词，空格内必须为动词原形，填reduce“减少”符合原题。
45. K. populations 空格与左边的large fish 共同构成动词support的宾语，只能选一个名词来作为名词词组，故选K，“大量的鱼群”。
