Weather has a strong effect(影響) on people. It influences health, intelligence (智力) and feelings. In August, it is very hot and wet in the southern part of the United States. People there easily have heart trouble and other kinds of health problems during this month. In the Northeast and the Middle West, it is hot at some times and very cold at other times. People in those states will have heart trouble after the weather changes in February or March.
The weather can also influence intelligence. For example, in a 1983 study by scientists, the IQ scores of some college students were very high during storm, but after the storm, their scores were low. Storms can increase intelligence. Very hot weather, on the other hand, can decrease(減少) it. Students in many schools of the United States often do badly in exams in the hot months of the year(July and August).
Weather also has a strong effect on people’s feeling. Winter may be a bad time for thin people. They usually feel cold during these months. They might feel depressed during cold weather. In hot summer weather, on the other hand, fat people may feel unhappy. At about 65F, people become stronger.
Low air pressure(氣壓) makes people feel free, but it also increases forgetful- ness. People leave more bags and umbrellas on buses and in stores on low pressure days. There is a“perfect weather”for work and health. People feel best at a tempera- ture of about 64F with 65 percent humidity(濕度).
Are you feeling sick, sad, tired, forgetful, or very intelligent today? The weather may be the reason.
【小題1】Intelligence may be lower______.

Weather has a strong effect(影響) on people. It influences health, intelligence (智力) and feelings. In August, it is very hot and wet in the southern part of the United States. People there easily have heart trouble and other kinds of health problems during this month. In the Northeast and the Middle West, it is hot at some times and very cold at other times. People in those states will have heart trouble after the weather changes in February or March.
The weather can also influence intelligence. For example, in a 1983 study by scientists, the IQ scores of some college students were very high during storm, but after the storm, their scores were low. Storms can increase intelligence. Very hot weather, on the other hand, can decrease(減少) it. Students in many schools of the United States often do badly in exams in the hot months of the year(July and August).
Weather also has a strong effect on people’s feeling. Winter may be a bad time for thin people. They usually feel cold during these months. They might feel depressed during cold weather. In hot summer weather, on the other hand, fat people may feel unhappy. At about 65F, people become stronger.
Low air pressure(氣壓) makes people feel free, but it also increases forgetful- ness. People leave more bags and umbrellas on buses and in stores on low pressure days. There is a“perfect weather”for work and health. People feel best at a tempera- ture of about 64F with 65 percent humidity(濕度).
Are you feeling sick, sad, tired, forgetful, or very intelligent today? The weather may be the reason

1. 1.

   Intelligence may be lower______

   1. A.
      during a storm
   2. B.
      when it is sunny
   3. C.
      on a very hot day
   4. D.
      when you take in an exam
2. 2.

   In the third paragraph,“depressed”means         

   1. A.
      興奮的
   2. B.
      愉快的
   3. C.
      憂郁的
   4. D.
      擔心的
3. 3.

   In“perfect weather”,          

   1. A.
      both the fat and the thin are healthy
   2. B.
      the students do very well in examinations
   3. C.
      the air pressure is low
   4. D.
      the humidity is 65 percent and the temperature is about 64F

Have you ever seen a horse with toes(腳趾)？Millions of years ago, horses had many toes. They had four toes on each front foot. They had three toes on each back foot. The horses were no bigger than the cats.These small horses lived in the forest. The toes helped the horses run on the soft, wet ground.
At first, it was very hot in the forest. But the weather changed. It became very cold. Many trees could not live in cold weather. The trees died and fell. Open fields took the place of forests. The sun made the ground dry and hard.
Horsed began to change, too. They began to get bigger. This took a long time. On the dry, hard land, horses needed only their middle toes for running. Their middle toes became hard. After a long time, horses had only one hard toe on each foot. Now we call this hard toe a hoof.
【小題1】How many toes did a horse have millions of years ago?