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This is the first Pacific-born hurricane to ever reach land in this Central American country.

Some 14,000 people left from the western coast of El Salvador. The storm weakened as it crossed land, heading east. Heavy rains created deadly flooding problems in the hurricane's wake.

Adrian is the first Pacific storm of the season. It reported maximum continuous winds of 75 miles per hour, the minimum strength of a hurricane. A Category 3 hurricane, Adrian also caused damage and flooding in Honduras. It is expected to break up before reaching the Caribbean Sea on the eastern coast of Central America.

Hurricane season typically begins June 1 and lasts through November 30. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted (预告) seven to nine hurricanes for the 2005 season.

"It is difficult to make any kind of an exact prediction of how many of these will strike land," NOAA administrator Conrad Lautenbacher said. He predicts two to three hurricanes will strike the U.S. this season.

Last year, six of nine hurricanes reached Category 3 strength or higher. Four of those hit Florida within a six-week period. Altogether, Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne caused more than $40 billion in damage in the Sunshine State.

This year's forecast is based on ocean temperatures. Warmer temperatures produce more tropical storms, which can then turn into hurricanes.

"The issue, really, this year is the unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic," said Frank Lepore of the National Hurricane Center.

5. Which of the following is the 2005 first hurricane?

A. Charley. B. Adrian. C. Jeanne. D. Frances.

6. How many countries struck by the hurricane are mentioned in the text?

A. Six. B. Nine. C. Five. D. Three.

7. We can infer that warmer ocean temperatures ______.

A. have nothing to do with the hurricane

B. cause less hurricane

C. are more likely to cause the hurricanes

D. do a lot of damage to the areas along the coast

8. The passage implies that _______.

A. hurricane season comes early this year

B. every hurricane formed in oceans could cause great damage to the land

C. hurricane often comes in winter and spring

D. tropical storm is more severe than hurricane

(C)

It's not quite a rat. Nor is it a squirrel, or a mouse. It's definitely a rodent (啮齿目动物), and it's also a brand-new family of mammals.

The locals of the Southeast Asian country of Laos call the creature a kha-nyou (ga-nyou). The kha-nyou have long body hair, short legs, and a hairy tail less thick than a squirrel's. They're vegetarians living in the rocky hills of Laos, and they come out at night, but for more information, you'll have to ask the Lao people.

"It was for sale on a table next to some vegetables. I knew immediately it was something I had never seen before," said Robert Timmins, a researcher for the Wildlife Conservation Society.