Passage Five
You may a ready know that hurricanes are major tropical storms that can cause devastating waves, wind, and rain. They happen during “Hurricane Season”, which is from June lst until November 30th in the Atlantic Ocean and from May 15th until November 30th in the Pacific Ocean.
A storm progresses through four different stages before it is actually considered a hurricane. First is a tropical disturbance, which has thunderstorms and rotating winds, or what scientists call cyclonic circulation. Next is a tropical depression, which is similar to a tropical disturbance, but has winds between 23 and 39 miles per hour. A tropical storm is the next level, which has stronger wind speeds between 40 and 73 miles per hour. Once winds reach 74 miles per hour, the storm is officially classified as a hurricane. The winds pick up energy from the warm surface ocean water.
As a hurricane crosses over land, it begins to dissipate, or break apart and reduce in strength. This is because it is no longer over the warm ocean water that it needs for energy. At this point, a hurricane can still cause a lot of damage because of high winds, rain, and flooding, but unless it makes its way back over the open ocean, it is downgraded from a hurricane back to a tropical storm.
The center of a hurricane is called the eye. While most of a hurricane contains dangerously strong winds, the eye is actually a calm area in the storm. When the eye of a hurricane passes over land, people might think that it’s over, but before long the wind and rain increase again as the second part of the hurricane moves through.
Can you imagine flying a plane through a hurricane? If you’re a hurricane hunter, it’s your job! Hurricane Hunters fly airplanes on weather missions to help the National Hurricane Center make predictions about hurricanes. Pilots determine how fast the winds are blowing, how big the hurricane is, and which direction it’s moving. This helps people to be better prepared for hurricanes as they approach shore.
Hurricanes can leave behind lots of destruction. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina ripped through Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas. This was the sixth windiest hurricane on record, and it was one of the deadliest hurricanes in history. It took l,833 lives and caused over 76 billion dollars in damages.
Many people are surprised to learn that Katrina’s wind didn’t cause most of the damage. The wind had caused levees in New Orleans to break. When the levees broke, water from the Gulf of Mexico rushed into the low-lying land. Over 80% of the city of New Orleans was buried in flood water.
Questions 21-25 are based on Passage Five.
21. Which sequence of storm stages is in the correct order?
A. Tropical depression, tropical disturbance, tropical storm, hurricane.
B. Hurricane, tropical storm tropical depression, tropical disturbance.
C. Hurricane, tropical depression, tropical storm, tropical disturbance.
D. Tropical disturbance, tropical depression, tropical storm, hurricane.
22. What would you observe if you were in the eye of a hurricane?
A. Very heavy rain. B. Very little wind.
C. Strong and spinning winds. D. Strong winds and heavy rain. .
23. What happens when a hurricane crosses over land?
A. It breaks apart and forms tornadoes.
B. It gathers more vapor from land.
C. It moves more quickly.
D. It loses strength.
24. What does a hurricane hunter do?
A. Fly airplanes through hurricanes.
B. Help people find a safe place to stay.
C. Issue warnings to notify people of danger.
D. Use computers to predict the paths of hurricanes.
25. What caused the most destruction during Hurricane Katrina in 2005?
A. Houses being blown away.
B. Floods due to breaking levees.
C. Heavy rain due to Hurricane Katrina.
D. People going outdoors during the storm.
