For many Americans, 2013 ended with an unusuallybitter cold spell. November and December 36 earlysnow and bone-chilling temperatures in much of thecountry, part of a year when, for the first time in two37 , record-cold days will likely turn out to haveoutnumbered record-warm ones. But the U.S. wasthe exception; November was the warmest ever 38 ,and current data indicates that 2013 is likely to havebeen the fourth hottest year on record.

　　Enjoy the snow now, because 39 are good that 2014 will be even hotter, perhaps the hottestyear since records have been kept. That's because, scientists are predicting, 2014 will be an EINiuo year.

　　EI Niuo, Spanish for "the child", 40 when surface ocean waters in the southern Pacific becomeabnormally warm. So large is the Pacific, covering 30% of the planet's surface, that the 41energy generated by its warming is enough to touch off a series of weather changes around theworld. EI Ninos are 42 with abnormally dry conditions in Southeast Asia and Australia. They canlead to extreme rain in parts of North and South America, even as southern Africa 43 dryweather. Marine life may be affected too; EI Ninos can 44 the rising of the cold, nutrient-rich(營養(yǎng)豐富的)water that supports large fish 45 ,and the unusually warm ocean temperaturescan destroy coral(珊瑚).

　　答案解析：

　　36. N. saw 第一空顯然缺少謂語，優(yōu)先考慮動詞，結(jié)合語義并根據(jù)Late November and December可以推出應(yīng)選擇過去式動詞，故答案鎖定saw.

　　37. F. decades 根據(jù)two，首選復(fù)數(shù)名詞，結(jié)合語義，“for the first time in the two decades”,二十年來頭一次。

　　38. H.globally 句子為主系表結(jié)構(gòu)，不缺主要成分，所以首選副詞和形容詞，根據(jù)語義，ever表示“一直以來地、向來地”，“十一月向來是全球范圍內(nèi)最溫暖的一個月。”

　　39. D.chances 缺少主語，并且謂語是are，所以首選復(fù)數(shù)形式的名詞，結(jié)合前文Enjoy the snow now, “享受現(xiàn)在的雪吧”，因為“時機是好的”。

　　40. J.occurs 空格前方有主語，且是單數(shù)形式，而后面由when引導(dǎo)的時間狀語從句的時態(tài)是一般現(xiàn)在時，所以主句謂語鎖定第三人稱單數(shù)形式的動詞，只能選擇occurs.

　　41. A.specific空格左為定冠詞the，空格右為名詞，中間只能選形容詞，選擇“特定的”符合語義。

　　42. B. associated 空格左為be動詞，右邊為介詞with，中間只能是形容詞或動詞的過去分詞形式，beassociated with表示“與…有聯(lián)系”，符合原意。

　　43. G.experiences 空格左為主語southern Africa，空格內(nèi)應(yīng)該為動詞的第三人稱單詞形式，結(jié)合語義，選G，“南非經(jīng)歷著干燥的天氣。

　　44. M.reduce 空格左為情態(tài)動詞，空格內(nèi)必須為動詞原形，填reduce“減少”符合原題。

　　45. K. populations 空格與左邊的large fish 共同構(gòu)成動詞support的賓語，只能選一個名詞來作為名詞詞組，故選K，“大量的魚群”。