A Tornado That Makes Red Rain
A tornado can do a lot of damage，The wind of a tornado rushes at great speed around a funnelshaped cloud．It travels in a path a few hundred feet wide and about twentyfive miles long．As the wind circles counterclockwise，the funnel spirals higher and higher．The force of the wind sucks up water，dirt，and objects，and carries them along with it．It may drop them again many miles away．Houses and huge trees have been drawn into tornado funnels．At sea，ships have been nearly sunk by tornadoes dropping water on them．
East of Australia，people talk about a “rain of blood”．This is caused by a tornado picking up red dust and mixing it with water to make red rain．There are even stories abut a rain of fish and frogs caused by a tornado sucking them up and then dropping them．
制造红雨的龙卷风
龙卷风能造成很大的破坏，它绕着一团漏斗形的云以极高的速度奔突猛进，风力所及宽可达几百英尺，长可达25英里左右。由于这风沿逆时针方向旋转，漏斗云便呈螺旋状逐渐升高。风力把水、污物和其他物体吸进来，挟持着一起往前。然后可能在好多英里之外再把它们扔下来。房屋和巨树被卷进龙卷风的漏斗之中；在海上，被龙卷风卷得铺天盖地的水几乎使船只沉没。
在澳大利亚的东部，人们谈论着一种“红雨”，这种红雨就是由龙卷风挟持了红色尘土并将其与水相混而造成的。甚至有传说讲龙卷风把鱼和青蛙吸到空中，又把它们扔下来，形成鱼蛙雨。
Licorice Good for
Both Man and Beast
Licorice can be used for other things besides candy．Some of the powers of the licorice plant have been known since ancient times．The Egyptians used it to cure sore throats，and an old Chinese story tells how licorice cured a dragon whose throat was sore from breathing fire．The armies of Alexander carried licorice root as medicine on all of their campaigns．
Modern medicine uses this old knowledge．Many of today’s cough sirups contain licorice．It is good for both man and beast，and veterinarians give it to horses，cattle，sheep，dogs and cats．
Licorice can put out fires，too．After the sweet juices have been taken out，the waste fiber of the root is used to make a fire—fighting foam．This foam smothers fire by keeping oxygen away from it．A licorice fire extinguisher is sold today．
对人畜两利的甘草
甘草除用于制造糖果外，也可用来制造别的东西。甘草这一植物的某些效能从古时起就为人们所知晓。埃及人用它来治疗喉痛，而一个古老的中国故事则讲到了甘草如何治好了一条龙的病，这龙因吞火而造成喉痛。亚历山大大帝的军队在他们参加的所有战役中，都携带着甘草根作药。
现代医学也运用着这种古老的知识。今天的许多种咳嗽糖浆中都含有甘草。它对人类和牲畜都有益处，兽医们还让马、牛、羊、狗和猫都服用甘草。
甘草还能灭火。当甘草的甜汁被取出后，甘草根的废纤维质被用来制造灭火泡沫。这种泡沫使火接触不到氧气而被熄灭。现在已经有甘草灭火器出售了。
Growing Plants
Know Right from Left
Plants seem to know which way is up and which way is down；furthermore，they seem to know right from left．If a cutting from a Lombardy poplar is kept alive，new shoots will grow from the end that grew uppermost in the tree．
There is no visible difference between the top and the bottom of the living stick，even under a microscope．Even so，the stick will not send out shoots from the end it views as bottom even if this end happens to be on top！
Scientists，studying this subject further split their cuttings lengthwise．To their surprise，they made another interesting discovery．A good many more buds grew on the righthand side of the split surface than on the left．They split the sticks again and found that the buds again grew on the right side．
The results of the entire study showed a 60-40preference for the right side，proving that growing plants are basically “righthanded”．
生长中的植物能分辨左右
植物似乎知道哪边朝上，哪边朝下；而且，它们似乎还能分辨左右。从伦巴第白杨上砍下的一根枝条如果还活着，原来长在树的最高处的那一端便会抽出新芽。
这根活枝条的顶部与底部并无明显差别，即便在显微镜下看也是如此。尽管这样，枝条却不从显微镜观察是底部的那一端抽芽，即使这一端碰巧朝上。
研究这一课题的科学家们进一步把他们砍下的枝条纵向切开，使他们惊讶的是，他们又获得另一项有趣的发现。切口表面右侧长出的嫩芽比左侧多得多，他们把枝条再切开，发现嫩芽还是长在右侧。
全部研究的结果表明，植物爱偏向右边，向左偏的只占40％，而向左偏的却占60％。这证明了生长中的植物基本上是“右撇子”。
The Monsoon in India
Each year，in a neverending cycle of death and regeneration，the rains sweep across southern Asia．Between June and October strange sea winds surge over the land，drenching the earth with torrential downpours．This is the monsoon—a familiar word often taken to mean a violent windstorm，but in fact referring to a tumultuous season of recurring rains．
The monsoon is close to the very soul of the people it touches；it permeates the lives of the people and affects everything they do．India is especially dominated by it．For three months before the monsoon rains arrive，the heat is intense，unbearable：the earth itself is dead；farmers cannot work the stonehard fields；bare subsistence is difficult．With the rains，everything suddenly changes—India bursts into life again；fields that seemed hopelessly barren turn green and grow wildly．
The rich new season is one of beauty，but to the peasant it is a beauty shot through with possible disaster．Overflowing with the great rains，the Ganges River moves relentlessly to the sea，hiding beneath its shining but deceptive calm the horror of fields and homes overcome by flood．The horror of flood and cyclone rides always with the monsoon clouds when they come to redeem the land．The peasants have no recourse but resignation and the consolation of prayer．
印度的雨季
每年，在永无休止的消亡与更生的循环中，雨季席卷南亚。在6月至10月间，奇怪的海风从这块陆地阵阵掠过，倾盆骤雨使大地浸泡在水中，这就是夏季季风期——这个词语，是人们熟悉的，常用以指猛烈风暴，但实际上，它是指阵雨再现的喧嚣的雨季。
雨季与它所触及的人们的心灵紧密相连。它渗透到人们的生命中，并且影响着他们所做的一切。印度尤为雨季所主宰。在雨季来临前的3个月中，天气酷热，令人难以忍受：大地没有一点活气，农民无法耕种石头般坚硬的土地，连维持最起码的生活都很困难。随着雨季的来临，一切都突然改变——印度又重新复苏；看来毫无希望的光秃秃的田野，又变绿了，绿色田野迅猛延伸。
这一片葱茏的新季节是一个饶有美景的季节，但对农民来说，这种美景又孕育着可能要发生的灾难。恒河因暴雨而泛滥，无情地朝大海流去。尽管河水光灿灿，表面平静，但在这个下面，隐藏着人们对洪水吞噬田野和家园的惶恐。每当季风云重来拯救大地时，对洪水和旋风的恐怖也就随之而来。农民们求助无门，只能听天由命，并从祈祷中寻求安慰。
Mirages That Have an Effect on History
Mirages are produced by refraction of light within a layer，or lens，of air．This layer of air，says meteorologist James H．Gordon，resists disruption，even in a fairly strong wind．