四六级阅读的每日一练：第23篇
<p> <span word="Passage">Passage</span> 1</p><p> <span word="Rainmaking">Rainmaking</span></p><p> <span word="The">The</span> <span word="idea">idea</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="rainmaking">rainmaking</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="almost">almost</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="old">old</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="man">man</span>, <span word="but">but</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="until">until</span> 1946 <span word="that">that</span> <span word="man">man</span> <span word="succeeded">succeeded</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="making">making</span> <span word="rain">rain</span>. <span word="In">In</span> <span word="ancient">ancient</span> <span word="times">times</span>, <span word="rainmakers">rainmakers</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="claimed">claimed</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="bring">bring</span> <span word="rain">rain</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="many">many</span> <span word="methods">methods</span>: <span word="dancing">dancing</span>, <span word="singing">singing</span>, <span word="killing">killing</span> <span word="various">various</span> <span word="kinds">kinds</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="living">living</span> <span word="creatures">creatures</span> , <span word="and">and</span> <span word="blowing">blowing</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="stream">stream</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="water">water</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="air">air</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="kind">kind</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="pipe">pipe</span>.</p><p> <span word="More">More</span> <span word="recently">recently</span>, <span word="some">some</span> <span word="rainmakers">rainmakers</span> <span word="claimed">claimed</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="make">make</span> <span word="rain">rain</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="shooting">shooting</span> <span word="guns">guns</span>, <span word="causing">causing</span> <span word="explosions">explosions</span>, <span word="or">or</span> <span word="burning">burning</span> <span word="chemicals">chemicals</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="smoke">smoke</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="which">which</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="supposed">supposed</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="cause">cause</span> <span word="rain">rain</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="fall">fall</span>. <span word="These">These</span> <span word="rainmakers">rainmakers</span> <span word="asked">asked</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="much">much</span> <span word="as">as</span> 1,000 <span word="dollars">dollars</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="make">make</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="inch">inch</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="rain">rain</span>. <span word="One">One</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="so">so</span> <span word="effective">effective</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="almost">almost</span> <span word="hanged">hanged</span>. <span word="He">He</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="believed">believed</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="caused">caused</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="twenty">twenty</span>-<span word="inch">inch</span> <span word="rain">rain</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="southern">southern</span> <span word="California">California</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="flooded">flooded</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="land">land</span>, <span word="killed">killed</span> <span word="several">several</span> <span word="people">people</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="did">did</span> <span word="millions">millions</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="dollars">dollars</span> <span word="worth">worth</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="damage">damage</span>.</p><p> <span word="Before">Before</span> 1946, <span word="rainmakers">rainmakers</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="either">either</span> <span word="liars">liars</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="honest">honest</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="happened">happened</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="good">good</span> <span word="luck">luck</span>. <span word="Scientific">Scientific</span> <span word="rainmaking">rainmaking</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="started">started</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="year">year</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="Vincent">Vincent</span> <span word="J">J</span>. <span word="Schaefer">Schaefer</span>, <span word="a">a</span> <span word="scientist">scientist</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="laboratories">laboratories</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="General">General</span> <span word="Electric">Electric</span> <span word="Company">Company</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="New">New</span> <span word="York">York</span> <span word="State">State</span>. <span word="His">His</span> <span word="success">success</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="result">result</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="lucky">lucky</span> <span word="accident">accident</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="changed">changed</span> <span word="years">years</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="failure">failure</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="victory">victory</span>.</p><p> <span word="For">For</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="long">long</span> <span word="time">time</span>, <span word="men">men</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="understood">understood</span> <span word="where">where</span> <span word="rain">rain</span> <span word="comes">comes</span> <span word="from">from</span>. <span word="Water">Water</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="surface">surface</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="oceans">oceans</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="lakes">lakes</span> <span word="becomes">becomes</span> <span word="part">part</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="air">air</span>, <span word="where">where</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="forms">forms</span> <span word="clouds">clouds</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="which">which</span> <span word="rain">rain</span> <span word="falls">falls</span>. <span word="But">But</span> <span word="exactly">exactly</span> <span word="what">what</span> <span word="starts">starts</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="formation">formation</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="raindrops">raindrops</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="known">known</span> <span word="until">until</span> <span word="quite">quite</span> <span word="recently">recently</span>. <span word="A">A</span> <span word="man">man</span> <span word="named">named</span> <span word="John">John</span> <span word="Aitken">Aitken</span> <span word="proved">proved</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="drops">drops</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="water">water</span> <span word="gather">gather</span> <span word="around">around</span> <span word="tiny">tiny</span> <span word="bits">bits</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="dust">dust</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="matter">matter</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="centers">centers</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="drops">drops</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="so">so</span> <span word="small">small</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="human">human</span> <span word="eye">eye</span> <span word="cannot">cannot</span> <span word="see">see</span> <span word="them">them</span>. <span word="Without">Without</span> <span word="such">such</span> <span word="centers">centers</span>, <span word="it">it</span> <span word="seems">seems</span>, <span word="raindrops">raindrops</span> <span word="do">do</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="form">form</span>.</p>
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