Grammar Cloze: El Nino, Straits Times, July 11, 2009

Name__________________( ) Class _______ Date _______


Grammar Cloze Passage – EL NINO

STRAITS TIMES JULY 11, 2009

NEW YORK - WHAT meteorologists have suspected for weeks now is apparently official: El Nino 1. _______________(arrive).

WEAKER THAN NORMAL MONSOON IN INDIA

The main source of worry for commodity market players is India, where the weather cycle seems to have contributed to a weaker-than-normal monsoon rain season

2. ___________(consider) critical to the country's sprawling farm economy.





While rains 3. ____________(be+ now+ cover) all of India, its Meteorological Department said that as of July 1, the rains were running at 29 per cent below normal.

... more




The US government 4. ________________(warn) that that a dreaded El Nino weather pattern 5. _______________(develop), putting countries from Asia to North America on alert for meteorological havoc to crops, infrastructure, ports and mines.

The phenomenon, caused by a warming of the seas in the Pacific, 6. _____________(be+ already + bring) drought to Australia and 7. ___________(delay) monsoon to India. It's impact could be felt in Latin American and North America by the fall.

The Climate Prediction Centre, an office under the US National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, said in a monthly report on Thursday that the equatorial Pacific Ocean 8. ________________(be) 'transitioned ... to El Nino conditions.'

The trends favour a 'weak-to-moderate strength El Nino' into the northern hemisphere winter of 2009, 'with further strengthening possible thereafter'.

It was first noticed by Latin American anchovy fishermen in the 19th century and scientists say it tends to come in cycles of three to five years. The 1997/98 El Nino 9 _______________(kill) more than 2,000 people and caused billions of dollars in damages.

This El Nino 10. ____________(strike) just as global economies are struggling to overcome the impact of the world's worst financial crisis since the Great Depression in 1929.

An El Nino-spawned drought would 11. __________(pose) a major risk to wheat production in Australia, affect palm oil output in major producers Malaysia and Indonesia, and 12. _____________(hi) rice production in the Philippines, the world's biggest importer of the staple.

News over the past few days that this El Nino may be weak to moderate 13. ____________(lead ) to a sell-off in Malaysian palm oil futures, which 14. ____________(slide) to a three-month low on Tuesday. -- REUTERS



ANSWERS

1. has arrived 2. considered 3. have now recovered 4. has warned

5. is developing 6. has already bought 7. delayed 8. has

9. killed 10. is striking 11. pose 12. hit 13. led 14. slid