A．The cold air mass was a threat to Florida’s citrus cr……
第三篇
Florida Hit by Cold Air Mass In
January, 2003, the eastern two-thirds of the United States was at the mercy of a
bitterly cold air mass that has endangered Florida’s citrus trees, choked
northern harbors with ice and left bewildered residents of North Carolina’s
.Outer Banks digging out of up to a foot of snow. The ice chill
deepened as temperatures fell to the single digits in most of the South, with an
unfamiliar dip below the freezing mark as far south as parts of interior South
Florida. Temperatures in Florida plunged, with West Palm Beach dropping to a
record low of 2 degrees. "We couldn’t believe how cold it was,"
smd Martin King, who arrived this week in Orlando from England. "We brought
shorts, T-shirt, and I had to go out and buy another coat." The
temperature plunge posed a threat to Florida’s US $9.1 billion-a-year citrus
crop, more of which is still on the trees. Growers were hurrying to harvest as
much of the fruit as possible before it was damaged by cold.
"Time is of the essence in getting fruit to the plant," said Tom Rogers, a
citrus grower who. expected to see damage to oranges and grapefruit at that
time. In Florida, Governor Jeb Bush signed an emergency order to
eliminate the weight limit on trucks so citrus growers could get as much fruit
to market as possible. Casey Pace, a spokeswoman for Florida
Citrus Mutual, said growers had sprayed trees with sprinklers, which created a
layer of ice and helped maintain a temperature near freezing. Citrus frees are
considered in danger of damage if the temperature drops below minus 2 degrees
Celsius for four hours or mote. Snow ranging from a dusting to up to 30
centimeters blanketed the Carolinas, Tennessee and pans of
Virginia.
Which of the following statements is not meant in the first two paragraphs
A．The cold air mass was a threat to Florida’s citrus crop. B．The temperature in the United States except the South dropped below’the freezing mark. C．The northern harbors were blocked with ice. D．The eastern two thirds of the United States was hit by. cold air mass.
