Meningitis(脑膜炎) is spreading across West Africa. The brain disease is a threat every year across 21 African countries. Health officials call this area, "the meningitis belt."

Now, scientists have found they can predict and prepare for this and other diseases. How? They use information from satellites going around the Earth.

Every year, dust storms blow across the Sahel area (萨赫勒地区) of Africa. And every year, meningitis crosses the Sahel after the storms. Carlos Perez Garcia-Pando is an atmospheric scientist with the American space agency NASA. He said, "Meningitis has been one of the most feared dry season diseases in Africa for a long time."

The Sahel stretches from the West African nation of Senegal to Ethiopia in the east. Tens of thousands of people across this area get the disease each year. About 10 percent of those infected die from the disease. Another 10 to 20 percent suffer long brain or nerve damage.

Mr. Garcia-Pando says scientists have yet to understand why meningitis appears to follow the seasonal dust storms in the Sahel. But he says experts do have the technology to study the storms. Satellites can watch these storms develop and examine the conditions that create them.

There are not enough vaccines (疫苗)available to protect everyone in the Sahel from meningitis. But Mr. Perez Garcia-Pando says it would help to know when and where the disease will strike.

So he and other researchers developed a system that studies satellite measurements of dust and wind levels across the Sahel. The researchers also need to know the number of cases already identified by the end of the year. Using this information, they found they could predict how bad the next meningitis season would be.

The researchers hope to use satellites in disease prediction as other scientists use them to predict the weather.

本时文内容由奇速英语国际教育研究院原创编写，禁止复制和任何商业用途，版权所有，侵权必究！

1.Health Officials call_________the meningitis belt.

A the spreading of meningitis

B the 21 countries in West Africa

C the brain disease

D the threat of the meningitis

解析：选B。B。细节理解题。从第一段可知this area指的是21 African countries in West Africa。

2.Which of the following is true?

A Scientists can predict the satellites going around the Earth.

B Dust storms blow meningitis across the Sahel area.

C The spreading of meningitis happens after the dust storms.

D Information from the satellites helps prevent the dust storms.

解析：选C。C。细节理解题。沙尘暴过后该病爆发，但不一定是就是沙尘暴把这种病吹来的（B选项）,故选C。

3.Scientists have found out__________.

A why meningitis appears after the seasonal dust storms in the Sahel area

B how to prevent and cure of meningitis in the area

C the technology to study the storms and watch them develop

D the conditions that lead to the disease outbreak

解析：选C。C。细节理解题。从第五段可知,现在科学家能够利用卫星来研究storms和观察它的发展趋势。

4.What is the meaning of the underlined word “strike” in paragraph 6?

A stop working

B hit against

C outbreak

D occupy

解析：选C。C。词义猜测题。这里的strike 应该是“爆发”之意。

5.How could they predict how bad the next meningitis season would be?

A By measuring the dust and wind levels.

B By studying the dust storms and the number of infected people.

C By watching the storms develop and examining the conditions that create them.

D By knowing when and where the disease will appear.

解析：选B。B。细节理解题。根据文章倒数第二段：... researchers developed a system that studies satellite measurements of dust and wind levels across the Sahel. The researchers also need to know the number of cases already identified by the end of the year.可知，通过对沙尘暴和感染人数信息的处理，他们可以预测下一年的爆发情况（B选项）。