The first people who gave names to hurricanes were those who knew them best—the people of Puerto Rico. The small island of Puerto Rico is in the West Indies, off the coast of Florida. Often hurricanes pass near Puerto Rico or cross it on their way north. The people of Puerto Rico expect some of these unwelcome visitors every year. Each one is named after the saint’s day on which it arrives.
Giving girls’ names to hurricanes is a fairly new idea. It all began with a story called “Storm,” written by George Stewart in 1941. In it a weatherman amused himself by naming storms after girls he knew.
Weatherman of the U.S. Army and Navy used the same system during World War II. They were studying weather conditions over the Pacific Ocean. Whenever they spotted a storm, they gave it a girl’s name. The first one of the year was given a name beginning with A. The second one got a name beginning with B. They used all the letters from A to W.
When the newspapers and radio follow the travels of a hurricane named Hazel and describe the damage she does, girls named Hazel are probably in for a little teasing by their friends. To keep out of trouble, the Weather Bureau says:” Any resemblance between hurricane names and the names of particular girls is purely accidental.” And really it is. Only two of the names may have been picked with one of which Orpha, it is reported, was taken from one of the girls working in a Weather Bureau office.
Some women become angry because hurricanes are given their names. They sometimes complain to the Weather Bureau. But many other women are proud to see their names make headlines. They don’t even care that they are the names of destructive storms. Because more women seem to like it than dislike it, the Weather Bureau has decided to continue using girls’ names for hurricanes, and now men’s names are used as well.
In some ways a hurricane is like a person. After it is born, it grows and develops, then becomes old and dies. Each hurricane has a character of its own. Each follows its own path through the world, and people remember it long after it is gone. So it seems natural to give hurricanes names, and to talk about them almost as if they were alive.
41. Hurricanes were first named after ________ .
A. the amount of destruction they did B. the place they started
C. the date on which they occurred D. the girl who first spotted it
42. The practice of giving girls’ names to hurricanes was started by ______ .
A. a radio operator B. an author C. a sailor D. Orpha
43. Public reaction will probably cause the Weather Bureau to _____ .
A. continue naming hurricanes after women
B. name hurricanes after famous people only
C. go back to using the days when they arrive
D. use men’s names instead of girls’ names
44. It is natural to name hurricanes after people because ____ .
A. few hurricanes are really destructive B. hurricanes are alive
C. all hurricanes should be long remembered D. each hurricane has its own personality
45. What is the best title for the passage?
A. The people of Puerto Rico know hurricanes best. B. How hurricanes get their names.
C. The destruction hurricanes did. D. How hurricanes happen.