填空题 A. widespread
B. melt
C. potential
D. at their full capacity
Phrases:
A. Whenever rivers are already 9
B. recognize the 10 for flooding in certain conditions
C. If there is a fast snow 11 on top of frozen or very wet ground
D. resulting in 12 damage and even death
Floods are second only to fire as the most common of all natural disasters. They occur almost everywhere in the world, 13 . Consequently, scientists have long tried to perfect their ability to predict floods. So far, the best that scientists can do is to 14 . There are a number of conditions, from deep snow on the ground to human error, that cause flooding.
When deep snow melts it creates a large amount of water. Although deep snow alone rarely causes floods, when it occurs together with heavy rain and sudden warmer weather it can lead to serious flooding. 15 , flooding is more likely to occur than when the ground is not frozen. Frozen ground or ground that is very wet and already saturated with water cannot absorb the additional water created by the melting snow. Melting snow also contributes to high water levels in rivers and streams. 16 of water, heavy rains will result in the rivers overflowing and flooding the surrounding land.