7、The idea of rain making is almost as old as man, but it was not until 1964 that man succeeded in making rain．In ancient times, rainmakers claimed to be able to bring rain by many methods: dancing, singing, killing various kinds of living creatures （including humans）, and blowing a stream of water into the air from a kind of pipe．

More recently, some rainmakers claimed to make rain by shooting guns, causing explosions, or burning chemical, the smoke of which was supposed to cause rain to fall．These rainmakers asked for as much as 1,000 dollars to make an inch of rain．One was so effective that he was almost hanged．He was believed to have caused a twenty-inch rain in southern California that flooded that land, killed several people, and did millions of dollars’ worth of damage．

Before 1946, rainmakers were either liars or honest people who have good luck．Scientific rain making was started in that year by Vincent J．Schaefer, a scientist at the laboratories of the General Electric Company in New York State． His success was the result of a lucky accident that changed years of failure into victory．

1．One rainmaker was almost hanged because _____．

A．he did not make rain at all                 B．he asked for too much money

C．he killed several people　                  D．people thought he caused too much rain

2．The underlined word liars means _____．

A．people who tell lies 　　　　              B．tools used to make rain

C．persons who make rain　　　　          D．people who have good luck

3．Which of the following methods can make rain?

　  A．Killing pigs and sheep．

　  B．Blowing a stream of water into the air from a kind of pipe．

　  C．Shooting guns or causing explosions．

　  D．None of the above is right．

4．Who was the first rainmaker succeeding in making rain?

　  A．The one who caused a twenty-inch rain in southern California．

　  B．Before 1946, a rainmaker who happened to have good luck．

　  C．Vincent J．Schaefer, in 1946．

　  D．The passage doesn’t tell us his or her name．