Did you ever see the movie The Wizard of Oz? A tornado sweeps up Dorothy and Toto, sending them to a new world where there are witches and talking lions! That entire story is fiction, but tornadoes are real and they are serious business. In fact, they can be the most dangerous storms of all. Tornadoes are sometimes referred to as twisters or cyclones. They are shaped like a cylinder. They are born in thunderclouds. The winds inside a tornado swirl around and around and can be more than 300 miles per hour (mph). The winds are so strong that tornadoes can lift animals, cars, and even houses. The United States has more tornadoes than any other country in the world. States such as Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska are hit hard by tornadoes. This part of the country is known as “Tornado Alley.” Tornado season is during the springtime and summer. If the conditions are right, a tornado can happen any time of year. 1. Where do tornadoes begin? A. in the ocean            B. underground                       C. in cyclones                         D. in thunderclouds 2. Why does the author mention The Wizard of Oz at the beginning of the passage? A. To give a famous example of a tornado.                B. To give a history of tornadoes. C. To show that hurricanes are not real.                     D. To explain why tornadoes are dangerous. 3. Based on the passage, people who live in Tornado Alley should ___________. A. expect tornadoes only during the summer. B. be very familiar with the movie The Wizard of Oz. C. be prepared for the dangers of tornadoes. D. think about moving to the United States. 4. The word conditions in the last paragraph means ___________. A. preparations            B. dangerous hazards              C. the way things are              D. lucky feelings 5. What is the main idea of this passage? A. Some states get tornadoes more than other states. B. Tornadoes are dangerous storms that affect the U.S. C. Tornadoes are different from how they are in movies. D. Many tornadoes do not cause a lot of damage.