I __________ TO PLAY THE PIANO FOR FIVE MONTHS BUT I HAVEN'T BEEN...

30. I __________ to play the piano for five months but I haven't been very successful at this.

A. learn

B. had learned

C. has learned

D. have learned

Read the following passage and choose the correct word or phrase that best fits each of

the numbered blanks.

The warming of the Pacific Ocean has created weather patterns (31)__________ strongly

affect the worlD. When the water is warm, the (32)__________ of rainfall in Indonesia and

the surrounding regions decreases. Australia could even experience a drought in many parts.

On the other hand, Chile (which borders the Pacific Ocean) is preparing for severe

rainstorms. In Pakistan and northwestern India, the weather pattern makes the rainy season

weaker and makes the area much drier. This happening is called El Nino and is used by

weather forecasters to make long-range weather predictions. They also know that El Nino

will (33)__________ unusually heavy rains to the southwestern part of the United States and

make the central part of the country drier at the same time. According to research, weather

forecasters (used to know about the coming weather with certainty. Now everything has

become (34)__________ different. El Nino itself used to be (35)__________ . It would

occur every two to seven years. But now, this weather pattern is becoming more frequent.

We cannot say when and how often tornadoes or cyclones occur. Scientists are unsure of the

reason for this change on a global scale either.