Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to choose the word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks.

Since the time of Nostradamus, meteorologists have been trying to decipher the mystery of climatic changes. Their objective has been to be able to precisely (1)______ the weather for the days to come. In the past, meteorologists looked skywards to find hints in the clouds. At present, their eyes are directed at the spots (2)______the most intriguing climatic transformations (3)______about, namely, the ultimate depths of the oceans where swirls, whirlpools and waves generate the patterns for the future weather.The most efficient way of (4)_____ hold of the ever changing map of the swirling currents circulating their heat around the planet is from space. Weather satellites equipped (5)_____ complicated instruments examine the surface and the bottom of the oceans and determine the exact height of water. The impressive advantage offered by satellite scanning is that measurements can be (6)_____ even in the most inaccessible parts of the oceans and can provide daily pictures of the water surface together with the calculated wave height and wind speed.

Their objective has been to be able to precisely (1)______ the weather for the days to come.