Gap 3Storm chasersNorth America is famous for its wide open spaces, and this landscape can cause some veryexciting weather. In fact, the USA has more tornadoes than any other country – there are about1,200 every year in a part of the country called 'Tornado Alley'. 1___ It's also in this area that thereare hundreds of people studying the weather. They are just normal people, but their favouriteactivity is following storms and getting as close as possible to a tornado! We call these people'storm chasers', and it’s quite easy to become a storm chaser these days. All you need is a mobilephone, a good car and GPS.Gabe Matthews is a storm chaser, and he follows the weather as often as possible. ‘Seeing apowerful tornado is an amazing experience,’ says Gabe, 'but it isn't easy to be in the right place atthe right time. 2___ When we know that a big tornado is coming, we have to drive a long way.Then we have to wait for ages before we see the weather changing. But when that starts tohappen, it’s so exciting.’Many people become storm chasers because they like the danger. But Gabe is always verycareful. 3____ 'Once I saw cars flying through the air,' says Gabe, 'and a big American truck! Thatwas really exciting, but we watched it from far enough away. You don’t want those cars to hit you!’Another reason people chase storms is to film them. A news channel recently used one of Gabe’sfilms. ‘That film was exciting because it was a strong storm and it caused a lot of damage. It wasgreat to get it on TV.’ 4___ ‘My friends and I heard screams when we were filming. We followedthe sound and found some people inside a building. They couldn’t get out, so they were veryrelieved when we rescued them. It was great to help people like that.’Perhaps you have to be a little crazy to be a storm chaser. Certainly, some people say that stormchasers just want to do something thrilling. 5___ So actually, they often save lives.