The Daily News
By Robert Woodhouse Monday, 27 December 2004
The most powerful earthquake in the past 40 years caused a tsunami(海啸)that crashed into coastlines across Asia yesterday, killing more than 6,500 people in Indonesia, India, Thailand, Malaysia, and at least four other countries. Fishermen, tourists, hotels, homes, and cars were swept away by huge waves caused by the strong earthquake that reached a magnitude of 9.0. The undersea quake struck around 7:00 a.m., Sunday off the west coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island. In that area alone, at least 1,870 people were killed.
In Sri Lanka, some 1,600 kilometres west of the quake centre, the number of deaths stood at 2,498, and one million more were affected by the tsunami, government officials said. Indian officials said as many as 1,900 had been killed along the southern coast. Another 254 were found dead in Thailand and 54 in three other countries. In southern Thailand, 1,900 people were hurt and many more were missing, local officials said. “I was having breakfast with my three children when water started filling my home. We had to leave everything and run to safety,” said Chandra Theeravit, a local Thai woman.
Thousands of people are still missing, and the number of deaths is expected to grow even higher over the next few days. Foreign aid is being organised for the tsunami-hit countries. However, dangerous conditions and damaged roads will make it difficult to deliver food and supplies.
1. When did the tsunami happen ?| A．On 25 December 2004. | B．On 26 December 2004. |
| C．On 27 December 2004. | D．On 28 December 2004. |
| A．A powerful earthquake. | B．Water pollution. |
| C．Global warming. | D．Human behaviour. |
| A．Because the aid from foreign countries was not enough. |
| B．Because the number of deaths was expected to grow higher. |
| C．Because more work was needed to search for missing people. |
| D．Because the condition was dangerous and roads were damaged. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】There is always something that happens in the world that everyone fears will happen to their town, city or country: natural disasters. The scariest part of it is that no one will ever see it coming. Though technology helps us prepare, but it never actually tells the people what time it’s going to hit, It is always estimated, but the result is never 100% accurate.
However, that is not the point of this article. Two different natural disasters in two different parts of the world have happened in the past few weeks. One is a major flood that has hit Louisiana in the United States. The other was an earthquake that hit Amatrice, Italy. However. there is a major difference in the news coverage (新闻报道) of the two tragedies.
As for the flooding in Louisiana, it is reported that this disaster is the worst to hit the United States since super - storm Sandy and it’ll cost at least $ 30 million. In only the first couple of weeks, 13 people had died. However, like me, many people did not hear about this tragic event. I did not learn about it until about three weeks after it happened.
In Italy, however, it covered all media instantly. The earthquake in Italy happened on Tuesday morning. That same day, I was on Twitter and that was all that was over the news feed. Every other post was about the earthquake. Some would have the opinion that Amatrice, Italy was one of the most beautiful towns in that country. I got in deep sorrow because there were more people killed in this quake than the flooding. So far, they have a total of 73 dead and over one - hundred missing.
I understand that technically the earthquake in Italy was worse than the floods in Louisiana. However, I believe that if a natural disaster happens, they all should be equally covered and taken equally as serious. We are one world united and should be there for all of the people out there who are in need of help. We may not be able to accurately predict disasters, but we can surely lend a hand out for the needy.
1. What really concerns the author about the two natural disasters?| A．The death and the injured. | B．The media report. |
| C．The government’s responsibility. | D．Their economic loss. |
| A．He didn't care about the flood. | B．He felt nervous about the news. |
| C．The media didn't cover it in time. | D．The flood frightened the author a lot. |
| A．Proud. | B．Critical. | C．Pitiful. | D．Sad. |
| A．Italy isn’t good at predicting the natural disasters. |
| B．All natural disasters should be covered equally. |
| C．The world should be united into one instantly. |
| D．America should help Italy predict natural disasters. |
【推荐2】In late 2017, California-based fine arts photographer Norma Quintana was planning a trip down to her native Puerto Rico to document Hurricane Maria’s destruction. Instead, she and her family found themselves caught in another natural disaster much closer to home. Beginning in early October, the Atlas Fire swept through Napa County and lasted weeks. When Quintana and her family were finally able to return to their property, everything was gone: her home of nearly 30 years, her studio, her photographs, her prints and her collection of over 100 cameras.
Ever an artist at heart, she began photographing the remains of her home and possessions. Those photos would eventually become a series, Forage from Fire. Now, the project can be viewed as part of “Fire Transforms”, a new exhibition at the Palo Alto Art Center. The exhibition mainly explores the following themes: living with fire, learning with fire, and creating with fire. It features photography, paintings, ceramics (陶瓷), sculptures, textiles (纺织品) and digital media.
One of the artists on the exhibition is Linda Gass, a textile artist and environmental activist, who sewed a map of the damage from the 2013 Rim Fire, the largest recorded fire in the Sierra Nevada. Brian Fies’ A Fire Story is a graphic (图表的) novel and an account of the artist’s losing his home in the 2017 Tubbs Fire, along with 6,000 others. At the time, it was California’s most destructive fire, though the Camp Fire in 2018 would be worse.
“Art offers a safe place of comfort after the firestorm has passed,” says Rina Faletti, who is in charge of the exhibition. “How can we learn to transform our fear, sadness, loss, anger and confusion into something more comforting and clear? How can we rest from climate change, even as we face the real losses that fire causes in the face of global change? Thankfully, we have artists to help us.”
1. What happened to Quintana in October 2017?| A．She lost her family members forever. |
| B．Her home and belongings were destroyed by a fire. |
| C．Her trip to Puerto Rico was interrupted by a hurricane. |
| D．She failed to achieve her dream of becoming a photographer. |
| A．It mainly deals with seven central themes. |
| B．It is part of a series called Forage from Fire. |
| C．It covers a wide range of artworks and media. |
| D．It is an annual exhibition at the Palo Alto Art Center. |
| A．Both are known as environmental activists. |
| B．Both recorded wildfires through their works. |
| C．Both played a key role in the 2017 Tubbs Fire. |
| D．Both experienced the 2013 Rim Fire first-hand. |
| A．The role of art in fighting climate change. |
| B．The permanent losses that fire has caused. |
| C．The progress we’ve made on controlling fire. |
| D．The influence of artists on preventing global change. |
【推荐3】Over the last two days, much of Spain has been coated with dust (灰尘) , and the skies have turned bright orange. A huge cloud of dust from the Sahara Desert is causing the strange weather. The dust cloud is expected to spread to other parts of Europe.
Across much of Spain on Tuesday morning, a thin layer (层) of red dust coated everything outside. From streets to sidewalks to balconies, everything was covered with a layer of dust. As the sun rose, the dust in the air turned the skies in some cities a strange orange. The cause of the dust and unusual sky colour wasn’t a forest fire, but dust from the Sahara Desert.
Every year, a large cloud of dust rises from the Sahara Desert. It’s called the Saharan Air Layer. Usually, it crosses the Atlantic Ocean as part of a natural cycle that helps develop farmland and beaches in Central and South America.
But sometimes, depending on the weather, the layer of dust gets forced to the north. Large sandstorms in northern Africa lift sand and dust into the air, where it gets blown towards Spain. Though the particles (微粒) in the air come from sand, they’re much more like dust than sand at a beach.
These kinds of storms aren’t unknown in Spain. In fact, it has a special name. It’s called a “calima”. This calima is so large that it can be seen from space. A NASA scientist who studies weather in the atmosphere says it’s like a river of dust in the air. That river of dust has met with a river of wet air driven by strong winds.
Spain’s weather service described the dust storm as being “very intense (强烈) ”. At one point on Tuesday, the air quality in Madrid was the worst in the world. Government health experts warned people not to go outside without a mask, and to keep their windows and doors closed at home.
1. What turned Spain’s skies orange?| A．A huge cloud. | B．Pollutant from Europe. |
| C．Dust from Sahara. | D．Heavy rainfall. |
| A．It’s helpful for farming. | B．It hits Spain every year. |
| C．It’s from South America. | D．It leads to forest fires. |
| A．Attractive. | B．Unbelievable. | C．Common. | D．Useful. |
| A．Travel. | B．Nature. | C．Science. | D．Health. |
【推荐1】Rome — Doctors and medical groups around the world last weekend reacted with strong opposition to the news that an Italian specialist is on the brink of cloning the first human baby.
Dr. Severino Antinori, who is the head of a hospital in Rome, has been referred to in an Arab newspaper as claiming that one of his patients is eight weeks pregnant (怀孕) with a cloned baby.
Antinori refused to comment on the reports, but in March 2001 he said he hoped to produce a cloned embryo (卵) for implantation within two years. So far seven different kinds of mammals have already successfully cloned, including sheep, cats and most recently rabbits.
Doctors showed their doubt and were strongly opposed although they admit that human cloning would finally come true unless there was a world wide ban on the practice.
Professor Rudolf Jaenisch of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: “I find it astonishing that people do this where the result can be foretold that it will not be a normal baby. It is using humans as guinea pigs. It makes people feel sick.”
But Ronald Green, director of the Ethics Institute at Darmouth College in the US, said it is unlikely that an eight-week-old pregnancy would lead to a birth.
So far all cloned animals have suffered from some different serious disorders, many of them dying soon after their births.
Doctors are opposed to human cloning because they are worried about the welfare of the cloned child if there is one.
“There are no benefits of cloned human beings, just harm,” said Dr .Michael Wilks of the UK.
1. What is the doctors’ general attitude to cloning of humans according to the passage?| A．They are against it. | B．They support it. |
| C．They welcome it. | D．They pay no attention to it. |
| A．order that forbids cloning | B．suggestion to carrying on cloning |
| C．anger at cloning | D．cheer for cloning |
| A．Dcotor Severino Antinori is strongly opposed to cloning human beings. |
| B．Up to now, seven kinds of animals have been cloned, including sheep, cats humans and rabbits. |
| C．Professor Rudolf Jaenisch is carrying on an experiment on cloning an eight-week-old embryo. |
| D．Ronald Green doubts about the future successful birth of the so-called cloned embryo. |
| A．The Success of Cloning Humans | B．The Anger at Cloning Humans |
| C．Failure of Cloning Humans | D．First Cloned Human |
【推荐2】While the homeless population is rising in the United States, the death rate among them is also rising. Alameda County in California is looking into the deaths of more than 800 homeless people from 2018 to 2020 and how they happened.
According to a “homeless death report” issued last Tuesday by the county’s Health Care for the Homeless Program, 403 of 809 deaths were due to medical conditions, led by heart disease, followed by cancer, liver disease, cerebrovascular disease, respiratory (呼吸系统) disease and others. A quarter of the deaths were caused by drug overdoses (服药过量), making drug overdose the leading single cause of death among the homeless.
The report found the death rate rose significantly for the homeless: 195 homeless people died in 2018, compared with 368 in 2020, a rise of nearly 90 percent.
Accidental injuries caused 10 percent of the deaths, homicides (他杀) caused 7 percent and suicides 4 percent, COVID-19 had no major direct impact on the homeless, with just six deaths from the virus reported in 2020.
According to the figures the average homeless person in Alameda County dies at the age of 52, while the average resident in the county lives until the age of 75.
Seventy-seven percent of the people who died were men. Sixty-six percent of deaths were outside a medical setting, such as in the street, in a park, or in a vehicle, shelter, motel, or other locations. More than 140 people died on the street.
It is the first homeless death report for Alameda County, home to more than 1.5 million people in cities that include Alameda, Oakland, Fremont, Piedmont, Berkeley and Pleasanton. The report shows that most of the deaths, 56 percent, happened in Oakland. On the day after the report was issued, Berkeley was awarded $16.2 million through a state program that aims to house the homeless.
“A responsible and just community must work to be closely aware of the deaths of all its members, try to learn from those deaths, implement policies and practices to reduce preventable deaths, and work to reduce the harm that preventable deaths create for families, friends, caregivers and the community,” the authors of the report said.
1. Which causes the biggest number of deaths among the 403 deaths?| A．Respiratory disease. | B．Cancer. |
| C．Liver disease. | D．Heart disease. |
| A．To provide shelter for the homeless. |
| B．To offer medical treatment to the homeless. |
| C．To supply food and clothes to the homeless. |
| D．To deal with the dead bodies of the homeless. |
| A．Look into. | B．Carry out. | C．Set aside. | D．Put off. |
| A．Homeless population is rising in US |
| B．Why many homeless die outside medical setting |
| C．US streets: where many homeless go to die |
| D．COVID-19 has no major direct impact on homeless |
【推荐3】The UK government has promised to cut the country's greenhouse gas emissions（排放）by at least 68% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels, marking a significant increase from its current goal.
The new goal comes nine days ahead of the UK hosting a “climate action summit（峰会）” to encourage other countries to declare tougher climate plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions（NDCs）, under the Paris Agreement. Current NDCs will raise temperatures by 3℃. And stronger plans are needed to meet the Paris deal's goal of limiting global warming to 1.5℃.
“This is the most significant NDCs announcement so far from any major economy,” said Richard Black at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, a UK-based think tank, in a statement.
The new goal is exactly in line with what the government's official climate adviser, the Climate Change Committee, called for in a letter published earlier today. The group said 68% would be “world-leading” compared with existing plans of governments.
The UK had previously promised a 53% cut in emissions as part of a joint（共同的）effort with the rest of the European Union, but the UK is determined to produce a new NDCs. Separately, the UK had also promised a 57% cut by 2032 domestically.
It is clear that far more action will be needed if the UK is to meet the new goal. The government's own analysis last week showed that recent major methods, such as banning new oil-fueled car sales by 2030, had failed to do enough to put the UK on track even for the old goal of 57% by 2032. The new goal obviously widens that gap further.
1. Why did the UK declare its new goal before "climate action summit”?| A．To show its former plans are based on facts. |
| B．To blame other countries for their low goals. |
| C．To call on other countries to take bigger steps. |
| D．To take the lead in controlling greenhouse gas emissions. |
| A．15%. | B．68%. | C．57%. | D．53%. |
| A．Opposed. | B．Subjective. |
| C．Indifferent. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．A new goal will be put forward on “climate action summit”. |
| B．UK came up with a common goal under the Paris Agreement. |
| C．UK's recent major policies are far from its pre-determined goal. |
| D．UK sets an ambitious climate goal of 68% emissions cut by 2030. |
