The Terror of the First F5 Tornado
The nonstop high plains wind suddenly fell dead still, leaving the evening air hot and heavy over Lubbock, Texas. Impossibly dark clouds hung low in the sky.
Standing in the yard outside her family’s trailer home, 12-year-old Cindy Keele saw the worry emerge in her grandmother’s face. “Go in and put on your shoes,” Keele’s grandmother said flatly. “We have to get to the storm cellar.”
The girl dashed inside. As soon as the screen door slapped shut behind her, hail (冰雹) began rapping against the roof. Keele yelled to her mother, “Grandma says we have to get to the storm cellar!” Then a hail stone the size of a softball smashed through the kitchen window. Another one punched a hole in the ceiling. And then came the sound: the unmistakable, ear-splitting roar of an approaching tornado.
Cindy Keele’s mother was suddenly on the same page. But getting herself, her three kids, and her mother to safety was no simple matter—the shelter was at the opposite end of the trailer park. If they didn’t drive, they’d never make it.
The five moved quickly to the family car, ducking to avoid hurtling pieces. At last, everyone was in the car.
“My purse!” Keele’s grandmother shouted “My purse is still in there!”
Keele jumped out of the car and ran back into the house. She fetched the purse and dashed back into the maelstrom. She almost made it. “As I ran to the car,” she says, “an enormous hailstone hit me in the back of the neck. I was told it was the size of a soccer ball.” The next few minutes were a blur for the girl. Her next clear memory is of inside the shelter.
“I guess there were 60 of us in there, plus dogs and cats,” Keele says. “The sound outside was deafening. And then, all of a sudden, it got quiet.” Cautiously, the group emerged from underground.
“My mother ran straight for our street. What she found was—nothing.” The place where our house had been were pieces of houses, but not pieces of our house. “I’d never seen my mom cry,” Keele recalls softly. “But she was on her knees. She was broken.”
May 11 marks the 51st anniversary of the 1970 Lubbock tornado, the first such storm ever to be classified F5.
1. What did Keele do in the story?| A．She dashed to the room to save her brothers. |
| B．She rushed to fetch her grandmothers purse. |
| C．She drove the family members to the shelter. |
| D．She ran to the cellar first with her grandmother. |
| A．The tornado died down very slowly. |
| B．Hail was the biggest killer in the tornado. |
| C．The tornado came with a deafening noise. |
| D．It was windy and sunny before the tornado. |
| A．Keele’s house was totally mined | B．Keele’s mother got her knees hurt |
| C．Keele lost memory of the tornado | D．Keele was injured by a soccer ball |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Two Earthquakes in Two Months:
Comparing the Quakes in Haiti (海地) and Chile (智利)
Overview (概要) How do the earthquakes in Chile and Haiti compare? Here, students perform a gallery walk to learn more about the earthquakes from a specific point, and then do a specific research and presentation project or response activity. Finally, they seek answers to their unanswered questions.
Materials Print copies of photographs, charts, documents and other visuals to display, as described below; computer (s) with Internet access (optional), research materials, handouts.
Warm-up Choose and prepare a “gallery” of photographs, graphics, news reports and other materials to display around the room to enable students to consider the 2010 earthquake in Chile.
Depending on course program, choose materials for the gallery that provide a window on the two quakes, through one of the following specific points, or the focus of your choice:
Earthquakes through History Putting the 2010 Chilean and Haitian quakes into historical view related to other earthquakes, including the 1960 Chilean quake and the 2004 Asian earthquake and tsunami.
Rescue and Aid Considering domestic and international response to the disasters by militaries, governments and aid organizations, including rescue and recovery as well as efforts to provide food, water, health care and shelter to those affected.
Related The article Underwater Plate Cuts 400 Mile Gash compares several earthquakes:
Mr. Lin figured that the quake on Saturday was 250 to 350 times more powerful than the Haitian quake.
But Paul Caruso noted that at least on land, the effects of the Chilean tremor (震动) might not be as bad. For one thing, he said, the quality of building construction is generally better in Chile than in Haiti. And the fact that the quake occurred offshore should also help limit the destruction. In Haiti, the rupture (断裂) occurred only a few miles from the capital, Port-au-Prince. The rupture on Saturday was centered about 60 miles from the nearest town, Chillan, and 70 miles from the country’s second-largest city, Concepción.
Read the article using the following questions.
1. Which of the following shows one of the reasons for slighter losses in Chile than in Haiti?A．Position: |
B．Power: |
C．Building: |
D．Rescue: |
| A．the causes of the 2010 Chilean earthquake and the 1960 Chilean earthquake |
| B．the comparison between the 2010 Haitian and the 2004 Indonesian earthquakes |
| C．the reason for the 2010 Chilean quake being more powerful than January’s Haitian earthquake |
| D．the reason for less damage in the 2010 Chilean quake than in the 2004 Indonesian earthquake |
| A．A program for research. | B．A guide to earthquake study. |
| C．An advertisement for students. | D．An introduction to quakes. |
【推荐2】Having lived in California until 1970, my family has felt a number of earthquakes. We have been fortunate, however, to have suffered no bodily harm or property damage.
There is a website that lists all California earthquakes recorded from 1769 to the present. The site lists the dates and times as well as the magnitude(震级) and the exact location of any quake that measured more than 6.0.
There are only a few quakes that stand out in my memory and, luckily, none is shown in the website. So, my personal experience with earthquakes might be considered insignificant.
There are three earthquakes that are difficult to forget. The first one was in 1955 and our oldest daughter was walking with me in our backyard in Redwood City in California. As the shaking became stronger I held her to me with one arm as I held on to one of our fruit trees with the other. All three of us (my daughter, I and the tree) shook for two or three minutes that to us felt like hours.
The second one was in 1963.Our entire family was visiting Disneyland in Southern California. The earth started to shake just as we were beginning to walk from our hotel toward the famous landmark.
My third experience with an earthquake was a lonely one in California. It was in my sixties and I was alone in an old church.As the building started to shake, I quickly headed for the door to go outside. I remember I said a little prayer—something like, “Help me get out of here in time, Dear Heavenly Father”. Minutes later, I was safe outside.
1. The author writes the passage mainly to tell us about ________ .| A．a new film about an earthquake | B．how to survive an earthquake |
| C．his three earthquake experiences | D．how to save children in an earthquake |
| A．all caused bodily harm | B．are all recorded in a website |
| C．all measured more than 6.0 | D．all happened in California |
| A．was staying with his daughter | B．was planting fruit trees |
| C．held on to a tree for hours | D．was in a hotel |
| A．A church. | B．Disneyland. |
| C．A building destroyed by an earthquake. | D．The place where the author was born. |
【推荐3】A heatwave has hit many countries in Europe, pushing temperatures over 40℃. A heatwave is a long period of unusually hot weather. The heat is expected to continue until the end of July.
The Italian Island of Sardinia reached 46℃ on 18 July. The Italy government has asked people to dress in linen(a thin, light material) and to stay indoors between 10 am and 6 pm. The government has asked people to drink plenty of water but avoid alcohol, fizzy drinks and coffee, which can make you feel thirstier. In Rome, the country’s capital, people aged over 70can go to swimming pools for free to help them keep cool.
Wildfires have broken out in many places. In Greece, which recorded 41℃ on 18 July, fires near the capital, Athens, have destroyed huge areas of forest and thousands of people have been moved to safety. Heatwaves can make fires worse because hot weather dries plants, which fuel the fires.
In the US, temperatures in Death Valley, California, hit 53℃ on 18 July, close to the hottest ever recorded on Earth. On 16 July, the US National Weather Service issued warnings in parts of the country, affecting more than 80 million people.
Despite the high temperatures in many European countries, the UK is not experiencing a heatwave. This is because a different weather pattern has brought rain and lower temperatures to the UK.
The heatwave in Europe is being caused by a weather pattern that has stopped the air from moving very much. That means the hot, dry weather has got stuck and temperatures have kept rising. Earth is also experiencing a natural climate pattern called El Nino(厄尔尼诺), which causes the water in the eastern Pacific Ocean to warm up more than usual. This can lead to hot weather around the world. Temperatures in some parts of Europe were expected to fall on 20 July.
1. What suggestion did the Italian government give to avoid high temperatures?| A．Provide free swimming pools to keep young people cool. |
| B．Wear thick clothes to prevent the invasion of heat. |
| C．Drink enough amounts of coffee to keep the mind clear. |
| D．Don’t go outdoors during high temperature periods. |
| A．The fires were mainly caused by people. |
| B．The heatwaves fueled the spread of wildfires. |
| C．The fires had already killed a thousand people. |
| D．The entire forest has been destroyed into ruins. |
| A．Different weather patterns. | B．Different geographic locations. |
| C．Global El Nino phenomenon. | D．The effect of the Pacific Ocean. |
| A．The hottest city on record in the world has finally emerged. |
| B．The hot weather caused by heatwaves is coming to an end. |
| C．Heatwaves swept across Europe and America except the UK. |
| D．The El Nino phenomenon led to the global high temperatures. |
【推荐1】An old man lives with his little grandson.Every day the old man gets up early to read books.
One day the grandson asked,“Grandpa,I want to read books as you do.But I always forget what I read.What are the advantages of reading?”
The grandfather didn’t answer him,but said,“Take this little basket to the river and bring me back a basket of water.” The boy did as his grandpa said,but all the water leaked out before he got back home.The grandfather laughed and said,“You’ll have to walk faster next time.”
The next time the boy ran faster,but the basket was still empty before he returned home.The boy said,“See,Grandpa,it’s no use!”
“Is it no use?” the old man said.“Look at the basket.”
The boy looked at the basket and found that the basket was different.It was cleaner,inside and out.
“That’s what happens when you read books.You might not understand or remember everything,but when you read them,you will be changed,inside and out.”
1. What does the old man do every day?| A．He carries water. |
| B．He reads books. |
| C．He writes something. |
| D．He does some chores. |
| A．was too busy to do it |
| B．got up late |
| C．always forgot what he read |
| D．slept late |
| A．Once. | B．Twice. |
| C．Three times. | D．Four times. |
| A．We won’t have any changes. |
| B．We can understand everything. |
| C．We will be changed,inside and out. |
| D．We can never forget what we read. |
【推荐2】One day, I was sitting in a local coffee shop, and staring at this man in a wheelchair. He could move his head and parts of his fingers but nothing else. He had a servant who cut up his food and placed it on a special mechanically powered fork that he would use to eat.
He saw me staring at him and invited me to join him at his table. His name was Stephen. For several hours we sat at that table and we got to know each other on a deeply personal level. I had never known a man who was more radiant (容光焕发), more energizing to talk and get to know than Stephen.
Stephen used to be a very successful businessman in Denver. He was in the natural gas business. Thirteen years before, when he was forty, he was waiting for news of a natural gas discovery to occur any moment.
He said, “I had so much nervous energy. I saw the storm clouds gathering, and I decided to clean out the gutters (檐沟）rather than sitting around waiting for this gas well to come in.”
He climbed up the ladder to clear the piles of pine needles on the roof. As he backed up, he accidentally fell off the roof. He landed on his back. He was paralyzed (瘫痪) for the rest of his life, except for his head and his hand.
I asked him, “How do you do it all? How do you suddenly stop hiking, fishing, and running marathons?”
He said, “There are three things you have to do when something like this happens. The first thing you have to do is adjust. The second thing you do is adjust. And the third thing you do is adjust.”
He said, “By adjusting to your abilities, Bill, you have to change your self-expectations. If you can’t be a physical athlete any longer, then perhaps you can be a spiritual athlete.” He was.
1. The author noticed Stephen at the coffee shop because________.| A．he cut up his food | B．he ate in a special way |
| C．he was staring at the author | D．he looked very energetic |
| A．He accepted himself as he was. | B．He turned to the author for help. |
| C．He gave up exercising regularly. | D．He made new friends everywhere. |
| A．humorous and sensitive | B．sympathetic and caring |
| C．faithful and easygoing | D．optimistic and open-minded |
【推荐3】Annie Oakley was born in 1860 in Darke County, Ohio. Her family was very poor. She decided to help family even when she was young, so she learned to use a gun, and began hunting animals for food. She could shoot them without losing the important parts of the meat.
Soon her shooting ability became well known. When she was sixteen, she was invited to a competition with a famous marksman(神枪手) , Frank Butler. Annie surprised everyone by winning the competition. Later that year she and Frank married.
In 1882 Annie Oakley and Frank Butler started putting on shows together. Frank Butler was the star of the show and she was his assistant. The famous native American leader, Sitting Bull, thought so highly of her shooting ability that he called her "Little Sure Shot". Later Annie Oakley became the star of the show and Frank Butler was her assistant. Posters （海报）for the show called her the "Champion Markswoman".
During World War I, Annie Oakley wanted to train a group of women volunteers for the army, but the United States did not accept it. She gave American soldiers shooting lessons, and traveled across the country visiting many training camps. She gave shooting performance and raised money to support the American soldiers.
Annie Oakley died on November 3, 1926. Eighteen days later, Frank Butler died too.
1. According to the passage, Annie Oakley____ .| A．trained women soldiers during the war |
| B．often went hunting with her family |
| C．joined the army during World War I |
| D．lived a hard life as a child |
| A．Annie Oakley. | B．Little Sure Shot. |
| C．Frank Butler . | D．Champion Markswoman. |
a. She took part in a shooting competition.
b. She gave shooting demonstrations and raised money.
c. She hunted animals for food.
d. She put on shows with Frank Butler.
e. She was called the "Champion Markswoman".
f. She married Frank Butler.
| A．a, c, d, f, b, e | B．a, c, b, e, f, d | C．c, a, d, f, e, b | D．c, a, f, d, e, b |
