【推荐1】An earthquake is one of the most common natural calamities. It may cause great damage. So it is wise to learn some simple safety tips to protect yourself or your family members.

Fragile (易碎的) items, like those made of glass are easily broken and should usually be placed on a lower surface, near the ground instead of placing them on cupboards higher up. Never place them near your bed, sofas and other furniture where you would be sitting or lying down. When there is a strong movement, these pieces will fall on the floor directly and not on you.

There is a strong chance of short circuits (短路) and fire outbreaks during an earthquake. Make sure you turn off electrical connections and gas immediately when an earthquake happens.

During an earthquake, lie beneath an object that is not easily damaged. Do not go near objects that could directly fall on you. Never use the elevator to go down. Stay inside until the shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries happen when people inside buildings try to go out. Use the staircases at all times.

If you are outdoors, do not take shelter under a tree, streetlights, electric poles or tall buildings. If you are driving, stop your car and stay in a safe place. Do not park your car under a tree or any tall object.

If trapped in debris (碎片), cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing. Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can find you. Use a whistle if one is available. Never shout for help. Shouting can cause you to breathe in dangerous dust. Do not light a match because you may burn yourself. Do not move about or kick up dust.

1. What does the underlined word “calamities” mean in the passage?

A．Scenes.	B．Disasters.
C．Conditions.	D．Sciences.

2. During the earthquake, people are advised to ________.

A．go out of the building at once

B．drive to a safe place quickly

C．take shelter under a tree

D．turn off electricity and gas immediately

3. What should people NOT do when they are trapped in debris?

A．Tap on a pipe or wall for help.

B．Cover their mouths with handkerchiefs.

C．Light a match for warmth.

D．Use a whistle for help.

4. What's the passage mainly about?

A．The damage caused by earthquakes.

B．The rescue work after earthquakes.

C．How to prevent earthquakes.

D．What to do during earthquakes.

【推荐2】Yesterday morning I was having breakfast in the 37th floor club lounge(休息室) at the InterContinental Bangkok, quite enjoying my conversation with Julia. She is a lovely Bavarian lady who works in the club lounge. Suddenly I felt really dizzy(晕眩的). I hadn't drunk anything the night before and had got a great night of sleep, so I found that a bit strange. But it continued. After a few moments I realized what was going on -- I wasn't dizzy, but it was an earthquake. For over 20 seconds the club floor was shaking.

Julia tried to remain calm and asked us to go down the stairs. When I walked past the rooftop pool, I saw water rushing out of it, which terrified me even more. I skipped down the 37 flights of stairs as if I were taking part in the Olympics.

However, as I was trying to get to the ground floor, I found it strange that nobody else was escaping. Eventually I made it to the ground floor. Again, I had never been in an earthquake before, so I had no sense of what it was like during an earthquake. I was kind of expecting disorder on the streets, a thousand people in the hall, and a general Armageddon style setting.

Sure enough I hurriedly got through the doors on the first floor and went straight to the reception desk, thinking the girl at the desk knew what was going on. But she looked quite confused, not knowing what I was talking about. Then I asked another one but I got the same response. I believed the world was coming to an end, while everyone looked at me as if nothing had happened.

Well, as it turned out, nothing did happen to them. Clearly there was an earthquake in Myanmar, and it was only felt at the top of some of the taller buildings in Bangkok.

Julia kept the club lounge closed for safety for some time, while I was happy just to be on the ground level.

1. How did the author most probably respond after knowing his situation?

A．He remained calm.

B．He became frightened.

C．He asked others to go down the stairs.

D．He thought for a while about what to do.

2. What did the author find after he got to the ground floor?

A．Nothing seemed to have happened.

B．Many people were trying to escape.

C．People were looking at him nervously.

D．There were no other people in the street.

3. Why did the girl at the reception desk look confused?

A．Because no one was running.

B．Because the author looked strange.

C．Because she didn't feel any shaking at all.

D．Because she didn't speak the author's language.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．A joke others played on the author.

B．How the author survived an earthquake.

C．The author's most unforgettable experience.

D．The author's experience in an earthquake.

【推荐3】In a natural disaster: a hurricane, flood, volcanic eruption, or other catastrophes. Minutes and even seconds of warning can make the difference between life and death. Because of this, scientists are working to use the latest technological advances to predict when and where disasters will happen. They are also studying how best to analyze and communicate this information once it is obtained.

On September 29,1998, Hurricane Georges made landfall in Biloxi, Mississippi, after damaging Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and several islands of the Caribbean badly with heavy rains and winds up to 160 km per hour. Few people lost their lives along the Gulf Coast of the United States, although hundreds died in the Caribbean. This was a very different result, when a powerful Gulf Coast hurricane made an unexpected direct hit on Galveston, Texas, killing at least 6,000 people. Vastly improved hurricane warnings explain the different circumstances at either end of the 20th century—residents of Galveston had no advance warning that a storm was approaching, while residents of Biloxi had been warned days in advance, allowing for extensive safety precautions (预防).

At the same time that people in Biloxi were thankful for the advance warning, some residents of New Orleans, Louisiana were less satisfied. A day before Georges made landfall, forecasters were predicting that the hurricane had a good chance of striking New Orleans. Emergency management officials must begin evacuations (疏散) well before a storm strikes. But evacuation costs money. The mayor of New Orleans estimated that his city’s preparations for Georges cost more than 50 million. After Georges missed New Orleans, some residents questioned the value of the hurricane forecasts in the face of such high costs.

The different views on the early warnings for Hurricane Georges show some of the complexities (复杂) related to predicting disasters. Disaster prediction is a process of providing scientific information to the government officials and other decision makers who must respond to those predictions.

1. What is the purpose of disaster prediction according to the passage?

A．To find out the cause of disasters.

B．To save people lives and reduce damage.

C．To prevent natural disasters happening.

D．To apply advanced technology to disaster prediction.

2. Which of the following areas suffered the most severe damage?

A．Puerto Rico.	B．New Orleans.
C．Biloxi, Mississippi.	D．Galveston, Texas.

3. The city residents of New Orleans were unsatisfied because ______.

A．their preparations were made in vain

B．the hurricane warning arrived rather late

C．the forecast hurricane did not hit the city

D．they suffered from a heavy hurricane attack

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．The different ways of disaster prediction.

B．Technological advances in disaster prediction.

C．The benefits and preparations of disaster prediction.

D．The importance and uncertainty of disaster prediction.

【推荐1】On the day the tornado hit, there was no sign that the fierce weather was on its way —the sky was blue and the sun had been out. The first warning my husband, Jimmy, 67, and I, 65, got came around 9 p.m., from some text on the TV Jimmy was watching. He ran upstairs to find me in our third-floor bedroom, and we changed the channel from the national television to our local Pensacola, Florida, station.

Soon the tornado was on top of us. It was the loudest thing I had ever heard. The house shook, and the power went out. And the wind began to roar (咆哮) through the house, most likely through windows and the door to our garage. Everything was moving. And the back wall of the house came off and flew into the darkness outside. We had three flights of steps to get to the storeroom down there, the relative safety of the first floor.

I didn't know how or if we would make it down the steps. It felt as if there was no floor as the wind lifted me off my feet. As we finally reached the last flight of steps, our front door blew open. Suddenly, a three-foot-long tree branch (树枝) flew over our heads, missing us by inches.

By the time I reached the storeroom, the tornado had been over us for about a minute, Jimmy pushed me down to the storeroom floor, but he couldn't get inside himself because of the wind. I held Jimmy's arm as the tornado blew the door open. My knees were full of glass, but I felt no pain. If I had let go, Jimmy would have flown right out of the house.

All of a sudden, Jimmy lifted off his feet. I thought he was gone. And then everything stopped. He landed on his feet. In those first quiet moments, I couldn't believe it was over. Our neighbor said the storm lasted four minutes. In that time, four of the twelve town houses in our unit were completely destroyed. Luckily, none of us were seriously injured.

1. Where did the couple learn about the coming fierce weather?

A．From the dark sky.

B．From the radio station.

C．From the news report on TV.

D．From the text sent by their neighbors.

2. What can we infer from Paragraph 2 about the couple?

A．They had no place to hide.

B．They tried to get out of the house.

C．Their garage was blown into pieces.

D．Their house was badly destroyed.

3. What do we know about Jimmy when the author reached the storeroom?

A．He was in great danger.

B．He flew out of the house.

C．He was seriously injured.

D．He got inside the storeroom.

4. What is the best title of this text?

A．The tornado hitting Florida

B．A couple stopping a disaster

C．The wind roaring through the house

D．A couple keeping alive from a disaster

【推荐3】They were a happy family：four daughters were all in the same school in different grades.The youngest，Janice，who was in my class，seemed to be glued(粘) to her mother’s skirts.The three older girls took the bus to school every morning，but Janice was always driven to school by her mother.

One Friday，Janice’s mother asked for a talk with me.She said in a soft voice，“My husband is going to Europe on business for two weeks，and he insists that I go with him.I have tried to explain over and over that Janice needs me here.But he thinks that she will be fine without me so I have no choice；I have to go.I have told the babysitter to drive her every morning.Will you please give Janice special attention and help her? I want to be sure everything goes well for her.”

I told her that we would make every effort to support Janice.I even volunteered to meet Janice at her car so she would see a familiar face.As a mother myself，I’d like to help.Janice’s mother thanked me for my understanding.

On Monday morning，expecting a tearful，anxious child，I planned a special program of fun and games.I waited outside to greet Janice，but just then the bus arrived and not three，but four girls got off.Janice skipped along joyfully，saying “goodbye” to her sisters as she ran with two friends into the classroom.I walked slowly into the classroom and called Janice over to ask how the bus ride went.Impatiently she said，“Oh，I always want to take the bus with the other kids，but Mother needs to be with me.You see there won’t be any more babies，so I have to be a baby a little longer.While she is away，I’ll just ride the bus every day.I am five，you know.”

1. Why did Janice’s mother want to have a talk with the author?

A．To ask her to help Janice with her homework.

B．To ask her to pick up Janice every day.

C．To ask her to give Janice more attention.

D．To ask her to meet Janice at her car.

2. What did the author not do for Janice?

A．Plan a special program of fun and games.

B．Wait for her outside the school.

C．Greet her when she got off the bus.

D．Ask about her bus ride.

3. What do we know from the passage?

A．Janice is too young to go to school by bus.

B．Janice likes taking a bus to school.

C．Janice doesn’t like her babysitter.

D．Janice is no longer a child.

【推荐1】In October, I told the eight-year-olds in the class I teach about my plan. “I’d like you to do extra jobs around the house to earn some money,” I said. “Then we’ll buy food for someone who might not have a nice dinner otherwise.”

Early in the week for that donation, the children arrived with their hard-earned money. They had cleaned yards, set tables, and washed dishes. They couldn’t wait to go shopping. I watched as they rushed in the supermarket aisles (过道). At last we headed toward the checkout, pushing a cart filled with food. Then Kristine cried. “Flowers!” The group rushed toward the plants.

“You can’t eat flowers.” I responded. “Why not use the money to buy more food?” “But Mrs Sherlock.” she begged. “we want flowers.”

Defeated, I looked at the flowers. Stuck in the middle of the display was a pot of purple flowers. “She’ll like this one,” the children agreed, and put the purple plant into the cart.

An agency had given us the address of a needy grandmother. Soon we pulled up in front of a small house. The children hurried to get the food. When Amy put the flowers on the counter, the woman seemed surprised. “Do you like it?” Michael asked. The old lady brightened. She told the children about the animals that lived close by.

We returned to the car. As we fastened our seat belts, we could see the kitchen window. The woman inside waved goodbye, then turned and walked across the room, straight to the flowers. She put her face in them. When she raised her head, there was a smile on her lips.

The children were quiet. In that brief moment, they had seen the power they possessed to make another’s life better. Sometimes a person just needs a pot of flowers on a dark November day.

1. Why did the author ask the children to earn money?

A．To help them get independence.	B．To pay for their own education.
C．To prepare for a food donation.	D．To raise money for an evening party.

2. How did the children earn the money?

A．By selling flowers.	B．By doing some housework.
C．By working in the supermarket.	D．By washing dishes in the restaurants.

3. What did the author think of Kristine’s request for flowers?

A．It was unique.	B．It was useful.
C．It was unpractical.	D．It was old-fashioned.

4. What impressed the children most that day?

A．Their teacher’s generosity.	B．The old lady’s story-telling.
C．The beauty of the purple flowers.	D．The old lady’s response to the flowers.

【推荐3】I was waiting for my train and on the subway station’s floor was a man just sitting there. I looked around and nobody stopped so I just went my way. After a few steps, I turned and asked him whether he needed help. He told me his house was one station further and he would only need to take the train there. So I reached for his hand to help him stand up.

He wanted to take the stairs but I feared that he would hurt himself since he seemed too weak to walk, so I asked him to take the elevator. Even though my mind was trying to turn the danger lights on, I put the thought that I should not go alone with a drunken man out of my mind and accompanied him on the elevator.

We arrived on the platform with no incidents. The man’s knees seemed to soften, so I asked him to rest on a bench. While sitting there, he thanked me, telling me that I saved him. No, I said, I really did nothing; he saved himself as he walked on his own feet.

At the next station, we said our goodbyes. Before I knew it, he left 100 dollars and dashed out of the train. There was no way to give him back his money. I wanted to leave it on the seat, but a young woman who thought it belonged to me ran after me and gave me the note.

My initial reaction to getting that money was of shame and I even felt offended. Then I thought he just wanted to thank me, the best way he knew how. Now, my question is—what act of kindness shall I do with these 100 dollars?

1. Why was the man sitting on the subway station’s floor?

A．Because he wanted to go home.

B．Because he was seriously ill.

C．Because he was drunk.

D．Because he was waiting for the train.

2. Seeing the money left by the man, the author first felt ________.

A．ashamed	B．grateful
C．delighted	D．frustrated

3. How will the author possibly deal with the money?

A．Give it back.

B．Buy something favorable.

C．Leave it on the seat.

D．Give it to people in need.