Over the last two days in December last year, nearly 30 tornadoes caused great damage across six states — from Arkansas in the south to Illinois in the midwest. More than 100 tornado warnings were issued — the most ever for a day. The tornado in Kentucky caused at least 50 people’s deaths. which was described as the worst in this state’s history.
As one of the largest countries in the world, the United States is also one of the most geographically various countries — from deserts to forests to miles of coastline. While this comes with many advantages, it unfortunately leaves the country easily damaged by all kinds of natural disasters.
Different parts of the United States face different types of natural disasters. The west coast is at risk of wildfires, earthquakes, and even volcanic eruptions. The southern part of the country is frequently hit by tornadoes, and the east coast faces the threat of serious hurricanes every year. Midwestern areas near rivers are often flooded by huge floods, and these are the worst floods in American history.
The governments reviewed the weather event in each state’s history that caused the highest number of deaths to determine the worst natural disaster in every state. Thanks to their location and geographic research, some states made preparations ahead of time to avoid mass-casualty (重大伤亡的) weather events.
However, many other parts of the country have been less fortunate, experiencing massive storms and floods. Many such events, like the 1900 hurricane that hit Galveston of Texas, killed so many people that it was impossible to get an exact number of final deaths, especially, during that time.
American weather continues to become more changeable. In 2018, there were 14 weather events that caused over $1 billion in damage. And in many parts of the country, these weather events could become even more destructive (毁灭性的) because of global warming.
1. What do we know from the numbers in paragraph 1?| A．Less and less natural disasters hit America. |
| B．Tornadoes were the greatest threat to Americans. |
| C．The tornado in Kentucky was the worst in America. |
| D．America suffered from serious natural disasters. |
| A．The natural disasters in different parts of US. |
| B．The earthquakes in the west coast of US. |
| C．The hurricanes along the east coast of US. |
| D．The worst floods in American history. |
| A．Controllable. | B．Unchangeable. | C．Pleasant. | D．Worrying. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】California burns every year. But among a record-breaking heatwave, 2020 is the worst burning year yet. As of the September 2020, more than 7,600 fires burned over 2.5 million acres of land. The season ran for more than several months.
That fits a long-term trend, for California’s wild fires are getting steadily worse. Large fires in the 2010s burned 6.8 million acres on average, up from 3.3 million acres in the 1990s. The fire season in 2020 lasted nearly three months longer than it did in the 1970s. Over the past decade, the state has spent an average of $3.7 billion a year fighting fires. Add the cost of rebuilding, treating victims and restoration, and that is perhaps a tenth of the total cost.
The reason is a double blow of climate change and development. More homes are being built next to forests, in what experts call the “wild-land-urban interface (接合处)” (WUI). A 2018 study estimated that roughly a third of American homes were in the WUI. The problem is acute in California. Pricey housing has pushed people in California onto cheaper land close to the wilderness. At the same time, climate change is lengthening the dry season, which stores up fuel for fires. In California, a “huge drought” — in which dry years become more common and wet ones scarcer (稀少) — is making matters even worse.
Since neither trend shows much sign of turning around, people on America’s west coast will have to learn to co-exist with more and more frequent fires. “It’s not that different to building on an earthquake active region,” says Max Moritz, a wildfire expert at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He suggests that houses should be built near water or open agricultural lands, which can offer a useful barrier.
1. How does the second paragraph develop?| A．By giving examples. | B．By providing statistics. |
| C．By analyzing causes. | D．By following time order. |
| A．Low-income people can’t afford urban houses. |
| B．California advocates forest development. |
| C．People can get closer to nature. |
| D．Climate change has made the dry season longer. |
| A．Life is hopeless for people on America’s west coast. |
| B．Great potential danger goes with the houses in WUI. |
| C．Wildfire experts should study where to build houses. |
| D．People should live away from earthquake active regions. |
| A．To instruct. | B．To advertise. |
| C．To inform. | D．To appreciate |
【推荐2】My family lost everything in the little-known flood of Baton Rouge, Louisiana last year that the Red Cross called the “Worst US disaster since Hurricane Sandy.”
It began raining in mid-August. Then it rained some more, got more powerful, and didn’t stop for days. There was talk that the local rivers were going to crest (到达顶点)and cause some pretty serious flooding. We lived somewhat close to the Amite River, but our senior neighbors told us that our neighborhood hadn’t flooded in over 100 years.
Local news said that the nearby high school may get a little bit of water inside from the rising river. We thought we had a couple of days to plan on how we were going to shelter in place because of the weather forecast.
On the 13th of August I woke up, walked outside and headed toward the direction of the river. Some of the lower areas were collecting water but there was no standing water anywhere near my house or even my neighborhood. I went back home and told my wife we should probably get some supplies in case this got serious; that maybe we should even pack a car in case we needed to leave though I was fairly certain there was nothing to worry about.
About 30 minutes into slowly packing there was a loud banging on my front door. It was my wife’s cousin. I opened the door and she said, “What are you doing?! Get out of the house!” I looked behind her and noticed my entire yard underwater and the waterline only about a half-inch from going over my doorstep and into my house.
I was floored. The river wasn’t supposed to crest until the next day. I thought we had more time.
I yelled at my wife, “We have to get out of the house. Now!”
We packed up both our cars in about 10 minutes with only our most precious memories. Everything else we had built during a 10-year marriage was left behind. We evacuated about 5 miles east away from the river to my wife’s grandmothers.
After being there for about an hour someone came to the front door and said, “You guys ned to get out. The river is coming.”
Sure enough, her yard was flooding too.
We evacuated a second time in as many hours to her cousin’s house even further east. After only an hour we were told again that the river was on the way and we had to leave.
1. The author realized the arrival of the flood when ______.| A．the rain started to fall heavily and non-stop |
| B．the nearby high school was slightly affected |
| C．there was standing water in some lower areas |
| D．he was informed by his wife’s cousin at the door |
| A．He was clam enough to cope with the flood. |
| B．He became trapped by the rising floodwater. |
| C．He was shocked by the early arrival of the flood. |
| D．He lost his temper with his wife for being unprepared. |
| A．He didn’t take action immediately despite his neighbor’s warning. |
| B．He trusted the weather forecast so that he prepared himself in advance. |
| C．He and his wife brought some supplies and valuable belongings with them. |
| D．He was forced to leave the temporary homes again and again to avoid danger. |
| A．Mutual Support in Disasters | B．Baton Rouge Flooding |
| C．How to Survive a Flood | D．Methods of Predicting Floods |
【推荐3】Several big wildfires have been brought under control in Chongqing with the help of local motorcyclists. The city government has called for volunteers to join in the tough firefighting, and a large number of motorcyclists have played an important role and won widespread praise.
According to the city emergency management bureau on Wednesday, wildfires in Chongqing’s Dazu and Tongliang districts have been brought under control, and other fires-in Fuling, Kaizhou and Wanzhou districts-have been extinguished (熄灭).
The local government mobilized 1, 152 emergency rescue workers and four helicopters to put out the fires in the city’s Beibei district and evacuated (疏散) 46 people to safety shelters.
“It is my honor and duty to guard my hometown, ” said 27-year-old Li Xin, owner of Yueqi Motorcycle Club. On Sunday night, upon hearing the fire breakout, Li organized a team of 15 club members to sign up to support firefighting in Beibei’s Xiema county, the center of the local blazes.
The team members, with an average age of 29, took turns using five dirt bikes and four road bikes to carry materials and equipment to firefighters and to transport people and necessities.
“The unpaved mountain paths and newly dug fire barriers require really good motorcycle skills, ” Li said, adding that even the best motorcyclist on the team might lose his balance and fall as he carried heavy materials and equipment in a large farmer’s back-basket. He said that to prevent heatstroke in the extreme outdoor heat, the team gave up dressing in thick riding suits. They also joined in cutting wood and putting out fires, working more than 12 hours a day on average. “We will stick to the site until the fire is out, ” he added.
In the extreme heat and drought (干旱) conditions, motorcyclists have been devoted to fighting against fires.
1. What is the purpose of paragraph 2?| A．To give warnings. | B．To recruit more volunteers. |
| C．To stress the danger of fires. | D．To introduce the background of the report. |
| A．were dressed in thick riding suits |
| B．delivered only extinguishers to firefighters |
| C．reported the updates of the wildfires on the spot |
| D．volunteered to cut wood and help with firefighting work |
| A．Smart and confident. | B．Responsible and generous. |
| C．Caring and strong-willed. | D．Brave and honest. |
| A．Motorcyclists Helped Extinguish Chongqing Wildfires |
| B．Wildfires in Chongqing Destroyed a Large Area of Forest |
| C．Firefighters Made Efforts to Put Out Wildfires |
| D．Chongqing Wildfires Were Put Under Control |
【推荐1】A new study, published in The Journal of Experimental Psychology found that communication interactions that included voice, like a phone call or video chat, created stronger social bonds than communication through typing, like text messaging or email.
In the study, researchers used various experiments to gauge connectedness. In one, they asked 200 people to make predictions about what it would be like to reconnect with an old friend by email or by phone and then assigned people at random to do one or the other. Although people anticipated that a phone call would be more awkward, hearing someone's voice actually made the experience better. However, people who participated in the experiment reported that they did form a significantly stronger bond with their old friend on the phone versus email, and they did not feel more awkward.
In another experiment, the researchers had strangers connected by either texting, talking over video chat, or talking using only audio. They found that both forms of voice communication — whether video or audio only — made the strangers feel significantly more connected than when they communicated via text.
Sabrina Romanoff, a Harvard trained clinical psychologist based in New York City, says people tend to text or email instead of calling because of convenience, as they see it as a controlled form of communication where they can "correspond information exactly in the way they intend without unexpected additions by the other person."
Romanoff says that in reality, texting can make it hard to determine the true meaning behind a conversation. A phone call is actually more convenient when considering the net effects of the message. Each party is more present, and therefore, able to gauge the meaning behind the content without ruminating on the endless possible meanings behind words and punctuation.
1. What is the purpose of the study?| A．To encourage people to let their fingers do the talking. |
| B．To introduce the effects of verbal and non-verbal communications. |
| C．To demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of making phone calls. |
| D．To compare connectedness of communication through voice and typing. |
| A．Typing a letter. | B．Sending an email. |
| C．Having a video chat. | D．Texting a message. |
| A．A way to talk about controlled topics. | B．A way to communicate without time limit. |
| C．A way to explain something without delay. | D．A way to express thoughts without being disturbed. |
| A．Being more formal. | B．Being less awkward. |
| C．Being more straightforward. | D．Being less expensive |
【推荐2】The World Health Organization says the widespread use of sugar in food products and drinks is a major concern in many areas. So WHO officials are calling on governments to require taxes on sugary drinks in an effort to limit their usage and popularity. The officials believe the taxes also would reduce the risk of health problems resulting from obesity.
Obesity is a condition in which the body stores large, unhealthy amounts of fat. Obese individuals are considered overweight. A new report says that in 2014 more than one-third of the adults in the world were overweight, and 500 million were considered obese. The United Nations agency estimates that in 2015, 42 million children under age 5 were either overweight or obese. It says that number represents an increase of about 11 million during the past 15 years. Almost half of these boys and girls live in Asia and one-fourth in Africa.
The U. N. agency blames unhealthy diets for a rise in diabetes cases. There are 422 million cases of the disease worldwide. WHO says 1.5 million people die from it every year. It says the use of sugar in food products, like sugary drinks, is a major reason for the increase in rales of obesity and diabetes.
Temo Waqanivalu is with the agency’s Department for the Prevention on Non-Communicable Diseases: He told VOA that taxing sugary drinks would reduce consumption and save lives. Waqanivalu noted that Mexico enacted a law of a 10 percent tax on sugary drinks in 2014. He said by the end of the year, there was a 6 percent drop in the consumption of such drinks. Among poor people, the number of people who consumed sugary drinks dropped by 17 percent.
The WHO says people should limit the amount of sugar they consume. It says they should keep their sugar intake to below 10 percent of their total energy needs, and reduce it to less than 5 percent for improved health.
1. Why are taxes on sugary drinks required?| A．To warn people to change their life style. | B．To readjust the economic structure. |
| C．To limit their use and popularity. | D．To ensure the market’s diverse development. |
| A．Obesity is a severe worldwide problem. |
| B．Adult obesity is ignored at present. |
| C．Obesity can block economic development. |
| D．Obesity is most serious in developed countries. |
| A．Abolished. | B．Passed. | C．Promised. | D．Reduced. |
| A．Tax policies are unfair to the poor. | B．Taxing sugary drinks makes a difference. |
| C．The poor consume more sugary drinks. | D．Sugary drinks are a threat to health. |
【推荐3】Someday, you may no longer need to brush your teeth by hand. Instead, billions of nanoparticles(纳米颗粒)could automatically do all that work for you. The nanoparticles are very tiny. Magnets(磁铁)can make them move. If you set up a magnet in just the right way, says Ed Steager, “You can arrange them into any shape you want.”
Steager is an engineer at the University of Pennsylvania. Together, he and his colleague Hyun Koo found a way to form the nanoparticles into long, skinny bristles(鬃毛), a lot like the ones on a toothbrush. But these bristles shape-shift to fit whatever surface they encounter. They can even squeeze between teeth.
The scientists tested the robotic bristles in the lab. But the device isn’t yet ready for people to use. The magnets and nanoparticles will need to fit comfortably and safely inside a person’s mouth. The researchers are working with a company to accomplish this safely and effectively. But if these inventors can perfect the device, a lot of people will benefit, especially the disabled.
The tooth-cleaning robot works thanks to two magnets. One goes on each side of the teeth. The nanoparticles sit in a water-based solution between the magnets. All of this may fit into something the size and shape of a mouthguard, though the researchers haven’t settled on a design for the device yet.
As a bonus, the nanoparticles also kill those harmful bacteria in the mouth. The water-based liquid that holds them contains a substance commonly added to toothpaste(牙膏)and mouthwash. It kills some bacteria on its own. But when these nanoparticles react with it, powerful germ-killing substances get created.
The new device is just a proof of a notion. The researchers still need to turn it into a product that people will want to use. It must fit comfortably and safely in people’s mouths. It can’t draw too much power or cost too much. “There’s a lot of engineering to get from here to there,” says Steager. But, as Melo says, “every good idea needs to have a start.”
1. What are the researchers doing now?| A．Putting the new invention into the market | B．Carrying out surveys about the new device. |
| C．Testing the robotic bristles on the disabled. | D．Making the device suitable for a person’ mouth. |
| A．The nanoparticles. | B．The toothbrush. |
| C．The magnets. | D．The bristles. |
| A．It can help adjust teeth. | B．It can work as toothpaste. |
| C．It can replace liquid in the mouth. | D．It can change the mouth shape. |
| A．Prediction. | B．Existence. | C．Product. | D．Concept. |
