NEW YORK-A massive winter storm paralyzed much of the US East Coast on Thursday and Friday, dumping as much as 46 centimeters of snow from the Carolinas to Maine. It also caused flooding on the streets of Boston due to swelling storm tides, forced the cancellation of nearly 5,000 flights and closed businesses, offices and schools.
Some meteorologists (气象学家) classified the storm as a "bomb cyclone" for its sharp drop in atmospheric pressure would be followed immediately by a blast of cold air that could break records in more than two dozen cities and bring wind chills as low as -40℃ during the weekend.
From Baltimore, Maryland, to Caribou in Maine, efforts were underway to clear roadways of ice and snow as wind chill temperatures were to plunge during the day, reaching -40℃ in some parts after sundown, according to the National Weather Service.
Utility companies across the East worked to repair downed power lines early on Friday as about 21,000 customers remained without electricity, down from almost 80,000 the day before, and issued warnings that temperatures may become dangerously low.
"If the temperature in your home begins to fall, we recommend taking shelter elsewhere until service can be restored. You can find warming centers by contacting local authorities," National Grid power company, which serves Massachusetts, said on Twitter.
Airlines canceled 4,000 flights on Thursday and hundreds more on Friday, according to FlightAware.com, an online tracking service.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said it could feel like -30℃ on Friday and Saturday nights with the wind chill. "This is a serious, serious storm, and may be the most severe in 2018," he said at a news conference.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for the southern part of the state, while New Jersey Governor Chris Christie declared a state of emergency for several counties.
1. Which of the following is NOT the consequence of the massive winter storm?A.Breakdown of the US coast |
B.Flooding in Boston. |
C.Cancellation of nearly 5,000 flights. |
D.Closure in business, offices, and schools. |
A.Because it will cause changeable atmospheric pressure. |
B.Because the scale of this storm could break records in lots of cities. |
C.Because of the deadly and destructive effects of this storm. |
D.Because of the extremely cold air and the wind chills in this storm. |
A.decline steadily | B.drop dramatically |
C.fluctuate violently | D.fall moderately |
A.People were making great efforts to rid roadways of ice and snow. |
B.About 101 thousand people were left without electricity on Thursday. |
C.Residents can stay in warming centers until heating service is restored. |
D.Aviation service hasn't been brought back to normal yet until Friday. |
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【推荐1】Picking up free newspaper at the Tube station, I see the title “Hot! Hot! Hot!”. Today, the temperature in London is expected to reach 30 plus degrees. The average high temperature in July is only 22 degrees, so over 30 is not usual for London. It's going to be awful on the central line with no air conditioning. Why did they have to invent the Tube before air conditioning? It's just typical that my journey is on one of the oldest lines, as well as one of the deepest. It's the hottest on the whole tube system.
Sure enough, going down the stairs and onto the platform is like jumping into a volcano that's erupting. This, however, is nothing compared to the train. Because there's no air conditioning, the temperature inside the train can reach 35 degrees! It's lovely at the beach, but not so when you are wearing a suit and in a crowd of passengers. I'm sure the passenger next to me and I are melting and becoming one. I had bacon and eggs for breakfast and now I'm feeling a bit sick — I hope I can make it to bank station. I will avoid the feeling by thinking about work. I work in a tall, glass building. One very hot summer, the sun reflected off it and melted cars park below. Will this happen again today?
Yes, each summer in London definitely seems hotter than the last. I suddenly feel a bit scared. Perhaps now is the time to start planning for the future. I should probably put my flat on the market and buy a boat. That way, when the Thames rises and there is a flood in London, I'll still be able to get to work. But wait! Would I still have a workplace to go? My office is only on the third floor of the building, so quite low. I'll speak with my manager about moving to the top floor. Most importantly, I will need to learn to swim! I would join a beginner swimming class immediately. Then I'll be able to survive even when the tall buildings are flooded.
Looking through my newspaper, I'm shocked by photos showing that a hurricane in Asia has destroyed a town. What's more, heavy rain in Eastern Europe has caused landslides, and the heat across the Southern Europe has caused forest fires. Experts say this bad weather has occurred due to climate change. News like this makes me feel nervous. Now that it's hard to avoid disaster on Earth, perhaps I should start thinking about moving to space. . .
“The next station is bank!” comes the announcement. That's my destination. stepping out of the station with a heavy heart, I suddenly feel a fresh wind on my face. Well, maybe I have been worrying too much. After all, it's only 30 degrees outside!
1. What is true about the Central Line in Paragraph 1?A.The Central Line is one of the oldest Tube lines in London |
B.The temperature in the Central Line is between 22 to 30 degrees |
C.The air conditioning of the Central Line makes passengers feel awful |
D.The Central Line is the hottest because it is the deepest line of the tube system |
A.The author tried to endure the sick feeling on his / her own |
B.The author wanted to taste bacon and eggs at the bank station |
C.The author was thinking about saving his / her money in the bank: |
D.The author was worried about the hot environment at the station |
A.The author will buy a flat which is far away from the Thames |
B.The author will try to persuade the manager to move to the top floor |
C.Tie author will improve his / her swimming skills to join a competition |
D.The author will buy a boat from which he / she can jump into the water |
A.The climate in different regions on Earth varies greatly |
B.The natural disasters can be avoided by moving to space |
C.Bad weathers happen more frequently due to climate change |
D.The author is reading the weather forecast section carefully |
A.To complain about the London Tube |
B.To warn people about the danger of London being flooded |
C.To explain why summers in London are getting hotter and hotter |
D.To express his worries about the dangers of extreme weather conditions |
【推荐2】The public nowadays has a misunderstanding of forest fires, believing that fires should be kept out of every type of forest. Many of us can recall Smoky the Bear’s famous warning: “Remember, only YOU can prevent forest fires”. However, that’s not always the case. Under the right conditions, and when conducted safely, fire can create many environmental benefits as well as help prevent larger, uncontrollable wildfires.
After a forest fire, many wildlife species will move into recently burned areas to feed on these newly available foods. Some reptiles and amphibians such as the snake prefer forests frequently burned by fire. As Herbert Stoddard put it, “One of the most harmful things modern man has done to birds has been his attempt to exclude fire from fire-type pine (松树) forests. Within a few years most forests choke up with bushes, lose their prairie-like vegetation (草原般植被) and can no longer support birds which depend on periodic burning for their food supply and proper cover.”
If you are asked to picture the forest floor, what do you see? Pine needles, cones, leaves, branches might come to mind — all sources of fuel. If these fuel sources build up without any type of removal, the ‘fuel load’ can lead to fires which are huge disasters to forests and people alike. In contrast, prescribed fires can be used by forest professionals every couple of years to keep forest fuels at a proper and manageable level. They can also greatly reduce the spread of pest insects and disease and remove unwanted tree and plant species. Plus, they can create and maintain important wildlife habitats rich in grasses and promote the growth of trees, wildflowers and other various plants.
Many organizations work to promote fire on the landscape. Smoky Bear even has an updated warning: “Only YOU can prevent wildfires,” as the Forest Service has over the last few decades developed policies and measures to include prescribed fire as a useful tool, as well as continuing their work to prevent and fight wildfires.
1. What can benefit birds according to Herbert Stoddard?A.Forest bushes. | B.Periodic burning. |
C.Fuel sources. | D.Pine forests. |
A.Frequent. | B.Wild. | C.Planned. | D.Damaging. |
A.To keep the forest in balance. | B.To keep the fuel rich in the forest. |
C.To put out wildfires. | D.To remove tree and plant species. |
A.To prevent the use of prescribed fire in the forest. |
B.To promote the complete exclusion of fire from forests. |
C.To educate people on positive aspects of controlled fires. |
D.To encourage the public to remove sources of forest fuels. |
【推荐3】Climate change is making a safe, slow adjustment to heat much harder by upending(颠覆)what we’d typically expect as seasons change.
Although late summer can bring more extreme temperatures, early heat waves have a particularly dangerous influence. A large body of research tends to find that early summer heat waves can have higher rates of death compared to later in the season.
There are a few explanations for this phenomenon. One theory is that the most vulnerable populations will fail to fight the higher temperatures at the start of the season, so there are fewer vulnerable people in the more intense heat waves a few months later. A second explanation is the acclimatization(气候适应)effect, since people need time to adjust to heat. How much time a person needs to physiologically adapt depends.
The way we adapt to early season heat isn’t just about physiological changes in our bodies. Behavior makes a difference too, as do policies and infrastructure that help people cope.
The US still has few policies that help protect people from the most extreme summertime heat. Even the protections that exist around heat don’t focus on the vital early season. Besides, the protection measures, where they do exist, don’t typically kick in until after a certain date or when temperatures are above 95 degrees Fahrenheit, which is far beyond what some vulnerable populations can handle.
“We barely have enough resources to deal with what’s occurring right now,” said University of Arizona professor of urban planning Keith Ladd. “With climate change, we’re seeing increasing frequency, intensity, and duration of heat waves, so we need to adjust our response.”
1. What can we learn from paragraphs 3 and 4?A.Our adjustment to heat varies from person to person. |
B.Infrastructure will hardly affect our adaptation to early heat. |
C.Old people can properly fight higher temperatures in early summer. |
D.Physiological changes make a big difference to our behavior. |
A.Its response needs adjustment due to climate change. |
B.It has enough resources to deal with the present situation. |
C.Only a few measures concentrate on the deadly early season. |
D.Its policies can effectively help protect people from the early season heat. |
A.Technology. | B.Nature. | C.Population. | D.Politics. |
A.Climate change leads to early summer heat. |
B.Why can early heat waves lead to more deaths? |
C.How can we adapt to early season heat? |
D.Early heat waves can be the deadliest. |