Jim is on holiday in Australia. There are bushfires in the area where he is staying. He is telling his friend Mark about the fires.
Mark: We saw the news about the bushfires. Are they close to you?
Jim: Yes. They are very close. The weather is hot and windy. The conditions are ideal for bushfires and once they get started they spread quickly. Yesterday the temperatures hit 44°C and there were reports of over 50 fires in the area. It will take days to put them out.
Mark: Have you seen any fires?
Jim: Yes, I have. I’m staying with my uncle Ted. He’s a volunteer firefighter. He says the fires have killed a lot of animals, but no people. He says that the safest thing is to stay inside unless your house catches fire!
Mark: Is it safe where you are?
Jim: We’re fine. We listen to the radio to keep up to date with the latest news. So we know if a fire is coming our way. One got very close yesterday. Three houses nearby caught fire. Luckily, the families put the fires out before they did too much damage.
Mark: Are you worried? Do you think you will need to move to a safer place?
Jim: Bushfires are normal in Australia.They are a fact of life here. It’s a bit scary, but I am sure I’ll be fine.
Mark: Well, you look after yourself! We don’t want you to be the first human victim of the year!
回答下面5个问题，每题答案不超过6个词。
1. Where is Jim on holiday?
2. What’s the weather like today?
3. What problems have the fires caused?
4. How do people get the latest news about the bushfires?
5. Why doesn’t Jim think he will need to move to a safer place?
相似题推荐
What is a hurricane?
You may already know that hurricanes are storms that can cause devastating(毁灭性的)waves，wind，and rain．They happen during“Hurricane Season，”which is from June 1st until November 30th in the Atlantic Ocean and from May 15th until November 30th in the Pacific Ocean.
Categories(类别)of Hurricanes
There are five categories of hurricanes, which are based on wind speeds. The categories help people know how much damage(危害)a hurricane may cause because the greater the wind speed，the more dangerous the storm is．For example，a Category 5 hurricane has winds over 155 miles per hour，which are strong enough to destroy the buildings along the shorelines completely．
Hurricane Dangers
When a hurricane happens together with heavy rainfall，there can be a devastating flood．The centre of a hurricane is called the eye．While most of a hurricane has dangerously strong winds，the eye is actually(事实上)a calm area in the storm．When the eye of a hurricane passes over land，people might think that it’s over，but before long the wind and rain increase again as the second part of the hurricane moves through．
Hurricane Safety Tips
There is no way to stop a hurricane or make it change direction，so if you ever find yourself in the path of a hurricane，be sure to remember the following safety tips．
•Be sure you have a radio，batteries，fresh drinking water，and enough food．
•Tell neighbours，friends，and family members your emergency plans．Tell them where you’ll go if you need to leave your home．
•If you live near the ocean，leave your home and travel to a safe place．You could stay with a friend or a family member，in a hotel or in an emergency shelter area．
•Stay inside during the storm．You could be seriously injured(受伤)if you go outside．
根据短文回答问题,不超过八个单词
1. When is Hurricane Season in the Atlantic Ocean?
2. What are categories of hurricanes based on?
3. What is called the eye?
4. How many hurricane safety tips are mentioned(提到) in the passage?
5. What should you do most probably if a hurricane happens?（自拟一句话作答）
During an earthquake, get under a strong object like the kitchen table. Don’t leave the building during the shaking, or you might be hurt by falling objects from the outside of the building.
When you are in bed during the night and an earthquake happens，simply roll off the bed. There will be a safe void around the bed.
If you are watching TV and you cannot easily run away by getting out through the door or window, then lie down and curl up(蜷伏) next to a sofa, or a large chair.
Never go to the stairs. The stairs are likely part of the building to be broken. Even if the stairs are not destroyed by the earthquake，they may fall down later when people run down.
Try to get into an open area away from trees，buildings，walls，advertisement boards and power lines if you are outdoors.
If you are driving when an earthquake suddenly happens，just stay in your car until the shaking ends. However, if the footbridge falls and breaks your car，get out of it and sit or lie next to it. All the broken cars have voids 3 feet high next to it.
1. What should you do if you are in a building when an earthquake happens?
| A．Rush out quickly | B．Sit in the kitchen |
| C．Stay below strong objects | D．Go down the stairs |
| A．space | B．seat | C．distance | D．sign |
4. If you are inside a car when there is a sudden earthquake，you should _______.
| A．get out of it | B．keep inside it | C．move away fast | D．stay under the footbridge |
【推荐3】If you live in Tornado (龙卷风) area, you keep a close eye on the sky. This part of the mid-western United States has as many as 300 tornadoes blowing through it every year. Local people know that a “twister” (旋风) maybe only a hop, skip, and a jump away. Twisters are tornadoes, and tornadoes are trouble for people living there.
A tornado is wind caused by a thunderstorm (雷雨). Tornadoes are the most terrible winds on Earth. They can travel up to 300 miles an hour. At that high speed, they damage almost everything. As they move, tornadoes turn round quickly in a twisting movement. They change direction without warning.
Once you’ve seen a tornado, you’re not likely to forget it. It has a unique (独特的) appearance. Take an ice cream cone, turn it upside down, and you’ve got a model for a tornado. The sound is also hard to be mistaken. Everything becomes completely silent. Even the insects stop buzzing. It seems the tornado take in all of the sound from the air. Suddenly it shouts it all back out in a roar, like a train running out of control.
But sometimes the result can’t be predicted. Have you ever seen the film The wizard of Oz (绿野仙踪)? Remember the scene when Dorothy’s house flies? A tornado once carried a house through the air for two miles. Another twister lifted a china cabinet (橱柜) and dropped it back to Earth some miles away. No disk was broken. Once, a tornado swept a child and her pony into the air. Her mother found her half a mile away, still sitting on the pony. Luckily, neither the girl nor her pony was seriously hurt.
These stories ended happily. Most tornado stories don’t. These terrible windstorms usually bring sadness, death and even disasters. In 1955, a tornado killed 34 people in one town. Three thousand buildings, including five schools, were damaged.
Luckily, tornadoes seldom last more than an hour. Most travel only at 20 miles per hour. They are almost always less than a few hundred yards wide. That’s a good thing for us! If twisters were any worse than they are, tornado area would be a tornado wasteland.
1. What do tornadoes usually bring people, trouble or happiness?2. How fast does a tornado go when it comes to its high speed?
3. Which sentence in the 2nd paragraph says people can hardly predict the way a tornado move?
4. Which two words or expressions in the 3rd paragraph describe a tornado’s sound change?
| Model, silent, shout out in a roar, a train |
5. What can be the main idea of the 4th paragraph?
Tornado stories sometimes
6. How do you understand “If twisters were any worse than they are, tornado area would be a tornado wasteland.”
 It is believed that social networks allow people to make their online social circle larger. But having 150 friends on WeChat is not the same thing as having 150 friends in real life. In last week's Chitchat, we asked our readers how many "friends" did they have in their We Chat account(账户), and how many of them were "actual friends". Here are some of the top comments(评论). @left and right I have more than 1,000 friends in WeChat. However, the number of "friends" I communicate with daily is less than 50, most of whom are my classmates and families. So many friends are just there and we never speak any word. @Kris Wilson Choy I have almost 300 friends in my WeChat. However, people who I often send messages to is just 10. Most of these friends are classmates or people who work with me. Except work or studying, we hardly talk with each other during our spare time. @Monica To be honest, as an English teacher since 1981, I have more than 400 WeChat friends, most of whom are my students, students' parents, and workmates. Although we seldom meet face to face, our ties still remain normal. You see, they often ask me questions online, which I answer happily. Of course, sometimes I feel upset when they ask me to vote (投票) online or give likes. However, I generally do as requested, because it serves to glue our ties. |
Information Card
| The things that make people’s online social circle larger | ||
| The persons who left and right talks with in daily life | ||
| The topic that Kris talks with his WeChat friends in his free time | ||
| The number of teaching years of Monica | ||
| The reason why Monica does as requested although she feels upset |
Doris has written a restaurant review on the Internet
Excellent English food at the Country House
Last Saturday night, my family and I ate at the Country House.
The Country House serves traditional English food. We paid about 15 to20 pounds a person to eat there.
The food was wonderful. The fish pie reminded me of my grandma. She used to cook it for me. I also had some fish and chips, and it was fantastic.
The waiters were polite, but a little slow. We were our food until 7:40 p.m.
I would certainly recommend (推荐) the County House for good, tradition English food. However, you should get there early and be prepared l0 spend a lot of time waiting for your food.
1. Where can you read the restaurant review by Doris?__________________________________________________________________
2. How much did Doris and her family pay for the meal each person at least?
__________________________________________________________________
3. Who used to cook the fish pie for Doris?
__________________________________________________________________
4. What did Doris think of the waiters at the Country House?
__________________________________________________________________
5. Why did Doris want to recommend (推荐) the Country House?
__________________________________________________________________
| Problems | ||
| A | B | C |
| My problem is my parents. They never stop going on about how I should keep my room tidy, keep my hair tidy and wear smart clothes. They even make me do the washing-up after dinner every night! None of my friends have got such terrible parents. What should I do? Helen | My best friend has suddenly turned her back on me and I don’t know why! Last week we phoned each other every day and e-mailed too, and over the weekend we went shopping together and she was fine. But at school on Monday morning, she didn’t look at me or speak to me. I don’t know what I’ve done. She now spends all her time with another group of friends. Jane | I have a really bad habit of chewing (嚼) the ends of my hair. I try to stop, but I can’t! My mom is starting to get really angry about it. Have you got any ideas? Gina |
| Advice | ||
| ①Hi _________, Why should your parents do all the washing-up? You should help around the house—it’s only fair. I don’t think you should change your looks though. Young people should look like young people. | ②Hi_________, Wearing your hair pulled back in a ponytail (马尾辫) will help keep it out of your mouth. When you feel like chewing something, try bubble gum (泡泡糖). Give yourself time and you should be able to break this habit. The first few days are usually the hardest. Good luck! | ③Hi ________, Don’t worry about it so much! Phone your friend up as usual and she won’t be able to refuse you. I am sure you will get along well with each other. Everything will be fine. |
1. 根据所读内容将Helen、Jane、Gina 三个名字分别填入相应的横线上。
①_______________ ②________________ ③________________
2. The three girls wrote to ask for ________________________.
3. The underlined words “turned her back on me” means “____________” in Chinese.
4. It is clear that Helen is not ________________________ with her parents.
5. According to the advice, Jane should _____________________ her friend as usual.
