1 . Have you watched news on TV or read newspaper recently? It has been a difficult time for people in California, US during the past month. As we all know, wildfires have spread through much of the state. According to CBS, at least 31 people have died so far. This makes them the most terrible wildfires in California so far.
Wildfires are uncontrolled fires. They usually happen in areas where few people live. They are most common in wooden areas in the US, Canada and Australia. They are also known as forest fires or grass fires, or as bushfires in Australia.
Lightning and volcanic eruptions(火山爆发) can cause wildfires. However, 90 % of wildfires are caused by people. According to the US National Park Service, burning campfires and garbage debris(碎片), cigarette butts and acts of arson(纵火) can easily cause wildfires.
Dry and hot weather, as well as wind, creates perfect wildfire conditions. They help wildfires spread quickly and last for weeks.
Wildfires can burn at over 900℃ and reach heights of more than 50 metres. Wildfires can move at a speed of up to 23 kilometres an hour, burning everything — trees, bushes, homes, even people, in their path.
The fires are also dangerous to animals. In Australia, koalas can’t get enough water from tree leaves because of wildfires. They have to leave their trees and find water somewhere else.
But sometimes, fires can be helpful for some plants. Heat from the fires makes some fungi (真菌), such as morel mushrooms(羊肚蘑), grow better. People can find more of them in the wild after a fire.
Hope that wildfires will never happen again.
1. According to the writer, which of the following can NOT cause wildfires?| A．Lightning and volcanic eruptions. | B．Burning campfires and cigarette butts. |
| C．Acts of arson. | D．Cooking meals at home. |
| A．Wildfires usually happen in areas where many people live. |
| B．Wildfires can burn at over 900℃. |
| C．Wildfires reach heights of more than 50 metres. |
| D．Wildfires can move at a speed of up to 23 kilometres an hour. |
| A．people | B．animals | C．trees | D．morel mushrooms |
| A．The Terrible Wildfires | B．The Reasons of Wildfires |
| C．The Advantages of Wildfires | D．The Disadvantages of Wildfires |
| A．a novel | B．a magazine | C．a diary | D．a textbook |
2 . November 5 is World Tsunami(海啸) Awareness Day. Tsunami is a Japanese word for a long, destructive(摧毁性的) ocean wave caused by an undersea earthquake. The goal of the anniversary is to learn from disasters(灾害) of the past and to prepare for the future. Two tsunamis in the last 15 years have changed the way people around the world think about these destructive events.
On December26, 2004, a magnitude (震级) 9 earthquake near the coast of Indonesia caused tsunami waves that struck the coasts of four countries. An estimated(估计的) 230,000 people died and costs were in the billions of dollars. Then, on March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9 earthquake struck northeastern Japan. It was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in that country. More than18,000 people died. The tsunami also caused serious damage to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power center on the island of Honshu. Several nuclear reactors(核 反应堆) were severely(严重地) damaged and leaked(泄漏) radiation(辐射).
The two events caused people in the Pacific and Indian Ocean areas to study and improve preparedness for disasters. This led to the SendaiFrameworkfor DisasterRiskReductionin 2015 in Sendai, Japan. The agreement was a UN effort to raise awareness(提高意识) about disaster risks and to urge(催促) countries to assess(评估)how well they were prepared for them.
Willem Rampangilei is head of the Disaster Management Agency in Indonesia. He said Indonesia passed a law on disaster management after the 2004 tsunami. It led in 2008 to the creation of his agency. “Our responsibilities include reduction and preparedness, emergency response, as well as post-disaster recovery and reconstruction(重新建设),” he said. He added that 150 million Indonesians were at risk from earthquakes, 60 million from floods and four million from tsunamis.
Preparedness has spread beyond Asia. There are now early warning systems in place for the Caribbean Sea, the Northeast Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and surrounding(周围的) areas.
1. What does the underlined word mean in the passage?| A．Knowledge. | B．Preparation. |
| C．Day of remembrance. | D．Change. |
| A．Natural disasters are too powerful for people to survive. |
| B．Earthquakes and tsunamis often take place on islands. |
| C．Nuclear reactors can be safe even if damaged in an earthquake. |
| D．Natural disasters can cause great losses to humans. |
| A．to reduce the damage caused by disasters. |
| B．to make people know more about disaster risks. |
| C．to help people get away from disasters. |
| D．to help with the reconstruction after the disaster. |
3 . Last year, my father was busy working, my mother looked after my grandma and my sister started university, so I went to visit my aunt and uncle in Jamaica alone. There I experienced a hurricane (飓风).
I went to Jamaica in December, because between October and mid-December the weather isn’t too hot. However, there are hurricanes during the time, so you have to watch out for that. Luckily, my aunt and uncle heard the warning on the radio before I arrived, so there was already lots of food and drink in their house. I was glad about that, because one of my favourite things about being in Jamaica is the food!
As soon as we saw the first signs (征兆) of the hurricane, we closed the doors, and then we waited. It was a little boring. So I played games and talked with my cousins to pass the time, and we ate lots of food. But the wind crashed (猛撞) around the house day and night, and I began to feel afraid. My aunt told me there was nothing to worry about and that they’d had worse storms than that, so I felt relaxed. As we waited, we listened to the news on the radio. There was lots of water on the roads and on farms, and some trees and houses fell down. The storm began on Monday morning, and then on Wednesday evening it moved out to sea. So we didn’t stay at home for very long really, and then the sun came out again!
1. The writer’s sister didn’t go to Jamaica because she ________.| A．was busy working | B．went to university |
| C．was afraid of hurricanes | D．looked after her grandma |
| A．The weather wasn’t too hot. | B．The food in Jamaica was delicious. |
| C．There was a hurricane warning on the radio. | D．There was lots of food and drink in the house. |
| A．Bored. | B．Afraid. | C．Relaxed. | D．Excited. |
| A．For one day. | B．For two days. | C．For three days. | D．For four days. |
| A．My trip to Jamaica | B．The weather in Jamaica |
| C．Experiencing a hurricane | D．Watching out for hurricanes |
1. Where did the storm happen?
| A．In the UK. | B．In the USA. | C．In China. |
| A．He’s a doctor. | B．He’s a teacher. | C．He’s a farmer. |
| A．Because he wanted to find his child. |
| B．Because his wife got hurt. |
| C．Because he wanted to get some food. |
Every 30 seconds there is an earthquake. But don’t worry because only a few big ones hurt people. Here are some tips on how to stay safely in an earthquake.
If you are indoors during an earthquake, hide under a desk. Stay away from windows and anything that could fall on you.
If you are outdoors, move to a clear place. Try to be away from trees, signs, buildings and streetlights. These could fall on you.
If you are in a shop and far from the door, don’t try to run to outside and rush for exits（出口）. Everyone will be doing that and you’ll find it hard getting out. Don’t get into a lift during an earthquake. Just hide under some strong covers near you.
When an earthquake has ended, be careful because after-shocks may still happen. These are just as dangerous as the earthquake itself. So stay under the desk until you make sure it’s safe to get up.
1. Hide2. Try to be away from trees, signs, buildings and streetlights because these could
3. If you are in a shop and far from the door, don’t try to run to outside and
4. Don’t get into
5. When an earthquake has ended, be careful because after-shocks
6 . November 5 is World Tsunami(海啸) Awareness Day. Tsunami is a Japanese word for a long, destructive(摧毁性的) ocean wave caused by an undersea earthquake. The goal of the anniversary is to learn from disasters(灾害) of the past and to prepare for the future. Two tsunamis in the last 15 years have changed the way people around the world think about these destructive events.
On December26, 2004, a magnitude (震级) 9 earthquake near the coast of Indonesia caused tsunami waves that struck the coasts of four countries. An estimated(估计的) 230,000 people died and costs were in the billions of dollars. Then, on March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9 earthquake struck northeastern Japan. It was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in that country. More than 18,000 people died. The tsunami also caused serious damage to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power center on the island of Honshu. Several nuclear reactors(核 反应堆) were severely(严重地) damaged and leaked(泄漏) radiation(辐射).
The two events caused people in the Pacific and Indian Ocean areas to study and improve preparedness for disasters. This led to the SendaiFrameworkfor DisasterRiskReductionin 2015 in Sendai, Japan. The agreement was a UN effort to raise awareness(提高意识) about disaster risks and to urge(催促) countries to assess(评估)how well they were prepared for them.
Willem Rampangilei is head of the Disaster Management Agency in Indonesia. He said Indonesia passed a law on disaster management after the 2004 tsunami. It led in 2008 to the creation of his agency. “Our responsibilities include reduction and preparedness, emergency response, as well as post-disaster recovery and reconstruction(重新建设),” he said. He added that 150 million Indonesians were at risk from earthquakes, 60 million from floods and four million from tsunamis.
Preparedness has spread beyond Asia. There are now early warning systems in place for the Caribbean Sea, the Northeast Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and surrounding(周围的) areas.
1. What does the underlined word mean in the passage?| A．Knowledge. | B．Preparation. | C．Day of remembrance. | D．Change. |
| A．Natural disasters are too powerful for people to survive. |
| B．Earthquakes and tsunamis often take place on islands. |
| C．Nuclear reactors can be safe even if damaged in an earthquake. |
| D．Natural disasters can cause great losses to humans. |
| A．to reduce the damage caused by disasters. | B．to make people know more about disaster risks. |
| C．to help people get away from disasters. | D．to help with the reconstruction after the disaster. |
There is often a great noise during an earthquake. The ground vibrates (颤动).Houses fall down. Railways are broken, which causes trains to turn over. Sometimes thousands of people are killed in different ways. About 60,000 were killed in 1783 in the south of Italy. Some people say that earthquakes often happen near volcanoes(火山), but it is not true. The centres of some earthquakes are under the sea. The bottom of the sea suddenly moves. The powerful forces inside the earth break the rocks. The coast is shaken and great waves appear. These waves travel long distances and rush over the land when they reach it, breaking down houses and other buildings. Sometimes they break more buildings than the earthquake itself.
A terrible earthquake happened in Assam, India, in 1986.The land near Shillong suddenly moved 1.5 feet to one side, and then back again. It continued to act like this 20 times a minute.Few buildings could stand what was happening and the great stones flew four feet up into the air. What kind of building stays up best in an earthquake? The Americans carefully studied the results of the earthquake at San Francisco(1906) and believed it best for buildings to be made with concrete(混凝土) walls together by steel frames. Such are the buildings that can't burn or fall easily.
1. The best title of this passage should be .
| A．The Centres of Earthquakes |
| B．Earthquakes |
| C．The Loss(损失) Caused by Earthquakes |
| D．Buildings and Earthquakes |
| A．Trains' turning over is directly caused by the earthquakes. |
| B．Some earthquakes have their centres under the sea. |
| C．It isn't certain that earthquakes happen near volcanoes. |
| D．Buildings with concrete walls are better against earth quakes. |
| A．near volcanoes | B．in Japan |
| C．in Britain | D．Both A and B |
| A．Nothing |
| B．Volcanoes |
| C．Forces inside the earth |
| D．Terrible waves by the earthquake |
| A．trains | B．thousands of people |
| C．a great noise | D．the powerful forces |
