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
2 . 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 |
3 . On September 5, 2022, a strong earthquake hit Luding, Sichuan. Many people ran as fast as they could to a safe place, but some others made a different choice. They risked their lives to save more people. Gan Yu was one of them. When the earthquake came, Gan Yu and Luo Yong, workers the Wandong Hydropower Station (湾东水电站), didn’t run away. Instead, they went to the station to open two flood-gates (泄水闸门) so that villages nearby wouldn’t be flooded (淹没).
On September 6, Gan and Luo left the hydropower station to look for help. On September 7, Gan was physically weak and he couldn’t walk properly. Thinking that he would cause trouble for Luo, Gan asked Luo to leave first to find help. Luo agreed. On the morning of September 8, Luo was saved.
Gan remained missing until September 21. A local villager, Ni Taigao, found him. The earthquake damaged (损坏) Ni’s house on the mountain, so he had to live in a house down the mountain. One day, Ni returned to the mountain to look for his sheep and saw rescue (救援) workers who were looking for Gan. As he knew the mountain well, he decided to help look for Gan.
At 7 a.m. on September 21, Ni took some water and food and set out. After walking for more than two hours, Ni heard somebody shouting for help and later found Gan lying in the forest. He was very weak. At 11:30 a.m., rescue workers arrived and Gan was sent to the hospital at once.
Looking back on this experience, Gan said, “We stayed at the hydropower station because we wanted to save the villagers. And later, I was saved thanks to the villagers.”
How wonderful!
1. What did Gan do right after the earthquake happened?| A．He saved his workmate Luo Yong. |
| B．He helped look for missing villagers. |
| C．He tried to run away from the hydropower station. |
| D．He tried to prevent damage to nearby villages with his workmate. |
| A．after he found enough water |
| B．because they got lost in the forest |
| C．because he was too weak to walk properly |
| D．after they heard the shout of rescue workers |
| A．he knew the mountain well | B．he got on well with Can |
| C．Can saved his family | D．Gan saved his sheep |
| A．on September 7 | B．by a local villager |
| C．near the hydropower station | D．about 10 days after the earthquake |
| A．A terrible earthquake. | B．An important floodgate. |
| C．The changes of a hydropower station. | D．The experience of an earthquake hero. |
4 . Earthquakes are hard to predict (预言). But do you know what to do before, during and after an earthquake? Here’s some advice:
Before an earthquake It’s necessary to prepare yourself and your family. All family members should know how to turn off gas, water and electricity and know useful telephone numbers (doctor, hospital, police, 119, etc.). Never put heavy things over beds.
During an earthquake It’s important for each of you to stay calm. If you are indoors, quickly move to a safe place in the room such as under a strong table. The purpose is to protect yourself from objects (物体), stay away from windows, large mirrors, heavy furniture and so on. If you’re cooking, turn off the gas. If you’re outdoors, move to an open area like a playground. Move away from buildings, bridge and trees. If you are driving, stop the car as soon as possible, staying away from bridges and tall buildings. Stay in your car.
After an earthquake Once the shaking has stopped, DO NOT run out of the building at once. It’s better to wait and leave when it’s safe. Check around you and help the people who are in trouble. If your building is badly broken, leave it. If you smell the gas, get everyone outside and open windows and doors. If you can do it safely, turn off the gas. Report it to the gas company.
1. Which of the following is mentioned in the second paragraph?| A．People should know how to turn on gas. |
| B．People should know how to save water. |
| C．People shouldn’t put heavy boxes on the beds. |
| D．People shouldn’t forget some useful phone numbers. |
| A．standing there | B．staying calm |
| C．looking outside | D．moving indoors |
| A．slow down your car |
| B．stop your car and stay in it |
| C．stop your car and run out to tall buildings |
| D．drive your car to the bridge as soon as possible |
| A．check around you and help those in trouble first |
| B．open the windows and doors and let people out at once |
| C．report the earthquake to your company |
| D．run out of the building at once |
| A．what an earthquake is like | B．how an earthquake happens |
| C．how to protect yourself in an earthquake | D．what to do to avoid an earthquake |
Every year, 12,000 to 14,000 e
After an earthquake happens, most researchers can quickly release（发布）the time, p
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This improvement is possible thanks to a deep learning method. The system is trained with millions of earthquake samples（样本）. It’s now t
Have you heard of the sandstorm? It is a natural disaster. It often happens in the desert. A sandstorm is like a snowstorm. They both bring a lot of trouble to people. In sandstorms, the wind carries the sand. Sandstorms are different from other disasters(灾难). They come with a warning(前兆) but other disasters come without any warnings. So when you see that clouds have a dark colour, it means there is going to be a sandstorm.
If it doesn’t rain for a long time, sandstorms may happen. When there are sandstorms in cities, there will be no planes in the sky. It would be dangerous for the pilot(飞行员)to fly the plane because he cannot see clearly. There would also be more traffic accidents in the street. The sky is gray and people cannot see very far.
There are many deserts in Africa and Asia. Sandstorms often happen in these places. People can stop sandstorms by planting trees.
1. Sandstorm is a2. Both a sandstorm and a snowstorm bring
3. There is going to be a sandstorm if the clouds have
4. Sandstorms may happen if it
5. When sandstorms happen, the pilot cannot
7 . 1. If an earthquake is happening, the most important thing to do is to DROP and COVER. Drop and cover mean falling onto the floor and getting under something for protection. During an earthquake, if you are indoors, it is very important to stay calm and take cover under a heavy thing.
2. If you are outdoors, stay as far away from buildings as possible.
3. Stay away from glass or anything that can fall.
4. If you are in a crowded place, do not run for the nearest exit. Everyone will be doing that, and it will be terrible. Take cover under something heavy and stay away from things that can fall on you. It is also very important to remain as calm as possible.
5. Be prepared for aftershocks（余震）after the initial（起初的）earthquake has ended. They are smaller than the first one, but still are very dangerous.
1. Suggestion 2 gives us a suggestion on what we should do when we are .| A．in our home | B．near the glass | C．outside a building | D．inside a building |
| A．Run fast when an earthquake happens. |
| B．Run for the nearest exit in a crowded place. |
| C．Don’t fall onto the floor when an earthquake happens. |
| D．Stay calm when an earthquake happens. |
| A．stay | B．bring | C．start | D．use |
| A．heavy | B．dangerous | C．safe | D．important |
| A．Some Suggestions for Different Places |
| B．How to Stay Calm in an Earthquake |
| C．How to Protect Yourself in an Earthquake |
| D．How to Stay away From the Dangerous Things |
8 . 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 |
9 . The fire at Notre Dame Cathedral（巴黎圣母院）in Paris has raised questions about the condition of thousands of other historic buildings across Europe.
Some people say the fire last month was a wake-up call, not just for Europe, but the whole world. Large fires have long robbed humanity of knowledge, art and treasures. One example is the fire at the famous library of Alexandria in northern Egypt about 1700 years ago.
In 2015, the German engineering company Siemens found that Scotland had about 10 serious fires a year, while England lost at least twelve listed buildings a year. In Germany, 70 historic buildings have been destroyed since 2000.
And all too often, fires happen while old buildings are being repaired. Experts say that what is needed is continuous attention and maintenance(维护). These steps, if taken, could help avoid the need for major repairing work.
But regular attention and maintenance costs money.
Part of the problem comes from the shortage of money provided by governments after the 2008 financial crisis (金融危机). As a result, governments are increasingly looking for rich companies to keep up these historic buildings.
“We do need more money, but this is a shared duty for governments, businesses and citizens across Europe,” said an officer from the European Union.
Some say world-famous monuments like Notre Dame are the driving force behind tourism and should get more respect. People have noticed the importance of such respect.
“Historic buildings are a gold mine(矿). You cannot explore it and then just leave the mine and go to another one. It is something you really have to value,” the officer said.
1. After the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral, more attention is paid to ________ .A．European governments  | B．famous libraries |
| C．engineering companies | D．the old buildings |
| A．robbers | B．fires | C．money | D．tourists |
| A．attention and maintenance | B．careful repairing work |
| C．enough respect from people | D．serious financial crisis |
| A．citizens around the world | B．the European governments |
| C．rich European businesses | D．the whole European society |
| A．value historic buildings | B．donate plenty of money |
| C．pay attention to big fires | D．avoid exploring mines |
Typhoons in the northern part of the world have girls’ names. Sometimes they have very beautiful names. Rose is a pretty name but there was nothing pretty about Typhoon Rose. It was the worst typhoon to hit Hong Kong in fifty years.
It began to rain on the morning of Monday, August 16th, 1971. At ten o’clock in the morning, Typhoon Rose was still 130 miles away but the wind was already blowing people’s umbrella away. The wind became stronger and stronger. The typhoon shelters（避难所） were soon full of boats. Ships that were too big to go inside the shelters put down more anchors（锚）. Some very big ships went out to sea. It is safer for a big ship to be at sea in a typhoon because it cannot be blown onto rocks. Kai Tak Airport closed. No planes were able to take off or land. At 9:00 in the evening, all the lights went out. No one slept well that night. It was difficult to sleep in such bad weather.
In Typhoon Rose, more than one hundred people died. 229 people were hurt and 66 of these had to go to hospital. 1,500 lost their homes. The people of Hong Kong will remember Typhoon Rose forever.
1. Typhoon Rose was the worst typhoon to hit2. When the wind became stronger and stronger, the typhoon shelters were
3. It was not easy for people
4. In Typhoon Rose, more than 100 people died and 1,500
5. The people of Hong Kong will never
