Every year, 12,000 to 14,000 e
After an earthquake happens, most researchers can quickly release（发布）the time, p
“It t
“If we are a
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
2 . 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 |
Why so many fires?
California is burning! Wildfires have spread across the US State since Oct 23 and smoke has filled its skies.
Take the Kincade Fire in northern California for example. It forced ( 迫 使 ) 200,000 people to e
California has seen many wildfires in recent years. Nine of the 10 biggest fires have happened since 2000, i
Why is this? California has the perfect wildfire c
Global warming has also made the fires worse in recent years. It has dried out the state’s trees and o
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Lightning strikes (雷击) and volcanic eruptions (火山爆发) can also cause wildfires. However, people have caused 90 percent of California’s wildfires, according to the US National Park Service.
More about wildfires
Wildfires often happen in wooded areas in the US, Canada and Australia. They are also k
Wildfires can burn at over 900℃ and reach heights of more than 50 meters. They can move at speeds of up to 23 kilometers an hour, burning e
4 . 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. |
5 . In northern China during spring, big sandstorm often make trouble for people. Sandstorms usually happen in spring. They have happened in more than 10 provinces in northern China this year. People in southern China don't have to worry about this kind of bad weather. Most of the sand comes from the north of China. In northern China, lots of places have few trees and don't get much rain. When there aren't many trees, the ground can't keep enough water. Over the years, the ground dries up and turns to sand. When spring comes and the ice melts, the ground becomes loose. Strong winds take theloosesand into the sky. Besides, in northeast China, there lies some vast deserts.
Sandstorms are bad for people's health. If people breathe in too much sand, they will cough or have serious illnesses. Sandstorms also give farmers lots of problems. Sometimes their sheep get lost in the storms and never come back home. The winds also tear the farmers' houses down.
What can you do to stop sandstorms? Here's a piece of advice. Ask your parents to help you plant some trees this spring. If you see people cutting down too many trees, tell them about the dangers of sandstorms, and ask your government to stop them.
1. When do sandstorms usually happen?| A．In summer. | B．In spring. | C．In winter. | D．In autumn |
| A．肥沃的 | B．贫瘠的 | C．疏松的 | D．大量的 |
| A．why sandstorms happen in northern China |
| B．the dangers of sandstorms |
| C．sandstorms aren’t terrible at all |
| D．how sandstorms happen |
| A．Plant more trees in spring. |
| B．Stop people to cut down too many trees. |
| C．Don’t stay outside when sandstorms happen. |
| D．Tell people about the dangers of sandstorms. |
| A．Sandstorms |
| B．How we can stop sandstorms |
| C．Why sandstorms only happen in northern China |
| D．Sandstorms can influence most of China |
