1 . When the sand began kicking up and hitting our faces, I started to worry that maybe we had made a mistake.

That afternoon, my dad had stood on the deck（露台）of our home and laughed as our neighbors packed up their cars and headed inland. They left to spend the night in motels or at friends’ homes that were out of range of approaching summer storm.

Challenging the weather that threatened to damp our spirits, we lit a fire on the beach. Dad told jokes and we had a good time. When it was 6:30 p.m., all laughter disappeared. Our eyes were drawn to the sky. A tornado（龙卷风）was headed straight for us! In a flash, we were all on our feet. The wind started screaming and now we were running to the cottage. My mom stopped next to the front door. “Where can we go?” She shouted at my dad.

Most cottages on this part of Lake Michigan had been built without basements. Ours was no exception. The huge windows and the cottage itself wouldn’t offer safety from high wind.

“Follow me!” my dad yelled. We crawled（爬）beneath the deck, pressing ourselves against the foundation of the cottage. Between the deck supports, we watched the approaching storm in silent terror.

My dad shouted, “Hold on!” and something else I couldn’t hear over the screaming wind. I think he was praying. By the time it reached our cottage, it was nothing more than a strong wind. The rest of the storm lasted for an hour and then simply blew away.

“Next time, we’ll stay inland at Grandma’s. Okay?” my dad said.

1. What did the family do before the storm came?

A．They sat on the deck.	B．They stayed on the beach.
C．They packed up the cars.	D．They visited their neighbors.

2. Where were they running when the tornado was headed for the family? They were running ________.

A．to the motels	B．to the their friend’s home
C．to the cottage	D．to the beach

3. What does the underlined sentence “Ours was no exception.” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Our cottage had got a basement.	B．Our cottage hadn’t got a basement.
C．We hadn’t expected to get a cottage.	D．We had expected to get a cottage.

4. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．How the family survived the tornado.	B．What to do in face of a tornado.
C．How important it is to build a basement.	D．How a father protected the family.

2 . The future of Australia’s solar industry is looking bright after a record 3.5m panels(嵌板)were installed on rooftops last year, giving the equal output of a medium-sized coal-fired power station. The record 1,057 MW of capacity (产能) in small scale systems installed across the country broke the previous record set in 2012, figures from the Clean Energy Regulator showed on Tuesday.

Australia’s solar power prosperity could almost double capacity in a year, The data also revealed that the average system size has also doubled since then from three to six kilowatts as average prices continued to fall. A fully installed 5KW system costs an average of $5,930 in Australia, according to the energy broker Solar choice. net. au. Its records show that the price has roughly halved in many capital cities since 2012.

The regulator’s executive general manager, Mark Williamson, said there was increasing interest in renewals as a way to take control of electricity bills. But more importantly, he said it was also good news for reducing carbon emissions,

“We are seeing a wide cross section of Australians—households, community centers, schools, and small businesses—receiving rewards under the small scale renewable energy scheme,” Williamson said, “Our data shows consumers are embracing renewable energy to take control of their electricity bills. ”

In 2017, there was a 41% increase in installing renewable energy capacity across all states and territories compared to 2016. Queensland led the way with installed capacity at 295MW, with the Australian Capital Territory taking top place for the biggest annual increase by 57 %. “I he data collected by the Clean Energy Regulator in 2017 reflects the industry is going from strength to strength, It looks like 2018 will be another big year for the solar industry.”

The total of installed capacity for last year is expected to rise to 1,070MW when all the data is collected. A large coal-fired power station such as Loyd Yang A in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley has a capacity of 2, 200MW.

1. What do we know about the Australia’s solar industry from the first paragraph?

A．It’s still risky.

B．It’s promising.

C．It’s unpredictable.

D．It’s within expectation.

2. What’s the reason for the Australia’s solar industry’s development?

A．The continuous fall of average price of installing a solar energy system.

B．The entire decrease of the carbon emissions.

C．The autonomous control of the electricity bills.

D．The doubt about the capacity of coal-fired power station.

3. What does the underlined phrase “from strength to strength” in Paragraph 5 suggest?

A．Australia’s solar industry is being accepted.

B．Australia’s solar industry is developing rapidly.

C．Australia’s solar industry is more practical than before.

D．Australia’s solar industry is more advanced than other countries.

4. What is the biggest feature of the renewable energy according to Mark Williams?

A．Reducing pollution.

B．Providing enough energy.

C．Lowering electricity bills.

D．Simplifying installed equipment.