Early one weekend morning, I was sleeping like a log when the telephone rang. When I answered I heard my Grandma’s voice “Hey, sweetheart. I have missed you so much lately. Why don’t you come to the countryside and enjoy some fine views?” she asked. “Dad, Grandma is inviting us to her home,” I shouted to my father who was busy in the kitchen. “Fine with me,” he responded in a casual tone. After a quick breakfast, we drove to Grandma’s.
Once we arrived, we were both thrilled by the breathtaking landscape. The plum trees in the backyard were ripe with fruit, while millions of wildflowers colored the valley. Grandma prepared delicious lunch including her special homemade apple jam, which was my favorite. Seeing my greedy eyes, grandma said “Take some when you leave, and I’ve got plenty stored in the cellar (地窖) .” Talking and laughing, we didn’t even notice that it was late in the afternoon, though somewhat cooler than it had been that morning. Grandma suggested that we take her homemade wooden boat for a tour along the nearby river.
Seated in the boat, looking up at the sky, I felt like the clouds were greeting us cheerfully from above. In the vast fields, the golden trees were like brides in the sun. The breeze skimmed over the surface of the field, carrying the sweet smell of the flowers. It was like a picture painted by one of the Dutch masters. “It is so nice to spend some quality time with family,” Dad murmured. “It feels like we’re on an adventure,” I added. “It’s been so much fun!”
While we were admiring the splendid setting around us, the weather started getting hot and humid again. At first, we ignored this change, but when dad looked up at the sky, he saw dark, low clouds were approaching us. Then a fierce gale (大风) sprang up. Lightning flashed within the black clouds, followed by a roar of thunder. “Row!” Dad shouted, trembling, “A tornado (龙卷风) is coming!”
There was no time to think. We rowed as fast as we could.
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Grandma opened the door for us.
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1. Where is the speaker?
| A．In Hong Kong. | B．In Los Angeles. | C．In New York. |
| A．The flight hours are too long. |
| B．There’s a typhoon in the nearby area. |
| C．The plane will travel over the Pacific Ocean. |
| A．At 6:00 a.m. | B．At 10:00 a.m. | C．At 6:00 p.m. |
| A．Sunny and hot. | B．Rainy and cloudy. | C．Stormy and cold. |
3 . On the day the tornado hit, there was no indication severe weather was on its way—the sky was blue and the sun had been out. The first warning my husband, Jimmy and I got came around 9 p.m., from some scrolling text on the TV Jimmy was watching.
No sooner had we found coverage of the tornado than it was on top of us. I didn’t know how or if we would make it down the steps. It felt as if there were no floor underneath me as the wind lifted me off my feet. I gripped the banister(楼梯扶手) and tried to move forward, but this intense pressure held me in place. In those seconds of practical stillness, I could hear everything around me rattling.
We got close to the staircase landing only to hear the loud ripping（撕裂） sound of our garage door coming off. The back wall of the house followed suit and tore off into the darkness outside.
By the time I reached the closet, the tornado had been over us for about a minute. Jimmy pushed me down to the closet floor, but he couldn’t get inside himself because of the wind. I held Jimmy’s arm tightly as the tornado sucked the door open—we never did get it fully shut—and tried to bring Jimmy with it. My knees and head were full of glass, but in that moment, I felt no pain. If I had let go, Jimmy would have flown right out the back of the house and into the bay.
“Hold on! Hold on!” he yelled. But there was nothing in this closet to hold on to. All of a sudden, Jimmy lifted off his feet like people in tornadoes do in the movies. I thought he was gone. And then everything stopped. He landed on his feet. In those first quiet moments, I couldn’t believe it was over. Jimmy said he’d go outside to check. “No,” I said. “Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me.”
1. What does the underlined word coverage mean?| A．damage | B．reports |
| C．arrival | D．delay |
| A．Because she was too eager to help her husband to feel it. |
| B．Because she was frozen in amazement. |
| C．Because she was held entirely by the power of tornado. |
| D．Because she was frightened by the damage caused by the disaster. |
| A．scared, surprised but calm | B．surprised, terrified but determined |
| C．astonished, confused and moved | D．amazed, determined and grateful |
1. When did it rain last time in Juárez?
| A．Three days ago. | B．A month ago. | C．A year ago. |
| A．Spring. | B．Summer. | C．Autumn. |
| A．Take a walk in the afternoon. |
| B．Keep their homes cool. |
| C．Drink plenty of water. |
| A．Hosting a radio program. |
| B．Conducting a seminar. |
| C．Forecasting the weather. |
