1 . Rescuers in Jersey said Sunday after an all-night search that there was no hope of survivors from an explosion that flattened a three-story apartment block. At least three people were confirmed killed in the accident early Saturday in the Channel island’s port capital St Helier, following a suspected gas leak. “We have three confirmed deaths and it’s fair to say we expect to find more,” police chief Robin Smith told a news conference, saying that around 12 residents remained unaccounted for. “It is with sadness that I am confirming that the search-and-rescue operation has been moved to a recovery operation,” he said.
The phase involved a “painstaking search of the debris” which could take weeks, Smith said, adding that a gas leak was the ‘likely” cause. Aided by sniffer dogs and experts from southern England, Jersey emergency workers had searched the rubble (瓦砾)overnight.
Fire chief Paul Brown confirmed that firefighters were called out to investigate the smell of gas on Friday evening, more than seven hours before the explosion. But in vain. He admitted that something had gone “horribly wrong”, considering the subsequent disaster, but insisted that Jersey islanders could still have confidence in his service. Jersey’s gas supplier, Island Energy, said it was working with the fire service to understand what happened.
Like many others in St Helier, Jersey’s Chief Minister Kristina Moore said she was awoken by the explosion. “Across the island you could hear this extraordinary sound,” she told the BBC. “It’s unthinkable news, so we’re all absolutely shocked and really worried about the people who are involved and about those whose lives have been lost.”
The incident caps a tragic week for Jersey, a British Crown dependency not part of the United Kingdom, whose economy relies on banking, tourism and fishing. “We must call on the collective strength of the island community,” Moore said.
1. What’s the possible cause of the accident?| A．The gas leak. | B．The gas supplier. |
| C．The recovery operation. | D．The unexpected explosion. |
| A．Rescuing the dead. | B．Searching the rubble. |
| C．Searching for the debris. | D．Working with fire service. |
| A．He had predicted the explosion hours before it. |
| B．The fire service was investigating the explosion. |
| C．People lost confidence in the island’s fire service. |
| D．The fire service was partly responsible for the accident. |
| A．Panicked and frightened. | B．Relieved and hopeful. |
| C．Astonished and concerned. | D．Fearful and sorrowful. |
2 . The sound that woke Damian Languell at 8:15 am was so loud that he assumed it came from inside his house. As he got up to investigate, he heard another sound, this one coming most definitely from outside. Looking out of his bedroom window, he spied a tree engulfed(淹没) in smoke about 500 yards away. A car was wrapped around the tree’s base, its engine on fire.
Grabbing buckets of water, Languell and his girlfriend ran to the crash site. The wreck looked worse up close. The car, a 1998 Buick, was split nearly in two, and the tree was where the driver’s seat ought to have been, as if planted there. No one should have survived this crash, and yet there was 16-year-old Quintin Thompson, his terrified face pressed against the driver’s side window, in visible pain. Languell tried putting out the fire with his buckets of water with no success. When the flames got into the front seats, he realized he had to get the boy out of there.
In an act that a police report described as showing “complete disregard for his own safety”, Languell opened the Buick’s back door and crawled in. Thompson was struggling to get free, Languell says. “That’s when I noticed how bad his legs were.” Using a pocketknife he’d had the foresight to bring with him, he sawed through Thompson’s seat belt.
Now that Thompson was free, Languell pulled him out a back window of the vehicle, then dragged the teen to safety before the entire car was engulfed in flames.
Although Thompson suffered multiple fractures(骨折) to his legs, spine, and face, a social media post described him as “looking great, smiling, and joking.” Languell thinks about that day often. “My heart goes out to Thompson. When you are that close to that level of hurt, you feel it so directly. ”
1. When Damian rushed to the crash site, .| A．the police had arrived |
| B．the whole car was completely in flames |
| C．Thompson was terrified and painful |
| D．Thompson was smiling and joking |
| A．brave | B．lucky |
| C．simple-minded | D．warm-hearted |
| A．His own bravery and persistence. |
| B．The several buckets of water. |
| C．The timely arrival of the police. |
| D．The pocketknife Damian carried with him. |
| A．he called 911 immediately |
| B．he stayed inside his house |
| C．he woke up his girlfriend |
| D．he got up to see what happened |
My car broke down,
4 . An executive was driving his new car on a street.He was
He jumped out of the car,
“Thank you,” the little boy
After that, he never did
| A．looking | B．watching | C．caring | D．waiting |
| A．Before | B．Although | C．As | D．While |
| A．spot | B．situation | C．surface | D．lounge |
| A．saw | B．found | C．stuck | D．grabbed |
| A．Remaining | B．Growing | C．Building | D．Making |
| A．cost | B．spend | C．use | D．cause |
| A．begged | B．required | C．asked | D．wondered |
| A．get | B．light | C．lift | D．put |
| A．Worried | B．Depressed | C．Moved | D．Surprised |
| A．chew | B．melt | C．spit | D．swallow |
| A．medicine | B．handkerchief | C．belt | D．money |
| A．demanding | B．expecting | C．checking | D．wanting |
| A．push | B．bring | C．hand | D．raise |
| A．recovery | B．repair | C．reform | D．record |
| A．information | B．hope | C．attention | D．noise |
5 . In the fall of 1915, polar explorer Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance (耐力号) sank off the coast of Antarctica. While all of the expedition’s 28 crew eventually were rescued, the ship’s final resting place has remained a much-discussed maritime mystery. That is, until today. A team of researchers has announced they’ve located the wreck at the bottom of the Weddell Sea, almost the northernmost part of Antarctica.
Endurance was backed by the British government and private donors and supported by Winston Churchill to deliver a group of explorers to the coast of Antarctica and then travel overland across the continent via the South Pole.
It set out from South Georgia on December 5, 1914, shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. But the enemy that Shackleton and his men faced was of a different sort. The Weddell Sea, covering an area of more than a million square miles, is one of the most remote and unforgiving environments in the world, littered with icebergs and roiled by strong surface winds. Shackleton called it “the worst sea in the world.”
The expedition made good progress at first, but as the Antarctic winter of 1915 closed in, the men found themselves trapped in the sea ice on Tuesday, October 26. The next day, the men removed tools, instruments, and provisions and set up camp on the ice floe. Endurance finally sank on November 27. Shackleton famously said, “What the ice gets, the ice keeps.” . But Endurance’s story did not end with the ship’s sinking.
In 2019, the Falklands Heritage Maritime Trust began its first expedition to find the ship but had been unable to locate the wreck. This winter, they tried again, organizing and funding Endurance22.
One of the toughest problems, besides the sea ice, was establishing the ship’s location. After Endurance was initially trapped in the ice, it continued to drift as the floes moved with the current. Due to poor visibility on the day the men abandoned the ship, however, the captain had been unable to take proper measurements that would help calculate the direction and speed of the floes.
1. Which can show the positions of Weddell Sea and Antarctica?A． | B． |
C． | D． |
| A．Endurance hasn’t been found since the fall of 1915. |
| B．Endurance was only supported by Winston Churchill. |
| C．Ernest Shackleton died and sank off the coast of Antarctica in the fall of 1915. |
| D．Ernest Shackleton’s goal was to travel across the Antarctica via the South Pole. |
| A．The sea ice. |
| B．The Antarctic winter. |
| C．The things they carried. |
| D．The captain’s unreasonable command. |
| A．The way how to establish the ship’s location. |
| B．The reason why locating the ship is difficult. |
| C．The measurements that the captain took to locate the ship. |
| D．The time when Endurance22 was organized and funded. |
6 . Last year, Kristen Yaldor celebrated her thirty-seventh birthday with a travel in Zimbabwe. But an unthinkable
Kristen was rowing a boat in a lake when something terrible appeared below her boat—a broad, rocklike back. She was immediately
Kristen certainly was
Kristen’s story is evidence of one’s power over the body. Although she’s got serious injury, she never lost the
| A．puzzle | B．request | C．incident | D．surprise |
| A．attacked | B．noticed | C．attracted | D．touched |
| A．success | B．fame | C．independence | D．recovery |
| A．led | B．pulled | C．shown | D．thrown |
| A．waited | B．managed | C．refused | D．chose |
| A．river | B．animal | C．land | D．boat |
| A．calm | B．angry | C．worried | D．excited |
| A．water | B．blood | C．air | D．light |
| A．rescue | B．remind | C．inspire | D．observe |
| A．huge | B．dangerous | C．peaceful | D．gentle |
| A．satisfied | B．cool | C．lucky | D．modest |
| A．sat | B．appeared | C．rushed | D．walked |
| A．mystery | B．strength | C．energy | D．curiosity |
| A．skill | B．devotion | C．will | D．knowledge |
| A．chances | B．troubles | C．doubts | D．changes |
Want to know how to survive a plane crash? What about a terrorist attack? To put your mind at ease in any situation, you can almost guarantee your survival if you never leave the house without 3 necessary items, i.e.a lighter (打火机), a lifestraw(生命吸管) and a raincoat.
Your first instinct (本能) might be to search for help the minute you realize you’re in trouble. But survival experts insist you should stay where you are until help finds you. Doing so will make it easier for the search and rescue teams to locate your location.
What should you do until then, you ask? Prepare to hunker down (蹲下) for the long run. That’s where your three pieces of survival necessities come into play, Stewart says.
For one, you should have something to start a fire on you at all times. Fire-starting tools are inexpensive to purchase, and you can easily carry them around in a backpack or pants pocket. But even without a fancy item, all you really need is something to light the first fire.
“You can use cotton balls covered in petroleum jelly (凡士林) as a fire starter,” Stewart told USA TODAY. “They are water-resistant and will start a fire with just a spark.”
Second, you’ll need something to make your drinking water fit to drink, such as a canteen (水壶) that can boil water. Stewart recommends buying a $20 lifestraw, which can be inserted into the muddiest pool of water you can find and you suck the water out. Any doubt? It could still save your life, Stewart says.
Paragraph 1:
“I always say that your life depends on your water source,” he says.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
You can keep all three items with you when you are away from your home.
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| A．Two o'clock. | B．Four o'clock. | C．Five o'clock. |
9 . People have always been attracted to rock-climbing and plenty of accidents have resulted from this hobby. Seventeen-year-old Wendy Sherlock has fallen three times without any injury while rock-climbing, but after her latest accident last Saturday, she is lucky to be alive.
Wendy has been in hospital for two days after an eight-metre fall from a rocky cliff in the Sanderson National Park. She doesn't remember much about the accident, and it's not surprising considering her injuries.
“I've got quite a bad head injury — that's the worst thing." Wendy explained. “But I've also broken my arm and a couple of my ribs (肋骨) and there's a problem with my left shoulder." She doesn't know how long she will have to stay in hospital, as the doctors haven't told her yet. However, she is realistic about her recovery. "I'll be in here for a while, and I need time to recover because I hit my head when I fell on the ground. That's why I can't remember anything about the accident.”
Wendy's doctors are certain that there's no long-lasting damage, but they've advised her to give up her dangerous sport. However, Wendy is undeterred. "Since I was a child, I've always loved climbing and I decided to continue doing it," she said. "I think this accident is simply a reminder to take a little more care. I've started to feel better already, and I can't wait to start climbing again."
1. What can we know from the first paragraph?| A．Wendy is experienced in mountain climbing. | B．Wendy never had accidents while rock-climbing. |
| C．Wendy got seriously injured while rock-climbing. | D．No difficulty can stop Wendy from rock-climbing. |
| A．She has fallen three times. | B．She has a bad head injury. |
| C．She has to stay in hospital for a long time. | D．She can't wait to start rock-climbing again. |
| A．Not confused. | B．Not determined. | C．Not satisfied. | D．Not discouraged. |
| A．Cool Sports. | B．A Lesson for Wendy. | C．Sports and Fitness. | D．A Climbing Accident. |
10 . Most people are hoping the recent stranding (搁浅) of the 1,300-foot, 220,000-ton Ever Given container ship (集装箱货运船) in the Suez Canal was a one-off---just a case of a very big ship getting stuck in a narrow waterway. However, more than 100 ships of similar size are passing through the world’s waterways, and even bigger ones are being built.
Capt.Andrew Kinsey, a senior marine-risk consultant (海洋风险顾问) for a global financial services firm, says with heavy weather in the North Pacific Ocean over the past year, a lot of containers are going overboard (落水). Part of the problem is the way the ultra-large ships handle at sea with towering stacks (堆叠) of containers, especially in strong winds.
Alan Murphy, chief executive of a container-shipping research and advisory firm in Copenhagen, Denmark, says it’s difficult to know whether there has been an increase in the number of containers going overboard or if trans-Pacific container losses over the past year have just received more attention.In a November report, the World Shipping Council found the number of such incidents to be falling in recent years, although the report does not cover 2020. There is no central database for reporting container losses, so it’s not known exactly how many containers fall overboard, Murphy says.
Murphy says container ships are often fully loaded nowadays, as demand for consumer products has jumped during the corona virus pandemic. “In the past, these huge ships have never really sailed as fully loaded as they are now,” he says.“Obviously, the more the ship carries, the greater the risk of an incident happening.”
“The stranding of Ever Given in the Suez Canal is a warning,” Kinsey says.“We’ve been bring up the issue of size in our yearly safety and shipping review and in papers for over five years.”
Carrying more containers needs bigger and wider ships, which means it is harder for them to sail through narrow waterways like the Suez Canal and move when they get stuck.
1. What can we imply from paragraph 1?| A．It might be a tough task to build bigger ships. |
| B．Costs of overseas shipments might rise sharply. |
| C．There might be changes in the world’s waterways. |
| D．More accidents like the recent stranding might happen. |
| A．No database for reporting container losses had been created. |
| B．Trans-Pacific container losses had received more attention. |
| C．The number of container losses had dropped in recent years before 2020. |
| D．More container losses happened in 2020 than in the past few years. |
| A．The extreme weather. | B．The increasing size of ships |
| C．The slow transportation. | D．The growing demand for consumer goods. |
| A．Warnings about the risks of stranding are given yearly. |
| B．Concern about larger ships has been voiced for some time. |
| C．Some container ships can carry as many goods as Ever Given. |
| D．Ships bigger than Ever Given won’t be allowed through the Suez Canal. |
