1 . In 1840, Chicago was a small town of forty-five hundred souls. It ranked 92nd in population in the United States. Yet, only three decades later, by 1870 — just a year before the great fire — Chicago was closing in on a population of 300,000, making it the fifth-biggest city in America and the fastest-growing city in the world.
What led to all this rapid growth? In three words: location, location, location.
“Chicago was near the center of the country, and near where the waterways and railways met,” city historian Tim Samuelson notes. “It was a perfect place for anything and anyone to get anywhere...”
Timing had a lot to do with it, too. America was moving from a rural to an industrial power. Chicago was right in the middle of the action. Ironically, its rapid growth was almost its undoing. “Chicago had to build, and build quickly, and so they built it out of wood,” explained Sarah Marcus of the Chicago History Museum. “It was quick, it was easy, and it was cheap.”
And, as it turned out, very “easy” to catch fire.
By most accounts, the fire started on the city’s West Side, near the De Koven Street barn of Patrick and Catherine O’Leary. No one is sure of the cause, but it could have been anything, from vandals (故意) to a drunken neighbor to that clumsy cow of urban legend.
Within minutes, the fire got out of control, tearing through Chicago’s business district. The fire was so hot, it created its own tornado of flame. By 3:30 a.m., all hope of saving large parts of the city was gone. Nearly 30 hours later, the fire finally died. The reason? There was nothing left to burn.
The losses were shocking: The fire took away nearly 300 lives, destroyed over 17,000 buildings covering almost 3.5 square miles, and caused damage of over $200 million—about 3.8 billion today. Roughly a third of the city lay in ruins, and one out every three people living in Chicago — nearly 100,000 residents — became homeless overnight.
1. Which paragraph describes the rapid growth of Chicago?| A．paragraph 1. | B．paragraph 2. |
| C．paragraph 4. | D．paragraph 5. |
① Chicago was built out of wood.
② Chicago had good transportation.
③ Timing was perfect.
④ Wood was cheap.
| A．①③ | B．②④ | C．①④ | D．②③ |
| A．happy | B．sad | C．nervous | D．hopeful |
| A．The cause of the fire was clear. |
| B．The fire was put out by firefighters. |
| C．The fire caused great damage to Chicago. |
| D．Lage parts of the city was saved. |
2 . Barbara was driving her six-year-old son, Ben, to his piano lesson. They were late, and Barbara was beginning to think she should have called it off. Barbara, a nurse at the local hospital, was very tired at that moment. The coldest season and the terrible weather just brought them more difficulties.
“Mum!” Ben cried suddenly. “Look!” Just ahead, a car had lost control on the icy road and crashed（猛撞）into a telephone pole. Barbara stopped her car quickly and opened the door. She said to Ben, “Dear, promise me you'll stay in the car!” “I will, Mum,” Ben said as his mum ran. She was a nurse-she might be able to help the unlucky people. It was terrible. Two girls aged about 18 were in the car. One was dead and the other was still breathing. Barbara quickly cleaned the wounds in the driver's head. Ben called for help on his mum's phone. Soon an ambulance came. “Good job, Barbara, you've saved her life,” one doctor said as he examined the driver's wounds. Barbara walked back to her car with a feeling of sadness, especially for the family of the girl who had died. Later, Barbara was able to meet the family of the driver. They expressed their thanks to Barbara for the help she had provided.
1. When did the accident happen?| A．In spring. | B．In summer. | C．In autumn. | D．In winter. |
| A．Because he saw a traffic accident. | B．Because he didn't want to go to the piano lesson. |
| C．Because he wanted to tell his mum to drive carefully. | D．Because he remembered the piano lesson had been called off. |
| A．the driver died in the end | B．Ben and Barbara were helpful |
| C．Barbara called an ambulance on her phone | D．the two girls were taken to hospital by Barbara |
| A．Sad. | B．Happy. | C．Surprised. | D．Excited. |
| A．The accident happened on Barbara's way home. | B．Ben helped his mum clean the driver's wounds. |
| C．The girl who died was a nurse, too. | D．The one who examined the driver's wounds knew Barbara. |
3 . The Lomax family needed a dog. Though their house was already full with seven people, they knew a dog would truly make the house a home. So they settled on a dog whom they named Jack.
It was Jack’s protective instinct (本能) that would eventually save the lives of Lomax family. Indeed, if it wasn’t for him, the family may never have survived the terrible accident that would eventually befall (降临到头上) them one cold January day in 2017.
It was a night like many others. Autumn, the family’s youngest child and her mother Ashley had settled into bed in one of the bedrooms on the second floor. Jack, who rarely left Autumn’s side, had settled in there as well.
The four-legged family member knew something was wrong but had no way of telling his owners.
In no time at all, the fire had engulfed (吞没) nearly the entire home, but luckily, all of the Lomax had made it out alive, with Jack leading the way.
| A．it turned out to be the best decision they ever made. |
| B．Jack took to little Autumn, the youngest of the family. |
| C．He jumped upon Ashley’s bed and began touching her face. |
| D．Their old house had been in the Lomax family for more than 30 years. |
| E．All of them jumped out of bed and headed out into the cold January night. |
| F．Little did they know that something terrible was about to happen that night. |
| G．As soon as she could, Ashley took hold of Autumn and began to move away from the door. |
4 . The ground we walk on seems firm, but deep under the earth and under the sea the rocks change and move. In some parts of the world there are “fire mountains”， which we call volcanoes. From time to time they burst open and throw out fire and burning ashes. These volcanoes are very dangerous.
Hong Kong does not have any volcanoes but there are many volcanoes in Indonesia and Philippines. There is also a famous mountain near Tokyo, Japan, which is a volcano too. Its name is Mount Fuji. For much of the year it is covered with snow.
One of the most famous volcanoes which erupted in recent times was Krakatoa, on an island in Indonesia. The first explosions took place on 20th May, 1883, but the biggest eruption did not come until the 26th and 27th August of that year. The people on the island were used to the explosions by that time, and so they were completely unprepared for this terrible happening. Almost all the people on the island died and the explosion also made huge waves in the sea, which drowned (淹死) many people on the other island nearby. After the eruption was over, people saw that the whole northern part of the island had completely disappeared. Scientists say that 15 cubic (立方) kilometres of rocks and ash were thrown up in the explosion. The noise of the explosion was heard nearly 5,000 kilometres away in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and the city of Jakarta was completely dark for about two and a half hours.
1. There are many volcanoes ________.| A．everywhere in the world |
| B．under the earth and the sea |
| C．in Hong Kong |
| D．in Indonesia |
| A．had never met any explosions of the volcano before |
| B．were used to the explosions by that time |
| C．didn't want to leave their island |
| D．could do nothing but wait |
| A．see that the 15 cubic kilometres of rocks and ash were thrown up |
| B．hear the noise of the explosion |
| C．see the huge waves |
| D．see that Krakatoa was dark |
| A．all the people on the island die |
| B．the whole island disappear |
| C．the city of Jakarta completely dark for about two and a half hours |
| D．huge waves in the middle of the Indian Ocean |
5 . ROME— four people, including the wife of the factory's owner, died on Wednesday after explosions （爆炸）at the Barcelona Pozzo di Gotto fireworks company, Italian media reported.
According to online reports by La Republic and TGCOM24, at least one other person is missing and three others are seriously injured, with two of them in dangerous condition. Among the dead was 71-year-old Venera Mazzeo, the wife of the factory owner Vito Costa. Mazzeo reportedly died on the scene. Antonio Costa, the owner's son, was seriously injured and was transported to a hospital in the regional capital of Palermo for treatment. Less seriously injured persons were moved to the nearby Milazzo Hospital to be treated for burns and other injuries. Many were transported by local people who reached the scene before ambulances could arrive, reports said.
The factory, located near the northeast of the southern Italian island of Sicily, near the city of Messina, has been in operation for more than ten years without any accident. Police reports showed that two separate explosions took place, with the first explosion likely causing the second one. Media reports said that police have guessed that sparks （火花）from a repairing project reached some of the explosive material stored in the factory and was likely the cause of the first explosion.
Reports also showed that firefighters were able to control the flame, which burnt buildings on the factory and threatened nearby structures.
1. How many people lost their lives in the accident except Venera Mazzeo?| A．Three. | B．Four. |
| C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．One worker's cigarette spark. |
| B．A fire nearby the factory. |
| C．The explosive material in the factory. |
| D．The sparks from a repairing project. |
| A．Antonio Costa died on the scene because of the flame. |
| B．Most injured persons were sent to hospital by ambulance. |
| C．The factory had been in safe operation before the explosions. |
| D．There were three explosions in total in the accident. |
| A．A travel guide. | B．A newspaper. |
| C．A magazine. | D．A science report. |
