1 . 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 heard the big sound, ______.| 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 |
| 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. |
2 . The rescue of an Austrian skier who was found alive after being buried by an avalanche is being called a “miracle”. Police in Upper Styria — the mountainous and forested region in southern Austria — said they were alerted on Christmas Day that a 26-year-old skier had not returned from the slopes. The man who alerted police said he had managed to get through to the skier’s mobile phone but heard only “cracking noises” on the line, the BBC reported.
A rescue team was able to trace the skier beneath more than 3 feet of snow using an electric avalanche victim’s transceiver (无线电收发两用机), which skiers are required to wear in avalanche-prone areas. They found the man was on a slope of Mount Pleschnitzzinken, in the northwestern area of Upper Styria. “You can’t move under a blanket of snow like this,” Stefan Schrock of the Styria mountain rescue service told Austrian public broadcaster ORF. “The man was extremely lucky that he had a big enough air pocket under the blanket of snow, so he had oxygen too and was able to breathe.”
The man was found about two hours after authorities were first alerted. However, the avalanche hit the region three hours before that when the man was buried in the snow. A rescue team and local police dogs dug the man out of the snow and he was taken down the valley suffering from hypothermia (体温过低). He was otherwise unharmed.
An avalanche also swept across a marked ski trail near the Swiss town of Andermatt on Thursday, injuring two people. Four others were either rescued themselves from the snow unhurt. Police and rescuers searched the snowslide after witnesses said more people might be buried, but the operation ended with police saying there were no more victims. The avalanche occurred mid-morning while many holiday skiers enjoyed mountain sunshine the day after Christmas.
1. Why did the man alert the police?| A．He found two people injured. |
| B．A 26-year-old skier got lost. |
| C．He heard only terrible noises. |
| D．Many people got lost on the slope. |
| A．Only the dog helped him. |
| B．He had an electronic transceiver. |
| C．A blanket of snow helped him. |
| D．He had a big enough air pocket. |
| A．For two hours. |
| B．For three hours. |
| C．For five hours. |
| D．For a week. |
| A．A terrible avalanche. |
| B．A Christmas miracle. |
| C．An exciting rescue. |
| D．A Christmas ski. |
3 . The night the Titanic sank
From a high place on the ship, Fred Fleet, who worked on the Titanic, saw the iceberg just a few hundred metres a way. He rang the bell to warn the people to stop the ship.
Soon after midnight, the crew of the Californian saw rockets going up into the sky from the Titanic. Their captain said, “Fireworks!
At 2:20 am on April 15th the Titanic finally sank. Another ship, the Carpathia, heard the Titanic's last call for help.
| A．The accident happened at about 11:40 pm. |
| B．Everyone was very proud of the Titanic. |
| C．The passengers of the Titanic are having a party. |
| D．It was 58 miles away, but it raced to help the ship. |
| E．But it was travelling too fast to stop, and it hit the iceberg. |
| F．Before the accident, the Titanic had received an ice warning. |
| G．A lot of people stayed on the ship instead of trying to escape. |
4 . It’s a good idea for families to talk about what they would do to escape a fire.You’ll want to talk about escape plans and escape routes,so let’s start here.
An escape plan can help every member of a family get out of a burning house.The idea is to get outside quickly and safely.Smoke from a fire can make it hard to see where things are,so it’s important to learn and remember the different ways out of your home.If you live in an apartment building,you’ll want to know the best way to the stair or other emergency exits.If you’re in a room with the door closed when the fire breaks out,you need to take a few extra steps:
Check to see if there’s heat or smoke coming in the cracks (裂缝) around the door.
If you don’t see smoke — touch the door.If the door is hot or very warm — don’t open the door!
If you don’t see smoke and the door is not hot — then use your fingers to lightly touch the doorknob (门把手).If the doorknob is hot or very warm—don’t open the door!
If the doorknob feels cool,and you can’t see any smoke around the door,you can open the door very carefully and slowly.When you open the door,if you feel a burst of heat,or smoke pours into the room,quickly shut the door and make sure it is really closed.If there’s no smoke or heat when you open the door,go toward your escape route exit.
1. The best title for the passage is__________.| A．How to Deal with Smoke from a Fire |
| B．How to Make an Escape Plan and an Escape Route |
| C．The Best Way to Find the Stair or Other Emergency Exits |
| D．Steps on How to Escape a Fire in a Room with the Door Closed |
| A．get outside quickly and safely |
| B．stay in the room and wait for help |
| C．try to put out the fire by yourself |
| D．jump out of the room through windows |
| A．Find the nearest stair and run down. |
| B．Close the door as quickly as possible. |
| C．Open the door very carefully and slowly. |
| D．Escape from your room as quickly as possible. |
| A．A safety guide book. |
| B．A traffic guide book. |
| C．A science fiction. |
| D．A science report. |
5 . Notre-Dame, the cathedral (大教堂) that serves as one of Paris’ most beloved monuments, is on fire. According to The New York Times the fire began around 6: 30 p.m. local time when tourists urgently rushed out of the building. Andre Finot, a spokesman for the cathedral, told The Times that the cause of the fire was still unknown and that no one had been hurt while damage to the building appeared catastrophic(灾难性的).
CNN reports that over 400 firefighters have been sent to fight the fire, but that they may be unable to save the cathedral. Built in the 12th century, Notre-Dame houses several relics important to Catholics (天主教徒). NBC News reports that relics from Saint Genevieve and Saint Denis may be lost, together with a relic believed to be from Jesus Christ’s crown of thorns, but it states that the authorities now believe that the cathedral has been saved from “total destruction”.
Notre-Dame is visited by a reported 30,000 people a day and 13 million people per year. Its destruction represents a global cultural loss. “This is just horrible,” Mohamed Megdoul, 33, a film producer and witness to the fire told The Times, speaking in tears. “A thousand years of history is being wiped away. This belonged to the whole world, and now it’s disappearing.”
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his sadness on Twitter. Other politicians, including Melania Trump, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, also shared their sadness on Twitter.
1. What do we know about Notre-Dame according to the passage?| A．It has been completely destroyed by the fire. |
| B．It’s a huge political loss to the world. |
| C．It’s only meaningful to Catholics. |
| D．The reason of the fire remained to be found out. |
| A．The history of France is destroyed because of the fire. |
| B．The loss the fire caused is huge. |
| C．The damage to Notre-Dame is being wiped off. |
| D．The cathedral has been saved from “total destruction”. |
| A．To report a disaster about Notre-Dame. |
| B．To express people’s sadness about the destruction. |
| C．To emphasize the value of Notre-Dame. |
| D．To show the worldwide concern. |
6 . My two daughters and I got into the car to spend our weekend in Florida. Autumn, the elder one, offered to drive. I sat next to her, and Amber sat in back. After setting off, the three of us sang to the radio at the top of our voice.
It was a great trip until the rain poured and the rain was too heavy. “I have to pull over, ” Autumn said. She tried to enter the far right lane (车道) to find a place to stop, but trucks ran fast, making water onto our car. The car was out of control, then worse — it started to move left and right. Autumn fought to control it but it was too late. We ran into a truck. The girls jumped out of the car. My chest felt much pain.
“Get out, Mom. Come on！” Amber cried. “I can't,” I said. Autumn took out her cellphone, “There's been an accident. Send an ambulance (救护车)！” Amber and Autumn pulled me out of the car and helped me lie on my back in the grassy area by the roadside. I had to calm myself and looked up. A man held a large umbrella over me and other kind faces appeared above me. A woman helped to treat a cut over Amber's eye. Another woman came close to me and said, “No one in the truck was injured. Help was on the way.” The woman mentioned she was a nurse; the other woman who took care of Amber's cut was an eye specialist. We couldn't have asked for better care.
In the hospital the pain in my chest began to disappear. Later, the tests at the hospital made sure we had no serious injuries. We'd left all our troubles behind thanks to these kind people, who seemed to be angels (天使) in my eyes.
1. How did the author and her two daughters feel after setting out?| A．They were worried about the weather. |
| B．They enjoyed themselves greatly. |
| C．They thought it was a long journey. |
| D．They felt lucky to take the journey. |
| A．To stop by the roadside. |
| B．To follow the truck closely. |
| C．To get into the fast traffic lane. |
| D．To move the car left and right. |
| A．Unexpected heavy rain |
| B．Leave our troubles behind |
| C．Kind angels saved the day |
| D．My two kind daughters |
7 . Mr. Peter Johnson, aged twenty-three, battled for half an hour to escape from his trapped car yesterday when it landed upside down in three feet of water. Mr. Johnson took the only escape route—through the boot(行李箱).
Mr. Johnson’s car had finished up in a ditch(沟渠) at Romney Marsin, Kent after skidding on ice and hitting a bank. “Fortunately, the water began to come in only slowly,” Mr. Johnson said. “I couldn’t force the doors because they were jammed against the walls of the ditch and dared not open the windows because I knew water would come flooding in.”
Mr. Johnson, a sweet salesman of Sitting Home, Kent, first tried to attract the attention of other motorists by sounding the horn and hammering on the roof and boot. Then he began his struggle to escape.
Later he said, “It was really a half penny that saved my life. It was the only coin I had in my pocket and I used it to unscrew the back seat to get into the boot. I hammered desperately with a hammer trying to make someone hear, but no help came.”
It took ten minutes to unscrew the seat, and a further five minutes to clear the sweet samples from the boot. Then Mr. Johnson found a wrench and began to work on the boot lock. Fifteen minutes passed by. “It was the only chance I had. Finally it gave, but as soon as I moved the boot lid, the water and mud poured in. I forced the lid down into the mud and scrambled clear as the car filled up.”
His hands and arms cut and bruised(擦伤), Mr. Johnson got to Beckett Farm nearby, where he was looked after by the farmer’s wife, Mrs. Lucy Bates. Huddled in a blanket, he said, “That thirty minutes seemed like hours.” Only the tips of the car wheels were visible, police said last night. The vehicle had sunk into two feet of mud at the bottom of the ditch.
1. What is the best title for this newspaper article?| A．The Story of Mr. Johnson, A Sweet Salesman |
| B．Car Boot Can Serve As The Best Escape Route |
| C．Driver Escapes Through Car Boot |
| D．The Driver Survived A Terrible Car Accident |
| A．The hammer. | B．The coin. | C．The screw. | D．The horn. |
| A．Mr. Johnson’s car stood on its boot as it fell down. |
| B．Mr. Johnson could not escape from the door because it was full of sweet jam. |
| C．Mr. Johnson’s car accident was partly due to the slippery road. |
| D．Mr. Johnson struggled in the pouring mud as he unscrewed the back seat. |
| A．Luckily the door was torn away in the end | B．At last the wrench went broken |
| C．The lock came open after all his efforts | D．The chance was lost at the last minute |
| A．the ditch was along a quiet country road | B．the accident happened on a clear warm day |
| C．the police helped Mr. Johnson get out of the ditch | D．Mr. Johnson had a tender wife and was well attended |
8 . A snowboarder was feeling lucky to be alive yesterday after a helicopter rescue(直升机营救).
Ben Akintola, 30, was snowboarding in the French Alps under a clear blue sky in the afternoon when a large amount of snow fell down the side of the mountain. He didn’t have time to escape(逃脱) and it hit him with full force and knocked him senseless.
He woke in the night in total darkness. He was lying on an icy rock. Amazingly, he still had a mobile phone signal(信号), so he called a friend a thousand kilometers away in Britain. His friend called the French rescue services.
“I was waiting for what seemed like hours on that rock. I was beginning to give up hope when I heard the sound of a helicopter. It was circling around in the darkness, looking for me. I was trying my best to wave my mobile around. Fortunately the helicopter pilot saw the light.”
“I was overjoyed when the helicopter headed my way. It stayed above me and began lowering a rope.”
Ben was in hospital last night but he was not being treated for any serious injuries. He’s looking forward to going home today.
The French rescue services said: “We were very pleased that we were able to save Ben. The risk of snow slide off-piste(非滑雪场地的) is much higher at this time of year. All snowboarders and skiers should stay on the ski runs and not go off-piste. Ben was very lucky.”
1. What happened to Ben?| A．He got lost in the French Alps. | B．He had a snowboarding accident. |
| C．He was separated from his friends. | D．He was knocked down by falling rocks. |
| A．from his friend | B．in the early afternoon |
| C．after receiving his call | D．when seeing his mobile |
| A．It made him strong in the darkness. | B．It caused him to hope for the best. |
| C．It was shorter than he expected. | D．It was a little discouraging. |
| A．A Lucky Escape | B．A Rocky Mountain |
| C．Risks of Snowboarding | D．French Rescue Services |
9 . Yi So-yeon, an engineer from Seoul, returned to Earth on Saturday after 11 days aboard the International Space Station(ISS)along with Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and US astronaut Peggy Whitson.
A technical problem turned a routine(常规)return to Earth into a sharper than usual descent(下降)that tested the group members' energy and courage. They landed in the Kazakh steppes(大草原)about420km(260 miles)wide of their target.
''During the descent there was some kind of fire outside the Soyuz capsule because we were going through the atmosphere, '' Yi said.
''At first, I was afraid but the two other guys looked okay so I tried to look okay too. ''
Yi smiled and joked her way through a 10-minute news briefing at Star City the wooded Soviet era cosmonaut training centre on the edge of Moscow. However Malenchenko and Whitson looked tired and thin after nearly six months in space. Their answers were short and Whitson needed support to balance when she walked. The 29-year-old Yi has become famous in R.O. Korea since the take-off but she brushed this aside and said she has had little contact with friends or family since returning.
''In fact they are the heroes right now, '' Yi said referring to Malenchenko and Whitson. ''I'm just a beginner and a little ashamed to say that I am a hero. '' She did though relate a more light-hearted incident on the ISS.
''I sang Fly Me to the Moon'' Yi said about the 1950s pop song. ''It's my favourite song from university although at that time I didn’t know I would be an astronaut. ''
The capsule's so-called ''ballistic'' re-entering made the group members face twice the usual pull from the centre of the earth. The flames Yi described may have been caused by friction(摩擦)heating the capsule as it fell through the atmosphere.
Whitson told reporters that Saturday's, ballistic landing was irregular but not an emergency.
''The Soyuz has been through its history very reliable and there has obviously been some issue in the last couple of descents which went ballistic but I'm sure the engineers will determine what the problems are and get them fixed, '' she said.
In October a Soyuz capsule carrying Malaysia's first space tourist touched down about 200 km(125 miles)off course in a similar ballistic landing caused by a technical problem.
The Soyuz is the world’s longest-serving manned space capsule. An early version of the craft the Vostok carried the first person into space in 1961.
Whitson, 48, has become the American with the longest amount of time in space with 377 days.
1. What's the main idea of the passage?| A．Flight in space is very dangerous. |
| B．Not everybody can go into space. |
| C．Fearful landing tests the Korean astronaut |
| D．Yi didn't know she would be an astronaut when she was our young. |
| A．a fire was caused by the friction |
| B．she had no such experience before |
| C．she was not brave enough |
| D．the other two didn't help her |
| A．Yi So-yeon, a space tourist came from R.O. Korea |
| B．Whitson became energetic when they landed on earth |
| C．the two other guys were not afraid during the descent |
| D．the Soyuz, an unmanned space capsule, had a long history |
| A．experience is very important for astronauts to ensure safety |
| B．Yi So-yeon will never return to the space station |
| C．people are not willing to experience the space flight |
| D．we should draw a lesson from the accident |
10 . On Sunday, undersea explorer Tim Taylor and his team at the Lost 52 Project announced that they had located the long-lost submarine on June 5 about 1,427 feet underwater off Okinawa, Japan. Last year, researcher Yutaka Iwasaki found that the Navy had originally made an error in translating the Japanese war records that detailed where the Grayback had likely sunk. All this time, the Navy's historical records had listed an incorrect site for the submarine's location.
With the help of autonomous underwater vehicles, remotely operated vehicles and advanced imaging technology, the team discovered the Grayback about 100 miles from the area where it was originally thought to have gone down. The discovery was officially confirmed by the Navy, Robert S. Neyland, the head of the Naval History and Heritage.
On January 28, 1944, the Grayback set sail from Pearl Harbor for the East China Sea. About a month later, the submarine reported sinking two Japanese ships on February 19. Though the Grayback was scheduled to arrive in Midway on March 7, more than three weeks passed without sight of the submarine. And on March 30, 1944, the Grayback, one of the most successful submarines of World War II, was reported lost.
Gloria Hurney, whose uncle Raymond Parks died on the Grayback, said that she wasn't sure that the Grayback would ever be recovered. So when she first learned of the discovery, she felt a mixture of shock, disbelief, sadness. Eventually, though, those feelings turned into relief, comfort and peace. Hurney said in a statement to CNN. ''I believe it will allow recovery as relatives of crew members come together to share their stories. '' Neyland said in a statement, ''Each discovery of a sunken craft is an opportunity to remember and honor the service of our Sailors. ''
1. Why was the submarine NOT found before?| A．The Navy was wrong in changing records into Japanese . |
| B．The technology was not so advanced. |
| C．No information about the submarine was obtained. |
| D．There was no need to find it. |
| A．By accident. | B．By the Navy's hard-working. |
| C．By the families' determination. | D．By modern technology. |
| A．People's feeling about the discovery was complicated. |
| B．The Grayback would be recovered soon. |
| C．The Grayback was the most successful submarine of the World WarⅡ. |
| D．The Grayback was supposed to reach the destination on April 7. |
| A．Tim Taylor and his team announced a new discovery. |
| B．A World War Ⅱ submarine was discovered. |
| C．An opportunity to remember and honor the service of Sailors. |
| D．A mistake the Navy made in translating the Japanese war records. |
