1 . 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. |
2 . While driving home after work, Jane Hodgson noticed a car pulled over at the side of the road and a crowd beginning to gather around someone who was lying on the ground.
Jane, who had completed a first aid at work course, pulled over to see if she could offer any help — and it turned out to be lucky for the young injured girl that she did.
Describing the scene she came across, Jane says: “The onlookers were ashen-faced and looking lost. They were so shocked that they hadn’t even thought to call for an ambulance yet.”
After speaking to the emergency services, Jane started finding out what had happened and what injuries the young girl called Jenny had. The girl had been hit by a car and gone over the handlebars of her bike, landing on her head and shoulder. Her shoulder and arm were twisted (扭曲) underneath her.
“She hadn’t been wearing a helmet (头盔) when she got knocked down, and I thought that she should not be moved as I couldn’t be sure about a spinal injury (脊椎损伤), but after looking her over and checking the circulation in her injured arm I did feel fairly confident that she had escaped relatively unhurt.
“As we were waiting for an ambulance, the amount of pain the girl was in was increasing. To distract (分散注意力) her and minimize the risk of her going into shock I kept her talking. She held my hand tightly when the pain got too much and this helped. I told her I could handle it — we laughed about that,” describes Jane.
Later, a doctor from the local hospital’s ICU stopped at the scene too. The ICU doctor decided that Jenny should lie on her back, making her much more comfortable until the emergency services arrived.
Thinking back, Jane says: “For me, knowing that in a small way I helped that girl through what was a frightening experience is all the reward I need. I felt great to know I’d made a difference and I’d do it again.”
1. We can learn from the text that Jane Hodgson _____.| A．is an ICU doctor | B．is a first⁃aid trainer |
| C．works in a local hospital | D．has learned some first aid |
| A．Jenny had a spinal injury |
| B．Jenny didn’t have serious injuries |
| C．Jenny couldn’t remember what had happened |
| D．Jenny lost her helmet when she was knocked down |
| A．Jenny refused to talk | B．Jenny went into shock |
| C．Jane was a little impatient | D．Jane kept giving Jenny confidence |
| A．Strict but caring. | B．Tough and generous. |
| C．Proud but determined. | D．Warm-hearted and helpful. |
3 . The big fire inside her flat did not stop the brave grandmother. The 70-year-old only had thoughts of saving her mentally-unsound son as she dashed right into the sea of fire.
The fire happened in the morning at an apartment block in Hong Kong. The grandmother, identified as Madam Guan, had gone for Mandarin lessons at her local community centre. When she returned home at around 10 a.m., she heard her neighbors calling for the firefighters the moment she stepped out of the lift.
When Madam Guan realized it was her flat that was on fire, she got frightened. Inside the flat was her second son Mr. Feng, diagnosed with depression when he was 15 and also with problems with his vision.
Guessing that her son was probably trapped in the fire, Madam Guan rushed into the flat even though it was already covered in smoke. She found him moving on the floor of his room, with his face and hands badly burnt. She quickly helped her son up and half-carried him as they made their escape.
The firefighters arrived soon after and put out the fire. Mr. Feng was later sent to the hospital, with 20 percent burns on his body. Madam Guan was unhurt. Mr. Feng is the only child still living with her since her husband died more than 10 years ago. Mr. Feng is jobless, preferring to stay in his room.
After the fire was put out, she was reportedly so distraught upon seeing the scene.
“I’ve really lost everything this time.”
The fire at her flat is believed to have been caused by a short circuit(电路).
1. When did Madam Guan realize her house caught fire?| A．When she went for her lessons. |
| B．At about 10:00 p.m. |
| C．After she stepped out of the lift. |
| D．When she saw her son moving on the floor. |
| A．liked to work at home |
| B．had been ill for many years |
| C．was only injured a little |
| D．often stayed at home alone |
| A．20 percent of Mr. Feng’s face was badly burned. |
| B．Madam Guan’s house was seriously destroyed. |
| C．With the firefighters’ help Mr. Feng escaped from the fire. |
| D．When found, Mr. Feng was finding his glasses. |
| A．worried | B．angry | C．happy | D．disappointed |
| A．A Brave Grandmother in a Big Fire |
| B．A Big Fire |
| C．A Lucky Escape |
| D．Granny, 70, Rescues Son from Burning Flat |
4 . 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. |
The main structure of Notre-Dame cathedral (巴黎圣母院) — including the two bell towers — has been saved after firefighters worked through the night to put out the big fire.
Now that it has been put out, experts have been able to explain the difficulties fire crews faced as they fought to save such a large, historic building.
A complex flammable (易燃的) roof?
It’s not yet known exactly how the Notre-Dame fire began, but it appears to have started near the top, eventually spreading across the rest of the wooden roof.
Gregg Favre, former commander at St Louis Fire Department in the US, pointed out how flammable the building is. He explained on Twitter: “Let’s pause to remember how fires actually burn. It involves key elements like fuel, oxygen, heat and a chemical chain reaction.” Unfortunately, none of these elements are easy to remove in this case.
“To start with, removing the fuel is a no go. Churches have no shortage of things to burn. Although a huge oak beam(梁) is generally difficult to get burning, as smaller timbers (木材) fuel the fire and the temperature rises, the timbers will eventually ignite (点燃) in a phenomenon known as a flashover.”
“The heat that a fire this size is putting off is terrific. Little options for interrupting that. The chemical chain is off to the races.”
“That leaves the oxygen. Unsurprisingly, even if the roof had not burnt off, churches are nearly impossible to control ventilation (通风) in. Their design is to be open and airy. Great for Sunday worship, terrible for managing fire spread.”
Dumping water from above?
As the fire burned, US President Donald Trump suggested that flying water tankers (罐车) could be brought in to fight the flames from above.
Professor Rein, the head of Imperial College London’s fire-studying Hazelab said“ Trump wasn’t the first person to come up with the suggestion, however, it was not a good idea because it would have damaged the structure of the cathedral, collapsing the walls”.
The force of water coming from an air tanker is strong and no-one has been trained to use one in a city. He added that Monday’s fire was “not the time to test this”.
How safe can they make Notre-Dame?
Professor Rein says that “fire engineering” will need to be considered when reconstructing the cathedral. Fire engineering is now in place in modern landmarks such as the Shard in London.
“We keep seeing these buildings go up in flames like this. However, it’s relatively easy to prevent. Notre-Dame should install sprinklers (消防喷淋).” he said.
Much as the Notre-Dame fire is a tragedy, information from studying it will be priceless in protecting other buildings.
| Background | Despite difficulties, firefighters | |
Elements | The roof is made up of flammable wood, so Heat and chemical chain are also hard to get | |
Dumping water from above doesn’t make | The strong force of water would have put the structure of the cathedral at | |
| Conclusion | Fire engineering should be considered in the protection of heritage sites in an effort to avoid | |
6 . Angela was driving back home with her kids, 5-year-old Lexi and 10-week-old Peter and the car was packed with all the necessities for a trip: toys, milk powder and snacks.
As she was driving, Angela found they were on a part of road that was under construction. The long journey had begun to bother Peter, who started crying. Angela inserted a nursery rhyme CD into the stereo and hoped it would help.
The warm sun and the soft music had a relaxing effect. In no time, both children became quiet. Angela’s eyes close too, for just a few seconds.
When Lexi suddenly woke up, she found it was dark. Airbags obscured all the windows. Lexi’s neck hurt and Peter was crying loudly. She told herself to get out of the car, but when she pulled the handle, the door was stuck. Turning onto her side, Lexi kicked at the door until it flopped (猛地打开) open and the car was filled with sunlight.
That’s when Lexi spotted her mother in the front seat. She tried to wake her up but Angela didn’t respond. Lexi looked over the side of the SUV and saw they were on a steep hill. It was only a large tree that kept the car from rolling down.
Her shoes had come off, but Lexi felt no pain as she climbed over glass, rocks, and pine needles up the embankment (路堤) to the highway her mother had driven off.
A driver, Jeremy, was travelling on the highway when he saw a tiny child jumping up and down, waving her arms. He pulled over. “Help!” Lexi cried out. “My mom needs help!” Jeremy looked up and down the tree-lined road but saw nobody. The barefoot child pointed to the destroyed SUV downhill. Without hesitating, he ran down the hill.
1. What made Lexi and Peter quiet immediately in the car?| A．Games. | B．Music. |
| C．Toys. | D．Snacks. |
| A．tiredness | B．warm weather |
| C．impatience | D．road condition |
| A．Naughty and quick. | B．Calm and proud. |
| C．Healthy and careless. | D．Smart and brave. |
| A．Blocked. | B．Exploded. |
| C．Removed. | D．Damaged. |
