The Notre Dame (巴黎圣母院) fire

It feels as though the very heart of France and the soul of Europe have been broken. The fire of Notre Dame in Paris     1     Monday evening was an act of blind and terrible destruction,     2     (cause) great emotional pains to us all. We all share France’s terrible loss.

The fire struck     3     (quick) and uncontrollably. It gathered force with huge power. Much of the roof and the central building caught fire. After an hour or so, the Paris firefighters were able     4     (get) part of the fire under some degree of control and to protect other     5     (part) of the building that may survive. As night     6     (fall), the great west towers still stood against the sky, proud but hurt.

The Notre Dame is the symbol of the French capital and of France itself. It     7     (be) in its place since the 12th century. It is world famous not simply as a Parisian building but through the     8     (write) of Victor Hugo,     9     made the building itself come alive in his novel Hunchback of Notre Dame.

We believe the Dame will rise again in time. This terrible fire is not an event that should     10     (ignore) or quickly forgotten. We stand with France in its hour of heartbreak. We will never, ever, turn away.