THIS was the year the Earth struck back.
Earthquakes, heat waves, floods, volcanoes, super typhoons, snow storms, landslides and droughts killed at least a quarter of a million people in 2010 – the deadliest year in more than a generation. More people were killed worldwide by natural disasters this year than have been killed in terrorism attacks in the past 40 years combined.
"It just seemed like it was back-to-back and it came in waves," said Craig Fugate, who heads the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency. It handled a record number of disasters in 2010.
And we have ourselves to blame most of the time, scientists and disaster experts say.
Even though many catastrophes have the ring of random chance, the hand of man made this a particularly deadly, costly, extreme and weird（古怪的） year for everything from wild weather to earthquakes.
Poor construction and development practices conspire to make earthquakes more deadly than they need be. More people live in poverty in vulnerable（脆弱的） buildings in crowded cities. That means that when the ground shakes, the river breaches, or the tropical cyclone hits, more people die.
Disasters from the Earth, such as earthquakes and volcanoes "are pretty much constant," said Andreas Schraft, vice president of catastrophic perils for the Geneva-based insurance giant Swiss Re. "All the change that's made is man-made."
The January earthquake that killed well more than 220,000 people in Haiti is a perfect example. Port-au-Prince has nearly three times as many people - many of them living in poverty - and more poorly built shanties than it did 25 years ago. So had the same quake hit in 1985 instead of 2010, total deaths would have probably been in the 80,000 range, said Richard Olson, director of disaster risk reduction at Florida International University.
In February, an earthquake that was more than 500 times stronger than the one that struck Haiti hit an area of Chile that was less populated, better constructed, and not as poor. Chile's bigger quake caused fewer than 1,000 deaths.
Climate scientists say Earth's climate also is changing, bringing extreme weather, such as heat waves and flooding.
In the summer, one weather system caused oppressive heat in Russia, while farther south it caused flooding in Pakistan that inundated 161,200 square kilometers, about the size of Wisconsin. That single heat-and-storm system killed almost 17,000 people, more people than all the worldwide airplane crashes in the past 15 years.
Scientists have calculated that the killer Russian heat wave—setting a national record of 43.9℃—would happen once every 100,000 years without global warming.
1.What is responsible for the most human deaths in 2010?
A．Natrual disasters. B．Terrorist attacks.
C．Poor buildings. D．Too rapid developrnent.
2.According to Andreas Schraft, .
A．earthquakes are happening more often because of human beings
B．earthquakes are causing more damage because of human beings
C．stronger houses should be built to limit storm damage
D．Port—au—Prince is now overpopulated
3.The main point of the article is to .
A．list the natural disasters that occurred in 2010
B．give the details of some natural disasters of 2010
C．warn that more natural disasters are to strike
D．blame humanity for not helping those affected by the disasters
Apparently，we are safe neither at home nor in the business office．We use water in both places，but the research shows that chemicals added to our local water supply to kill harmful bacteria can have unwanted side effects．These chemicals can cause potential harm through drinking and in seemingly harmless activities as cleaning one’s house．They are released from water by daily actions like water running out of tap，spraying from garden pipes，or splashing in dishwashers and washing machines．As the water is moving．these chemicals are released into the air and then breathed in. Once inside our bodies, they start to affect our health.
Does this mean we should stop bathing? No, say the scientists, but we should put all pollution into perspective. Activities at home such as the burning of coal, cooking oil, or even candles release carbon monoxide and particulates such as cigarette ashes which have been proven as harmful to health as working or living near heavy traffic. New tugs, bedding, and even clothing give off that“new smell, ”which is a sure sign of chemicals. In the office, newly applied paint, newly purchased telephones and other telecommunications equipment, and computers release polluting chemicals, too. As offices and homes often have inadequate ventilation (通风), these chemicals can build up to become health problems. Their poisonous effects are only now being slowly recognized.
These facts suggest that, at a minimum, proper airing of newly purchased goods with an obvious chemical smell is a wise warning. Home and office windows should be opened during good weather. Even one’s car needs to be ventilated as well while in the garage.
We need further research to understand better other potential health dangers, too. For example, the effects of overcrowding of schools (carbon dioxide build-up ), the factory work environment ( an endless list of potentially dangerous substances ), and even home heating and cooling (the air conditioner may be our enemies, not our friends) have only recently started to come to light. Until we understand the effects of our new technological environment better, we can only hope that“there is no place like home.”
1.What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
A．The air we breathe in is harmful.
B．The water in everyday use is unsafe.
C．Chemicals are added to the drinking water.
D．Chemicals are released in the running water.
2.In Paragraph 2, the underlined sentence means that .
A．bathing should be done with caution
B．homes and offices should be aired often
C．any pollution should be taken into consideration
D．we should prevent any pollution from doing harm to us
3.What is the purpose of the passage?
A．To call on us to guard our water.
B．To show us that no place is like home.
C．To make us aware of the pollution around us.
D．To argue that neither homes nor offices are safe.
When Charles Stratton was five, he stopped growing. His mother took him to see the famous showman, P. T. Barnum. Mr. Barnum thought a small person would be the perfect addition to his show. He hired Charles’ parents along with him, and they traveled the world together.
He gave the two-foot-tall Charles a name, General Tom Thumb. He taught Tom how to sing, dance, act and tell jokes. When he felt Tom was ready to perform on stage, he made up ads. To stir up great interest, he said that Tom was eleven years old and had come from England.
During the show, Tom fought battles pretendedly with tall people. He also danced upon a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall. Tom’s act was very popular and brought in a lot of money. By the time Tom was an adult, he had grown very rich. He had become a billionaire at the age of twenty five.
Fortunately for Tom, Mr. Barnum added more little people to his show, and Tom became lucky in love as well. One of the little people was Lavinia Warren, a schoolteacher. Tom was able to win her love, and they married.
The ceremony and reception were the talk of the town. They were attended by many rich and famous people and by about 2000 guests. Crowds filled the streets of New York to have a look at their tiny wedding marriage. The couple even met with President Abraham Lincoln on their honeymoon just before going to live in Tom’s house in Connecticut.
Their wedding, which took place during the Civil War, provided a welcome escape from the sad problems of war. Not willing to let this bit of sunshine fade, communities throughout the country sponsored(发起) “Tom Thumb” weddings. In these weddings, small boys and girls, all dressed up, went through marriage ceremony for fun.
1.“Talk of the town” means .
A. it was in the newspaper
B. people spread bad rumors about it
C. it was the most popular happenings
D. it was discussed in a city meeting
2.What does the author think about Tom’s wedding?
A. It helped people cheer up in a dark time.
B. People gave it too much of their attention.
C. It was funny and ridiculous.
D. Tom and Lavinia were stupid.
3.Tom would dance on a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall because .
A. the wooden plate would make it sound as if Tom was dancing
B. it made Tom look taller
C. the eight–foot–tall man was the only tall person Tom trusted
D. the difference between them would make Tom look even smaller
4.What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A. Weddings always make people feel full of sunshine.
B. People are always disappointed during war time.
C. Entertainment can serve an important purpose.
D. People should be married when they are small children.
Having said good-bye to his parents, Alvin, with his wife and one-year-old son, set off back home. Still ____36__, Alvin and Clare talked and laughed happily. And even little Alax ___37__ from time to time. The family were ___38__ their trip.
But about three hours later things began to ___39__. It was starting to snow. Alvin ___40__ up the car, hoping to arrive home before dark. But it was too dangerous to drive fast now. Because it was snowing more and more heavily. So Alvin had to __41___down. The snow on the __42___ was getting deeper and deeper until it was hard to __43___on it. Their car slipped of the way and got ___44__in the deep snow and the engine refused to start again. “The snow doesn’t seem to __45___. Shall we stay in the car waiting to be frozen to death or walk ahead through the snow?” Alvin asked. Clare said she __46___to walk. So they got out of the car with their son and began walking. But __47__was to come. Soon they lost their way and had to walk ___48__on and on.
Night came. They were not afraid of the dark. But they __49___that poor Alax would die of cold. However, their faith to keep Alax __50___ filled them with courage, warmth and strength. They ___51__ and rested in turn and then continued their walk. They had ___52__falls but each time true love encouraged them to rise to their feet again.
One, two, three, … seven days passed. On the eighth day, help at last came from Alvin’s __53___, the police and local people. But the young __54___had to have their feet cut off because of the bad frostbites（冻伤）___55__, there was nothing serious wrong with little Alax!
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1. |
A. excited |
B. sorry |
C. worried |
D. anxious |
|
2. |
A. cried |
B. shouted |
C. smiled |
D. coughed |
|
3. |
A. taking |
B. having |
C. enjoying |
D. starting |
|
4. |
A. take place |
B. change |
C. come |
D. finish |
|
5. |
A. climbed |
B. turned |
C. took |
D. sped |
|
6. |
A. get |
B. slow |
C. go |
D. look |
|
7. |
A. land |
B. highway |
C. fields |
D. car |
|
8. |
A. walk |
B. depend |
C. stay |
D. wait |
|
9. |
A. stuck |
B. moved |
C. prepared |
D. covered |
|
10. |
A. fall |
B. end |
C. continue |
D. melt |
|
11. |
A. liked |
B. preferred |
C. decided |
D. wished |
|
12. |
A. better |
B. something |
C. nothing |
D. worse |
|
13. |
A. hopelessly |
B. alone |
C. aimlessly |
D. pleasantly |
|
14. |
A. thought |
B. feared |
C. expected |
D. were sure |
|
15. |
A. happy |
B. silent |
C. alive |
D. dead |
|
16. |
A. slept |
B. walked |
C. watched |
D. ate |
|
17. |
A. a few |
B. several |
C. terrible |
D. countless |
|
18. |
A. friends |
B. parents |
C. neighbors |
D. brothers |
|
19. |
A. husband |
B. wife |
C. couple |
D. baby |
|
20. |
A. Therefore |
B. Finally |
C. Then |
D. Fortunately |
---Mary may not like the idea , you know .
--- _____? I don’t care what she minds .
|
A. How come |
B. What if |
|
C. So how |
D. So what |
_____in convenient locations, chain stores are usually next door to people’s homes and close to the bus stops or underground stations.
|
A. Opened |
B. Having opened |
|
C. Being opened |
D. Opening |
