Question

    When the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris (巴黎圣母院) was on fire, it seemed as if the nation had lost a piece of its soul. A similar tragedy took place in 19th century Russia. And the rebuilding effort of the Russians might offer some inspiration for the French.

Standing in the heart of the Russian capital, with 60,000 square meters of floor space and 1,500 rooms, the Winter Palace was among the world’s grandest building. On Dec. 17, 1837, a fire broke out at the Winter Palace. By the morning of Dec.19, only the structure’s framework remained.

For the czar (沙皇) , the fire presented a political challenge. Fearing that Russia's enemies would cast the fire as a blow to the czarist orders, the czar’s supporters quickly worked together to shape the description of the fire in Russia and abroad. They wanted the country to appear united. And they certainly didn't want despair to become the story.

The first full account of the fire was written in French by the poet Petr Viazemskii. A Russian translation appeared two months later. That text and others painted a highly idealized picture of the response to the tragedy. The accounts noted that the czar forcefully directed the fire’s containment. Soldiers were selfless to save the palace. The Russian people felt the loss just as deeply as the czar.

To erase the shame of the fire, the czar set a nearly impossible goal: rebuild the palace within 15 months, and he ordered that rebuilt palace look exactly as it had before.Thousands of workers labored on the construction site. They made rapid progress. On Match 25, 1839, the czar celebrated the rebirth of the Winter Palace.

Outwardly identical to the old version, the new palace featured more iron and brick in its structures---and less wood. It was far less fire-prone than the original.

Notre Dame hasn’t experienced the same level of destruction as the Winter Palace, if the Russian phoenix of 1839 is any indication, there is hope that a renewed Notre Dame will once again grace the banks of the Seine.

1.What do we know about the fire in the Winter Palace?

A. It burnt down 60,000 rooms

B. It lasted more than 24 hours

C. It was set by Russia’s enemies

D. It completely destroyed the palace

2.Why did the czar decide to rebuild the palace in a short time?

A. To secure his power

B. To challenge his enemies

C. To unite French people

D. To celebrate his birthday

3.What did Viazemskii and others stress in their accounts?

A. The scene of the fire

B. The selflessness of the czar

C. The Russians’ joint effort to fight the fire

D. The ideal result achieved by the Russians.

4.What’s the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A. To describe a fire at the Winter Palace

B. To praise the renewal of the Winter Palace

C. We express sympathy for the Notre Dame

D. To inspire confidence in rebuilding the Notre Dame.

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.C

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。由巴黎圣母院着火的事情，作者想到了俄罗斯冬宫也曾经历过失火后重新修建的故事。1837年冬宫失火，烧得只剩下了框架。沙皇怕这场火影响自己的统治地位，一边稳定人心，一边在15个月内重新修建了冬宫。以史为鉴，也许巴黎圣母院也将会重新屹立在塞纳河畔。

1.细节理解题。由文章第二段中的“On Dec. 17, 1837, a fire broke out at the Winter Palace. By the morning of Dec.19, only the structure’s framework remained.”可知，冬宫1837年12月17日着火，直到12月19日早上火才灭掉，冬宫只剩下了框架。所以大火持续了一天多。故B选项正确。

2.细节理解题。由文章第三段中的“For the czar (沙皇) , the fire presented a political challenge. Fearing that Russia's enemies would cast the fire as a blow to the czarist orders…”可知，对于沙皇来说，这场火意味着一个政治挑战。它害怕俄罗斯的敌人将这场火作为借口不服从沙皇的命令，所以采取了后续的行动。故A选项正确。

3.细节理解题。由文章第四段中的“The accounts noted that the czar forcefully directed the fire’s containment. Soldiers were selfless to save the palace. The Russian people felt the loss just as deeply as the czar.”可知，这些对火势的描述中描写了沙皇竭尽全力控制火势，士兵奋不顾身去保护冬宫，俄罗斯人与沙皇一样对冬宫深感损失严重。也就说强调了俄罗斯人上下一心救火。故C选项正确。

4.推理判断题。由文章最后一段中内容“巴黎圣母院烧毁程度没有像冬宫那么严重。如果1939年俄罗斯的冬宫复现是一种指引，那么巴黎圣母院重新屹立在塞纳河畔还是有希望的。”可知，作者是增强巴黎圣母院重建的信心。故D选项正确。