A
Hurricane Babette reached the northeastern United States today and caused death and destruction everywhere. The killer storm carried winds of 135 miles per hour. The high winds and heavy rains, together with the force of the Atlantic Ocean, created extremely dangerous waves. It is not yet known how many people died or were hurt in this storm, but it is said that the numbers will be very high. The damage to homes, business and crops will run into billions of dollars. Now that the storm is over, the long, slow rebuilding will begin.
With the arrival of the tornado season, the National Weather Service is again telling people how to protect themselves from these deadly storms. The winds from tornadoes are the most violent winds on earth. They can blow up to 400 miles per hour. A tornado looks like a funnel(漏斗). It is also very loud. It may sound like a train coming at you. In fact, the winds from a tornado can pick up a train and throw it around. If a tornado is seen in your area, it is very important that you protect yourself. A basement(地下室) is the safest place to go. Try to wait under a table in the basement. If your building does not have a basement, stay on the ground floor but lie flat under a bed or table. Stay away from windows. If you are outside or in your car, try to find a narrow place to lie down in.
As the area tries to deal with the worst flood of the century, there are many heartwarming stories of people helping other people. From all over the world people have sent food and clothes to help the thousands who have had to leave their homes. Many volunteers have come to help to make sandbags and use them to build walls against the overflowing river. While the result of this disaster will be terrible for many, it is beautiful to see people coming together to help others and save lives and property(财产)．
【解题导语】 本文讲述了自然灾害带给人们的灾难、在灾难中人们该如何自救，以及灾难中会发生的温暖人心的助人故事。
1．What are the three short paragraphs about?
A．Newspaper articles about the weather.
B．Bad weather forecasts in newspapers.
C．Introduction to climate in different places.
D．Popular science on climate.
A 解析：主旨大意题。第一段讲述飓风造成的损失，第二段讲述龙卷风中人们如何自救，第三段讲述了在这些灾难中人们的表现。故这篇文章应该是一篇关于天气的新闻稿。
2．According to the passage, a person who sees a tornado in his area, had better NOT ________．
A．stay on the ground floor but lie down under a bed
B．go to the basement and wait under a table
C．find a deep narrow place to lie down in
D．drive his car away as fast as possible
D 解析：细节理解题。由第二段最后一句中的“or in your car, try to find a narrow place to lie down in”可知应该停车而不是快速行驶。
3．We can learn from the passage that ________．
A．Hurricane Babette damaged the northwestern coast of US
B．when there’s flooding, sandbags can be made and used to build walls
C．the National Weather Service often takes measures to protect the local people
D．people are often reminded of how to protect themselves from snowstorm
B 解析：细节理解题。由第三段中的“make sandbags and use them to build walls against the overflowing river”可知沙袋可以筑成墙抗洪。
