Several storms hit the western areas of the city last night, leaving scenes of destruction

orst storms ever hit the eastern U. S. this century. The hurricane-force winds first struck the Gulf of Mexico, and have now spread across the Canadian border, continuing to bring record snowfalls, severe flooding and causing millions of dollars of damage. All major airports have now reopened and airlines are beginning to cope with the backlog of thousands of stranded passengers. The storms also paralyzed areas of Cuba where several people were killed and property and crops destroyed．

Where did the storms first strike？

A．The eastern U.S.

B．The Gulf of Mexico.

C．The Canadian border.

D．Some areas in Cuba.

orst storms ever to hit the eastern U.S. this century. The hurricane-force winds first struck the Gulf of Mexico, and have now spread across the Canadian border, continuing to bring record snowfalls, severe flooding and causing millions of dollars of damage. All major airports have now reopened and airlines are beginning to cope with the backlog of thousands of stranded passengers. The storm also paralyzed areas of Cuba where several people were killed and property and crops destroyed.

Where did the storms first strike？

A．The eastern U.S.

B．The Gulf of Mexico.

C．The Canadian border.

D．Some areas in Cuba.

worst storm" ever to hit the eastern US this century. The hurricane-force winds first struck the Gulf of Mexico and have now spread across the Canadian border, continuing to bring reckless snowfalls, severe flooding, and causing millions of dollars in damage. All major airports have now reopened and airlines are beginning to cope with a backlog of thousands of stranded passengers. The storm also paralyzed areas of Cuba, where several people were killed and property and crops destroyed.

Where did the storms first strike？

A．The eastern US.

B．The Gulf of Mexico.

C．The Canadian border.

D．Some areas in Cuba.

听力原文： About 100 people are now known to have died in what has been described as the worst storms ever to hit the eastern U. S. this century. The hurricane-force winds first struck the Gulf of Mexico, and have now spread across the Canadian border, continuing to bring record snowfalls, severe flooding, and causing millions of dollars of damage. All major airports have now reopened and airlines are beginning to cope with a backlog of thousands of stranded passengers. The storm also paralyzed areas of Cuba, where several people were killed and property and crops destroyed.

Where did the storms first strike？

A．The eastern U.S.

B．The Gulf of Mexico.

C．The Canadian border.

D．Some areas in Cuba.

worst storm" ever to hit the eastern US this century. The hurricane-force winds first struck the Gulf of Mexico and have now spread across the Canadian border, continuing to bring reckless snowfalls, severe flooding, and causing millions of dollars in damage. All major airports have now reopened and airlines are beginning to cope with a backlog of thousands of stranded passengers. The storm also paralyzed areas of Cuba, where several people were killed and property and crops destroyed.

Where did the storms first strike？

A．The eastern US.

B．The Gulf of Mexico.

C．The Canadian border.

D．Some areas in Cuba.

SECTION A CONVERSATIONS

Directions: In this section you will hear several conversations. Listen to the conversations carefully and then answer the questions that follow.

听力原文：M: Is that a map？ Are you going sailing or something？

W: I wish. It's a hurricane-tracking chart. It's a map of tropical ocean areas southeast of us. It follows the development of tropical storms, even hurricanes. They develop and move around the Atlantic in Caribbean and here on the Florida coast. We got hit a lot by those in July or August, at least in the winds or rain.

M: Do you think that the tropical storm is on the way？

W: Too early to tell, but we need to be prepared. The radio mentioned possible evacuation routes.

M: Really？ It's that serious？

W: You better believe it. Late summer is hurricane season. The television updates locations and speeds every hour.

M: What did they say is out there now？

W: A couple of tropical depressions, two storms and two hurricanes.

M: What's the difference？

W: Wind velocity. A depression is least serious actually, and a hurricane is the most serious.

M: How serious are the winds in hurricanes？

W: They have sustained winds of 74 m ph and up.

M: What are those names on the map？ David, Arlene, Francisco, and Gina.

W: You know weather forecasters give the hurricanes the names of people to make storms easy to identify.

M: I wonder what the status of the storm is now.

W: You shall turn on the television. It has the best coverage. There is an up-date coming up in five minutes.

What is the conversation mainly about？

A．Memories of a recent storm.

B．How strong winds develop into a hurricane.

C．Weather patterns that can affect Florida.

D．Planning a summer vacation.

听力原文： In the second half of each year, many powerful storms are born in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean seas. Of these, only about a half a dozen generate the strong, circling winds of 75 miles per hour or more that give them hurricane status, and several usually make their way to the coast. There they cause millions of dollars of damage, and bring death to large numbers of people.

The great storms that hit the coast start as innocent circling disturbances hundreds—even thousands—of miles out to sea. As they travel aimlessly over water warmed by the summer sun, they are carried westward by the trade winds. When conditions are just right, warm, moist air flows in at the bottom of such a disturbance, moves upward through it and comes out at the top. In the process, the moisture in this warm air produces rain, and with it the heat that is converted to energy in the form. of strong winds. As the heat increases, the young hurricane begins to swirl in a counter-clockwise motion.

Water, not wind, is the main source of death and destruction in a hurricane. A typical hurricane brings 6- to 12-inch downpours resulting in sudden floods. Worst of all is the powerful movement of the sea—the mountains of water moving toward the low-pressure hurricane center. The water level rises as much as 15 feet above normal as it moves toward shore.

When is an ordinary tropical storm called a hurricane？

A．When it begins in the Atlantic and Caribbean seas.

B．When it hits the coastline.

C．When it is more than 75 miles wide.

D．When its winds reach 75 miles per hour.

d Caribbean seas. Of【1】, only about half a dozen【2】the strong, circling winds of 75 miles per hour or more that give them hurricane status, and several usually【3】their way to the coast. There cause millions of dollars of【4】, and bring death to【5】numbers of people.

The great storms that hit the coast start【6】innocent circling disturbances hundreds, even thousands of miles out to sea. As they travel aimlessly over water【7】by the summer sun, they are carried westward by the【8】winds. When conditions are just【9】, warm, moist air flows in【10】the bottom of such a disturbance, moves upward through it and comes out at the top. In the【11】, the moisture in this warm air produces rain, and with it the heat is converted to energy in the form. of strong winds. As the heat increases, the【12】hurricane begins to swirl in a counter-clockwise motion.

The average life of a hurricane is only about nine days, but it contains almost【13】power than we can imagine. The energy in the heat released by a hurricane's rainfall in a(n)【14】day would【15】the entire electrical needs of the United States for more than six months. Water, not wind, is the main【16】of death and destruction in a hurricane. A(n)【17】hurricane brings 6- to 12-inch downpours【18】in sudden floods.【19】is the powerful movement of the sea—the mountains of water moving toward the low-pressure hurricane center. The water level【20】as much as 15 feet above normal as it moves toward shore.

(1)

A．they

B．these

C．it

D．this

d Caribbean seas. Of these, only about half a dozen generate the strong, circling winds of 75 miles per hour or more that give them hurricane status, and several usually make their way to the coast. There they cause millions of dollars of damage, and bring death to large numbers of people.

The great storms that hit the coast start as innocent circling disturbances hundreds even thousands of miles out to sea. They travel aimlessly over water warmed by the trade winds. When conditions are just right, warm moist air flows in at the bottom of such a disturbance, moves upward through it and comes out at the top. In the process, the moisture in this warm air produces rain, and with it the heat is converted to energy in the form. of strong winds. As the heat increases, the young hurricane begins to swirl in a counterclockwise motion.

The average life of a hurricane is only about nine days, but it contains almost more power than we can imagine. The energy in the heat released by a hurricane's rainfall in a single day would satisfy the entire electrical needs of the United States for more than six months. Water, not wind, is the main source of death and destruction in a hurricane. A typical hurricane brings 6 to 12 inch downpours resulting in sudden floods. Worst of all is the powerful movement of the sea-mountains of water moving toward the low-pressure hurricane center. The water level rises as much as 15 feet above normal as it moves toward shore.

When is an ordinary tropical storm considered to be a hurricane？

A．When it begins in the Atlantic and Caribbean seas.

B．When it hits the coastline.

C．When its winds reach 75 miles per hour or even more.

D．When the circling winds bring damages.

Storms Sink Ships

Rescuers have found the bodies of over 130 people killed in two ferry disasters in Bangladesh. The accidents happened during a storm that hit the country on April 21.Hundreds more are missing or feared dead.

The two ferries sank in different rivers near the capital city of Dhaka as strong winds and rain hit the South Asian country. The government has since banned all ferries and other boats from travelling at night during the April-May stormy season.

One of the ferries, MV Mitali, was carrying far more people than it was supposed to. About 400 passengers fitted into a space made for just 300, police said the second ferry carried about 100 passengers. "The number of deaths is certain to rise," said an official in charge of the rescue work.

"No one really knows how many people were on board the ferry or how many of them survived."

Ferries in Bangladesh don&39;t always keep passenger lists, making it difficult to determine the exact number of people on board. Besides the ferry accidents, at least 40 people were killed and 400 injured by lightning strikes, falling houses and trees and the sinking of small boats.

Storms are common this time of year in Bangladesh, as are boating accidents. Ferry disasters take away hundreds of lives every year in a nation of 130 million people. Officials blame these river accidents on a lack of safety measures, too many passengers in boats and not enough checks on weather conditions.

Ferries are a common means of transport in Bangladesh. It is a country covered by about 230 rivers.

Some 20,000 ferries use the nation&39;s waterways (水路) every year. And many of them are dangerously

overcrowded (过度拥挤). Since1977, more than 3,000 people have died in some 260 boating accidents.

How many people have been found dead in the two ferry disasters？ 查看材料

A.More than 130

B.Over 3，000

C.About 400

D.At least 40