07 人与自然之灾害防范
Passage 1
（22-23高三下·河南·开学考试）When hurricanes left a path of destruction in Puerto Rico,
Pennsylvania College of Technology student Natascha G. Santaella felt a variety of painful
emotions.
“I spent around six days stressing and having a very hard time with me having all the luxuries
I currently do and my family not having any,” the Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, resident said. Santaella
said that her hometown is without power and water, and people there are scared of what is to
come.
To reduce her stress, Santaella, who is studying for an associate degree in baking and pastry
arts, immersed (沉浸) herself in what she knows best: baking. “It started out as just baking bread
and shipping it to the island to then be dispersed to the people, but I found that was very
expensive for me to do alone, so I spoke with Chef Charles Niedermyer, our instructor of baking
and pastry arts about a sale of baked goods in the college’s Bush Campus Center.”
“Natascha is a bright, energetic young lady with a big heart,” Niedermyer said. “I was not
surprised to find her in my office, looking for ways to help the people of Puerto Rico.”
To prepare, Santaella had multiple meetings with Niedermyer, spent hours finalizing recipes,
designed signage (标志) and decorations, and got friends to staff the sale table with her. And then
there was the baking: Santaella and two friends in the baking and pastry arts major spent six hours
baking 90 loaves of bread, 24 dozen dinner rolls and 30 cheesecakes in a variety of flavors.
During the six-hour sale, Santaella and her friends raised more than $1,000 for United for
Puerto Rico, an initiative designed to provide aid and support to those affected in Puerto Rico by
the passage of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria.
“I hope to mainly increase awareness of what has happened, and to show people that there
are Puerto Rican students at this school,” Santaella said. “I hope that others had the great
experience I had with all my teachers and how understanding they were with me.”
1．Why did Santaella feel very stressed?
A．Because a big hurricane was approaching.
B．Because she was left without power and water.C．Because her folks were suffering due to hurricanes.
D．Because she lost all her belongings in the hurricane.
2．What does the underlined word “dispersed” probably mean in Paragraph 3?
A．Exposed. B．Connected. C．Distributed. D．Contributed.
3．What can we learn from the text?
A．Puerto Rico might be stricken by hurricanes frequently.
B．Niedermyer responded to Santaella’s ideas coldly.
C．Santaella organized the sale at her college all alone.
D．Pennsylvania College has few students from Puerto Rico.
4．Which can be the best title for the text?
A．Hurricane Causes Huge Losses to Puerto Rico
B．Student Puts Skills to Use to Help Her Hometown
C．College Student Shows Baking Skills Through Sales
D．Teacher and Students Work Together in Fund Raising
Passage 2
（22-23高二下·上海·期末）My family lost everything in the little-known flood of Baton
Rouge, Louisiana last year that the Red Cross called the “Worst US disaster since Hurricane
Sandy.”
It began raining in mid-August. Then it rained some more, got more powerful, and didn’t
stop for days. There was talk that the local rivers were going to crest (到达顶点)and cause some
pretty serious flooding. We lived somewhat close to the Amite River, but our senior neighbors told
us that our neighborhood hadn’t flooded in over 100 years.
Local news said that the nearby high school may get a little bit of water inside from the
rising river. We thought we had a couple of days to plan on how we were going to shelter in place
because of the weather forecast.
On the 13th of August I woke up, walked outside and headed toward the direction of the
river. Some of the lower areas were collecting water but there was no standing water anywhere
near my house or even my neighborhood. I went back home and told my wife we should probably
get some supplies in case this got serious; that maybe we should even pack a car in case weneeded to leave though I was fairly certain there was nothing to worry about.
About 30 minutes into slowly packing there was a loud banging on my front door. It was
my wife’s cousin. I opened the door and she said, “What are you doing?! Get out of the house!” I
looked behind her and noticed my entire yard underwater and the waterline only about a half-inch
from going over my doorstep and into my house.
I was floored. The river wasn’t supposed to crest until the next day. I thought we had more
time.
I yelled at my wife, “We have to get out of the house. Now!”
We packed up both our cars in about 10 minutes with only our most precious memories.
Everything else we had built during a 10-year marriage was left behind. We evacuated about 5
miles east away from the river to my wife’s grandmothers.
After being there for about an hour someone came to the front door and said, “You guys
ned to get out. The river is coming.”
Sure enough, her yard was flooding too.
We evacuated a second time in as many hours to her cousin’s house even further east. After
only an hour we were told again that the river was on the way and we had to leave.
5．The author realized the arrival of the flood when ______.
A．the rain started to fall heavily and non-stop
B．the nearby high school was slightly affected
C．there was standing water in some lower areas
D．he was informed by his wife’s cousin at the door
6．What does the author mean by saying “I was floored” in the 6th paragraph?
A．He was clam enough to cope with the flood.
B．He became trapped by the rising floodwater.
C．He was shocked by the early arrival of the flood.
D．He lost his temper with his wife for being unprepared.
7．From the story, what do we know about the author’s evacuation?
A．He didn’t take action immediately despite his neighbor’s warning.
B．He trusted the weather forecast so that he prepared himself in advance.
C．He and his wife brought some supplies and valuable belongings with them.
D．He was forced to leave the temporary homes again and again to avoid danger.8．Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A．Mutual Support in Disasters B．Baton Rouge Flooding
C．How to Survive a Flood D．Methods of Predicting Floods
Passage 3
（22-23 高一·全国·课后作业）Scientists know where earthquakes are likely to take
place.But it is difficult for them to predict how strong an earthquake will be. Now，American
researchers have found it possible to predict the strength of future quakes.
The earth’s crust — the outermost surface — is made up of large plates.As many as 20
plates cover the earth.They move slowly，sometimes sliding under one another and causing the
earthquakes.
Timothy H．Dixon is a geologist (地质学家) in the University of South Florida，who
studies rocks and soil to understand the earth.He and other scientists are using global positioning
system，or GPS，to measure what he calls “slowslip” events.
Timothy Dixon says that while people can’t feel a building breaking off，sometimes deadly
earthquakes will happen.The big Japan earthquake in 2011 and the Sumatra earthquake and
tsunami in 2004 are the kind，and they are the real killers.So what we think these slowslip events
are telling us is that they’re letting off steam in areas where there is a break.And if they let off
enough steam，the areas won’t crack.“The more of the areas that break，” he says，“the
more powerful the earthquake is.”
The scientists set up a number of GPS receivers 15 years ago in Costa Rica to measure the
“slowslip” events，which take place only every year or two.The last one was three months before
an earthquake in 2012.
You know an earthquake is more or less inevitable．People always want to know when an
earthquake is going to happen.This technology cannot predict that.But Timothy Dixon says even if
you don’t know exactly when it’s going to happen，since you know it’s going to happen，and
you know how big it’s going to be，you can prepare accordingly.
9．According to the passage，what can scientists predict about earthquakes at present?
A．When an earthquake will happen.
B．Where an earthquake may happen.C．How strong an earthquake will be.
D．What kind of the earthquake will be.
10．What does the underlined word “inevitable” in the last paragraph mean?
A．Unavoidable. B．Unpredictable.
C．Powerful. D．Terrible.
11．From Timothy Dixon’s words，what can we know?
A．We can’t predict when an earthquake happens forever.
B．His new findings will prevent earthquakes happening.
C．His new findings will help people reduce damage caused by earthquake.
D．His new findings have been used in researching earthquakes.
12．What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?
A．To tell us the reason why an earthquake can happen.
B．To tell us that the strength of an earthquake can be predicted in the future.
C．To tell us what Timothy H．Dixon is doing in his spare time.
D．To tell us the advantage of knowing the strength of future earthquakes.
Passage 4
（21-22高三下·广东惠州·阶段练习）Earthquakes cannot be forecast, but engineers can
prepare for them. Seismic-isolation (地震隔离) systems built into the bases of certain buildings in
high-risk areas, use complex structures of concrete, rubber and metal to reduce quake damage by
absorbing the ground’s horizontal shaking.
But such adaptations are expensive. Engineer Jian Zhang of the University of California, says
building seismic isolation-system can increase construction costs by up to 20 percent. Although
these systems might save more than they cost over time, builders in some regions may not have
the budget for them at present.
A new seismic-isolation method uses the physics of rolling to create a lower-cost alternative
with readily available materials: recycled tennis balls. “Everyone plays tennis, and they don’t
know what to do with the tennis balls after each game,” says ETH Zürich seismic engineer
Michalis Vassiliou.
Vassiliou’s team based its method on an early form of seismic-isolation that rolls a shakingbuilding to a stop the way a skater in a half-pipe eventually comes to rest. By separating a building
from the ground with a layer of spheres (球体), rolling isolation changes unstable horizontal
shaking into a gentle rocking motion. This method was used in 5,000-year-old Peruvian pyramids,
but today builders favor expensive, standardized isolation systems.
For their modern take on rolling seismic-isolation, the researchers injected concrete-like
mixes into hundreds of balls that had lost their bounce. They built an inexpensive model
consisting of four filled tennis balls sandwiched between two concrete slabs (厚板), and they
found that it withstood earthquake shaking while supporting eight kilo newtons of force per ball
— about twice what isolation systems might experience under one-story houses.
Zhang says that the work is worthwhile and that such technology might serve an unmet need.
But she notes that the results are primary. Vassiliou agrees; next steps will mean creating and
testing a larger model with hundreds of tennis balls at a research center in earthquake-prone Cuba
— an example of a place where such systems could make isolation practicable in ordinary
construction.
13．Why do the engineers adopt recycled tennis balls?
A．To improve the performance of tennis balls.
B．To help deal with the tennis balls after matches.
C．To simplify the complex structures of buildings.
D．To cut the expense of seismic-isolation building.
14．What effect could the new method achieve?
A．Recycling useless tennis balls. B．Transforming the shaking into a gentle one.
C．Withstanding earthquake shaking. D．Enabling a house to support much more
force.
15．Which of the following best describes Zhang’s attitude towards the new technology?
A．Doubtful. B．Unclear. C．Objective. D．Approving.
16．What is the main idea of the text?
A．Researchers are creating and testing models in Cuba.
B．Engineers are exploring ways of earthquake forecasts.
C．A low-cost design helps shaking buildings roll to a stop.
D．Recycled tennis balls could protect buildings from disasters.Passage 5
（23-24高三上·山东枣庄·期末）Before the year has even come to a close, climate experts
are certain that 2023 will be the hottest year in recorded history.
On Dec. 6, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) — part of the European Union's
space program — revealed that this year's average global temperatures have been 2.6℉ (1.46°C )
higher than temperatures in preindustrial times and 0.2°F (0.13°C) higher than January to
November in 2016. These “extraordinary” temperatures mean that 2023will be “the warmest year
in recorded history,” C3S deputy director Samantha Burgess said in a statement.
The researchers note that this year's record heat was partly caused by the latest El Nino event
— a phenomenon where warmer water near the equator triggers warmer global air temperatures
— that began in June. Some other experts have suggested that the January2022 eruption of
Tonga's underwater volcano, which pumped record levels of water vapor into the atmosphere, may
also be partly responsible.
Despite these factors, the major cause of climbing temperatures is global warming caused by
runaway greenhouse gas emissions, which, noted in a C3S statement, have trapped more than 25
billion atomic bombs' worth of energy in our atmosphere over the last 50 years. And still worse,
the global carbon emissions have reached a new high this year, according to scientists at the
United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) On Dec 4.
The effects of global warming are becoming more obvious. In 2023, research revealed that
climate change is causing major US cities to sink and more than half of the world's largest lakes
and reservoirs to shrink. Studies also predicted that the Gulf Stream, which plays a vital role in
ocean circulation, could collapse by as early as 2025, and that rising sea levels could swamp the U
S coastline by 2050.
However, scientists say that we still have time to prevent further disaster. Leading climate
change expert Michael Mann, from the University of Pennsylvania, recently wrote that “we can
still stop the worst effects of climate change” if we stop emitting greenhouse gases as soon as
possible.
17．What's the purpose of the text?
A．To report the recorded hottest year.B．To present findings of a research.
C．To analyze the causes of climate change.
D．To warn of the coming natural disaster.
18．Which is the main factor in causing the warmest weather in 2023?
A．Eruption of an underwater volcano.
B．Greenhouse gas emissions.
C．Collapse of the Gulf Stream.
D．The latest El Nino event.
19．What is Paragraph 5 mainly about?
A．Scientists' predictions of the future.
B．The threat of rising sea levels to the U.S.
C．The effects of climate change.
D．Different opinions on global warming.
20．How does Michael Mann feel about the present situation?
A．Confused. B．Worried. C．Pessimistic. D．Hopeful.
