Stranger in the Flames

On the morning of May 29, Donna left unusually early for her 5:30 a.m. work at Noone’s Restaurant. She drove along a rural road,    1    as she often did to admire the old farmhouse she passed each day. But as she looked more    2   , she saw flames on one of the porch’s(门廊) posts. Donna pulled into the driveway and honked her horn(喇叭).

No response. With flames cutting her    3    from the front entrance, she ran to a side door, which was   4   . “Wake up,” she cried, running through the house. “   5   !”

    Just hours earlier Corinne Allin had put 18-month-old Benjamin, Devon, seven, and Amy, nine, to   6   . Now, awakened by the shouts, she stumbled(踉跄) down the steps into a    7    and saw the fire immediately. “My children , my husband ---they’re   8    upstairs,” Corinne said.

    “I’ll get them,” Donna said. “Call 911.”

    Donna    9    her way up the stairs through the    10   . While Hugh Allin went to see if he could put the fire    11    with the hose(水管), Devon dashed into Amy’s room. “Get up,” he cried. Amy lifted Benjamin from his bed. With windows exploding and smoke surrounding them, they made their way out of the    12   door.

In the disorder that followed, Donna slipped away to work. Passing the blackened house that evening, she stopped and left a note. Later that night the Allin family paid a    13   . Corinne explained that the fire began when she pressed out a    14    in a potted plant on the front porch. “But thanks to you,” she said with tears in her eyes, “we’re    15   .”

1. A. speeding B. slowingC. getting off　　  D. going out

2. A. closely    B. quietly　　　　    C. proudly   D. tightly

3. A. up　　　　  B. in　　　　　　　　  C. around　　　　   D. off

4. A. closed    B. open　　　　　　  C. locked　　　　   D. unlocked

5. A. Fire　　    B. Help　　    C. Hello　　　　　　  D. Come on

6. A. bed　　    B. desk　　    C. playground　　 D. school

7.A. room　　   B. heat　　    C. stranger   D. street

8.A. already    B. just　　　　 C. still　　　　　　  D. even

9.A. found　　  B. stepped   C. made　　　　　　 D. moved

10A. flames    B. smoke　　　　    C. rubbish    D. ashes

11.A. out　　    B. down　　　　　　 C. up　　　　   D. over

12.A. room    B. back      C. front　　　　　　  D. side

13.A. bill　　    B. visit　　    C. look　　   　　   D. part

14.A. match    B. wood　　　　　　 C. cigarette  D. oven

15.A. free　　   B. awake　　　　    C. alive　　 &ntbs?

p;  D. successful

The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of 2 September, 1666. In four days it destroyed more than three-quarters of the old city, where most of the houses were wooden and close together. Over one hundred people became homeless, but only a few lost their lives.

The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the King’s baker (面包师) in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family, was able to get out through a window into the roof. A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery (面包房) into a small hotel next door. Then it spread quickly into Thames Street. That was the beginning.

By eight o’clock three hundred houses were on fire. On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames. Tuesday was the worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St Paul’s and the Guildhall among them.

Samuel Pepys, the famous writer, wrote about the fire, “People threw their things into the river. Many poor people stayed in their houses until the last moment. Birds fell out of the air because of the heat .”

The fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire. With nothing left to burn, the fire became weak and finally died out.

After the fire, Christopher Wren, the architect (建筑师), wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone. In fact, the streets are still narrow, but he did build more than fifty churches, among them the mew St Paul’s

The fire caused great pain and loss, but after it London was a better place: a city for the future and not just of the past.

From the passage, we can learn that the fire began in ________.

A. a hotel　　　           B. the palace　　        C. Pudding Lane　　 D. Thames Street

The underlined word “family” in the second paragraph means ________.

A. wife and husband　　      B. wife and children　   C. home                  D. children

It seems that the writer of the text was most sorry for the fact that ________.

A. many famous buildings were destroyed

B. some people lost their lives

C. the birds in the sky were killed by the fire

D. the King’s bakery was burned down

Why did the writer cite (引用) Samuel Pepys?

A. Because Pepys was among those putting out the fire.

B. Because Pepys also wrote about the fire.

C. Because he wanted to give the reader a clearer picture of the fire.

D. Because he wanted to show that poor people suffered most.

How was the fire put out according to the text?

A. The King and his soldiers came to help.

B. Houses standing in the direction of the fire were pulled down.

C. All the wooden houses in the city were destroyed.

D. People managed to get enough water from the river.

完形填空

　　Do you know what kind of things the young people are reading? More and more ___1___ and parents have noticed another kind of pollution which came from the printed papers ___2___ on streets. These printed things ___3___ newspapers but have hardly ___4___ to do with them, you can only find reading materials badly made up there?---some are too strange for anyone to believe; others are ___5___ stories of something ___6___ However, many of the young readers are getting interested in such ___7___ reading, which ___8___ them what they should pay for their breakfast and brings them nightmares and immoral ideas ___9___. Homework was left undone; daily games lost. These sellers shout on streets selling their papers well. The writers, publishers and printers, ___10___ they are, we never know, are ___11___ their silent money. The sheep-skinned wolfs story seems to have been forgotten once again. Why not ___12___ this kind of things? Yes, ___13___ the teachers and parents have asked each other for more strict control of the young readers. Unfortunately, the more you want to forbid it ___14___ they want to have a look at it. ___15___ you may even find out several children, driven by the curious natures, ___16___ one patched paper, which has ___17___ from hand to hand. It really does ___18___ to our society. It has already formed a sort of moral pollution. The ___19___ teachers and parents need more powerful support in their protection of the young generation. At the same time the young readers need more interesting books to help them ___20___ those ugly papers.

　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　

(1)A.readers	B.writers	C.teachers	D.students
(2)A.found	B.sold	C.given	D.shown
(3)A.appear	B.seem as	C.look like	D.are
(4)A.nothing	B.anything	C.something	D.everything
(5)A.puzzling	B.pleased	C.worried	D.frightening
(6)A.too bad	B.still worse	C.even better	D.very good
(7)A.poisonous	B.wonderful	C.interesting	D.useless
(8)A.takes	B.uses	C.costs	D.pays
(9)A.by turns	B.in return	C.by return	D.in turn
(10)A.who	B.what	C.whoever	D.which
(11)A.using	B.making	C.spending	D.losing
(12)A.allow	B.forbid	C.separate	D.leave
(13)A.neither	B.some	C.most	D.both
(14)A.the less	B.so that	C.the more	D.as though
(15)A.Seldom	B.Always	C.Sometimes	D.Hardly
(16)A.find	B.share	C.get	D.hold
(17)A.traveled	B.handed	C.given	D.spread
(18)A.harm	B.good	C.favor	D.wrong
(19)A.puzzled	B.worried	C.frightened	D.disappointed
(20)A.throwaway	B.keep away	C.break off	D.get rid of