A few minutes ago, walking back from lunch, I started to cross the street when I heard the sound of a coin dropping. It wasn’t much but, as I turned, my eyes caught the heads of several other people turning too. A woman had dropped what seemed to be a dime（十美分硬币）.

       The sound of a coin dropping on the street catches everybody’s attention. Whatever the coin is, no one ignores（忽视）the sound of it. It got me thinking about sounds again.

       There are so many sounds that catch the most attention. People in New York City seldom turn to look when they hear the siren（警报）of a police car or an ambulance（救护车）.

       When I’m in New York, I’m a New Yorker. I don’t turn either. I hardly hear a siren there.

       At home in my little town in Connecticut, it’s different. The faraway high sound of a police car, an ambulance or a fire siren brings me to my feet if I’m sitting and brings me to the window if I’m in bed.

       It’s the quietest sounds that catch our attention most easily, not the loudest. In the middle of the night, I can hear water dropping a hundred yards away through three closed doors. I’ve been hearing little creaking（吱嘎）noises and sounds in the middle of the night for twenty-five years in our house. Why do I never hear those sounds in the daytime?

1. The sound of a coin dropping made people _______.

   A. think of money                                              B. shout aloud

   C. pay attention to it                                    D. look at each other

2. People in New York _______.

   A. are used to sirens                                    B. don’t hear loud noises

   C. are interested in sounds                           D. don’t care about quiet sounds

3. The writer _______.

   A. has a bad hearing                                    B. stays up late at night

   C. comes from a little town                         D. sleeps next to the window

4. The last paragraph（段落）tells us that _______.

   A. the writer thinks a lot at night                   B. water should be turned off at night

   C. the sounds at night make the writer afraid  D. the quietest sounds at night are easily heard

A strong earthquake has hit the town of Galta 200 kilometres north of Madras. The earthquake hit the town at 7:15 yesterday evening. The earthquake measured(量出) 7.2 on the Richter scale(里克特震级), the strongest for five years.
The earthquake happened as most people were having their evening meal at home. There were very few people outside in the streets. Buildings fell down and many fires started. The electricity and water were cut off.
As it was dark, the emergency services had a lot of problems. There was no electricity for lights, and there was no water to put out the fires. Early this morning, planes flew over the town to see the damage.
The emergency services are now trying to reach the town. The nearest airport is at Bandel, about 100 kilometers away. The railway station at Galta is closed, because four bridges fell down in the earth. The nearest train station is 32 kilometres away at Solan. We shall have more reports for you during the day. 
【小题1】What were the most people doing when the earthquake hit the town?

A strong earthquake has hit the town of Galta 200 kilometres north of Madras. The earthquake hit the town at 7:15 yesterday evening. The earthquake measured(量出) 7.2 on the Richter scale(里克特震级), the strongest for five years.

The earthquake happened as most people were having their evening meal at home. There were very few people outside in the streets. Buildings fell down and many fires started. The electricity and water were cut off.

As it was dark, the emergency services had a lot of problems. There was no electricity for lights, and there was no water to put out the fires. Early this morning, planes flew over the town to see the damage.

The emergency services are now trying to reach the town. The nearest airport is at Bandel, about 100 kilometers away. The railway station at Galta is closed, because four bridges fell down in the earth. The nearest train station is 32 kilometres away at Solan. We shall have more reports for you during the day. 

1.What were the most people doing when the earthquake hit the town?

   A. Sitting outside.                        B. Cutting off the electricity.

   C. Staying at home.                       D. Starting fires.

2.Why didn’t the emergency services reach the town?

   A. Because it was dark.                    B. Because planes flew over.

   C. Because there was no water.              D. Because four bridges fell down

3. How far is the nearest airport from the town?

   A. About 100 kilometers away.              B. 32 kilometres away.

   C. About 72 kilometers away.               D. 200 kilometres north of Madras.

A strong earthquake has hit the town of Galta 200 kilometres north of Madras. The earthquake hit the town at 7:15 yesterday evening. The earthquake measured(量出) 7.2 on the Richter scale(里克特震级), the strongest for five years.

The earthquake happened as most people were having their evening meal at home. There were very few people outside in the streets. Buildings fell down and many fires started. The electricity and water were cut off.

As it was dark, the emergency services had a lot of problems. There was no electricity for lights, and there was no water to put out the fires. Early this morning, planes flew over the town to see the damage.

The emergency services are now trying to reach the town. The nearest airport is at Bandel, about 100 kilometers away. The railway station at Galta is closed, because four bridges fell down in the earth. The nearest train station is 32 kilometres away at Solan. We shall have more reports for you during the day. 

1. What were the most people doing when the earthquake hit the town?

   A. Sitting outside.                        B. Cutting off the electricity.

   C. Staying at home.                       D. Starting fires.

2.Why didn’t the emergency services reach the town?

   A. Because it was dark.                    B. Because planes flew over.

   C. Because there was no water.              D. Because four bridges fell down

3. How far is the nearest airport from the town?

   A. About 100 kilometers away.              B. 32 kilometres away.

   C. About 72 kilometers away.               D. 200 kilometres north of Madras.