More than 12 300 people were killed and tens of thousands left homeless after a powerful undersea earthquake unleashed giant tsunami waves that crashed into the coasts of south and southeast Asia.

The 8.9 magnitude earthquake that struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra early on Sunday was the biggest in 40 years.It triggered waves that reared up into walls of water as high as 10 meters(30 feet) as they hit coastlines in Indonesia,Sri Lanka,India and Thailand.

Aid agencies rushed staff,equipment and money to the region,warning that bodies rotting in the water were already beginning to threaten the water supply for survivors.

Rescue workers also spoke of bodies still caught up on trees after being flung inland by the waves.

“I just couldn’t believe what was happening before my eyes,”Boree Carlson said from a hotel in the Thai resort of Phuket.

“As I was standing there,a car actually floated into the lobby and overturned because the current was so strong,”said the 45-year-old Swede.

“I heard an eerie sound that I have never heard before.It was a high pitched sound followed by a deafening roar,”said a 55-year-old Indian fisherman who gave his name as Chellappa.

“I told everyone to run for their life.”

In Indonesia,an archipelago of 17 000 islands,one official said nearly 4500 people had died.The worst affected area was Bands Aceh,the capital of Aceh Province,where 3000 were killed.More than 200 prisoners escaped from a jail when the tsunami knocked down its walls.In Sri Lanka（斯里兰卡）,the death toll also reached 4500 and 1 million people,or 5 percent of its population,were affected.It was the worst natural disaster to hit Sri Lanka.Hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans sheltered in schools and temples overnight,and officials expected the death toll to rise further once rescuers resumed searches after daybreak.In southern India,where at least 3000 were estimated to have died,beaches were littered with submerged cars and wrecked boats.Shanties on the coast were under water.

Thai government officials said at least 392 bodies had been retrieved and they expected the final toll to approach 1000.

The earthquake,of magnitude 8.9 as measured by the U.S. Geological Survery (news-web sites),struck at 7:59 a.m.(1959EST).It was the world’s biggest since 1964,said Julie Martinez at the USGS(news-web sites).

The tsunami was so powerful it smashed boast and flooded areas along the east African coast,3728 miles away.

What does the underlined word “tsunami” probably mean?

A.Tidal wave.                                                  B.Wave.

C.Earthquake.                                                  D.A man who kills many persons.

What does the passage mainly talk about？

A.Asian tsunami kills many people,and many more become homeless.

B.An earthquake happens.

C.The tsunami was so powerful that it smashed boats and people.

D.It was the biggest earthquake in 40 years.

The sea waves hit coastlines in _________.

A.Indonesia                         B.Sri Lanka           C.India and Thailand     D.All of above

阅读理解

"Earthquake! "The word flashed in my brain. A roaring sound filled my ears. I tried to slide beneath my desk. The desk did a wild tap dance, slipping and sliding towards the center of the room. I twisted my body and grabbed at the windowsill behind me, somehow kicking free of my dancing chair. I tried to stand. My legs skated away as if on a bucking escalator.

　　 My fingers shaked, grasped and help the windowsill tightly. Somewhere through the roar sounded the terrified scream of some wounded animal. I looked behind me and tried to steady my gaze on the other kids but the scene was a dizzy nightmare. Some of the class were sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by chairs and desks. One girl was screaming. A boy was trying to claw his way across the floor to the door in a crazy overarm crawl.

　　 My grip froze me to the windowsill.

　　 I cried aloud, "I'm going to die. I'm going to die. Save me, I'm not ready to die, I'm not ready!"

　　 I hunched forward on my knees and pressed my face against my clenched fingers. I looked at the backs of my fingers and stupidly noticed the fragile pale hairs growing out of the pores. The fingers would soon cease to exist. Somehow the impending horror of my death was too terrible to even cry about.

　　  Suddenly, I became aware that the rocking had ceased. Perhaps I wasn't going to die.

1. The roaring sound was made by ________.

A. a wounded animal

B. people screaming

C. children running

D. an earthquake

2. When the narrator clenches his fingers he is ________

A. afraid

B. angry

C. injured

D. impatient

3. Paragraph 2 describes the_________

A. injuries suffered by the narrator

B. effects of a bad nightmare

C. disorder in the classroom

D. narrator's fear of death

4.At the end of the passage there is a feeling of______

  A. panic

B. hope

C. sorrow

D. excitement

 “Earthquake!” The word flashed in my brain. A roaring sound filled my ears . I tried to slide beneath my desk. The desk did a wild tap dance, slipping and sliding towards the centre of the room. I twisted my body and grabbed at the window sill behind me, somehow kicking free of my dancing chair. I tried to stand. My legs skated away as if on a bucking escalator.

  My fingers shook, grasped and held the window sill tightly. Somewhere through the roar sounded the terrified scream of some wounded animal. I looked behind me and tried to steady my gaze on the other kids but the scene was a dizzy nightmare. Some of the class was sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by chairs and desks. One girl was screaming. A boy was trying to claw his way across the floor to the door in a crazy overarm crawl.

  My grip froze me to the window sill.

  I cried aloud, “I’m going to die. I’m going to die. Save me, I’ m not ready to die, I’m not ready!”

  I hunched forward on my knees and pressed my face against my clenched fingers. I looked at the backs of my fingers and stupidly noticed the fragile pale hairs growing out of the pores. The fingers would soon cease to exist. Somehow the impending horror of my death was too terrible to even cry about.

  Suddenly, I became aware that the rocking had ceased. Perhaps I wasn’t going to die.

72. The roaring sound was made by ______.

A. a wounded animal           B. people screaming

C. children running            D. an earthquake

73. When the narrator clenches his fingers he is ______

A. afraid     B. angry     C. injured     D. impatient

74.Pararaph Two describes the _______.

A. injuries suffered by the narrator     B. effects of a bad nightmare

C.disorder in the classroom           D. narrator’s fear of death

75. At the end of the passage there is a felling of ______.

A. panic    B. hope     C. sorrow     D.  excitement

A famous American John Muir said in 1898: “The Grand Canyon… as unearthly (神秘的) in the color and grandeur (壮观) of its architecture as if you had found it after death on some other star.” Like Muir, those of us who stand along the rim are prompted to wonder about the unearthliness and the forces that created and are still changing this place.

After more than 100 years of studies, many things are still mysterious. Today visitors come by the thousands -- the great and simple of the earth -- all in a spirit of wonder. Travelers come from every state of the Union, from every country in Europe and Asia.

From the depths of the canyon comes welling silence. Seldom can you hear the roar of the river, for all sounds are swallowed in this gulf of space. “It makes one want to murmur.” A woman once whispered to her companion. This silence is not the silence of death; rather, it is a presence. It is like a great piece of music. But music made of man works up to a climax (高潮) and stops.

Now, visitors to the South Rim alone may number 18,000 in a single day. Some of that number will travel by mule train down Bright Angel Trail to the canyon's floor, cross the raging river by a suspension bridge (吊桥) and walk to the North Rim. Though the two rims face each other across only 12 miles, it is a journey of 214 miles by car from one to the other. Nor can you visit the North Rim except in summer; some 1,200 feet higher than the South Rim, it is snow covered much of the year except in July and August.

   But there is no day that you may not visit the South Rim and find the sun warm on your face and the air perfumed with the incense (香气) of smoke from an Indian hearth (香炉). No wonder an American writer and journalist said, “I came here an atheist (无神论者), and departed a devout （虔诚的）believer.”

What is it that attracts so many travelers to the Canyon?

A. The unearthliness and the grandeur of its architecture.

B. The presence of American super stars.

C. The saying made by American writers and journalists.

D. The roaring of the river in the Canyon.www..ocm

What does the underlined word “simple” refer to?

A. peaceful stream  B. land surface       C. common people        D. tamed animals

If you want to visit the North Rim from the South Rim, which of the following won’t be the way of traveling for you?

A. By train.                B. By animal.      C. By car.                         D. On foot.

The last sentence “I came here an atheist, and departed a devout believer.” implies that ______.

A. natural wonders such as the Canyon have some effect on human activities

B. all visitors to the Grand Canyon are God believers

C. atheist can’t see the magnificence of the Grand Canyon

D. the Grand Canyon is an unearthly sight that only God could create

Husband had just bought a new washing machine for me. I decided to use it and I washed a lot of things. Everything worked well, but I found one of my husband’s socks missing. I looked everywhere for it, but I couldn’t find it anywhere.
The next morning, I got ready for school as usual. When the bell rang, the students came in. I greeted them first and then told them what we were going to do that day.
When I turned around to write on the blackboard, the class broke out a roar!
They laughed and laughed. They laughed so much, in fact, that I was afraid the headmaster would be into seeing all this.
I asked the class to stop, but the more I talked, the more they laughed. I decided to pay no attention to them and I continued to write on the blackboard. When I did this, they roared even more.
Finally, the teacher who had the room next to mine came in to see what all the laughter was about. When he came in, he started laughing, too!
“Good heavens,” I said. “Will someone please tell me what is so funny?’
“Oh, God,” said the teacher. “You have a brown sock to the back of your skirt!”
So that’s how I found my husband’s missing sock.
“Oh, well,” I said to the class. “Let’s just say you have had an unforgettable lesson on static（静止的）electricity.”
41. What was the writer?
A. A washer           B. A student          C. A headmaster           D. A teacher
42. What happened when the writer turned around to write on the blackboard?
A. The class roared with anger.                      B. The class began to laugh loudly.
C. Another teacher came in.                       D. There was a loud noise outside the room.
43. Why couldn’t she find one of her husband’s socks?
A. Because some students had hidden it.
B. Because her husband had taken it away.
C. Because she had left it in the classroom.
D. Because she never expected that it would stick to her skirt.
44. Why did the teacher from the next room laugh?
A. Because the whole class laughed.
B. Because he saw the writer fooled by the class.
C. Because he saw some of the students making faces.
D. Because he found a sock on the back of the writer’s skirt.
45. Which of the following statements is WRONG?
A. The writer had just bought a new washing machine.
B. The writer found one of her husband’s socks missing.
C. The students told her about the laughing.
D. She was afraid of being seen by the headmaster.