Question

With the average temperature for January standing at -50C, it is no wonder the Russian village of Oymyakon is the coldest permanently inhabited settlement in the world. Known as the “Pole of Cold”, the coldest ever temperature recorded in Oymyakon was -71.2C. This is the lowest recorded temperature for any permanently inhabited location on Earth and the lowest temperature recorded in the Northern Hemisphere(北半球).

Ironically, Oymyakon actually means “non-freezing water” due to a nearby hot spring. Most homes in Oymyakon still burn coal and wood for heat and enjoy few modern conveniences.

Nothing grows there so people eat reindeer(驯鹿) meat and horsemeat. A single shop provides the town's bare necessities and the locals work as reindeer-breeders, hunters and ice-fisherman.

There are few modern conveniences in the village -- with many buildings still having outdoor toilets -- and most people still burn coal and wood for heat. When coal deliveries are irregular, the power station starts burning wood. If the power ceases, the town shuts down in about five hours, and the pipes freeze and crack.

Daily problems that come with living in Oymyakon include pen ink freezing, glasses freezing to people's faces and batteries losing power. Locals are said to leave their cars running all day for fear of not being able to restart them. Even if there was coverage for mobile phone reception, the phones themselves would not work in such cold conditions.

Another problem caused by the frozen temperatures is burying dead bodies, which can take anything up to three days. The earth must first have thawed(融解) sufficiently in order to dig it, so a bonfire is lit for a couple of hours. Hot coals are then pushed to the side and a hole couple of inches deep is dug. The process is repeated for several days until the hole is deep enough to bury the coffin.

Travel companies offer tourists the opportunity to visit the village and sample life in the freezing conditions.

66. Oymyakon gets its name because ______.

A. it is extremely cold there          B. its water is non-freezing

C. there is a hot spring nearby        D. it is known as the “Pole of Cold”

67. From the passage we can infer that people in Oymyakon _______.

A. seldom have fresh vegetables and fruits     B. prefer meat to any other kind of food

C. can buy anything in the shop              D. might row a boat to catch fish

68. Why do the locals have their cars running all day?

A. They have little awareness of saving       B. They want to keep warm in the car.

C. They have abundant oil resources.         D. They are afraid they can’t get the car started.

69. Mobile phones would not work in Oymyakon because ______.

A. batteries can’t be charged in such conditions           

B. the extreme coldness makes the batteries lose power

C. the butteries are of poor quality

D. there was no coverage for phone reception.

70. Which of the following is the first step when burying a dead body?

A. Hot coals have to be pushed to the side.     B. A bonfire has to be lit first.

C. The coffin must be put in place.           D. A hole couple of inches deep is dug.

Answer 1

  CADBB