Question

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. One hundred thousand people became homeless, but only a few lost their lives.

The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the King's baker in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family, was able to get out through a window in the roof. A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery 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, 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 was new 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.

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

A. many famous buildings were destroyed

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

C. some people lost their lives

D. the King's bakery was burned down

2.Why did the writer cite (引用)Samuel Pepys’ words?

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

B. Because Pepys also wrote about the fire.

C. To give the reader a clearer picture of the fire.

D. To show that poor people suffered most.

3.How was the fire put out according to the text?

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

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

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

D. The king and his soldiers came to help.

4.Which of the following were reasons for the rapid spread (扩散)of the big fire?

(a) There was a strong wind.

(b) The streets were very narrow.

(c) Many houses were made of wood.

(d) There was not enough water in the city.

(e) People did not discover the fire earlier.

A. (a) and (b)

B. (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e)

C. (a), (b), (c) and (d)

D. (a), (b) and (c)

Answer 1

1.A

2.C

3.A

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：本文讲述1666年的伦敦大火。

1. was the worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St Paul's and the Guildhall among them.星期二是最糟糕的一天。大火摧毁了许多著名建筑，可知作者最为著名建筑的被毁而惋惜，故选A

2. 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. Samuel Pepys,写了关于这场大火。人们将他们的东西扔进河里。许多穷人呆在房子里直到最后一刻。鸟因为热量飞走了。这些都是对大火具体情景的描述，可知作者的引用是为向读者清晰展示大火的情景，故选C

3. fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire.大火停止是当国王命令人们摧毁大火方向上的建筑，故选A

4. of the houses were wooden and close together.第二段倒数第三句A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery into a small hotel next door.可知大火迅速扩散是因为房子大多是木制的，距离很近，且有一阵强风，故选D

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