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

阅读表达

    阅读下面短文并回答问题，然后将答案写到答题卡相应的位置上（请注意问题后的词数要求）。

[1] It’s 9 a.m, the morning rush hour in Toronto. A man has fallen down on a downtown street suddenly. Several passersby stop to help the man. One woman reaches into her purse for her cell phone and hits 911, the emergency number. Three minutes later, sirens (警报) are heard in the distance as a police car, an ambulance and a fire truck race to the area. Within ten minutes, the stricken man is in the back of an ambulance and went to the hospital for life-saving treatment.

       [2] This scene is fairly common in Toronto and other major cities. Over the years, cities have developed systems to respond quickly to emergencies. It has resulted in many lives being saved. But none of this __________ without the cooperation of car drivers who yield (让路) to emergency vehicles on busy downtown streets. In fact, it’s against the law for drivers not to yield.

       [3] To yield means to give away or, more specifically, to get out of the way. It means pulling to the side of the road to let others pass. As yet, China does not have any specific laws that require drivers to yield, whether it is for slower cars to move over to the inside lane of a highway or for all cars to give way to emergency vehicles. Recently, an injured Beijing cyclist died on the way to hospital because the ambulance carrying him got stuck in city traffic. Drivers did not yield when they heard the ambulance’s siren.

       [4] In Canada, failing to yield to an emergency vehicle can result in a fine of $400-$2,000 and reduction of three points off your license. That’s for a first offence. A second offence results in a bigger fine, the loss of your driver’s license for two years and a possible jail sentence. The punishment is severe because lives are in danger.

       [5] Safe driving depends on drivers being aware of the traffic around them and yielding when necessary. And yielding to emergency vehicles only makes sense. It saves lives and, who knows, someday it may save your own.

76.   How does the author introduce the topic of the text? (no more than 5 words)

77.     Fill in the blank in Paragraph 2 with proper words.( no more than 5 words)

78.     What should China do to prevent repetition of the Beijing case? (no more than 10 words)

79.   What’s Paragraph 4 mainly about? (no more than 12 words)

80.   Why does necessary yielding make sense? (no more than 5 words)

I’ve lived my whole life in Spanish Harlem with my mom, and I never have a father. I have friends who ended up in jail or pregnancy. But Mr. Clark wouldn’t let that happen. Mr. Clark worked long hours, making sure I did my work. My grades rose. In fact ,our whole fifth-grade class’s scores rose in math and reading. In sixth grade, I entered the gifted program, and Mr. Clark was the teacher. I felt so lucky to have him for a second year !

   None of us were surprised when Mr. Clark was selected as Disney’s 2004 Teacher of the Year. When he learned he’d won, he said he would draw three names out of a hat; those students would go with him to Los Angeles to get the award. But when it came time to draw names, Mr. Clark said, “ You’re all going.”

   He got donations to fly all 37of us out to Disneyland in California and put us at the Hilton. We were there for three days. People were amazed, but Mr. Clark really cared about us. There’s no way I can imagine most teachers doing that. No way. But he saw something in us that nobody else saw.

   On graduation day ,there were a lot of tears. We didn’t want his class to end. In 2005,he moved to Atlanta, but we always kept in touch. He started giving speeches about education and wrote a best-selling book based on his classroom rules.

   In 2007,Mr.Clark took some of us on a trip to South Africa to deliver school supplies and visit orphanages. It was the most amazing experience of my life. It’s now my dream to start a group of women’s clubs one day, helping people from all backgrounds.

   I’m about to become a senior at Harlem Renaissance High School. My grades are beautiful now, and I’m hoping to go to law school eventually. This fall, Mr. Clark will be opening the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, a school for kids who have potential but aren’t reaching it, kids who are like I was — until Mr. Clark came along.

1. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

   A. How I Improved My Grades

   B. Trips with My Teacher

   C. Lucky to Have Him

   D. My High School Years

2. What’s the big difference between Mr. Clark and other teachers?

   A. He tried to develop the potential of his students.

   B. He allowed his students to come along with him to get the award.

   C. He was ambitious and published a best-selling book.

   D. He started a women’s club, helping people from all backgrounds.

3. What was the author’s attitude toward Mr. Clark?

  A. Amazed.

  B. Satisfied

  C. Grateful.

  D. Admiring.