Thousands of people have been killed in a massive(大规模的) earthquake in Japan. The quake -- the most powerful to hit Japan in more than 100 years -- caused massive damage and many people are missing and feared dead.
The 8.9 magnitude quake struck Friday(March 11) off Japan's eastern coast, and prompted(引发) tsunami warnings（海啸警报）across the Pacific as far away as South America and the U.S. West Coast. Several days after a 8.9-magnitude earthquake and resulting 10-meter-high tsunami devastated the coastline. The United States Geological Survey says it was the fifth largest earthquake since 1900. The largest, with a 9.5 magnitude, shook Chile(智利) in 1960.
　　In Japan, the tsunami swept away boats, cars and hundreds of houses in coastal areas north of Tokyo. The quake shook buildings in the Japanese capital and caused several fires. All train and subway traffic in Tokyo has been stopped, and thousands of people there were unable to get back home. People are just trying to find clean water. Food supplies are running out. In the convenience stores, there are no rice balls left. There is no bottled water left. People are facing a really serious situation in the days ahead for these people that are living in areas that were only moderately（普通的） damaged. The final death toll could range from the thousands to tens of thousands, depending on how many of these communities are gone.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the government would do everything it can to minimize（使降到最低） the effects of the disaster. And in Washington, President Obama said the United States is ready to help the people of Japan.
【小题1】The underline word damage means_____________ in the article.

Thousands of people have been killed in a massive(大规模的) earthquake in Japan. The quake -- the most powerful to hit Japan in more than 100 years -- caused massive damage and many people are missing and feared dead.

The 8.9 magnitude quake struck Friday(March 11) off Japan's eastern coast, and prompted(引发) tsunami warnings（海啸警报）across the Pacific as far away as South America and the U.S. West Coast. Several days after a 8.9-magnitude earthquake and resulting 10-meter-high tsunami devastated the coastline. The United States Geological Survey says it was the fifth largest earthquake since 1900. The largest, with a 9.5 magnitude, shook Chile(智利) in 1960.

　　In Japan, the tsunami swept away boats, cars and hundreds of houses in coastal areas north of Tokyo. The quake shook buildings in the Japanese capital and caused several fires. All train and subway traffic in Tokyo has been stopped, and thousands of people there were unable to get back home. People are just trying to find clean water. Food supplies are running out. In the convenience stores, there are no rice balls left. There is no bottled water left. People are facing a really serious situation in the days ahead for these people that are living in areas that were only moderately（普通的） damaged. The final death toll could range from the thousands to tens of thousands, depending on how many of these communities are gone.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the government would do everything it can to minimize（使降到最低） the effects of the disaster. And in Washington, President Obama said the United States is ready to help the people of Japan.

1.The underline word damage means_____________ in the article.

2.Which is true according to the passage?

3.According to the passage, which earthquake is the largest one since 1990 ?

4.If you're in Tokyo these days, what you can't get from the convenience store?

5.The passage can't be in/on __________.

　 Today's huge earthquake and tsunami sent home the idea that despite advances in building and infrastructure, we're all subject to Mother Nature． In today's increasingly interconnected economy, the economic fallout from a natural disaster is rarely limited to the geographic area it hits． In fact, even natural disasters that take place thousands of miles away can shake up your portfolio（资产）here at home．

　 One of the biggest problems for areas affected by natural disasters is business disruption（动乱）．With road, communication infrastructure and building damage common after sizable disasters, it's not uncommon for local businesses to shut down for some time． That's what happened after Hurricane（飓风）Katrina hit the Gulf coast back in 2005．As companies recovered from their losses, thousands of workers in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi were left jobless, With this mass unemployment came a severe cutback in consumer spending and consequently, tax income needed to be used in the rebuilding effects．

　　 Less obvious---but perhaps even more significant-- are the effects that a natural disaster can have on commodity prices． In the case of Hurricane Katrina, the storm's entry point at the Golf coast was significant because of the fact that the refineries（冶炼厂）through which nearly half of the gasoline consumed in the US passed were affected by the storm．As a result, people cannot go out from their houses, food supplies were affected immediately after the disasters made landfall．With increased radiation pump prices, extra effects included: reduced profits for industries ---from transportation to consumer goods．

Similar things happened in the copper market as earthquake in Chile hit production and increased copper prices worldwide． Ultimately, it's difficult to imagine the extent of the economic loss major natural and man-made disasters can bring about．And although the majority of disasters impact the ruined area's economy severely, they can have an effect on a larger scale．Although there's little we can do to avoid Mother Nature's next catastrophe, we can better prepare for it---both physically and financially．Understanding the economic implications of a disaster whether natural or man-made is the first step toward that．

72．According to the first paragraph, we learn that　　　　　 ．

A．people should not fight against nature

B．we should improve the technology in building

C．some effects of a natural disaster can be avoided

D．natural disasters can affect places that are far away

73．After Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf coast, 　　　　 ．

A．many companies moved out of the area

　 B．many workers were out of work in the area

　 C．taxes were raised around the country to support the area

　 D．transportation was stopped for quite a long time in the area

74．Oi1 and gas supplies were affected at once after the storm because　　　　　 ．

　 A．the need for oil and gas suddenly increases

　 B．the gas companies raised the prices on purpose

　 C．the production of oil and gas was influenced by the storm

D．there was not a suitable place to trade oil and gas any more

75．The passage was written mainly about_　　　　 ．

　 A．giving advice on how to avoid natural disasters

　 B．showing us the importance of protecting the nature

　 C．telling us about the financial effects of natural disasters

　 D．showing us how to recover from natural disaster swiftly

A massive earthquake and tsunamis killed 350 people in one Chilean coastal town, doubling the total death number on Sunday as the government tried to get aid to hungry survivors and stop looting(抢劫).

President Michelle Bachelet said at least 708 people had been killed and called for calm as people desperate for food and water looted stores in some areas worst hit by Saturday’s 8.8-magnitude quake, one of the world’s biggest in a century. The earthquake that shook Chile on Saturday morning was “50 times bigger than the one of Haiti.” The earthquake in Chile was far stronger than the one that struck Haiti last month - yet the death number in Haiti, a Caribbean nation, was much higher.

The reasons are simple. Chile is wealthier and infinitely better prepared, with strict building codes, robust emergency response and a long history of handling seismic catastrophes. No living Haitian had experienced a quake at home when the Jan. 12 disaster crumbled their poorly constructed buildings.

Television images showed houses washed away by swirling waters, cars tossed into shattered buildings and boats lifted into the streets in coastal towns including Pelluhue and Constitucion, where 350 deaths alone were reported.

“It’s an enormous disaster ... there’s a growing number of missing people,” Bachelet said, adding that food and medical aid was being sent to help the roughly 2 million people affected by the quake. Chile is making great efforts to deal with a formidable task caused by the earthquake how to provide temporary shelter for so many people.

A lack of water, food and fuel sharpened the hardship for the hundreds of thousands of people left homeless, and widespread disruption to the power supply threatened to hamper (妨碍) Chilean industry’s recovery. In the hard-hit city of Concepcion, about 310 miles south of Santiago, the government imposed a night-time curfew (宵禁令) in Concepcion and the Maule region on Sunday in a bid to stop looting.

Police used tear gas and water blast guns to disperse a crowd of looters carrying off food and electrical appliances from one supermarket in Concepcion. Television images showed people stuffing groceries and other goods into shopping trolleys. “People have gone days without eating,” said Orlando Salazar, one of the looters at the supermarket. “The only option is to come here and get stuff for ourselves.” On the second day of the most serious natural disaster to hit Chile in decades, rescuing survivors from the ruins had been quickly replaced by the hard challenge of helping them. People overseas have been deeply impressed by earthquake relief efforts by the Chilean government.

1. There are several reasons why the loss of lives in the Chile earthquake was comparatively low EXCEPT __________.

A. improvements had been made in the constructed buildings.

B. Chile is always well prepared for the coming earthquake.

C. large number of Chile residents had gone oat for a holiday.

D Chile has rich experience in dealing with this disaster.

2. The underlined word “formidable” in the fifth paragraph probably means ________.

A. difficult          B. glorious                       C. light                     D. original

3. According to the passage, what is the most pressing task in the earthquake-hit areas?

A. rescuing survivors

B. providing temporary shelter and food for the victims

C. burying dead bodies

D. clearing away the ruins

4. The author’s main purpose in writing the passage is to ____________.

A. call on international aid agencies to go to Chile to help.

B. tell us how to deal with the coming disaster.

C. show how the people of Chile rebuild their country after the big disaster.

D. tell us something about the enormous earthquake in Chile.