It’s interesting that the arrival of snow has effect on people in different countries. For some countries it is an important happening to celebrate each year, while for others a catastrophe(灾害) or even a wonder.

　　But there are countries between these two kinds that normally expect snow some time over the winter months, but never receive snow regularly or in the same quantities every year. Britain is one of them, for which the arrival of snow quite simply causes problems. Within hours of the first snowfalls, however light, roads are blocked, trains and buses have to stop in the middle of the way. Normal communication is affected as well: telephone calls become difficult and the post immediately takes more time than usual. And almost within hours, there are also certain shortages----bread, vegetables and other things-----not because all these things can no longer be produced or sent to shops, but mainly because people are frightened and go out and store up with food and so on…just for fear that something bad should happen.

　　But why does snow have this effect? After all, the Swiss, the Austrians and the Canadians don‘t have such problems. It is simple because there is not enough planning and preparation. We need money to buy equipment to deal with snow and ice. To keep the roads clear, for example, requires snow-ploughs(扫雪机) and machines to spread salt. The reason why a country like Britain does not buy snow-ploughs is that they are used for a few days in any one year, and the money could be more useful in other things such as hospital, education, helping the old and so on..

　1.According to the writer, Britain is a country ________.

　　2.After a few hours’ snowing there are often some shortages of food because ______.

　　A. shops have closed down B. people buy as much as they can

　　B. farmers cannot produce any more D. people eat more vegetables in winter

　　3.The words "two kinds" in the passage mean the countries ______.

It’s interesting that the arrival of snow has effect on people in different countries. For some countries it is an important happening to celebrate each year, while for others a catastrophe(灾害) or even a wonder.
　　But there are countries between these two kinds that normally expect snow some time over the winter months, but never receive snow regularly or in the same quantities every year. Britain is one of them, for which the arrival of snow quite simply causes problems. Within hours of the first snowfalls, however light, roads are blocked, trains and buses have to stop in the middle of the way. Normal communication is affected as well: telephone calls become difficult and the post immediately takes more time than usual. And almost within hours, there are also certain shortages----bread, vegetables and other things-----not because all these things can no longer be produced or sent to shops, but mainly because people are frightened and go out and store up with food and so on…just for fear that something bad should happen.
　　But why does snow have this effect? After all, the Swiss, the Austrians and the Canadians don‘t have such problems. It is simple because there is not enough planning and preparation. We need money to buy equipment to deal with snow and ice. To keep the roads clear, for example, requires snow-ploughs(扫雪机) and machines to spread salt. The reason why a country like Britain does not buy snow-ploughs is that they are used for a few days in any one year, and the money could be more useful in other things such as hospital, education, helping the old and so on..
　【小题1】According to the writer, Britain is a country ________.

　 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