55. A. mother B. clerk C.
official D.
manager
(2)
Fourteen year ago, nine million citizens
of London heard sirens (警报)
all over the town. Emergency services, the fire brigade, the 1
, hospitals and ambulances stood by, ready to go 2 action. In railway and underground
stations, people 3 posters and maps telling them 4 to go and what to do in the
emergency. This was 5 Flood –call. London wasn’t flooded yet. But
it is 6 that it will be.
In 1236 and 1663, London was badly
flooded. In 1928, many people 7 in Westiminister,
the heart of 8 were drowned in floods. And in 1953, 100
people living on the eastern edge of the London suburbs were 9
again in the floods. 10 , the Greater London Council (议会)
is taking action to 11 this terrible accident happening again. 12 the flood wall will not be built until the 1980s. And in the
meantime, Londoners 13 be prepared. When it 14 , 50 underground stations will be 15 water. Electricity, gas and phone
services will be out of 16
. Roads will be impossible. It
will be impossible to 17 any of the bridges between North and
South London. Imagine ---- London will 18 like Venice.
But the Flood-call didn’t 19 panic among Londoners. Most people knew
it was just a 20 . One comment from a lady who was
walking along the Embankment when the sirens sounded was, “It's a flood
warning, isn’t it ? The water doesn’t look high to me.”