Question

【题目】 Today there are more fires than in the past. Over 100,000 wildfires burn each year in America. Russia has 20,000 to 35,000 wildfires every year. Australia has on average 60,000 each year. These fires destroy huge areas of forests and burn hundreds of homes.

Many experts believe _______. The first is climate change. Recent weather has been warmer and drier. This leads to dangerous fire conditions. When lightening strikes, dry grass easily catches fire. Hot winds add to the problem. The wind spreads a fire quickly. In 2010, Russia had the hottest and driest summer in a century. In just one month, 500 fires destroyed over 2,000 homes. Some people lost their lives.

Traditional fire-fighting practices are another reason for the increase in fires. In America, firefighters used to quickly put out every fire. They didn't allow the grass and trees to burn. As a result, today many forests have thicker vegetation(植被). Thicker vegetation means more fuel for fires. also, without fires from time to time, forests become overcrowded and unhealthy. Some trees are dead. The dead wood then easily catches fire. So surprisingly, America has many more fires today partly because of its past fire-fighting practices.

Scientists now understand that a fire can be a natural part of healthy forest. As a result, countries like Australia allow more fires to burn naturally. Sometimes, fire fighters even start fires to get rid of dead wood. Of course, they carefully control the fires. The fire thins out old trees. This allows sunlight to reach the ground. As a result, fires help new trees to grow. Therefore, if a fire is not a serious threat to people, firefighters may let it burn naturally.

【1】Today _______ has the most wildfires each year according to the passage.

A.AustraliaB.AmericaC.RussiaD.China

【2】Russia had many fires in one month in 2010 because _______.

A.lightening spread the fireB.there was much fuel for fires

C.there were not enough firefightersD.it was unusually hot, dry and windy

【3】What can be filled in the blank in Paragraph 2?

A.there are several reasons for this sudden increase in fires

B.people have done too many terrible things in recent years

C.stopping fires is difficult for people

D.careless people cause some fires

【4】Because of the traditional fire-fighting practices in the US, _______.

A.there are fewer wildfiresB.trees and grass become thicker

C.the weather becomes warmer and drierD.sunlight reaches the ground to help forests

【5】What is the main idea of Paragraph 4?

A.Fires are serious threats to human beings.

B.Australian firefighters don't put out fires.

C.Fires can play an important role in forests.

D.It's difficult for firefighters to control the fires.

【6】Which of the following is TRUE according to passage?

A.Not all the fires in the forests must be put out.

B.People's carelessness leads to dangerous fires.

C.Australia allows all the fires to burn naturally.

D.There are 2000 fires in Russia in 2010.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】D

【3】A

【4】B

【5】C

【6】A

【解析】

文章大意：本文讲现在的火灾比过去更多了，分析了引发火灾的原因，并指出火灾可能是健康森林的一部分，只要大火不对人类构成严重威胁，并非所有的或都要扑灭。

【1】细节理解题。根据第1段中“Over 100,000 wildfires burn each year in America. Russia has 20,000 to 35,000 wildfires every year. Australia has on average 60,000 each year.”可知未提及中国的情况，文中提到的几个国家中美国的野火最多。故选B。

【2】推理判断题。根据第2段中“In 2010, Russia had the hottest and driest summer in a century. In just one month, 500 fires destroyed over 2,000 homes.”结合上文内容可推出2010年俄罗斯有许多火灾是因为天气异常炎热干燥，再加上风的作用。故选D

【3】推理判断题。根据设空处下文中“The first is climate change.”及“Traditional fire-fighting practices are another reason for the increase in fires.”可推出此处应是说许多专家坚信火灾突然增多是有一些原因的。故选A。

【4】细节理解题。根据第3段中“In America, firefighters used to quickly put out every fire. They didn't allow the grass and trees to burn. As a result, today many forests have thicker vegetation(植被). ”可知因为美国的传统消防实践，植被（即树木和草）变得更厚。故选B。

【5】段落大意题。第四段描述的例子论证了科学家对大火可能是平衡森林的一个自然部分的观点，说明火在森林里有重要作用。故选C。

【6】细节理解题。根据第4段中“Therefore, if a fire is not a serious threat to people, firefighters may let it burn naturally”可知如果火灾没有严重威胁到人们，消防员可能回任其自然燃烧，并不是森林中所有的火都必须被扑灭，A项正确。故选A。