Building after building under water.Refugees in shelters.Thousands of others unsure where to go.Bodies in streets.This is what one of America's historic cities was reduced to this week by a powerful storm, Katrina(卡特里娜).The mayor of New Orleans says thousands may be dead.Hurricane Katrina also caused death and destruction in parts of Mississippi and Alabama along the Gulf of Mexico.

New Orleans is famous for its wild Mardi Gras celebrations.New Orleans is also a major port for foreign oil and other shipping trade.Yet the city of nearly five hundred thousand people was built below sea level.New Orleans has depended on levees to control floods from the Mississippi River.Katrina struck on Monday.New Orleans avoided a direct hit.But two of the levees failed the next day.Most of the city was flooded.Helicopters dropped huge sandbags to fill the breaks.But the water had no place to go.Pumping stations had no power.

America faces one of the worst natural events in its history.President Bush says the recovery will take years.People were told to leave the path of the storm.But some would not or could not.Many of those worst affected by Katrina are poor and black.African-American leaders and others were angry that government aid did not arrive faster.President Bush visited some of the damaged areas on Friday.He said the way officials reacted to the crisis was unacceptable.

Which is true of the following details about New Orleans?

       A.New Orleans is a newly-built city of America

       B.There were no black people in New Orleans.

       C.This is the first time that hurricane has stricken it.

       D.New Orleans is a major port for foreign oil and other shipping trade.

What does the underlined word “levees”(in the second paragraph) mean?

       A.trees      B.dams      C.ports      D.ships

Which is right about the Hurricane Katrina?

       A.It also caused the destruction in parts of Mississippi.

       B.A lot of people died in this disaster.

       C.It cut off the electricity supply of the city.

       D.All of the above is right.

What can we learn from the text?

       A.President Bush was not concerned about this disaster.

       B.The recovery of the city will take a few days.

       C.In this disaster the government aid didn’t arrive in time.

       D.In this city there were no pump stations.

CALCUTTA, India Mar 24, 2006 (AP) — One of the world’s oldest creatures, a giant tortoise believed to have been about 250 years old, has died in the Calcutta zoo where it spent more than half its long life.

Addwaita, which means “the one and only” in the local Bengali language, was one of four Aldabra tortoises brought to India by British sailors in the 18th century. Zoo officials say he was a gift for Lord Robert Clive of the East India Company, who was instrumental in establishing British colonial rule in India, before he returned to England in 1767. Long after the other three tortoises died, Addwaita continued to thrive, living in Clive’s garden before being moved to the zoo in 1875.

“According to records in the zoo, the age of the giant tortoise, Addwaita, who died on Wednesday, would be about 250 years,” said zoo director Subir Chowdhury. That would have made him much older than the world’s oldest documented living animal: Harriet, a 176-year-old Galapagos tortoise who lives at the Australia Zoo north of Brisbane, according to the zoo’s Web site. She was taken from the island of Isla Santa Cruz by Charles Darwin in the 19th century.

Aldabra tortoises come from the Aldabra atoll in the Seychelle islands in the Indian Ocean, and often live to more than 100 years of age. Males can weigh up to 550 pounds. Addwaita, the zoo’s biggest attraction, had been unwell for the last few days, said local Forest Minister Jogesh Burman.

“We were keeping a watch on him. When the zoo keepers went to his enclosure on Wednesday they found him dead,” Burman said.

Notes:

colonial  adj. 殖民的

thrive  v. 茁壮成长

documented  adj. 备有证明文件的

atoll  n. 环礁

Choose the best answers according to the above:

According to the passage, Addwaita ________.

      A. was sent to India as a gift by British government

      B. was sent to India by British sailors in 1767

      C. lived together with three other Aldabra tortoises in India

      D. belonged to Lord Robert Clive for some time

By now, the oldest animal in the world is about at ________.

      A. 176 years old      B. 100 years old       C. 250 years old      D. 200 years old

In the last few days before Addwaita died, he ________.

A. had been sent to hospital for treatment         

B. had been playing with travelers

C. had been found not better than before          

D. had stayed in his enclosure for days

What would be the best title for the passage?

A. An Old Aldabra Tortoise Died in India    

B. A Remarkable Life: Tortoise Dies at 250

C. A Special Kind of Tortoise — Addwaita   

D. The Oldest Animal Aldabra Tortoise Died

 0  18309  18317  18323  18327  18333  18335  18339  18345  18347  18353  18359  18363  18365  18369  18375  18377  18383  18387  18389  18393  18395  18399  18401  18403  18404  18405  18407  18408  18409  18411  18413  18417  18419  18423  18425  18429  18435  18437  18443  18447  18449  18453  18459  18465  18467  18473  18477  18479  18485  18489  18495  18503  151629 

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网