In a natural disaster—a hurricane,flood,tornado,volcanic eruption,or other calamity—minutes and even seconds of warning can be the difference between life and death.Because of this,scientists and government officials are working to use the latest technological advances to predict when and where disasters will happen.They are also studying how best to analyze and communicate this information once it is obtained.The goal is to put technology to effective use in saving lives and property when nature unleashes its power with devastating results.

On September 29,1998,Hurricane Georges made landfall in Biloxi,Mississippi,after devastating Haiti,the Dominican Republic,Puerto Rico,and several islands of the Caribbean with torrential rains and winds up to 160 km/h （100 mph）.Few people lost their lives along the Gulf Coast of the United States,although hundreds died in the Caribbean.

This was a very different outcome from 1900,when a powerful Gulf Coast hurricane made an unexpected direct hit on Galveston,Texas,killing at least 6 000 people.Vastly improved hurricane warnings explain the different circumstances at either end of the 20th century—residents of Galveston had no advance warning that a storm was approaching,while residents of Biloxi had been warned days in advance of Georges’s approach,allowing for extensive safety precautions.

At the same time that people in Biloxi were thankful for the advance warning,some residents of New Orleans,Louisiana,120 km to the west,were less satisfied.A day before Georges made landfall,forecasters were predicting that the hurricane had a good chance of striking New Orleans.Because much of New Orleans lies below sea level,the city is at risk for flooding.In addition,because New Orleans has a large population in vulnerable locations,emergency management officials must begin evacuations well before a storm strikes.But evacuation costs money:Businesses close,tourists leave,and citizens take precautionary measures.The mayor of New Orleans estimated that his city’s preparations for Georges cost more than 50 million.After the full fury of Georges missed New Orleans,some residents questioned the value of the hurricane forecasts in the face of such high costs.

The differing views on the early warnings for Hurricane Georges illustrate some of the complexities involved in predicting disasters.Disaster prediction is more than just forecasting the future with advanced technology—it is also a process of providing scientific information to the government officials and other decision makers who must respond to those predictions.

In general,the process has three phases.First,there is the challenge of forecasting the event itself.In the case of Georges,scientists worked to predict the future direction and strength of the hurricane days in advance.

A second important challenge is communicating the forecast to decision－makers.Because forecasts are always uncertain,a central factor in disaster predictions is communicating this uncertainty.Uncertainty is usually described in terms of odds or probabilities,much like daily weather forecasts.The media plays an important role in communicating predictions and their uncertainty to the public.

The third part of the process is the use of predictive information by decision makers.Even the most accurate information is of little value if the decision maker does not use it appropriately,for example in deciding whether to order an evacuation.If there is a breakdown in any of these three phases of prediction,the result is increased danger and a higher risk of loss of life.

The underlined word“calamity”refers to ______.

A.nature                       B.thunderstorms            C.disaster                            D.dangers

According the passage,the purpose of disaster prediction is to______.

A.demonstrate the power of advanced technology

B.bring out the truth between life and death

C.prevent such natural disasters from happening

D.reduce human casualties and loss of property

Which of the following areas suffered the most severe damage?

A.Biloxi,Mississippi.                                        B.Gulf Coast of U. S.

C.Galveston,Texas.                                           D.New Orleans.

The world hash’t seen a pandemic（流行疾病）in 4 1 years，when the”Hong Kong”flu crossed the globe and killed about one million people worldwide．If H1N1 flu（甲型流感）reaches pandemic levels，what would happen next?

       The outbreak of SARS in 2003 rang alarm bells as potential pandemics．Although it jumped the”animal-to·human”barrier，neither disease changed enough to enable human-to．Human infection．Strictly speaking，SARS did not become pandemics because it was too good at killing their hosts．For a pandemic，it needs to be able to maintain human-to．human contact without killing its host off．

       ”H1N1 flu is already a man-to-man disease，which makes it much more difficult to manage．

       And H1N1 flu appears much more infectious than SARS．

       But the WHO warns，it cannot say whether or not it will indeed cause a pandemic．According to experts，here’s what the world might see if there is another pandemic，based on past experience．

       The disease would skip from city to city over an 18-to-24 month period，infecting more than a third of the population．World health Organization officials believe as many as 1．5 billion people around the globe would seek medical care and nearly 30 million would seek hospitalization．Based on the last pandemic and current world population，as many as 7 million people could die．Hospitals will become overcrowded；schools will close；businesses will close；airports will be empty．Business will become very bad，as people avoid as much social contact as possible．

       Health facilities will become overrun with patients and there would be less-than-adequate staffing，as medical health professionals fall ill themselves and that would result in higher deaths．

       The very young and very old will likely be the most susceptible（易受感染的）to the illness．Experts warn，much is still unknown about the current H1N1 flu virus and its severity and it is too early to say whether it will lead to a pandemic．Right now，the focus is on finding answers and controlling the spread．

1.How many kinds of disease is mentioned in the passage?

       A．Two      B．Three           C．Four        D．Five

2.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

       A．SARS didn’t change enough to enable sustained（持续的）human-to—human infection．

       B．SARS was very good at killing its carriers．

       C．A man with H1N1 flu can not infect another man easily．

       D．Comparing SARS and H 1N 1 flu，SARS is not as infectious．

3.What can we know about the “Hong Kong” flu from the passage?

       A．It spread all around the globe and killed lots of people．

       B．It killed about millions of people．

       C．It killed about one million people in Hong Kong．

       D．Not the old but the young were susceptible to it and got killed．

4.What can be inferred from the passage?

       A．The H1N1 flu will skip from city to city over an 18一to一24 month period．

       B．Doctors and nurses will fall ill themselves，which will result in many more deaths．

       C．Every country is taking measures to stop the H1N1 flu from leading to a pandemic．

       D．The WHO and experts have known much about the current H1N1 flu virus．

The world hash’t seen a pandemic（流行疾病）in 4 1 years，when the”Hong Kong”flu crossed the globe and killed about one million people worldwide．If H1N1 flu（甲型流感）reaches pandemic levels，what would happen next?
The outbreak of SARS in 2003 rang alarm bells as potential pandemics．Although it jumped the”animal-to·human”barrier，neither disease changed enough to enable human-to．Human infection．Strictly speaking，SARS did not become pandemics because it was too good at killing their hosts．For a pandemic，it needs to be able to maintain human-to．human contact without killing its host off．
”H1N1 flu is already a man-to-man disease，which makes it much more difficult to manage．
And H1N1 flu appears much more infectious than SARS．
But the WHO warns，it cannot say whether or not it will indeed cause a pandemic．According to experts，here’s what the world might see if there is another pandemic，based on past experience．
The disease would skip from city to city over an 18-to-24 month period，infecting more than a third of the population．World health Organization officials believe as many as 1．5 billion people around the globe would seek medical care and nearly 30 million would seek hospitalization．Based on the last pandemic and current world population，as many as 7 million people could die．Hospitals will become overcrowded；schools will close；businesses will close；airports will be empty．Business will become very bad，as people avoid as much social contact as possible．
Health facilities will become overrun with patients and there would be less-than-adequate staffing，as medical health professionals fall ill themselves and that would result in higher deaths．
The very young and very old will likely be the most susceptible（易受感染的）to the illness．Experts warn，much is still unknown about the current H1N1 flu virus and its severity and it is too early to say whether it will lead to a pandemic．Right now，the focus is on finding answers and controlling the spread．
【小题1】How many kinds of disease is mentioned in the passage?

A．The H1N1 flu will skip from city to city over an 18一to一24 month period．

B．Doctors and nurses will fall ill themselves，which will result in many more deaths．

C．Every country is taking measures to stop the H1N1 flu from leading to a pandemic．

D．The WHO and experts have known much about the current H1N1 flu virus．

When you have a pet dog, it is necessary to care for it carefully. The most i______ 1.part of dog-care is cleanliness. Not only does the dog have to be kept clean, _______2. his environment should be clean. The bed   it sleeps _______3.can be made with a carpet. Proper feeding is also important to your dog’s h_______(健康) 4.. A dog should be fed in the same place and on a ________(有规律的) 5.schedule. Food should never be left before a dog for o_______ 6.thirty minutes. Remember to keep fresh water available during hot weather. A______ 7.important thing many dog owners forget is exercise for their dogs. ______(积极的) 8.exercise helps build      strength and keeps the dog healthy. W______ 9.the dog at a fixed time the of day is enough to help the dog live a healthier and h_______ 10.life.

The world hash’t seen a pandemic（流行疾病）in 4 1 years，when the”Hong Kong”flu crossed the globe and killed about one million people worldwide．If H1N1 flu（甲型流感）reaches pandemic levels，what would happen next?

       The outbreak of SARS in 2003 rang alarm bells as potential pandemics．Although it jumped the”animal-to·human”barrier，neither disease changed enough to enable human-to．Human infection．Strictly speaking，SARS did not become pandemics because it was too good at killing their hosts．For a pandemic，it needs to be able to maintain human-to．human contact without killing its host off．

       ”H1N1 flu is already a man-to-man disease，which makes it much more difficult to manage．

       And H1N1 flu appears much more infectious than SARS．

       But the WHO warns，it cannot say whether or not it will indeed cause a pandemic．According to experts，here’s what the world might see if there is another pandemic，based on past experience．

       The disease would skip from city to city over an 18-to-24 month period，infecting more than a third of the population．World health Organization officials believe as many as 1．5 billion people around the globe would seek medical care and nearly 30 million would seek hospitalization．Based on the last pandemic and current world population，as many as 7 million people could die．Hospitals will become overcrowded；schools will close；businesses will close；airports will be empty．Business will become very bad，as people avoid as much social contact as possible．

       Health facilities will become overrun with patients and there would be less-than-adequate staffing，as medical health professionals fall ill themselves and that would result in higher deaths．

       The very young and very old will likely be the most susceptible（易受感染的）to the illness．Experts warn，much is still unknown about the current H1N1 flu virus and its severity and it is too early to say whether it will lead to a pandemic．Right now，the focus is on finding answers and controlling the spread．

How many kinds of disease is mentioned in the passage?

       A．Two      B．Three           C．Four        D．Five

Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

       A．SARS didn’t change enough to enable sustained（持续的）human-to—human infection．

       B．SARS was very good at killing its carriers．

       C．A man with H1N1 flu can not infect another man easily．

       D．Comparing SARS and H 1N 1 flu，SARS is not as infectious．

What can we know about the “Hong Kong” flu from the passage?

       A．It spread all around the globe and killed lots of people．

       B．It killed about millions of people．

       C．It killed about one million people in Hong Kong．

       D．Not the old but the young were susceptible to it and got killed．

What can be inferred from the passage?

       A．The H1N1 flu will skip from city to city over an 18一to一24 month period．

       B．Doctors and nurses will fall ill themselves，which will result in many more deaths．

       C．Every country is taking measures to stop the H1N1 flu from leading to a pandemic．

       D．The WHO and experts have known much about the current H1N1 flu virus．