MIANYANG—At a corner of the city’s Jiuzhou Stadium, one of the biggest camps set up for those left homeless in the earthquake, 62-year-old Liu Yaorong was leaning against a window on Thursday.

Pointing to a quilt and clothes he received from the local government, he said: “These are all I have. My home collapsed in the quake, and everything in the town was flooded.”

He used to live in Xuanping town of Beichuan county which was destroyed by the quake. Adding to his misery, rivers blocked by landslides(山崩) led to flooding in the town.

But Liu said he was lucky because he was healthy, otherwise he would not have the energy to walk 10 hours on damaged and dangerous mountainous roads to escape the flood on Monday. He said the trip used to take him about 90 minutes when the roads were in good condition.

The journey was difficult and “rocks kept falling,” he said, showing injured legs and black, split toenails.

Liu said his three sons were working in eastern cities as migrant workers.

“I’ve been living alone in the mountains for more than 20 years. My wife died 30 years ago,” he said in a low voice.

During his journey to Mianyang, Liu said he saw many elderly people who chose to stay.

“Soldiers were persuading them to leave for fear of floods,” he said.

Talking about his home before the quake struck, Liu’s mood lifted. “I raised pigs and chickens, and grew vegetables. I could have rice, meat and greens almost every day,” he said.

“But now, I have only biscuits and instant noodles.”

Liu said one of his sons returned home from Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, after the quake, but left because the father refused to go with him.

“I don’t want to leave home. And I know it is difficult for them out there. How could I add to their burden?” he asked, his eyes red.

“I still want to go back to my home. Given a small piece of land, I could live by myself.”

It is learnt that resettlement plans for displaced people have not been finalized.

However, not every elderly person is as strong-willed as Liu.

Psychologists said the elderly need as much comfort as children. Lu Jianguo, a psychologist from Chengdu Medical College, said “We will first let them cry and tell their stories, and then help them regain confidence.”

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Liu Yaorong spent 8.5 hours more than usual covering the roads in escaping the flood.

B. The flood was followed by an earthquake in Xuanping in the same day.

C. Liu Yaorong was in time to escape the quake without being hurt.

D. Being healthy, Liu Yaorong was the only old man to escape the flood.

The underlined word “ misery  ”in the third paragraph most probably means “       ”.

A. happiness          B. fortune      C. puzzle          D. suffering

What’s Liu Yaorong’s attitude towards self-relief after the earthquake?

    A. Positive.         B. Negative.       C. Aggressive.       D. Dependent.

What would be the best title for the news report?

A. Elderly react more quickly to flood disaster

B. Elderly try hard to deal with quake disaster

C. Elderly prefer to stay at their own home

D. Elderly are well cared for by government

Heavy downpours last month in Rhode Island led to widespread flooding, causing millions of dollars in property damage and leaving thousands homeless. The floodwaters also poured vast amounts of raw sewage (污水) into the rivers and streams that flow into Narragansett Bay.

It sounds like the makings of an environmental nightmare, but in fact it’s just the opposite. To scientists’ delight, the sewage-loaded floodwaters have caused a well-timed growth of phytoplankton, the microscopic creatures that form the foundation of marine food chains. With more food available for fish, clams and other sea creatures, the bay’s fisheries industry is expected to benefit.

In decades past, Narragansett Bay typically experienced a late winter/early spring algal (海藻) bloom that fed creatures up and down the water column. But in recent years, the waters of Narragansett Bay have warmed greatly, interrupting this seasonal event.

Mark Berman, an oceanographer with the National Marine Fisheries Service, said the flood seemed to have sent the bay back to its normal state.

However, local, state and federal officials in Rhode Island have been battling other algal blooms that, by contrast, are causing widespread harm to the Narragansett Bay ecosystem. During summer months, sewage and agricultural runoff flows into the bay, causing large blooms. But instead of becoming food for sea creatures, much of the phytoplankton is consumed by bacteria, which grow fast in the warmer waters. The rapid bacteria growth leads to hypoxia – a decrease of oxygen in the water that can cause large fish kills. One such die-off occurred in 2003, when millions of oxygen-starved fish washed up on the beaches of Narragansett Bay.

The flood’s positive impact will probably be a one-time event, Mr. Berman said. Meanwhile, efforts to curb the harmful summer blooms continue; in 2008, for instance, Providence completed a $359 million sewage tunnel under the city designed to reduce the polluted storm overflow into Narragansett Bay.

1. Scientists believe that the raw sewage flowing into the bay will _______.

2.The potential benefit of fisheries industry relies on the _______.

3. People struggle against the summer blooms because they will ________.

4.It can be inferred that _______.

5. The underlined word “curb” in the last paragraph can be defined as “______”.

 ______ the warning message, more visitors might have been trapped in the flood.

A. Apart from      B. Regardless of       C. Other than                  D. But for

选择正确词组（每小题1分，共6分）

温馨提示：注意词型的适当变化

1. After ________the university, he was employed by an oversea company.

2. It seemed that the whole city lay _________after the flood.

3. _________he hurried his breakfast and washed the smelly clothes.

4. I like swimming while my son __________playing with toy blocks

5. I have made it clear that I will never________ to anybody.

6. I don’t ________the price, so long as the air-conditioner is of fine quality.

. It was in this village _______ he saved 11 people _______ were trapped in the flood.

A. where; who    B. that; who     C. that; which                  D. which; who