An elderly woman died and several other passengers were critically injured when a crowded Virgin express train crashed in Cumbria last night.
A huge rescue operation involving RAF helicopters and dozens of ambulances arrive. After passengers were trapped in the train for more than four hours because fallen power line poles made access for emergency workers difficult.
Authorities reported up to 80 injuries. Thirteen people were taken to hospital in a“critical or serious condition.”
Between 180 and 200 passengers were on the 5:15pm Virgin service from London Euston to Glasgow Central when all nine carriages left the rails between Oxenholme and Tebay. Witnesses said that the train shook violently before toppling(倾斜) over into an embankment(筑堤)with at least four carriages overturning. Early this morning, authorities confirmed an elderly woman had died and some other passengers had suffered injuries including back strains, head wounds and broken bones.
Ruth Colton, a passenger on the train, said she was reading a book when the journey became unfortable. It seemed that the train was being beaten by heavy winds,“as if we were on a plane”.
The accident brought concerns that Britain's busiest rail route would be crippled(瘫痪)for some time. The line between Preston and Carlisle was postponed as Virgin Trains promised a rapid investigation into the “serious incident”—the pany's first big crash.
It is understood that the investigation will examine whether there was an obstacle on the track and the possibility of speeding or mechanical breakdown. The driver, who was injured, will be interviewed and a black-box recorder installed in the train will be examined.
【小题1】What made the rescue e so late?A．It's not accessible to reach the accident spot.B．No enough helicopters and ambulances could be found at that time.C．It was too far from hospital to Cumbria.D．No one called the emergency center.【小题2】According to the passage, the busiest rail route in Britain is A．From Preston to CarlisleB．Between Euston and GlasgowC．From Oxenholme to TebayD．Between Virgin and Pendolino【小题3】What does the underlined word “critical”mean?A．Important.B．Careless.C．Dangerous.D．Surprising.【小题4】Which of the following is the possible cause of the accident?A．Careless driving.B．Heavy wind.C．Over loading.D．Obstacle on the track.【小题5】We can learn from the passage that Virgin Trains A．made no quick reaction to this accidentB．seldom had so serious an accident beforeC．had made full preparations for the accidentD．didn't mind how many passengers the train can holdA
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(答案→)A
解析：
【小题1】从文章第二段第二句可知，车祸发生后旅客被困长达4个多小时，是因为闯到的电线杆挡住了通路，致使营救困难。耽误了时间。
【小题2】从第四段第一句可知由 London Euston 到 GlasgowCentral 的旅客有180 到200 人，而从Oxenholme 到Tebay 这段的车厢还都剩着。所以比较可知答案是B。
【小题3】从语境知道，13名旅客贝送往医院抢救，伤员的病情严重，危险。这里“serious”与“critical”应该是同义词（or的作用），再比较其他几个选项可以得出答案。
【小题4】结合文章倒数第三段和最后一段，比较四个选项可知。
【小题5】从倒数第二段中“---the pany’s first bid crash ”可这答案。