New York, the city that never sleeps, fell silent last week—schools were closed; bus and subway services were stopped; flights were canceled, and even the stock market closed for the first time since 1985. All the disorder was caused by one thing, the arrival of hurricane Sandy.
This big storm landed on Oct 29 on the US east coast and brought damaging winds, flooding, blackouts (停电) and heavy snow.
Sandy is one of the largest storms that have ever hit the US, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. By the afternoon of Nov1 (Beijing time), about 140 deaths were caused by the storm as it traveled across the Caribbean islands and into the US.
Unlike most hurricanes that happen during summer, Sandy was strengthened not only by warm ocean water, but also by the cold air ing from the northwest. Sandy’s power grew because of the difference in masses between the warm and wet air and cool and dry air. It became a kind of “super-storm”, the Guardian reported.
The flooding was particularly severe. Scientists said it was because Sandy’s arrival happened together with a full moon, which normally means higher-than-usual tides (潮水).
“The most worrying aspect of Sandy is the high tides,” Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee told Reuters before the storm arrived. “With the full moon on Monday, with Sandy ing up the bay, we’re very concerned about flooding in our low-lying coastal areas.”
Apart from the power of Sandy itself, another reason why her arrival has caused so much damage is that its target area is crowded with big cities such as New York and Philadelphia. These urban areas are home to tens of millions of people. The flood, the snow and the blackout have brought the country’s financial and political centers to a stop.
“The size of this alone, affecting a heavily populated area, is history making.” Said Jeff Masters, a hurricane specialist.
【小题1】The author mentioned the disorder in New York city at the beginning of the article to .A．remind us of the problems people might face when disaster strikesB．introduce the disastrous influence of hurricane SandyC．criticize the poor management of the city by the New York governmentD．prove New York suffered most from hurricane Sandy【小题2】According to the text, hurricane Sandy .A．only got its power from the warm ocean waterB．grew stronger than other hurricanes because of the full moonC．led to flooding in many cities around the USD．brought with it strong winds, high tides, blackouts and heavy snowfall【小题3】From the article, we learn that areas hurricane Sandy targeted .A．were mostly high landB．were mostly near the seaC．were far away from important citiesD．were empty as people were evacuated (疏散)【小题4】What is the main point of the article?A．To show how a super-storm es into being.B．To explain why hurricane Sandy was so destructive. C．To show that big cities in the US are easily affected by huge hurricanes.D．To explore the best ways to avoid loss when a hurricane hits.B
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(答案→)B
解析：本文主要描述了飓风Sandy会给美国带来如此巨大的破坏，并分析了具体的原因。
【小题1】B 推理题。在文章一开始就提出一系列的问题主要是为了引出下文Sandy给美国带来的危害，故B正确。
【小题2】D 细节题。根据文章4,5段倒数第二段Sandy was strengthened not only by warm ocean water, but also by the cold air ing from the northwest. Sandy’s power grew because of the difference in masses between the warm and wet air and cool and dry air. It became a kind of “super-storm”, the Guardian reported. 和 which normally means higher-than-usual tides (潮水).以及The flood, the snow and the blackout have brought the country’s financial and political centers to a stop. 都说明D项内容是文章所提及的Sandy的危害
【小题3】B 推理题。根据文章第五段Scientists said it was because Sandy’s arrival happened together with a full moon, which normally means higher-than-usual tides (潮水).说明涉及到潮汛，那么应该是与大海有关，故说明这些城市与靠近海边的，故B正确。
【小题4】B 主旨大意题。本文主要讲述的就是为什么飓风Sandy会给美国带来如此巨大的破坏，分析了具体的原因，故B正确。