In a natural disaster—a hurricane, flood, volcanic eruption, or other catastrophes—minutes and even seconds of warning can make the difference between life and death．Because of this, scientists 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．

On September 29, 1998, Hurricane Georges made landfall in Biloxi, Mississippi, after damaging Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and several islands of the Caribbean badly with torrential rains and winds up to 160 km per hour．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, allowing for extensive safety precautions（预防）．

At the same time that people in Biloxi were thankful for the advance warning, some residents of New Orleans, Louisiana 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．Emergency management officials must begin evacuations（疏散）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 Georges missed New Orleans, some residents questioned the value of the hurricane forecasts in the face of such high costs．

The different views on the early warnings for Hurricane Georges show some of the complexities related to predicting disasters．Disaster prediction is a process of providing scientific information to the government officials and other decision makers who must respond to those predictions．

1.What is the purpose of disaster prediction according to the passage?

    A. To identify the cause of disasters．

    B. To save people' s lives and property．

    C. To prevent natural disasters from happening,

    D. To apply advanced technology to disaster prediction．

2.Which of the following areas suffered the most severe damage?

    A. Puerto Rico．                       B. New Orleans．

    C. Biloxi, Mississippi．               D. Galveston, Texas．

3.The city residents of New Orleans were unsatisfied because __   _ .

    A. the forecast hurricane did not hit the city

    B. the hurricane warning arrived rather late

    C. their preparations were made in vain

    D. they suffered from a heavy hurricane attack

4.What does the passage mainly talk about?

    A. The different ways of disaster prediction．

    B. Technological advances in disaster prediction．

    C. The importance and uncertainty of disaster prediction． 

    D. The benefits and preparations of disaster prediction．

 

The mayor of Beijing says that all construction work for the Beijing Olympics _____ by 2006.

A. has been completed           B. has completed      

C. will have been completed      D. will have completed

According to legend, the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Italy, which connects the Palazzo Ducale to an ancient prison, got its name because the walk across it gave prisoners on their way to jail a final chance to appreciate the beauty of the city.
The view from the bridge today, however, is more likely to be of a giant billboard selling Bulgari or Coca – cola. Beyond the billboards, monuments are being restored. The money comes from advertising profits.
But when the Coke billboards went up this summer on buildings near the Piazza San Marco, which is at the historic heart of Venice, there was a public debate.
“We can’t commercialize everything,” said Alessandra Mottola Molfino, a Venetian. “The lesson that goes out is that a price is for everything.”
“We couldn’t stay quiet,” said Maria Camilla Bianchini d’Alberigo, president of a heritage protection association. “Too much is too much.”
There needed to be rules, she added, rules that prevent the advertising billboards clashing (冲突) with the monuments of the city.
City of officials, however, argue that without these ads, the city could not afford to maintain its heritage. Many have been damaged by centuries of wear and are even a threat to public safety.
“I can’t turn down the image of bottle when there are pieces of the Palazzo Ducale falling to the ground,” said Renata Codello, a Cultrue Ministry official.
The Culture Minister has a budget of about $ 47 million (315 million yuan) for restoration of monuments, but Italy has a rich architectural heritage, and funds are always tight．Of that amount,
$ 1.8 million was given to the entire Vector region,  which includes Venice．
Two years ago, the city signed an agreement with the Dotter Group, a company responsible for the restoration of the Bridge of Sighs and the Palazzo Ducale．It allows it to sell ad space．
But there is a condition in the agreement: The ads should not offend public taste,
In August, Venice banned US actress Julianne Moore's Bulgrari ad from a billboard in the Piazza San Marco．
The photo shows a naked Moore covered with lion cubs, handbags and jewelry, Mayor Giorgio Orsoni called the image too racy (猥亵) and unsuitable for the Piazza San Marco．
"I take account of the fact that Venice is part of the real world… but we cannot accept these Hollywood-style images．There arc intelligent sponsors, and we need to come up with advertising that suits Venice, not Times Square," he said in a speech．
【小题1】The article is mainly about        in Venice

A．restoration of cultural heritage

B．widespread commercialization

C．the conflict between ads and cultural heritage

D．the difficulty of restoring monuments

【小题2】In the first paragraph, the beautiful view from the Bridge of Sighs is mentioned to      .

A．introduce other monuments of the ancient city

B．show how much many ancient structures need restoring

C．indicate that the view is blocked by huge ads

D．create interest in the famous city

【小题3】From the article we can conclude that Rcnata Codello        the advertising．

A．is in favor of	B．is worried about
C．objects to	D．doesn't mind

【小题4】Why do many Venetians complain about the ads?

A．They are intolerant of commercialization．

B．They feel the ads are damaging the city．

C．The ads are usually racy and in an American style．

D．The ads don't present a traditional view of Venice,

【小题5】It can be inferred from the passage that

A．Hollywood stars' ads cannot go up in Venice

B．the mayor of Venice is expecting new advertising

C．the Dotter Group may stop its restoration work for lack of funds

D．people can buy Bulgaria or Coca-cola on the Bridge of Sighs

According to legend, the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Italy, which connects the Palazzo Ducale to an ancient prison, got its name because the walk across it gave prisoners on their way to jail a final chance to appreciate the beauty of the city.

The view from the bridge today, however, is more likely to be of a giant billboard selling Bulgari or Coca – cola. Beyond the billboards, monuments are being restored. The money comes from advertising profits.

But when the Coke billboards went up this summer on buildings near the Piazza San Marco, which is at the historic heart of Venice, there was a public debate.

“We can’t commercialize everything,” said Alessandra Mottola Molfino, a Venetian. “The lesson that goes out is that a price is for everything.”

“We couldn’t stay quiet,” said Maria Camilla Bianchini d’Alberigo, president of a heritage protection association. “Too much is too much.”

There needed to be rules, she added, rules that prevent the advertising billboards clashing (冲突) with the monuments of the city.

City of officials, however, argue that without these ads, the city could not afford to maintain its heritage. Many have been damaged by centuries of wear and are even a threat to public safety.

“I can’t turn down the image of bottle when there are pieces of the Palazzo Ducale falling to the ground,” said Renata Codello, a Cultrue Ministry official.

The Culture Minister has a budget of about $ 47 million (315 million yuan) for restoration of monuments, but Italy has a rich architectural heritage, and funds are always tight．Of that amount,

$ 1.8 million was given to the entire Vector region,  which includes Venice．

Two years ago, the city signed an agreement with the Dotter Group, a company responsible for the restoration of the Bridge of Sighs and the Palazzo Ducale．It allows it to sell ad space．

But there is a condition in the agreement: The ads should not offend public taste,

In August, Venice banned US actress Julianne Moore's Bulgrari ad from a billboard in the Piazza San Marco．

The photo shows a naked Moore covered with lion cubs, handbags and jewelry, Mayor Giorgio Orsoni called the image too racy (猥亵) and unsuitable for the Piazza San Marco．

"I take account of the fact that Venice is part of the real world… but we cannot accept these Hollywood-style images．There arc intelligent sponsors, and we need to come up with advertising that suits Venice, not Times Square," he said in a speech．

1.The article is mainly about        in Venice

A．restoration of cultural heritage

B．widespread commercialization

C．the conflict between ads and cultural heritage

D．the difficulty of restoring monuments

2.In the first paragraph, the beautiful view from the Bridge of Sighs is mentioned to      .

A．introduce other monuments of the ancient city

B．show how much many ancient structures need restoring

C．indicate that the view is blocked by huge ads

D．create interest in the famous city

3.From the article we can conclude that Rcnata Codello        the advertising．

A．is in favor of	B．is worried about
C．objects to	D．doesn't mind

4.Why do many Venetians complain about the ads?

A．They are intolerant of commercialization．

B．They feel the ads are damaging the city．

C．The ads are usually racy and in an American style．

D．The ads don't present a traditional view of Venice,

5.It can be inferred from the passage that

A．Hollywood stars' ads cannot go up in Venice

B．the mayor of Venice is expecting new advertising

C．the Dotter Group may stop its restoration work for lack of funds

D．people can buy Bulgaria or Coca-cola on the Bridge of Sighs

 

Is it she or you ________ going to run for the mayor of our city?

A. who is         B. that is           C. who are           D. whom are