During recent years, floods and flash floods have caused billions of dollars in damage each year. They are among the most common and widespread of all natural disasters. Even more importantly, they’re No.1 weather-related killer. A flood can happen anywhere along the Mississippi, in New England, even in the desert.

The following are some fascinating facts about floods and flash floods.

A flood（commonly called river flood）is high flow of water from a river or similar body of water, happening over a period of time too long to be considered a flash flood. Flooding is caused in many ways. Winter or spring rains, together with melting snows, can fill rivers too quickly. Heavy rains from hurricanes or other tropical（热带的）systems can also produce river flooding. The Mississippi River Flood of 1993 was caused by repeated heavy rain from thunderstorms over a period of weeks.

Flash floods are quickly-rising floods which are usually the result of heavy rains over a short period of time, often only several hours or even less. They can also be caused by ice jams（冰塞）on rivers related to a winter or spring melting, or occasionally even a dam break. The constant influx（汇集） of water finally caused a great overflow to begin, powerful enough to sweep vehicles away, roll big stones into roadways, uproot trees, level（夷平） buildings, and knock bridges down. The speed of the rising of water is the most frightening.

Do remember: Move to higher ground and stay away from low areas during heavy rain. Stay out of flooded areas. Never allow children especially to play or walk in flowing water. Never drive your car into water of unknown depths.

43. What is the best title for the passage?

A. The power of floods               B. The damage of floods

C. The occurrence of floods           D. The facts about floods

44. The last paragraph is mainly about ______ .          

A. flood safety tips                B. the reasons for floods

C. the waste water systems               D. the swift flood waters

45. According to the passage, people are afraid of _____ most during flash floods.

A. the constant influx of water

B. the sudden occurrence of flash floods

C. the quick rising water

D. the great damage of flash floods

46. According to the passage, flash floods are ______.

A. great floods resulted from heavy rains in a short time

B. floods rising quickly from heavy rains in a short time

C. quickly-rising floods in a long time

D. floods happening over a long time

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. 1.

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

   1. A.
      To identify the cause of disasters.
   2. B.
      To save people' s lives and property.
   3. C.
      To prevent natural disasters from happening,
   4. D.
      To apply advanced technology to disaster prediction.
2. 2.

   Which of the following areas suffered the most severe damage?

   1. A.
      Puerto Rico.
   2. B.
      New Orleans.
   3. C.
      Biloxi, Mississippi.
   4. D.
      Galveston, Texas.
3. 3.

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

   1. A.
      the forecast hurricane did not hit the city
   2. B.
      the hurricane warning arrived rather late
   3. C.
      their preparations were made in vain
   4. D.
      they suffered from a heavy hurricane attack
4. 4.

   What does the passage mainly talk about?

   1. A.
      The different ways of disaster prediction.
   2. B.
      Technological advances in disaster prediction.
   3. C.
      The importance and uncertainty of disaster prediction.
   4. D.
      The benefits and preparations of disaster prediction.

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

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．