4．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

3．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

2．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

1．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

5．Which of the following is NOT included in the festival?

　　　 A．seeing red leaves．　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．photography contest．

　　　 C．poetry competition．　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．stamp collecting.

D

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.

4．The red-leaf trees grew well because ______.

　　　 A．The Beijing Forestry Bureau protected them strictly.

　　　 B．The tourists love to see red leaves every year.

　　　 C．The Red Leaves Project has been held since 2000.

　　　 D．There were plenty of rain during this summer.

3．Which of the following is true based on the passage?

　　　 A．The temperature next week will decrease heavily.

　　　 B．The Red Leaves Project has continued for 10 years.

　　　 C．The Red Leaves Festival will end on December 8th.

　　　 D．The red leaves will hang in the trees until December 8^th.

2．The word “snap” in the second paragraph means ______.

　　　 A．animal’s bite．　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．sudden fall of temperature．

　　　 C．sudden broken．　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．move quickly.

1．The phrase “this autumn's scenery” in the first paragraph refers to ______.

　　　 A．Red leaves．　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．the Fragrant Hills．

　　　 C．color-pleased tourism．　　　　　　　　　　 D．northwest Beijing.

5．The Word “impoverished” in the ninth paragraph means ______.

　　　 A．poor and exhausted．　　　　　　　　　　　 B．rich and developed．

　　　 C．clean and fresh．　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．dirty and remote.

C

Red leaf fans are now praying for cold weather．The falling leaves of autumn are a complete delight to color-pleased tourists．And the Fragrant Hills in northwest Beijing is not the only place to watch this autumn's scenery.

But the real change in color happens only when a cold snap occurs, usually a drop of 10 C.

Unfortunately for red-leaf watchers, the weather experts are predicting sunny skies and 20 C temperatures for at least another week.

But when the cold change eventually comes, a 230-km belt of red leaves will appear around the outskirts of Beijing．The Red Leaves Project was started by the Beijing Forestry Bureau in 2000.

At the Fragrant Hills, the 12th Red Leaf Festival runs from this weekend to Dec 8 and tickets cost 10 yuan.

The annual event is held every fall, when all the Fragrant Hills are blanketed with fiery(火红的) red leaves.

The abundance of rain this summer has promoted the growth of red-leaf trees, so the viewing time is expected to last until mid November at least.

A Fragrant Hills spokesman said the best time to see red leaves in the park was from now to early December．More than 90 percent of the leaves will turn red during the period.

The park will hold a series of activities such as photography contest and poetry competition．The park is also cooperating with Fragrant Hills post office to design a series of red-leaf postcards.