Question

Despite the high technology and investment in flood defences by the Environment Agency, there is no way to stop all flooding—sooner or later nature will produce something that will beat even the strongest defences.

Warning people of this clanger is very important if we are to prevent the great loss of life seen sixty-three years ago. Indeed if the Flood Warning system that currently exists had been around on that cold, stormy night in January 1953， many lives would have been spared.

The Environment Agency took over the role of flood warning in 1995 from the police who had to go door to door or sound alarms to get the news out. The service is being constantly improved and a combination of better technology and increased investment following the Easter Floods of 1998 has led to the creation of Floodline and an automatic messaging system that can warn thousands of people in very little time.

Floodline 0845 988 1188 offers information and advice 24 hours a day and if warnings are in place, callers can get information either from local updates or by using a quick dialling code for their area.

The Flood Warning team inKenthas also sent letters to the people living close to the rivers or the sea and invited them to join the AVM (automated voice messa?ging) system. Anyone choosing to take up this free service will receive a recorded message directly to their home, business or pager telling them of the level of warning, giving them as much time as possible to carry out their flood plan and save items that cannot be re?placed if lost or damaged, such as photographs or children's favourite toys.

1. Choose the CORRECT statements from the follow?ing according to the passage.

a.     Many people lost their lives in the flood in 1953.

b.    The Flood Warning system was already in use in 1953.

c.     Flood defences can stop all flooding.

d.    The Environment Agency began to warn people of flood in 1995.

e.     Floodline was created after the Easter Floods of 1998

A. a， b, c     B.  b, c， d

C.  a， d， e      D.  a, c, e

2.    What does the underlined word "pager" mean in the passage?

A.    A piece of equipment designed to receive and show messages.

B.    A boy employed to carry luggage in hotels.

C.    A page of papers written to offer messages.

D.    A person invited to write pages of messages.

3.    People can easily get information and advice about

lood any time of the day from     .

A.    automatic messaging system

B.    automated voice messaging system

C.    the Flood Warning team inKent

D.    Floodline 0845 988 1188

4.    The best title for this passage may probably be

A.    Environment Agency

B.    Flood Warning system

C.    Technology in flood defences

D.    Easter Floods

Answer 1

【文章大意】本文是一篇記敘文，主要講述了洪水報警系統建立的過程和工作情況。

C推理判斷題。根據第二段中的"Indeed if the Flood Warn?ing system that currently exists had been around on that cold, stormy night in January 1953, many lives would have been spared."可判斷出在1953年的洪水中許多人失去了生命，故a是正確的；根據第三段中的"The Environment Agency took over the role of flood warning in 1995 from the police who had to go door to door or sound alarms to get the news out."可判斷出在1995年，環保局開始洪水預報，故d是正確的；根據第三段中的"The service is being constantly improved and a combination of better technology and increased investment fol?lowing the Easter Floods of 1998 has led to the creation of Floodline and an automatic messaging system that can warn thousands of people in very little time."可判斷出e是正確的， 故選C項。

A 詞義猜測題。根據最后一段中的"Anyone choosing to take up this free service will receive a recorded message direct?ly to their home, business or pager telling them of the level of warning…"可判斷出pagei"指的是一種用于接收和顯示信息的裝置，故選A項。

D 細節理解題。第四段中的"Floodline 0845 988 1188 offers information and advice 24 hours a day and if warnings are in place, callers can get information either from local updates or by using a quick dialling code for their area.，，表明人們可以在全天的任何時候通過

Floodline 0845 988 1188獲得信息，故選D項。

B 主旨大意題。這篇短文講述了洪水報警系統建立的過程和工作情況，所以B項正確。