A
For the past week, hundreds of firefighters have been battling a wildfire that started on March 26 in the mountains southwest of Denver, Colorado. The fire quickly burned through 4, 140 acres of land— an area the size of more than 3, 000 football fields. It killed three people, destroyed at least 25 houses, and forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes.
Investigations have found that the fire was likely caused by a controlled burn started one week earlier by the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS).
A controlled burn is a fire ignited(点燃) by professionals to clear the ground of built-up fuel—such as dead wood, thick layers of pine needles, and overcrowded trees—that can cause dangerous wildfires. Hundreds of controlled burns have been safely managed in Colorado forests over the past few months.
Fire professionals take many measures to make sure that burns can be controlled. Before starting a burn, the professionals look carefully at weather forecasts, how close the fire will be to houses and roads, and other factors. They plan how they will ignite and contain the fire and arrange for resources such as fire trucks and firefighters to be present.
CSFS officials say fire crews followed all safety procedures before starting the controlled burn near Denver on March 19. The fire died down four days later. But on March 26, high winds blew embers(余烬) onto unburned land, starting the deadly flame. Unusually warm temperatures and dry conditions helped it spread.
Fire crews now have the flame almost fully contained, and most families have been allowed to return to their homes. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper has issued a temporary ban on controlled burns on state land and has called for a complete review of the rules for these types of fires.
【语篇概述】本文是一篇新闻报道。文章主要介绍了发生在科罗拉多州丹佛市西南山区的一次大火引发的自然灾害, 并分析了起火的原因及灭火情况。
1. In the first paragraph, the underlined word “evacuate” can be replaced by “______”.
A. build B. protect C. leave D. watch
【解析】选C。词义猜测题。根据第一段的内容可知美国的科罗拉多州丹佛市西南部的山区发生火灾, 大火导致3人死亡, 至少25处房屋被毁, 几百人被迫离开他们的家园。故evacuate意为“疏散; 离开”。
2. According to the passage, CSFS officials may agree that______.
A. the weather factor was blamed for the fire
B. fire crews’ carelessness led to the fire
C. burning wood in the forest will be banned
D. firefighters should be present when the burn was started
【解析】选A。细节理解题。根据倒数第二段最后两句可知山火的原因很可能是大风、高温和干燥。故科罗拉多州林务局的官员认为这次火灾要归咎于天气。
3. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Hundreds of people were injured in the wildfire.
B. The wildfire was an unexpected event.
C. No measures were taken to control the burn.
D. The wildfire has been completely put out.
【解析】选D。推理判断题。根据最后一段第一句的内容可知此次山火得到了完全遏制, 市民可以返回家园了。
4. Where can the article probably appear?
A. In a TV guide. B. In a newspaper.
C. In a science book. D. In a tour booklet.
【解析】选B。推理判断题。文章主要介绍了发生在科罗拉多州丹佛市西南山区的一次大火引发的自然灾害并分析了起火的原因及灭火情况。故文章可能是新闻报道。
