阅读理解
A
In November 1965, New York was blacked out by an electricity failure．The government officials promised that it would not happen again．Pessimists（悲观者） were certain that it would occur again within five years at the latest．In July 1977, there was a repeat performance which produced different degrees of disorder throughout the city of 8,000,000 people．In 1965, the failure occurred in the cool autumn and at a time of peace and good situation．In 1977, the failure was much more serious because it came when the number of people out of work was large and the city was suffering from one of its worst heat waves．
In 1965 there was little stealing during the darkness, and fewer than 100 people were caught by the police．In 1977, hundreds of stores were broken into and stolen．They broke shop windows and helped themselves to jewellery, clothes or television sets, nearly 400 people were sent to the police but far more disappeared into the
