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PART II. READING

Task 1

You are going to read an article about weather disasters.

STORMS SWEEP BRITAN: 16 die

At least sixteen people were killed as severe gales swept across Britain yesterday. There was widespread flooding and many buildings were damaged by high winds. Several rivers, swollen by heavy rainfall, burst their banks. The worst affected place was Towyn in North Wales. Yesterday morning, mountainous seas smashed though the sea wall that protected the town from flooding. Floods up to two metres deep swept through the town. Lifeboats and helicopters were used to evacuate 2.000 people before the midnight tide brought even worse flooding. Fifty people were taken to hospital suffering from shock and exposure. A school outside the town is being used as temporary accommodation for the evacuees, who are being looked after by voluntary workers. A police spokesman said, ‘If we hadn’t got them out in time, many people would have died.’ Police, ambulance crews and firefighters toured the town in boats in order to check that everybody had been accounted for. A confused old lady, who had earlier hidden from police, was found and taken to hospital. Evacuees claimed that the sea wall had not been repaired since 1980. ‘We’ve been complaining for years,’ said one of them, ‘but nothing was done. Now we’ve lost our homes.’ Experts predict that the damage caused by the midnight tide will be ‘severe and extensive.’

No lives have been lost in Towyn but in other parts of Britain sixteen people died as 150 kph winds swept across the country. Eight of the victims were motorists whose cars overturned on exposed roads. One man was killed when a parked car was blown onto him. A bus driver died when his vehicle was crushed by a falling lamp-post. Several people were killed when walls, chimneys and roof tiles were blown down on top of them. Many roads are blocked by fallen trees and abandoned vehicles. All ferry services have been suspended and many flights delayed.

A lorry driver was crossing the Humber Bridge when his vehicle was struck by a sudden gust of wind and blown off the side of the bridge. Only the bridge suspension cables prevented the lorry from toppling over the edge into the water. The driver managed to scramble to safety through a window. In the Humber estuary, several ships have been blown aground.

Weather forecasters warned that although the high winds would die down during the night, they would return with renewed force tomorrow morning. Drivers are advised not to travel unless their journeys are absolutely necessary.

 

1) What do the following numbers in the text refer to?

1.sixteen

2.two

3.2,000

4.fifty

5.eight

6.150

2) Write out phrasal verbs in the text which are based on sweep and blow, explain their meaning.

3) Choose the correct answer A ,B, C or D.

1.Why was the midnight tide a serious threat to the town of Towyn?

A There were gale force winds.

B The seawall had been broken.

C Several rivers had burst their banks.



D There wasn’t time to evacuate everybody.

 

2.Why are some evacuees angry?

A They knew the sea wall needed repairing.

B They are suffering from shock.

C They are afraid of the police.

D They expected a better weather forecast.

 

3.Forecasters think that the weather will

A stay the same.

B get better and then stormy again.

C get much worse.

D get worse for a short time and then better.

 

Task 2

You are going to read a magazine article about four people and their hobbies. For questions 1 – 15, choose from the people (A – D). Some of the people may be chosen more than once. There is an example at the beginning (0).


Date: 2015-01-29; view: 1662


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