New York, the city that never sleeps, fell silent last week—schools were closed; bus and subway services were stopped; flights were canceled, and even the stock market closed for the first time since 1985. All the disorder was caused by one thing, the arrival of hurricane Sandy.
This big storm landed on Oct 29 on the US east coast and brought damaging winds, flooding, blackouts (停电) and heavy snow.
Sandy is one of the largest storms that have ever hit the US, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. By the afternoon of Nov1 (Beijing time), about 140 deaths were caused by the storm as it traveled across the Caribbean islands and into the US.
Unlike most hurricanes that happen during summer, Sandy was strengthened not only by warm ocean water, but also by the cold air coming from the northwest. Sandy’s power grew because of the difference in masses between the warm and wet air and cool and dry air. It became a kind of “super-storm”, the Guardian reported.
The flooding was particularly severe. Scientists said it was because Sandy’s arrival happened together with a full moon, which normally means higher-than-usual tides (潮水).
“The most worrying aspect of Sandy is the high tides,” Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee told Reuters before the storm arrived. “With the full moon on Monday, with Sandy coming up the bay, we’re very concerned about flooding in our low-lying coastal areas.”
Apart from the power of Sandy itself, another reason why her arrival has caused so much damage is that its target area is crowded with big cities such as New York and Philadelphia. These urban areas are home to tens of millions of people. The flood, the snow and the blackout have brought the country’s financial and political centers to a stop.
“The size of this alone, affecting a heavily populated area, is history making.” Said Jeff Masters, a hurricane specialist.
小题1:The author mentioned the disorder in New York city at the beginning of the article to _______.
| A．remind us of the problems people might face when disaster strikes |
| B．introduce the disastrous influence of hurricane Sandy |
| C．criticize the poor management of the city by the New York government |
| D．prove New York suffered most from hurricane Sandy |
小题2:According to the text, hurricane Sandy _______.
| A．only got its power from the warm ocean water |
| B．grew stronger than other hurricanes because of the full moon |
| C．led to flooding in many cities around the US |
| D．brought with it strong winds, high tides, blackouts and heavy snowfall |
小题3:From the article, we learn that areas hurricane Sandy targeted _______.
| A．were mostly high land |
| B．were mostly near the sea |
| C．were far away from important cities |
| D．were empty as people were evacuated (疏散) |
小题4:What is the main point of the article?
| A．To show how a super-storm comes into being. |
| B．To explain why hurricane Sandy was so destructive. |
| C．To show that big cities in the US are easily affected by huge hurricanes. |
| D．To explore the best ways to avoid loss when a hurricane hits. |
