On 26th January，the biggest earthquake in India took the lives of 25,000 people.In the morning，when everybody was enjoying the holiday，the earthquake began.It was about 7.5 on the Ritcher scale.“There is nothing left between the sky and the earth any more.Everything has been pulled down.”said one of the villagers alive.“There is no water，no food and no one has come to help.”

Nobody died in Pakistan，a country next to India.The city of Lahore was lucky.In Lahore American School，where I was studying，all of the students were safe.They were on the field，so most children didn't feel anything.The earthquake was felt by the teachers that were on the second floor.However，though Mrs.Young was also on the second floor，she didn't feel anything.She didn't know what happened until a teacher told her about it.Those teachers who were on the other floors had different feelings.Mr.Emond，the maths teacher from Australia，said that when the earthquake started he thought there was something wrong with him，but then another teacher said that it was an earthquake.Mrs.Davis and Mr.Frost didn't feel anything either.

My mother didn't feel anything.She didn't even know that it was an earthquake till she saw a shaking light.My dad saw the computer shaking and then he looked out of the window and saw many people going out.

1．The biggest earthquake in India happened on the ________ of January 26th.

A．night　　　　　　　　 B．afternoon

C．noon D．morning

D　[细节理解题。根据第一段第二句“In the morning，when everybody was enjoying the holiday，the earthquake began.”可知这次地震发生在早晨。故选D。]

2．People use “Ritcher scale”to tell ________.

A．where the earthquake takes place

B．how serious the earthquake is

C．when the earthquake takes place

D．how long the earthquake lasts

B　[推理判断题。根据“Ritcher scale”前面的数字7.5，可知人们用“Ritcher scale”来表示地震程度的大小。故选B。]

3．We learn that________from the sentence “There is nothing left between the sky and the earth any more.”

A．India is a large country

B．the Indian people had nothing after the earthquake

C．there is no tall building in India

D．the earthquake in India was serious

D　[推理判断题。“There is nothing left between the sky and the earth any more.”这句话的意思是：在天空和地面之间没有什么东西留下了。再联系后一句“Everything has been pulled down.(一切事物都被摧毁了。)”可知这次地震非常严重。故选D。]

4．The city of Lahore is ________.

A．in India B．in Pakistan

C．in America D．in Australia

B　[细节理解题。根据第二段前两句“Nobody died in Pakistan，a country next to India.The city of Lahore was lucky.”可知这是一个巴基斯坦城市。故选B。]

Having lived in California until 1970，my family has felt a number of earthquakes. We have been fortunate，however，to have suffered no bodily harm or property damage.

There is a website that lists all California earthquakes recorded from 1769 to the present.The site lists the dates and times as well as the magnitude(震级)and the exact location of any quake that measured more than 6.0.There are only a few quakes that stand out in my memory and，luckily，none is shown in the website.So，my personal experience with earthquakes might be considered insignificant.

There are three earthquakes that are difficult to forget.The first one was in 1955 and our oldest daughter was walking with me in our backyard in Redwood City in California.As the shaking became stronger I held her to me with one arm as I held on to one of our fruit trees with the other.All three of us(my daughter，I and the tree)shook for two or three minutes that to us felt like hours.

The second one was in 1963.Our entire family was visiting Disneyland in Southern California.The earth started to shake just as we were beginning to walk from our hotel toward the_famous_landmark.

My third experience with an earthquake was a lonely one in California.It was in my sixties and I was alone in an old church.As the building started to shake，I quickly headed for the door to go outside.I remember I said a little prayer－something like，“Help me get out of here in time，Dear Heavenly Father”．Minutes later，I was safe outside.

【语篇解读】　本文为记叙文，作者回忆了自己经历的三次地震。

5．The author writes the passage mainly to tell us about ________.

A．a new film about an earthquake

B．how to survive an earthquake

C．his three earthquake experiences

D．how to save children in an earthquake

C　[写作意图题。作者主要是向读者介绍了自己经历的三次地震。]

6．The earthquakes the author has experienced________.

A．all caused bodily harm

B．are all recorded in a website

C．all measured more than 6.0

D．all happened in California

D　[细节理解题。根据第三段的“The first one was in 1955...in California.”和第四段第二句以及第五段的“My third experience with an earthquake was a lonely one in California.”可知答案。]

7．When the first earthquake happened，the author________.

A．was staying with his daughter

B．was planting fruit trees

C．held on to a tree for hours

D．was in a hotel

A　[细节理解题。根据第三段的“All three of us (my daughter，I and the tree)shook for two or three minutes”可知作者和他的女儿共同经历了这场地震。]

8．What does the underlined part “the famous landmark”refer to?

A．A church.

B．Disneyland.

C．A building destroyed by an earthquake.

D．The place where the author was born.

B　[推理判断题。根据“Our entire family was visiting Disneyland”可知答案。]

Ⅱ.语法填空

Living beside an active volcano(火山) means that small earthquakes are not unusual.Everybody here knows 1.________ they feel like，and they come 2.________ no surprise to the local people.For me，they're a little different，though.

What do you do when there's an earthquake? Most people would try to leave the building.I live on 3.______ third floor of a flat with several more stores above me—nobody wants 4.________ (trap) under that after an earthquake.I guess，if an earthquake came，I would probably just panic rather than think about what I needed to do，such as hiding somewhere or 5.________ (run) out of the building.

I had never felt an earthquake until last week.There was a small earthquake 6.________ could hardly even be called an earthquake.I was not really 7.________ (frighten)．To feel the earth move like that was just strange.Of course，it 8.________ (last) only a few seconds.I have spoken to the local people since the event and，9.________ (luck)，there were no injuries or damage 10.________ (do) by it.But if it had been a real earthquake，I think I would have felt quite differently.

1．what　[考查连接词。设空处引导宾语从句，且作介词like的宾语，故填what。]

2．as　[考查介词。come as no surprise意为“来得不稀奇，发生在意料之中”。]

3．the　[考查定冠词。序数词前应用定冠词限定，故填the。]

4．to be trapped　[考查不定式的被动式作宾语的用法。want后跟带to的不定式作宾语，因trap与nobody之间是逻辑上的动宾关系，故填to be trapped。]

5．running　[考查动词ing形式作宾语的用法。设空处与hiding somewhere并列作such as的宾语，故填running。]

6．that / which　[考查关系代词。设空处引导限制性定语从句修饰先行词earthquake，且在从句中作主语，故填that / which。]

7．frightened　[考查形容词作表语的用法。设空处作表语，表示“受惊吓的”，故填frightened。]

8．lasted　[考查一般过去时。由语境可知，此处描述的是发生在上周的事情，应用一般过去时，故填lasted。]

9．luckily　[考查副词。设空处作状语修饰分句there were no injuries...by it，故填luckily。]

10．done　[考查过去分词作定语的用法。设空处作后置定语修饰injuries or damage，因do与injuries or damage之间是逻辑上的动宾关系，故填done。]