语言朋友(6)
Nobody expects it to happen to them，but they should.Of all the disasters that can strike a home，fire is the most common.Although smoke detectors(探测器)are now common，fire damages or destroys hundreds of thousands of homes each year.Fires account for more than 90 percent of American Red Cross disaster responses.But Red Cross preparedness and response spokesperson Tara Lynch says there are things you can do to help keep your family safe.The Red Cross advice boils_down to three principles：Get a kit，make a plan and be careful.
Get a kit. Every home should have smoke detectors，a fire extinguisher(灭火器)and an evacuation kit(紧急疏散器具箱)．Smoke detectors should be placed outside of every sleeping area and on every floor.Test your smoke detectors once a month.Make sure they will work when you need them.Your local fire station will train you on how to use a fire extinguisher.The evacuation kit should include a flashlight，IDs，driver's licenses and insurance papers，plus essential medicine，and even pet supplies.
Make a plan. Families should gather to make a fire escape plan and practice that plan at least twice a year.People in multistorey homes will need a fire ladder.Families should also decide on a place to meet after they escape from their homes.Even though it can be frightening for children and hard for parents to consider the possibility of a fire，proper planning can make an enormous difference in the event of an emergency.
Be careful. Home fires are more likely to start in a kitchen than in any other room.Never leave a stove unattended，and be particularly careful with space heaters.It's important to follow the instructions on all the space heaters and keep them at least three feet from any other object.
解题导语：谁都不希望自己家发生火灾，但家庭火灾却是最常见的。如何能够做到防患于未然呢？1．What does the underlined phrase “boils down” mean in the first paragraph?
A．Finds out the main reasons for something.
B．Collects facts to show a truth.
C．Writes something important down.
D．Reduces information so that it contains only its important parts.
解析：词义猜测题。根据第一段“there are things you can do”和“three principles”可以推断，红十字会的发言人说为了保证家人的安全有许多事可以做，随后所介绍的3个原则是经过提炼后的最重要的原则。D
2．To keep our family safe from fire，we should do all of the following things EXCEPT________．
A．check the smoke detector once a month
B．learn how to use a fire extinguisher
C．stop using space heaters in winter
D．practice a fire escape plan at least twice a year
解析：细节理解题。最后一段建议人们要“be particularly careful with space heaters”，但并没有说冬天不可以用取暖器。C
3．The underlined word “them” in the last paragraph refers to________．
A．kitchens of the families
B．the space heaters
C．the instructions on space heaters
D．fire extinguishers
词义猜测题。根据语境可以推断，要将加热设备放在离其他物品至少3英尺的距离，故选B。B
4．We can conclude from the passage that________．
A．home fires can be prevented by proper planning
B．every home in America has been equipped with smoke detectors
C．most home fires happen because of heating equipment
D．90% of American home disasters are caused by fire
解析：推理判断题。通读全文可知，如果事先做好准备，家庭火灾是可以避免的。A
5．The main purpose of this passage is to________．
A．give some facts about fire disasters
B．teach people what to do when there is a fire
C．offer tips on how to prevent a fire
D．give some fire safety tips
主旨大意题。本文旨在提供消防安全建议，故选D。D
语法填空
One evening I was resting in a cafe.I wore a pair of newly bought white leather shoes, 6.________were rather expensive.Then a boy came to me.
He was in 7.________old and not fit shirt, looking pale and about eleven.No sooner had I begun to speak than he opened the box in his hand and took out the tools of shoepolishing. He was busy doing his work8.________heavy rain began to pour down. People rushed to the cafe for 9.________(protect) from the rain. More and more people crowded in and gradually separated the boy 10.________ me.
Hours passed, and it turned dark. I had no shoes on my feet and wondered where the boy had been.
I thought I would have to go home on my bare feet. When it was near midnight, the cafe was to be closed. I had to move to the door, just as I went to the gate, I11.________(surprise) found that a boy of about eleven，12.________(look) very familiar, was sleeping at the door with his head leaning13.________a box.I shook him slightly and woke him14.________.He opened the package hurriedly, gave me my leather shoes, and apologized to me shyly. I paid him and wrapped him with his 15.________ (fit) shirt. On my way home, the image of the boy stayed in my mind.
解题导语：一个贫穷的为人擦鞋的男孩，却拥有世界上最美好的品质，这令作者非常感动。
6．考查非限制性定语从句。先行词是shoes，空格在从句中作主语，不能省略，故用which。
which
7．空格处应填冠词修饰shirt，因其后有old，故填an。
an
8．sb.was doing when...“某人正在做某事突然……”。
when
9．介词for后用名词protection。这里for表目的。
protection
10．固定短语separate sb. from sb.“把某人和某人分开”。
from
11．用副词来修饰动词found。句意：我惊奇地发现。
surprisedly
12．句子中已有谓语，此处填非谓语动词。look与其逻辑主语a boy之间是主动关系，故用现在分词形式。
looking
13．lean against/on sth.“倚靠，靠在……上”。小男孩睡在门口，头靠着箱子。
against/on
14．固定短语wake sb.up“把某人叫醒”。
up
15．根据第二段“not fit shirt”可知此处用unfit，指“不合身的”。
unfit