Question

    The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of 2 September 1666. In four days it destroyed more than three- quarters of the old city, where most of the houses were wooden and close together. One hundred people became homeless but only a few lost their lives.

The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the King’s baker (面包师) in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family, was able to get out through a window in the roof. A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery (面包房) into a small hotel next door. Then it spread quickly into Thames Street. That was the beginning.

By eight o’clock three hundred houses were on fire. On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames. Tuesday was the worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St Paul’s and the Guildhall among them.

Samuel Pepys, the famous writer, wrote about the fire People threw their things into the river. Many poor people stayed in their houses until the last moment. Birds fell out of the air because of the heat.

The fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the direction of the fire. With nothing left to burn, the fire became weak and finally died out.

After the fire, Christopher Wren, the architect (建筑师), wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone. In fact, the streets are still narrow, but he did build more than fifty churches, among them the mew St Paul’s.

The fire caused great pain and loss, but after it London was a better place: a city for the future and not just of the past.

1.The fire began in ________.

A.a hotel B.Pudding Lane C.the palace D.Thames River

2.It seems that the writer of the text was most sorry for the fact that ________.

A.some people lost their lives B.the birds were killed by the fire

C.many famous buildings were destroyed D.the King’s bakery was burned down

3.Why did the writer cite (引用) Samuel Pepys?

A.Because Pepys also wrote about the fire.

B.To show that poor people suffered most.

C.To give the reader a clearer picture of the fire.

D.Because Pepys was among those putting out the fire.

4.How was the fire put out according to the text?

A.The King and his soldiers came to help.

B.all the wooden houses in the city were destroyed.

C.People managed to get enough water from the river.

D.Houses standing in the direction of the fire were pulled down.

5.Which of the following were reasons for the rapid spread of the big fire?

a. there was a strong wind.

b. the streets were very narrow.

c. Many houses were made of wood.

d. there was not enough water in the city.

e. People did not discover the fire earlier.

A.a, b and c B.a and b C.a, b, c and d D.a, b, c, d and e

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.C

4.D

5.A

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文，讲述了1666年发生在英国伦敦的大火，火灾的严重性在历史上是极其罕见的，给人的启迪是深刻的。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段中“The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the King’s baker (面包师) in Pudding Lane.”可知大火是星期天早晨在Pudding Lane的国王面包师的房子里发生的。故选B。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段中“The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St Paul’s and the Guildhall among them.”可知，伦敦的许多著名的建筑在大火中被烧毁了。故选C。

3.推理判断题。根据第四段可知，作者引用Samuel Pepys的描述是为了向读者讲述一个清晰、形象的大火场景。故选C。

4.细节理解题。根据“The fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the direction of the fire.”可知最后国王命令人们推倒大火方向的上百建筑物，大火才停止。故选D。

5.细节理解题。通读全文可得出大火的原因，第一段中“…where most of the houses were wooden and close together.”可知大多数房子是木制的，而且紧凑，即c项；第二段中“A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery (面包房) into a small hotel next door.”可知一阵强烈的大风将火从面包房吹到隔壁的旅馆，即a项；第六段中“After the fire, Christopher Wren, the architect (建筑师), wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone.”可知道路太窄也是一个原因，因此大火后城市的道路加宽了，即b项，因此a、b和c项是大火蔓延的原因。故选A。