A
(2020·宁波高一检测)
Notre-Dame, the cathedral (大教堂) that serves as one of Paris’s most beloved monuments, is on fire. According to The New York Times, the fire began around 6: 30 p. m. local time, when tourists urgently rushed out of the building. While Andre Finot, a spokesman for the cathedral, told The Times that the cause of the fire is still unknown and that no one has been hurt while damage to the building appears catastrophic(灾难性的).
CNN reports that over 400 firefighters have been sent to fight the fire, but that they may be unable to save the cathedral. Built in the 12th century, Notre-Dame houses several relics important to Catholics (天主教徒). NBC News reports that relics from Saint Genevieve and Saint Denis may have been lost, together with a relic believed to be from Jesus Christ’s crown of thorns, but it states that authorities now believe that the cathedral has been saved from “total destruction”.
Notre-Dame is visited by a reported 30, 000 people a day and 13 million people per year. Its destruction represents a global cultural loss. “This is just horrible”, Mohamed Megdoul, 33, a film producer and witness to the fire told The Times, speaking through tears. “A thousand years of history is being wiped away. This belonged to the whole world, and now it’s disappearing. ”
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his sadness on Twitter. “Notre-Dame of Paris in flames, ” reads an English translation of his statement. “Emotion for a whole nation. Thoughts for all Catholics and for all the French. Like all our countrymen, I’m sad together to see this part of us burn. ” Other politicians, including Melania Trump, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, U. K. Prime Minister Theresa May also shared their sadness on Twitter.
【文章大意】本文是一篇新闻报道。文章报道了举世闻名的法国巴黎圣母院发生火灾的相关信息。
21. What do we know about Notre-Dame according to the passage?
A. It has been completely destroyed by the fire.
B. It’s a huge political loss to the world.
C. It’s only meaningful to Catholics.
D. The reason of the fire remained to be found out.
【解析】选D。细节理解题。根据While Andre Finot, a spokesman for the cathedral, told The Times that the cause of the fire is still unknown and that no one has been hurt while damage to the building appears catastrophic可知这起火灾的原因还不得而知, 对建筑的破坏是灾难性的, 并没有说建筑被完全破坏了。故选D。
22. What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph imply?
A. The history of France is destroyed because of the fire.
B. The loss the fire caused is huge.
C. The damage of Notre-Dame is being wiped off.
D. The cathedral has been saved from “total destruction”.
【解析】选B。句意理解题。根据第三段“ Its destruction represents a global cultural loss. ”“A thousand years of history is being wiped away. ”可知, 它的毁灭代表了全球文化的损失。Mohamed Megdoul说道: 这很糟糕, 一千年的历史就这样被破坏殆尽。wipe away擦掉。由此判断出这句话显示了火灾造成的损失是巨大的。故选B。
23. What’s the purpose of writing the passage?
A. To report a disaster of Notre-Dame.
B. To express people’s sadness of the destruction.
C. To emphasize the value of Notre-Dame.
D. To show the concerns from the worldwide.
【解析】选A。推理判断题。通览全文可知本文是一篇新闻报道, 文章报道了举世闻名的法国巴黎圣母院发生火灾的相关信息。因此本文的目的在于报道巴黎圣母院遭遇的巨大灾难。故选A。
