Storms Sink Ships
Rescuers have found the bodies of over 130 people killed in two ferry disasters in Bangladesh.The accidents happened during a storm that hit the country on April 21.Hundreds more are missing or feared dead.
The two ferries sank in different rivers near the capital city of Dhakfi as strong winds and rain hit the South Asian country.
The government has since banned a11 ferries and other boats from traveling at night during the April-May stormy season. .
One of the ferries，MV Mitali，was carrying far more people than it was supposed to.About 400 passengers fitted into a space made for just 300，police said.The second ferry carried about 1 00 passengers.
“The number of deaths is certain to rise.”said an official in charge of the rescue work.“No one really knows how many people were on board‘the ferry or how many of them survived.’’
Ferries in Bangladesh don’t always keep passenger lists，making it difficult to determine the exact number of people on board.
Besides the ferry accidents，at least 40 people were killed and 400 injured by lightning strikes.falling houses and trees and the sinking of small boats.
Storms are common this time of year in Bangladesh，as are boating accidents.Ferry
disasters take away hundreds of lives every year in a nation of 130 million people.
Officials blame these river accidents on a lack of safety measures.too many passengers in boats and not enough checks on weather conditions.
Ferries are a common means of transport in Bangladesh.It is a country covered by about 230 rivers.Some 20，000 ferries use the nation’s Waterways every year.And many of them are dangerously overcrowded.
Since 1977, more than 3.000 people have died in some 260 boating accidents.
詞匯：
ferry n.渡船
waterway n.水路，水道
Bangladesh：孟加拉國，位于南亞
練習：
1.How many people have been found dead in the two ferry disasters?
A、Over 130.
B、At least 40.
C、About 400.
D) Over 3，000.
2.The two ferry disasters occurred
A)at noon.
B)in the morning.
C) at night.
D)In the afternoon.
3.How many passengers was MV Mitali designed to carry?
A)500.
B)100.
C)400.
D)300.
4.Officials attribute boating accident to
A)strong winds.
B)bad weather conditions.
C)the blockages of waterways.
D)the lack of safety measures.
5.Which of the following statements is NOT true of the two ferry disasters?
A)They were overcrowded.
B)They sank on April 2I.
C)The exact number of deaths could be easily determined.
D)They sank somewhere near Dhaka.
【答案及解析】
1. A.該題問的是：在兩次渡船失事中已發(fā)現(xiàn)多少人死了?第一段第一個句子說到“救援人員已經(jīng)找到了在盂加拉國的兩次渡船失事中的130多人的尸體”。當然，實際的死亡人數(shù)還要高。
2. C.該題問的是：這兩次渡船失事發(fā)生在什么時候？這是一道推理題。文章中沒有一個句子直接地提供了這方面的信息。但是第三段間接地傳遞了這方面的信崽：政府自此后禁止所有的渡船和其他船只在四五月的暴風季節(jié)夜航。
3. D. 該題問的是：渡船MV Mitali設計載客量是多少?答案在第四段的第二句：把大約400個旅客裝進了只能容納300個旅客的空間。
4. D. 該題問的是：官員們解釋船只失事的原因是什么？倒數(shù)第三段說到了缺乏安全措施。
5.C.該題問的是：下面有關這兩次渡船失事的說法哪種是錯的？第5段有這樣一句話：沒有人真正知道當時有多少人在船上，也不知道有多少人還活著，第6段是這么說的：盂加拉國的渡船不是總能留下乘客的名單的，使得確認船上確切的人數(shù)很困難。
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