火災凸顯了極端高溫的危害

黃連英

The dangers caused by extreme heat conditions currently being experienced across continental Europe have been highlighted in Greece， after 1，200 children had to be evacuated from a summer camp near the capital Athens because of forest fires being made worse by high winds.

The fire broke out close to the popular beach resort of Loutraki， with Reuters reporting that around 50 fire engines， 40 soldiers and 13 aircraft had been deployed to try and control the blaze， which had caused local highways to be shut and train services to be disrupted.

Not far away， near Kouvaras， southeast of Athens， a second major blaze began， with the wind making conditions even more difficult for firefighters. “Due to high winds， the blaze spread across 12 kilometers in two hours，” Greek Fire Service spokesman Ioannis Artopoios told a televised news conference.

Summer wildfires are a regular occurrence in Greece. In 2018， 101 people died in the seaside town of Mati， east of Athens. But fears are higher than usual this year because of a dry winter followed by the extreme heat of summer.

Other parts of Europe suffering in the heat include the Italian island of Sardinia， which was expected to experience temperatures of 46 C in few days， not far off from the all-time European record high of 48.8 C， which was recorded on another Italian island， Sicily， in August 2021. And forest fires have caused thousands of people on the Spanish island of La Palma to leave their homes.

As well as the obvious physical danger and damage， the extreme weather could leave its economic mark on the areas affected， with data from the European Travel Commission showing that even before the latest incidents， the number of people planning to travel to the Mediterranean region between June and November was 10 percent down on figures from last year， when similarly extreme conditions were experienced.

At the same time， more temperate countries such as Ireland and Denmark， where such conditions are far less likely， are reported to be proving more popular with travelers.

（材料來自“China Daily”網站，有刪改）

1. What does the underlined word “evacuated” in Paragraph 1 mean？

A. Left behind.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?B. Moved out.

C. Called on.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? D. Blew away.

2. Which of the following isnt mentioned according to Paragraph 1 and Paragraph 2？

A. The reason why the big forest fire broke out.

B. The place where the big fire broke out.

C. The great harm caused by the big fire.

D. How fast the big fire spread.

3. What can be inferred according to the passage？

A. This years Summer wildfires may be more serious than ever.

B. The island of Sardinia set European record high of 48.8 C.

C. The wildfires caused many people on the Sicily Island to leave their homes.

D. The extreme weather wouldnt lead to economic effect on the areas affected.

4. Whats the purpose of the passage？

A. To explain the reasons for big forest fires in Europe.

B. To report two big forest fires that broke out in Greece.

C. To raise peoples awareness of big forest fires.

D. To call on people to fight against forest fires.

參考答案

1. B。解析：詞義猜測題。材料第一段的大意為：目前歐洲大陸正在經歷的極端高溫天氣所帶來的危害在希臘得到了突出的體現，由于強風加劇了森林火災，1200名兒童不得不從首都雅典附近的一個夏令營撤離。由此可知，“evacuated”應有“疏散，撤離”之意。故選B。

2. D。解析：細節理解題。材料第一段講述了森林火災產生的兩大原因——高溫和強風，故排除A；材料第二段提到了火災發生地點——海濱度假勝地Loutraki附近，故排除B；材料第二段還提到了火災造成的危害——大火導致當地高速公路封閉，火車服務中斷，故排除C。這兩段均未提到與D選項有關的內容，故選D。

3. A。解析：推理判斷題。根據材料第四段第三句“But fears are higher than usual this year because of a dry winter followed by the extreme heat of summer.”，我們可知因為冬季干燥和夏季酷熱，人們擔心今年的森林火災比往年更嚴重。故選A。

4. B。解析：推理判斷題。此篇材料是一篇新聞報道，內容是圍繞“希臘發生的兩次森林火災”展開的。故選B。