第三部分 阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
On October 16th 1987, southern Britain was hit by a hurricane, the worst storm to hit Britain since 1703.
Twenty years later, Britain is remembering the disaster known as The Great Storm. 15 million trees across the area were uprooted by the wind, and a wet autumn had made the ground very muddy (泥泞的).
The falling trees caused damage to buildings and vehicles, and blocked roads and railway lines, forcing everyone, from adults to schoolchildren to stay at home.
There were also blackouts across the area, as power lines were damaged by falling trees and flying debris (残骸). People used candles and flashlights (手电) for light, and gas stoves and open fires to cook food.
The storm lasted for 4 hours, and killed 18 lives. The bad weather caused so much damage mostly because of the fact that most people were completely unprepared, and be-cause many weather forecasters didn’t think it could cause a problem.
Earlier that week, weather forecasts had predicted severe (严重的) weather, but forecasters thought it would miss Britain and only affect the English Channel. A well-known weatherman, Michael Fish, ever said that the storm wouldn’t happen, though in fact he was talking about a hurricane in Florida at that time.
The unusual storm caused more than ￡1billion in dam-age, and hundreds of people were injured.
Could the same thing happen today in Britain? Well, as a result of climate change many people think that sudden and severe weather changes are more likely. However, technology has improved, and satellites give us a much more accurate(精确的)picture of future weather. If another Great Storm comes along, the British public will probably be warned earlier and have more time to prepare!
56. The bad weather in 1987 in Britain caused a lot of damage because ______.
A. it caused a great flood                    B. most people were not prepared
C. it happened in the summer                            D. there was no weather forecast
57. Which of the following was NOT one of the effects of The Great Storm?
A. There were a number of deaths and injuries.   B. The electricity went out.
C. It hit Florida first.                                D. Roads and railway lines were blocked.
58. One week before The Great Storm, weather forecasts ______.
A. could not predict severe weather at all
B. had predicted the severe weather, but some weather forecasters thought it would miss Britain
C. showed that the terrible storm would not hit the English Channel
D. showed that The Great Storm would affect both England and Florida
59. We learn from the last paragraph that ______.
A. this kind of bad weather will not happen in Britain again
B. bad weather will happen more frequently in Britain now
C. people will be better prepared if there is bad weather in Britain now
D. bad weather may be stopped with the development of technology

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