四、阅读理解
Today there are many fires than in the past. Over 100,000 wildfires burn each year in America. Russia has 20,000 to 35,000 wildfires every year. Australia has on average 60,000 each year. These fires destroy huge areas of forests and burn hundreds of homes.
Many experts believe there are several reasons for this sudden increase in fires. The first reason is climate change. Recent weather has been warmer and drier. This leads to dangerous fire conditions. When lightning strikes(发生雷电), dry grass easily catches fire. Hot winds add to the problem. The wind spreads a fire quickly. In 2010, Russia had the hottest and driest summer in a century. In just one month, 500 fires destroyed over 2,000 homes. Some people lost their lives.
Traditional fire-fighting practices are another reason for the increase in fires. In America, firefighters used to quickly put out every fire. They didn't allow the grass and trees to burn. As a result, today many forests have thicker vegetation(植被). Thicker vegetation means more fuel(燃料) for fires. Also, without fires from time to time, forests become overcrowded and unhealthy. Some trees are dead. The dead wood then easily catches fire. So surprisingly, America has many more fires today partly because of its past fire-fighting practices.
Scientists now understand that a fire can be a natural part of a healthy forest. As a result, countries like Australia allow more fires to burn naturally. Sometimes, firefighters even start fires to get rid of(去除) dead wood. Of course, they carefully control the fires. The fire thins out old trees. This allows sunlight to reach the ground. As a result, fires help new trees to grow. Therefore, if a fire is not a serious threat(威胁) to people, firefighters may let it burn naturally.
()1. Why did Russia have so many fires in one month in 2010?
A. Because lightning spread the fire.
B. Because there was much fuel for fires.
C. Because there were not enough firefighters.
D. Because it was unusually hot and dry.
()2. What happens because of the traditional fire-fighting practices in the USA?
A. There are fewer wildfires.
B. Trees and grass become thicker.
C. The weather becomes warmer and drier.
D. Sunlight reaches the ground to help forests.
()3. What is the main idea of Paragraph 4?
A. Fires are serious threats to human beings.
B. Australian firefighters don't put out fires.
C. Fires can play an important role in forests.
D. It's difficult for firefighters to control the fires.
()4. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Not all the fires in the forests must be put out.
B. People's carelessness leads to dangerous fires.
C. Australia allows all the fires to burn naturally.
D. There are more fires in Russia than in the USA.

1. D 2. B 3. C 4. A

【分析】
本题为英语阅读理解题，需根据原文内容解答4道题目：第1、2题为细节理解题，需定位原文对应段落查找关键信息；第3题为主旨大意题，需概括指定段落核心内容；第4题为推理判断题，需结合原文判断选项正误。解题时需精准定位原文，排除干扰项。
【解析】
1. 细节理解题：定位原文第二段，文中明确提到“In 2010, Russia had the hottest and driest summer in a century”，说明2010年俄罗斯火灾多的原因是异常炎热干燥，故选D。
2. 细节理解题：定位原文第三段，美国消防员过去快速扑灭所有火灾，不允许草木燃烧，结果是“today many forests have thicker vegetation”，对应选项B，故选B。
3. 主旨大意题：第四段围绕“火灾是森林健康的自然部分”展开，提到火灾可去除枯木、让阳光到达地面、助力新树生长，说明火灾在森林中起重要作用，对应选项C，故选C。
4. 推理判断题：A选项对应第四段“if a fire is not a serious threat to people, firefighters may let it burn naturally”，符合原文；B选项原文未提及“人们的粗心”；C选项澳大利亚是允许更多自然火灾，而非所有；D选项美国每年野火超10万，多于俄罗斯的2-3.5万，错误，故选A。
【答案】
1.D 2.B 3.C 4.A
【知识点】
阅读理解、细节理解、主旨大意
【点评】
本文介绍了野火增加的原因及火灾对森林的生态作用，题目侧重考查细节查找和主旨概括，需结合原文定位信息解题，难度适中。
【难度系数】
0.7