Unit 5 The power of nature grammar课时作业

（本卷满分100分）

一、阅读理解（每小题2分，共16分）

　　It is certain that when the eruption of Vesuvius started on the morning of 24 August, 79 AD, it caught the local population unprepared.It is mainly thanks to the account of the younger Pliny that we have some understanding of what happened.And it is through him that we can gain insight into the reactions and feelings of the people caught up in the drama of this natural disaster.Pliny's account leaves no doubt that everyone was caught unprepared.His uncle, known as the elder Pliny, was stationed in command of the imperial(帝国的) naval base at Misenum, on the north-west extremity of the Bay of Naples.He was not only the senior military officer in the district, but possibly the most well informed living Roman on matters of natural science.His 37-volume Natural History is the longest work on science in Latin that has survived from antiquity(古代).

　　But for all his science and his seniority, his nephew told us that the elder Pliny was relaxing, after a bath and lunch, when Vesuvius started to erupt.And the sighting of a column of smoke "like an umbrella pine" on the far side of the Bay caused a response more of curiosity than of alarm in him.The same account showed, however, that the signs were there.But they didn't realize the danger because the phenomenon was frequent in Vesuvius then.

　　The eruption lasted for more than 24 hours from its start on the morning of 24 August.Those who fled at once had a chance of survival.It is clear that many, like the elder Pliny, thought their best chance was to take shelter and survived the storm.

　　The hundreds of refugees sheltering in the street at the seaside in Herculaneum, holding their jewellery and money, met their end quickly.It is impossible to tell how many citizens died.

　　The discovery of Pompeii is of huge importance for our modern-day understanding of the ancient Roman world.Its destruction left important questions unanswered, and made it impossible in many ways to gather a satisfactory understanding of the Roman world.

1. According to the passage, people nowadays have some understanding of the eruption of Vesuvius mainly through .

　A. the elder Pliny's account

　B. the younger Pliny's account

　C. the science book Natural History

　D. the account of the survivors

2. The elder Pliny was stationed at the naval base at Misenum .

　A. to take charge of the base

　B. to observe the eruption of Vesuvius

　C. to rescue the refugees

　D. to work on Natural History

3. Many people, including the elder Pliny, didn't realize the danger from the Vesuvius eruption because .

　A. everything happened at night

　B. they had no knowledge of volcanoes

　C. such eruption was frequent in Vesuvius then

　D. they had no chance to take shelter

4. All of the following are true EXCEPT .

　A. the elder Pliny made a great contribution to the discovery of Pompeii

　B. the eruption of Vesuvius took the local people by surprise

　C. countless lives were lost in a flash during the Vesuvius eruption

　D. the discovery of Pompeii is of great importance for our knowledge of the ancient Roman world