IF you lived by the sea, you'd know that typhoons are frequent visitors during summer .They bring Strong winds, heavy rain and flooding But most of the time, when people stay indoors, they're just all right. This is what the people in the Philippines used to believe - until they met the "super typhoon", Haiyan. The typhoon hit the country on Nov 8, at around 5 am, when most people were still asleep. But being at home didn't keep them safe, since few buildings remained standing once they were hit by wind as violent as 376 kilometers per hour, according to NBC News. "This is at the top end of any tropical system that we've seen on our planet," said Bryan Norcross, a weather scientist working for NBC. And so far, Haiyan has caused more than 3,600 deaths and left millions of people homeless. .But where did Haiyan get its destructive power? According to Brian McNoldy, a tropical weather expert at the University of Miami, US, Haiyan was so strong because "it had everything working for it" "All typhoons feed off the warm ocean waters," Colin Price, a weather researcher at Tel Aviv University in Israel, told National Geographic. Tropical storms are like giant engines ,powered by the heat transferred from the ocean waters to the air above. However, because of climate change, the oceans have been warming up in recent decades. "Warmer oceans will result in more intense storms," Price said. Also, Haiyan started near the equator ,where it was able to pick up more heat before heading to the Philippines. Moreover, the route it traveled was mostly along open ocean, which means no land prevented it from gathering steam . In addition, there happened to be very little "wind shear in the area this time. Wind shear is a sudden change in wind speed or direction, which can tear apart developing storms. This is like when you stir a glass of water with a chopstick: a swirl will form, 'but if you move the chopstick in the opposite direction, the swirl will quickly disappear." "When all those things _ in a certain way, you're going to... The article mainly talks about A) how destructive Haiyan was B) Why Haiyan was so destructive C) how typhoons like Haiyan form D) ways to protect yourself when typhoons hit
B
Early last Tuesday, six men carrying machine guns, a pistol and a hunting rifle got on a four--car electric " milk train" at the Dutch town of Assen. Shortly after it left Beilen, ten miles away, the terrorists stopped the train and seized the passenger as hostages. As police and Dutch soldiers ringed the train, another group of terrorists stuck in Amsterdam, forcing their way into the Indonesian consulate and taking 41 more hostages, including 16 children. By week's end the terrorists had murdered three people aboard the train, and four more had been wounded in the raid on the consulate. The kidnapping, and the subsequent cold--blooded murders, virtually rocked the Netherlands. While the Cabinet met in emergency sessions, television and radio station paused normal programming in favor of solemn music and news bulletins. The terrorists were Indonesians from the South Moluccan Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and they were demanding that the Dutch help them gain independence from the Jakarta regime. The twin acts of violence were not the first signs of South Molucca anger. Just before a 1970 visit to the Netherlands by Indonesia's President Suharto, they attacked the Indonesian embassy in the Hague, killing a Dutch policeman. Last week's kidnappings are two days before the Dutch Appeals Court was to trial 16 South Moluccan's who were implicated in a plot last April to kidnap Queen Juliana and other members of the Royal family. They planned to storm the palace at Soestdijk after attacking the gates with an armoured car . The Moluccan headache is a heritage of the old days of empire. A chain of islands at the eastern of the Indonesian archipelago, the Moluccas were once known as the Spice Islands. When the Netherlands gave up its East Indies colonies in 1949, the Moluccans wanted to set up a South Moluccan Republic, some 12,000 islanders were allowed to settle to the Netherlands. Their number swollen by Dutch--born children now reached 35,000. the young Moluccans here are demanding that the Dutch help them gain... Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage? A) Dozens of people were seized by the terrorist as hostages. B) The Indonesian consulate was located in Amsterdam. C) The terrorists were Indonesians living in the Netherlands. D) The terrorists all surrendered to the police and soldiers.
D
(Question)
The airline lost your baggage. The hotel laundry ruined your favorite shirt. The taxi driver overcharged you. When you're abroad, sometimes things go wrong. Now you can do something about it! Use these tips when you want to express an effective complaint in English. No matter how unfair the situation, it's best to phrase your complaint politely. In English, you'll sound more polite if you use indirect language. Here are some examples: "I'm sorry to bother you..." Starting a complaint like this puts the listener who may have heard many complaints that day at ease. Use this phrase if the situation isn't that serious. For example, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I wanted a baked potato, not fries." "Can you help me with this?" Everyone would much rather be asked to do something than told! So try phrasing your complaint as a request for help: "Can you help me with this? My shirt came back from the laundry without buttons." "I'm afraid there may be a misunderstanding." This is a polite way of saying, "Your information is wrong. Please fix it now." You'll most likely use this phrase if you made reservations for a flight, hotel or restaurant, and when you arrive, it's not what you expected. For example, "I'm afraid there may be a misunderstanding. I requested a non-smoking room." "I understand it's not your fault..." Often when you make a complaint, you deal with a person who was not directly responsible for the problem. But the problem isn't your fault, either! This phrase is helpful when you need swift action. Tell the person you're dealing with you understand they're not at fault and then directly state the problem: "I understand it's not your fault, but the airline promised they would deliver my baggage yesterday." "Excuse me, but I understood that..." Using this phrase lets the person know you're well-informed and are suspicious they might be trying to take advantage of you. Don't say, "Hey! You're trying to cheat me!" Instead, start indirectly by stating what you know to be true: "I understood that the taxi... What's the purpose of this passage? A) To give an introduction of life abroad. B) To give suggestions on how to learn English. C) To offer advice on giving complaints in English. D) To offer guides to those who travel around the world.
(Answer)
C