When Hurricane Phailin hit India in late 2013, it became the largest storm to strike the subcontinent in over a decade. The storm affected more than 12 million people in India and neighboring countries, and damaged or destroyed many houses. However, good news is that cleverly-designed beach house created by architect Ray Huff can survive such strong winds and storm waves. Located on the shore of an Indian island, Huff's award-winning cube-shaped beach house was built to replace one smashed to pieces by Hurricane Phailin. Huff pointed out that many houses built along shoreline were poorly constructed, and enforcement of building codes wasn't strict. After Phailin's attack, all new shoreline houses are required to meet stricter, better-enforced codes. The new beach house should be able to stand a Category 3 hurricane with peak winds of 179 to 209 kilometers per hour. At first sight, Huff's house looks anything but hurricane-proof. Its redwood shell makes it resemble "a large party lantern" at night, according to one observer. But looks can be misleading. The house's wooden frame is reinforced with long steel rods to give it extra strength. To further protect the house from hurricane damage _ Huff raised it 2.7 meters off the ground on pilings---long columns of wood anchored deep in the sand. Pilings might appear insecure, but they are strong enough to support the weight of the house. They also balance the house above storm waves. The pilings allow the waves to run under the house instead of running into it. "These swells of water come ashore at great speeds and cause most of the damage done to beach-front buildings," said Huff. Huff designed the wooden pilings to be partially hidden by the house's ground-to-roof shell. "The shell masks the pilings so that the house doesn't look like it's standing with its pant legs pulled up," said Huff. In case of a storm wave, the shell should break apart and let the waves rush under the house, the architect explained. After Hurricane Phailin, new houses built along shore line are required _ . A) to be easily reinforced B) to look smarter in design C) to meet stricter building standards D) to be designed in the shape of cubes
C
(Question)
TOKYO -- The number of domestic infections cases of influenza A/H1N1 in Japan hits 42 on Sunday after a total of 34 people in Osaka and Hyogo counties were confirmed to have been infected, local media reported. The total number of the infection in the country now stands at 46, including the first four cases contracted abroad. The country is now facing the risk of grass-root outbreak which could lead the WHO to raise its new flu pandemic alert to the highest level of 6 from the current 5, experts has warned. The 34 newly confirmed domestic cases, 11 in Osaka and 23 in Hyogo, included high school students, college students and teachers, the health ministry and local governments said Sunday. Japan on Saturday confirmed the first eight cases of domestic infection on students of a Kobe high school. The later confirmed cases in Osaka are said to have contacted the Kobe students in a volleyball match. Osaka and Hyogo are neighboring in the Kansai region. All of the 42 people had no record of overseas travel. Meanwhile, a total of 143 students at the Kansai Okura Senior High School where many infections in Osaka were found, have shown symptoms of influenza since around Monday, according to local media reports. The privately run school said it will be closed from Monday through Saturday. More than 1,000 educational facilities -- kindergartens, and elementary, junior and senior high schools -- in Osaka and Hyogo counties have decided to suspend classes for certain periods following the confirmation of new flu infections in the counties, Kyodo News reported. The two counties have requested private schools to follow suit. Osaka Governor Toru Hashimoto held a meeting of a new flu task force on Sunday and decided to ask facilities such as movie theaters to suspend operations to prevent the spread of the flu. TV clips showed people in Kansai region started to wear masks in public spaces and rushed to drug stores for buying medicines. The Japanese government on Saturday shifted the stage of its new-flu action program from "a... The reasons for the happening of the later confirmed cases in Osaka are the following Except _ . A) 143 students at the Kansai Okura Senior High School have shown symptoms of influenza. B) Some students in a Kobe High school got infected. C) Osaka and Hyogo are next to each other in the Kansai region. D) The later infected people contacted the Kobe students in a volleyball match.
(Answer)
A
Question: After giving a talk at a high school, I was asked to pay a visit to a special student. An illness had kept the boy home, but he had expressed an interest in meeting me. I was told it would mean a great deal to him, so I agreed. During the nine-mile drive to his home, I found out something about Matthew. He had muscular dystrophy . When he was born, the doctor told his parents that he would not live to five, and then they were told he would not make it to ten. Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal power lifter, and I knew about overcoming obstacles and going for my dreams. I spent over an hour talking to Matthew. Never once did he complain or ask, "Why me?" He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams. Obviously, he knew what he was talking about. He didn't mention that his classmates had made fun of him because he was different. He just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift weights with me. When we had finished talking, I went to my briefcase and pulled out the first gold medal I had won and put it around his neck. I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would. He looked at it for a moment, then took it off and handed it back to me. He said, "You are a champion. You earned that medal. Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you." Last summer I received a letter from Matthew's parents telling me that Matthew had passed away. They wanted me to have a letter he had written to me a few days before: From the passage we learn that _ . A) Matthew was an athlete B) Matthew was an optimistic and determined boy C) The author used to have the same disease as Matthew had D) Matthew became a champion before he died
Answer:
B