Europeans are being dug out from heavy snow after a week of very cold weather. The snowstorm is the harshest to hit Europe. Airports were shut down. And schools have been closed for a week.
Until Wednesday, at least 400 people across Europe had died because of the cold temperature. Several countries have said a state of emergency. In Ukraine, temperatures dropped as low as -33℉.
Although the situation is bad, at least one country is hoping the weather will last a little longer. In the Netherlands, the government is preparing for the country’s “11 Cities Tour”. The 125-mile ice-skating marathon will be held along a network which joins 11 towns and cities together in Friesland Province.
The ice along the way must be inches thick for the event. Up to 2 million people are thought to cheer on the race’s 16,000 competitors.
On Wednesday, Dutch soldiers joined in the preparations. They cleaned snow along the way. This will be the 16th time that the event has taken place since the first race in 1909. Dutch General Hans said his soldiers were happy to lend a hand. “We want to do our bit for this national party.” he said.
小题1:What is “11 Cities Tour”?
A．It’s a 125-mile ice skating marathon.
B．It’s a 11-mile ice skating marathon.
C．It’s a 16000-mile ice skating marathon.
D．It’s a 33-mile ice skating marathon.小题2:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Thousands of people across Europe died because of the weather.
B．The ice should be less than 6 inches thick for the event.
C．No country is glad to see the cold weather.
D．The first “11 Cities Tour” began in 1909.小题3:Who helped clean snow along the way?
A．French soldiers
B．Dutch soldiers
C．Ukrainian soldiers
D．American soldiers小题4:The underlined word “harshest” means _______ in the passage.
A．safest
B．most enjoyable
C．most serious
D．happiest小题5:The passage is mainly about______.
A．the hard situation Europe faces
B．the European cold weather
C．preparations for a national party
D．the coldest season in Europe
