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     Was he dreaming? David Ewart saw a red ball of fire. He shot out of a deep sleep and heard his

ten-year-old daughter, Heather, screaming. Ewart jumped out of bed on the second floor of  his home.

Downstairs he heard loud popping noises, glass bulbs, furniture, appliances exploding as fire consumed

them.

     Three hundred and fifty people, including friends and family members, had attended Ewart's annual

Christmas party at his home in Valencia, California. David was a giver. They all enjoyed

themselves. After the party, he and his 77-year-old mother, Esther, put out the candles all but one,

missed and left burning on a holiday paper tablecloth.

     Now, as Ewart started down the hall to alert his parents and three children, he said a silent

prayer: God, if it is your will, save us. The heat was hellish(地狱般的). But then he felt a hand on his

shoulder and something that was not quite a voice guiding him, giving him the direction: the bedroom 

window.

     He kicked out the window screen and told Heather to jump onto the patio(院子) cover, crawl

to the edge and drop to the ground, the feet below. Next he headed for his two sons, Jonathan, 13, 

and Michael, 15, who were screaming with pain. David led Jonathan to the window. He returned for

Michael, who was now helping his grandparents, trapped in their room behind a jammed door.

Michael threw himself against it and finally burst through. David guided his mother, then Michael, 

to safety.

     Only his father remained. The 81-year-old's face was badly burned. He lost his footing and fell. 

David took his hand and helped him to the window. Too weak to hold on, his father rolled off the

patio cover to the ground.

     Finally,David escaped. Second later, the second floor exploded, yet all the while, he felt he was 

being led, under protection. The family survived and firefighters said they were mystified(迷惑) as to

how the family survived. David Ewart was not..

1. Why did the fire take place?  

A. Three hundred and fifty friends were at their home.    

B. David and his mother put out all the candles but one left burning.    

C. Someone set fire to their house.    

D. David Ewart saw a red ball of fire.

2. Which is the following is Not true?    

A. Michael helped his parents escape from the fire.    

B. David Ewart helped heather jumped out of the burning room from the bedroom window.    

C. David's father was too weak to hold on , at last he was dead.    

D. David's mother was saved out earlier than his father.

3. How many years older was David's father than his mother?   

A. 2    

B.15    

C. 4   

D. the same age

4. How many people were trapped when the fire broke out?    

A. 350    

B. 6   

C. 5    

D. 356

5. What does the writer want to tell us from the story?    

A. Everyone should be aware of the danger of fire

B. People shouldn't hold big parties at home    

C. United, we stand, Divided, we fall.    

D. When in danger, we should keep calm.