第3篇
Snow Ranger
The two things – snow and mountains – which are needed for a ski area are the two things that cause avalanches, large mass of snow and ice crushing down the side of a mountain—often called "White Death."
It was the threat of the avalanche and its record as a killer of man in the western mountains that created the snow ranger. He first started on avalanche control work in the winter of 1937 –38 at Alta, Utah, in Wasatch National Forest.
This mountain valley was becoming well known to skiers. It was dangerous. In fact, more than 120 persons had lost their lives in 1936 and another 200 died in 1937 as a result of avalanches before it became a major ski area.
Thus, development of Alta and other major ski resorts in the west was dependent upon controlling the avalanche. The Forest Service set out to do it, and did, with its corps of snow rangers.
It takes many things to make a snow ranger. The snow ranger must be in excellent physical condition. He must be a good skier and a skilled mountain climber He should have at least a high school education, and the more college courses in geology, physics, and related fields he has, the better.
He studies snow, terrain, wind, and weather. He learns the conditions that produce avalanches. He learns to forecast avalanches and to bring them roaring on down the mountainsides to reduce their killing strength. . The snow ranger learns to do this by using artillery, by blasting with TNT, and by the difficult and skillful art of skiing avalanches down.
The snow ranger, dressed in a green parka which has a bright yellow shoulder patch, means safety for people on ski slopes. He pulls the trigger on a 75 mm. Recoilless rifle, skis waist deep in powder testing snow stability, or talks with the ski area’s operator as he goes about his work to protect the public from the hazards of deep snow on steep mountain slopes.
1. The snow rangers are employees of
A) the Forest Service.
B) the Resource Bureau.
C) the Tourist Board.
D) the Sports Bureau.
2.A snow ranger himself must be
A) a college graduate.
B) a physicist.
C) a geologist.
D) a mountaineer.
3. A snow ranger uses very powerful guns
A) to warn skiers of an approaching avalanche.
B) to signal for help in an emergency.
C) to create an avalanche.
D) to communicate with the ski area’ operator.
4. What is the primary duty of the snow ranger?
A) To make sure ski area operators are following safety rules.
B) To predict and control avalanches in mountainous areas.
C) To check skis and repair them.
D) To forecast the weather.
5.The passage implies that a snow ranger
A) knows how to use a pistol.
B) must write lengthy reports on his work.
C) may travel many miles when he is on duty.
D) has a long working day.
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The Building of the Pyramids
The oldest stone buildings in the world are the pyramids. __1__. There are over eighty of them scattered along the banks of the Nile, some of which are different in shape from the true pyramids. The most famous of these are the “ step ” pyramid and “ Bent ”pyramid.
Some of the pyramids still look much the same as they must have done when they were built thousands of years ago. Most of the damage suffered by the others has been at the hands of men who were looking for treasure or, more often, for stone to use in modern buildings.__2__. These are good reasons why they can still be seen today, but perhaps the most important is that they were planned to last forever.
__3__. However, there are no writings or pictures to show us how the Egyptians planned or built the pyramids themselves. __4__. Nevertheless, by examining the actual pyramids and various tools which have been found, archaeologists have formed a fairly clear picture of them.
One thing is certain: there must have been months of careful planning before they could begin to build. __5__. You may think this would have been easy with miles and miles of empty desert around, but a pyramid could not be built just anywhere. Certain rules had to be followed, and certain problems had to be overcome.