PART THREE READING COMPREHENSION
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A,B,C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.
A
Building after building under water．Refugees in shelters．Thousands of others unsure where to go．Bodies in streets．This is what one of America's historic cities was reduced to this week by a powerful storm, Katrina．The mayor of New Orleans says thousands may be dead．Hurricane Katrina also caused death and destruction in parts of Mississippi and Alabama along the Gulf of Mexico．
New Orleans is famous for its wild Mardi Gras celebrations．New Orleans is also a major port for foreign oil and other shipping trade．Yet the city of nearly five hundred thousand people was built below sea level．New Orleans has depended on levees to control floods from the Mississippi River．Katrina struck on Monday．New Orleans avoided a direct hit．But two of the levees failed the next day．Most of the city was flooded．Helicopters dropped huge sandbags to fill the breaks．But the water had no place to go．Pumping stations had no power．
America faces one of the worst natural events in its history．President Bush says the recovery will take years．People were told to leave the path of the storm．But some would not or could not．Many of those worst affected by Katrina are poor and black．African-American leaders and others were angry that government aid did not arrive faster．President Bush visited some of the damaged areas on Friday．He said the way officials reacted to the crisis was unacceptable．
56．Which is true of the following details about New Orleans?
A．New Orleans is a newly-built city of America
B．There were no black people in New Orleans．
C．This is the first time that hurricane has stricken it．
D．It’s  a port for foreign oil and other shipping trade．
57．What does the underlined word “levees” (in the second paragraph) mean?
A．dams                   B． trees                    C．ports                    D．ships
58．Which is right about the Hurricane Katrina?
A．It also caused the destruction in parts of Mississippi．
B．A lot of people died in this disaster．
C．It cut off the electricity supply of the city．
D．All of the above is right．
59．What can we learn from the text?
A．President Bush was not concerned about this disaster．
B．The recovery of the city will take a few days．
C． In this city there were no pump stations．
D． In this disaster the government aid didn’t  arrive in time．
60. What kind of attitude does the author have toward the government ?
A. appreciative          B. optimistic              C. depreciative           D. humorous