No one knows yet the accurate number of lives which have been lost in this terrible fire. But reports suggest that it is more than one hundred.
A wall of fire fifty feet high and at least one hundred and fifty miles wide is now racing towards the forests and rich farmlands of southern Victoria. Towns less than one hundred miles from Melbourne will be in danger unless the wind changes. People are rushing excitedly into the streets. The police have warned them not to see the fire but many people are doing so.
The cause of the fire is unknown. No rain has fallen in this part of Australia for three months, and the hot, north-west wind from the great central desert is blowing at more than thirty miles an hour.
The firefighters are traveling to the fire by road, rail and air. But it is not easy to get there. Flames and fallen trees have cut off or blocked roads and railway lines. The thick smoke often prevents them from finding the air strips (飞机跑道).
It is said that the fire has brought the greater danger to the country since the Second World War.
小题1:By the time the article is written, the fire .
A．has just broken out
B．has been put out
C．is spreading fiercely
D．is coming to an end小题2:The writer writes this article mainly to tell people .
A．the fire is terrible and dangerous
B．it is very easy to put out the fire
C．less than one hundred people die of the fire
D．to join in the fight against the fire小题3:In the 4th paragraph, the writer suggests (暗示) that .
A．the fire would be controlled by the firefighters very soon
B．it will be very difficult to put out the fire
C．the government is paying great attention to the fire
D．the fire has caused great losses and the airport was in danger小题4:The underlined word “ accurate ” in the first sentence has the same meaning as .
A．recent
B．false
C．rough（大约的）
D．exact