阅读理解。
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 flames 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 travelling 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.
1. By the time the article was written, the fire ____.
A. had just broken out
B. had been put out
C. was spreading violently (猛烈地)
D. was coming to an end
2. The writer wrote this article mainly to tell people ____.
A. the fire was terrible and dangerous
B. it was impossible to put out the fire
C. more than one hundred people died of the fire
D. to join in the fight against the fire
3. In the 4th paragraph, the writer suggested that ____.
A. the fire would soon be controlled by the firefighters
B. it would be very difficult to put out the fire
C. the government was paying great attention to the fire
D. the fire had caused great losses and the airport was in danger
4. The underlined word "accurate" in the first sentence has the same meaning as ____.
A. recent
B. whole
C. rough
D. exact