A
(2020·深圳市普通高中统一测试)In the winter of 1664—65，the bitter cold fell on London in the days before 25 December.Above the city，an unusually bright comet(彗星) shot across the sky，exciting much prediction of a snowstorm.Outside the city wall，a woman's death was announced and she died of a disease that was spreading in that area.Her house was locked up.
Following that，the virus that had killed the woman would go on to kill nearly 100,000 people living in and around London—almost a third of those who did not flee.
In The Great Plague (瘟疫): The Story of London's Most Deadly Year，historian A．Lloyd Moote and microbiologist Dorothy C．Moote provide a deeply informed account of this plague year.Reading the book，readers are taken from the palaces of the city's wealthiest citizens to the poor areas where the vast majority of Londoners were living，and to the surrounding countryside.The Mootes point out that，even at the height of the plague，the city did not fall into chaos.Doctors and nurses remained in the city to care for the sick；city officials tried their best to fight the crisis with all the legal tools；and commerce continued even as businesses shut down.
To describe life and death in and around London，the authors focus on the experiences of nine individuals.Through their letters and diaries，the Mootes offer fresh descriptions of key issues in the history of the Great Plague: how different communities understood and experienced the disease；how medical and government bodies reacted；how well the social order held together；the economic and moral dilemmas people faced when debating whether to flee the city；and the nature of the material，social，and spiritual resources supporting those who remained.Based on humanity (人性)，the authors offer a masterful portrait of a city and its inhabitants who were attacked by and daringly resisted unimaginable horror.
【语篇解读】 本文主要介绍了The Great Plague：The Story of London's Most Deadly Year这本书的主要内容以及作者描述伦敦大瘟疫这个历史事件时所采用的写作方法。
1．What can we learn from Paragraph 1?
A．A comet always follows a storm.
B．London was under an approaching threat.
C．London was prepared for the disease.
D．The woman was the beginning of the disease.
B [推理判断题。 根据第一段第三句“Outside the city wall，a woman's death was announced and she died of a disease that was spreading in that area”并结合语境可知，当时在伦敦市外，一种致命的疾病正在传播。由此可以推断出，伦敦正面临着一种即将到来的威胁，故选B。]
2．What do the Mootes say about London during the Great Plague?
A．The city remained organized.
B．The plague spared the rich areas.
C．The people tried a lot in vain.
D．The majority fled and thus survived.
A [细节理解题。根据第三段第三句“The Mootes point out that，even at the height of the plague，the city did not fall into chaos”可知，两位作者指出，即使在瘟疫高峰之时，伦敦市也没有陷入混乱。该段第四句又列举了这个城市保持井然有序的具体体现，故选A。]
3．Why do the Mootes focus on the nine individuals?
A．They were famous people in history.
B．They all managed to survive the plague.
C．They provided vivid stories of humanity.
D．They united by thinking and acting as one.
C [推理判断题。根据第四段的内容，尤其是最后一句“Based on humanity(人性)，the authors offer a masterful portrait of a city and its inhabitants who were attacked by and daringly resisted unimaginable horror”可知，以人性为基础，作者巧妙地描绘了伦敦市的情况及其居民受到难以想象的恐惧的袭击并勇敢地抵抗这种恐惧的情况，结合该段第一句可推知，作者关注这九个人是因为这九个人提供了生动的人性故事，故选C。]
4．What's the purpose of this text?
A．To introduce a new book.
B．To correct a misunderstanding.
C．To report a new study.
D．To show respect for the authors.
A [写作目的题。文章第一和第二段描述了瘟疫爆发时的情景，由此引出了第三和第四段对The Great Plague：The Story of London's Most Deadly Year这本书的介绍。由此可知，本文的写作目的是介绍一本新书，故选A。]
