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NEW YORK—A massive winter storm paralyzed much of the U.S. East Coast on Thursday and Friday, dumping as much as 46 centimeters of snow from the Carolinas to Maine. It also caused flooding on the streets of Boston due to swelling storm tides, forced the cancellation of nearly 5,000 flights and closed businesses, offices and schools.

Some meteorologists£¨ÆøÏóѧ¼Ò£© classified the storm as a “bomb cyclone” for its sharp drop in atmospheric pressure would be followed immediately by a blast of cold air that could break records in more than two dozen cities and bring wind chills as low as  during the weekend.

From Baltimore, Maryland, to Caribou in Maine, efforts were underway to clear roadways of ice and snow as wind chill temperatures were to plunge during the day, reaching  in some parts after sundown, according to the National Weather Service.

Utility companies across the East worked to repair downed power lines early on Friday as about 21,000 customers remained without electricity, down from almost 80,000 the day before, and issued warnings that temperatures may become dangerously low.

“If the temperature in your home begins to fall, we recommend taking shelter elsewhere until service can be restored. You can find warming centers by contacting local authorities,” National Grid power company, which serves Massachusetts, said on Twitter.

Airlines canceled 4,000 flights on Thursday and hundreds more on Friday, according to FlightAware.com, an online tracking service.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said it could feel like  on Friday and Saturday nights with the wind chill. “This is a serious, serious storm, and may be the most severe in 2018,” he said at a news conference.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for the southern part of the state, while New Jersey Governor Chris Christie declared a state of emergency for several counties.

1. Which of the following is NOT the consequence of the massive winter storm?

A. Breakdown of the U.S. coast.

B. Flooding in Boston.

C. Cancellation of nearly 5,000 flights.

D. Closure in business, offices, and schools.

2. Why did some meteorologists classify this winter storm as “bomb cyclone”?

A. Because it will cause changeable atmospheric pressure.

B. Because the scale of this storm could break records in lots of cities.

C. Because of the deadly and destructive effects of this storm.

D. Because of the extremely cold air and the wind chills in this storm.

3. Which of the following best explains the underlined word “plunge” in Para.3?

A. decline steadily                       B. drop dramatically       

C. fluctuate violently                    D. fall moderately

4. About the rescue work, which of the following statements is INCORRECT?

A. People were making great efforts to rid roadways of ice and snow.

B. About 101 thousand people were left without electricity on Thursday.

C. Residents can stay in warming centers until heating service is restored.

D. Aviation service hasn’t been brought back to normal yet until Friday.