Parts of China had the heaviest rainfall this year in its history, killing more than 400 people. Some 770 people have been killed by flooding in South Asia. And it is a similar story in the world.

More than 50 people were killed in Sudan. Hundreds had to leave homes in northern England as the water rose. In Colombia, houses disappeared under rising floodwaters and some 50,000 people had to move to safe places.

    As people fought the worst floods in history, experts warn such things may become more often because of climatic change and that lessons still need to be learnt to reduce the losses(減少).

Floods may leave fewer deaths than earthquakes, wars or tsunamis(海嘯) ，and the world pay less attention to it, but they can cause similar damage(毀壞).

    Climate change could make the problem worse. Many scientists say the world is warming because of carbon emissions（碳排出量）from human activities, making weather more unpredictable(不可測(cè)).

    Experts say that flood defenses(防洪) have made people feel no safety, especially in the most developed countries. "With floods, the first thing to learn is that you cannot stop them," said Professor Graham Chapman at Lancaster University. "You have to have a society that learns to live with them."

    In 2005 Hurricane (颶風(fēng))Katrina visited New Orleans, USA, and caused great losses. It showed that even a developed country like the United States could not face the flood if it was not fully prepared.

"Flood plains(平原)are not bad places to live," said Nottingham University's Thorne. "Most of the world's great civilizations (文明) grew up along rivers -- people are always going to live there. But you have to have plans for flooding."

1. From the first two paragraphs we know that ____.

A. there were serious floods all over the world this year

B. China had the heavier rainfall than other countries this year

C. many people in England were killed because the water rose

D. worldwide floods caused deaths in most countries this year

2. Experts think that lessons about floods still need learning because_______.

A. people pay no attention to flooding 

B. more floods may appear

C. floods will cause similar damage   

D. floods will be the main losses

3. According to Professor Graham Chapman, flood defenses________.

A. can keep people safe    

B. can influence climate change

C. are not able to stop floods 

D. let people pay less attention to floods

4. Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans caused great losses partly because___.

A. the United States is a developed country

B. Americans didn't learn flooding lessons.

C. people knew nothing about flooding

D. people didn't prepare fully to face Hurricane Katrina

5.What did Thorn think of plains along rivers?

A. It’s dangerous to live there       

B. It is comfortable to live and work there.

C. The places fit for humans to live   

D. They are centers of culture in the world