Beldon and Canfield are two seashore towns, not far apart. Both towns have many hotels, and in summer the hotels are full of holiday-makers and other tourists.

　　Last August there was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel in Beldon. The next day, this news appeared on page two of the town’s newspaper. The Beldon Post:

　　FIRE AT SEABREEZE

　　Late last night firemen hurried to the Seabreeze Hotel and quickly put out a small fire in a bedroom. The hotel manager said that a cigarette started the fire. We say again to all our visitors： “Please don’t smoke cigarettes in bed.” This was Beldon’s first hotel fire for five years.

　　The Canfield Times gave the news in these words on page one：

　　ANOTHER BELDON HOTEL CATCHES FIRE

　　Last night Beldon firemen arrived just too late to save clothing, bedclothes and some furniture at the Seabreeze Hotel. An angry holiday-maker said, “An electric lamp probably started the fire. The bedroom lamps are very old at some of these hotels. When I put my bedside light on, I heard a funny noise from the lamp.” We are glad to tell our readers that this sort of adventure does not happen in Canfield.

　　What are the facts, then? It is never easy to find out the exact truth about an accident. There was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel last August: that is one fact. Do we know anything else? Yes, we know that firemen went to the hotel.

　　Now what do you think of the rest of the “news” ?

　　1. Which of the following best gives the main idea of this text?

　　A. Beldon and Canfield are both good places for tourists in summer.

　　B. A fire broke out night in Seabreeze Hotel last summer.

　　C. It was not easy to find out exact truth from newspapers.

　　D. Two newspapers gave reports on the same matter.

　　2. Which of the following are probably facts?

　　a. The fire broke out in a bedroom at the hotel.

　　b. A cigarette started the fire.

　　c. An old lamp started the fire.

　　d. The fire broke out at night.

　　e. There has never been a fire in Canfield.

　　A. b and c B. a and d C. c and e D. a and c

　　3. The Canfield Times used the headline like this in order to make its readers think _______.

　　A. hotels in Beldon often catch fire

　　B. hotels in Beldon don’t often catch fire

　　C. this was the second fire at the Seabreeze Hotel

　　D. Beldon was a good place except that hotels there are not quite safe

　　4. The Canfield newspaper gave a report just the opposite to the Beldon Post by saying that _______.

　　A. the bedroom lamps were very old at the Seabreeze Hotel

　　B. the bedroom lights made funny noise when the fire took place

　　C. the firemen failed to save clothing, bedclothes and other things

　　D. such accidents never happened in Canfield for the past 5 years

　　【答案解析】

　　本文通过讲述两个对手城市的报纸对同一件火灾事故的不同报道，对新闻报道的真实性提出了质疑。

　　1. C。主旨题。从主题句It is never easy to find out the exact truth about an accident.可得出答案。

　　2. B。细节题。根据There was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel last August及两张报纸都报道了火灾是在晚上发生的，故可以确定的事实只有两项a和 d。而其他选项都只是两份报纸的片面之辞，到度是真是假，我们无法得知，因此答案为B。

　　3. A。推断题。ANOTHER BELDON HOTEL CATCHES FIRE中ANOTHER是个关键词，它暗示了Beldon宾馆频繁发生的火灾。

　　4. C。细节题。The Canfield Times 报道说Last night Beldon firemen arrived just too late to save clothing, bedclothes and some furniture at the Seabreeze Hotel.，而The Beldon Post则说消防队员及时把这场小火扑灭了，(没有造成损失)，两者报道相反。可此题答案为C。