Section B: Information Matching
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
France’s beloved cathedral only minutes away from complete destruction
[A] Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of Paris was within “15 to 30 minutes” of complete destruction as firefighters battled to stop flames reaching its bell towers on Monday evening, French authorities have revealed. A greater disaster was averted by members of the Paris fire brigade, who risked their lives to remain inside the burning monument to create a wall of water between the raging fire and the two towers on the west of the building.
[B] The revelation of how close France came to losing its most famous cathedral emerged as police investigators questioned workers involved in the restoration of the monument to try to establish the cause of the devastating blaze. Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz said that an initial fire alert was sounded at 6:20 pm on Monday evening but no fire was found. The second alert was sounded at 6:43 pm, and the blaze was discovered on the roof.
[C] More than €650 million was raised in a few hours on Tuesday as French business leaders and global corporations announced they would donate to a restoration campaign launched by the president, Emmanuel Macron. But as the emergency services picked through the burnt debris, a row was resurfacing over accusations that the beloved cathedral, immortalised in Victor Hugo’s novel, was already crumbling before the fire.
[D] The cathedral is owned by the French state and has been at the centre of a years-long dispute over who should finance restoration work of the collapsing staircases, crumbling statues and cracked walls. Jean-Michel Leniaud, the president of the scientific council at the National Heritage Institute, said: “What happened was bound to happen. The lack of adequate maintenance and daily attention to such a majestic building is the cause of this catastrophe.” After the blaze was declared completely extinguished, 15 hours after it started, the junior interior minister, Laurent Nunez, said the structure had been saved but remained vulnerable. He praised the actions of the firefighters but admitted the fate of the cathedral had been uncertain. “They saved the main structure, but it all came down to 15-30 minutes,” Nunez said.
[E] In a surprise televised address on Tuesday evening, Macron said he wanted to see the cathedral rebuilt within five years. “The fire at Notre Dame reminds us that we will always have challenges to overcome,” Macron said, “Notre Dame is our history, our literature, the centre of our life. It is the standard by which we measure our distances. It’s so many books, so many paintings. It’s the cathedral of every French person, even those who have never visited it. This history is ours and so we will rebuild Notre Dame. It is what the French people expect; it is what our history deserves. It is our deep destiny. We will rebuild Notre Dame so it is even more beautiful than before. I want it done in the next five years. We can do it. After the time of testing comes a time of reflection and then of action.”
[F] The fire, which had started at the base of the 93-metre spire at about 6:40 pm on Monday, spread through the cathedral’s roof, made up of hundreds of oak beams, some dating back to the 13th century. These beams, known as la forêt (the forest) because of their density, formed the cross-shaped roof that ran the length of the central part of the cathedral. As hundreds of tourists and Parisians stood and watched the flames leaping from the roof, there was shock and tears as the cathedral spire caught fire, burned and then collapsed into itself.
[G] A collection of dramatic videos and photos quickly spread across social media, showing the horrifying destruction, and attracting emotional responses from people all over the world. Indeed, within minutes the fire occupied headlines of every major global newspaper and television network. This is not surprising given Notre Dame Cathedral, meaning “Our Lady”, is one of the most recognised symbols of the city of Paris attracting millions of tourists every year.
[H] While the world looked on, the 500 firefighters at the scene then battled to prevent the flames from reaching the two main towers, where the cathedral bells hang. If the wooden frame of the towers had caught fire, it could have sent the bells—the largest of which, the Emmanuel Bell, weighs 13 tons—crashing down, potentially causing the collapse of both towers. Police and fire services will spend the next 48 hours assessing the “security and safety” of the 850-year-old structure. Nunez said: “We have identified vulnerabilities throughout the structure, all of which still need securing.” As a result, residents of five buildings around the northern side of the cathedral were being temporarily evacuated, he added. Architects have identified three main holes in the structure, in the locations of the spire, the main hall and the upper rooms to the north of the central aisle. Most of the wooden roof beams have been burned, and parts of the concrete holding up the roof have collapsed.
[I] The interior minister, Christophe Castaner, visited the cathedral on Tuesday afternoon to see the extent of the devastation. Ash covered the marble diamond-patterned floor and floated in large pools of grey water from the fire hoses. Behind a heap of blackened oak beams that lay piled up where they had fallen, daylight from vast holes in the cathedral roof lit a golden cross over a statue by Nicolas Coustou, which appeared to have escaped damage. Preliminary inspections also suggested the three ornate stained glass “rose” windows appeared to have survived the fire, officials said. However, fire officers have said a complete inventory of the damage will not be possible until the cathedral structure has been deemed safe.
[J] The culture minister, Franck Riester, said religious relics saved from the cathedral were being securely held at the Hôtel de Ville, and works of art that sustained smoke damage were being taken to the Louvre, the world’s largest art museum, where they would be dried out, repaired and stored. Sixteen copper statues that decorated the spire had been removed for restoration only a few days before the fire. Relics at the top of the spire are believed lost as the spire was destroyed. As well as damage from the heat, which firefighters said reached more than 800 ℃, experts also need to assess damage from the vast quantities of water firefighters poured into the cathedral. One casualty of this was The Great Organ constructed in the 1730s, which was said to have escaped the flames but been significantly damaged by water.
[K] French political commentators noted the devastating fire had succeeded where Macron had failed in uniting the country. But criticism over the original state of the building is likely to intensify over coming days. Leniaud told La Croix newspaper: “This is not about looking for people to blame. The responsibility is collective because this is the most loved monument in the country.” Alexandre Gady, an art historian, agreed. “We’ve been saying for years that the budget for maintaining historic monuments is too low,” Gady said. The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an inquiry into “involuntary destruction by fire”, indicating they believe the cause of the blaze was accidental rather than criminal.
36. The total amount of damage to Notre Dame Cathedral can be assessed only when its structure is considered safe.
37. Once again people began to argue whether Notre Dame Cathedral was going to collapse even without the fire.
38. The Notre Dame Cathedral catastrophe was said to have helped unite the French nation.
39. The roof of Notre Dame Cathedral was built with large numbers of densely laid-out wood beams.
40. Renovation workers of Notre Dame Cathedral were questioned to find out the cause of the accident.
41. Had the bell towers’ wooden frames burned down, the heavy bells would have crashed down.
42. The timely action of the firefighters prevented the fire from reaching the Cathedral’s bell towers.
43. Apart from the fire, the water used to extinguish it also caused a lot of damage to Notre Dame Cathedral.
44. There has been argument over the years as to who should pay for the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral.
45. News of the Notre Dame Cathedral catastrophe instantly caught media attention throughout the world.
Answers & Explanations (答案与解析)
36. I。解析：题干 The total amount of damage to Notre Dame Cathedral can be assessed only when its structure is considered safe.（只有当巴黎圣母院的结构被认为是安全的时候，才能评估其受损的总量。）对应 [I] 段最后一句 However, fire officers have said a complete inventory of the damage will not be possible until the cathedral structure has been deemed safe.（然而，消防官员表示，直到大教堂的结构被认为是安全的，才有可能对损坏情况进行全面清点。）total amount 对应 a complete inventory，assessed only when... considered safe 对应 not be possible until... deemed safe。
37. C。解析：题干 Once again people began to argue whether Notre Dame Cathedral was going to collapse even without the fire.（人们再次开始争论，即使没有大火，巴黎圣母院是否也会坍塌。）对应 [C] 段最后一句 But... a row was resurfacing over accusations that the beloved cathedral... was already crumbling before the fire.（但是……关于这座备受喜爱的大教堂在火灾前就已经摇摇欲坠的指控，再次引发了争论。）Once again 对应 resurfacing，argue 对应 row / accusations，collapse even without the fire 对应 already crumbling before the fire。
38. K。解析：题干 The Notre Dame Cathedral catastrophe was said to have helped unite the French nation.（据说巴黎圣母院的灾难有助于团结法兰西民族。）对应 [K] 段第一句 French political commentators noted the devastating fire had succeeded where Macron had failed in uniting the country.（法国政治评论员指出，这场毁灭性的大火在马克龙未能团结国家的地方取得了成功。）catastrophe 对应 devastating fire，unite the French nation 对应 uniting the country。
39. F。解析：题干 The roof of Notre Dame Cathedral was built with large numbers of densely laid-out wood beams.（巴黎圣母院的屋顶是用大量密集铺设的木梁建成的。）对应 [F] 段第一、二句 ...spread through the cathedral’s roof, made up of hundreds of oak beams... These beams, known as la forêt (the forest) because of their density...（……蔓延穿过大教堂的屋顶，该屋顶由数百根橡木梁组成……这些横梁因其密度之大而被称为“森林”……）large numbers 对应 hundreds of，densely laid-out 对应 density。
40. B。解析：题干 Renovation workers of Notre Dame Cathedral were questioned to find out the cause of the accident.（巴黎圣母院的翻修工人受到盘问，以查明事故原因。）对应 [B] 段第一句 ...emerged as police investigators questioned workers involved in the restoration of the monument to try to establish the cause of the devastating blaze.（……当警方调查人员盘问参与该古迹修复工作的工人，试图查明这场毁灭性大火的原因时……）Renovation workers 对应 workers involved in the restoration，find out the cause 对应 try to establish the cause。
41. H。解析：题干 Had the bell towers’ wooden frames burned down, the heavy bells would have crashed down.（如果钟楼的木制框架被烧毁，沉重的钟就会坠落下来。注：题干使用了 Had 引导的虚拟语气倒装句）对应 [H] 段第二句 If the wooden frame of the towers had caught fire, it could have sent the bells—the largest of which... weighs 13 tons—crashing down...（如果塔楼的木质框架着火，可能会导致重达13吨的最大的钟——埃马纽埃尔钟——坠落……）Had... burned down 对应 If... had caught fire，heavy bells 对应 weighs 13 tons，crashed down 对应 crashing down。
42. A。解析：题干 The timely action of the firefighters prevented the fire from reaching the Cathedral’s bell towers.（消防员的及时行动阻止了火势蔓延到大教堂的钟楼。）对应 [A] 段 ...firefighters battled to stop flames reaching its bell towers... A greater disaster was averted by members of the Paris fire brigade... to create a wall of water between the raging fire and the two towers...（……消防员奋力阻止火焰蔓延到其钟楼……巴黎消防队的成员避免了一场更大的灾难……在熊熊大火和两座塔楼之间建立了一道水墙……）prevented the fire from reaching 对应 stop flames reaching / averted / create a wall of water between。
43. J。解析：题干 Apart from the fire, the water used to extinguish it also caused a lot of damage to Notre Dame Cathedral.（除了大火之外，用来灭火的水也对巴黎圣母院造成了大量破坏。）对应 [J] 段 As well as damage from the heat... experts also need to assess damage from the vast quantities of water firefighters poured into the cathedral. One casualty of this was The Great Organ... significantly damaged by water.（除了高温造成的损坏……专家还需要评估消防员倒入大教堂的大量水造成的损坏。其中一个受害者是建于1730年代的大管风琴，据说它躲过了火焰，但被水严重损坏了。）Apart from the fire 对应 As well as damage from the heat，water used to extinguish it 对应 water firefighters poured into，caused a lot of damage 对应 significantly damaged by water。
44. D。解析：题干 There has been argument over the years as to who should pay for the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral.（多年来，关于谁应该为巴黎圣母院的修复费用买单一直存在争论。）对应 [D] 段第一句 The cathedral... has been at the centre of a years-long dispute over who should finance restoration work...（这座大教堂……多年来一直处于争议的中心，即谁应该资助修复工作……）argument over the years 对应 a years-long dispute，who should pay for 对应 who should finance。
45. G。解析：题干 News of the Notre Dame Cathedral catastrophe instantly caught media attention throughout the world.（巴黎圣母院灾难的消息瞬间引起了全世界媒体的关注。）对应 [G] 段第二句 Indeed, within minutes the fire occupied headlines of every major global newspaper and television network.（事实上，在几分钟内，这场大火就占据了全球每家主要报纸和电视网络的头条新闻。）instantly 对应 within minutes，caught media attention throughout the world 对应 occupied headlines of every major global newspaper and television network。
核心搭配与高分句型
【核心搭配与高频短语】
pick through：在...中翻找/仔细搜寻（picked through the burnt debris）
come down to：归结为，到底在于（it all came down to 15-30 minutes）
date back to：追溯到（some dating back to the 13th century）
make up of：由...组成（made up of hundreds of oak beams）
as well as：也，还，除...之外（As well as damage from the heat）
involuntary destruction：非故意/过失破坏（inquiry into "involuntary destruction by fire"）
【亮点句型解析】
Had 引导的虚拟语气倒装句（题干41）：
"Had the bell towers’ wooden frames burned down, the heavy bells would have crashed down."
（如果钟楼的木制框架被烧毁，沉重的钟就会坠落下来。）省略了 `If`，将助动词 `Had` 提前至句首构成倒装，表示与过去事实相反的假设，语气更正式高级。对应原文的 `If the wooden frame... had caught fire, it could have...`。
"Had the bell towers’ wooden frames burned down, the heavy bells would have crashed down."
（如果钟楼的木制框架被烧毁，沉重的钟就会坠落下来。）省略了 `If`，将助动词 `Had` 提前至句首构成倒装，表示与过去事实相反的假设，语气更正式高级。对应原文的 `If the wooden frame... had caught fire, it could have...`。
It is/was + 被动语态 + 不定式（表据说）：
"One casualty of this was The Great Organ... which was said to have escaped the flames but been significantly damaged by water."
（其中一个受害者是大管风琴……据说它躲过了火焰，但被水严重损坏了。）`was said to have escaped` 结构（据说已经...）使用了不定式的完成时，表示动作发生在谓语动词之前，客观且严谨。
"One casualty of this was The Great Organ... which was said to have escaped the flames but been significantly damaged by water."
（其中一个受害者是大管风琴……据说它躲过了火焰，但被水严重损坏了。）`was said to have escaped` 结构（据说已经...）使用了不定式的完成时，表示动作发生在谓语动词之前，客观且严谨。