习题全解
I.
　　Las Vegas. Las Vegas city is the seat of Clark County in South Nevada. In 1970 it had a population of 125,787 people. Revenue from hotels, gambling, entertainment and other tourist-oriented industries forms the backbone of Las Vegas's economy, Its nightclubs and casinos are world famous. The city is also the commercial hub of a ranching and mining area. In the 19th century Las Vegas was a watering place for travelers to South California. In 1.855-1857 the Mormons maintained a fort there, and in 1864 Fort Baker was built by the U. S. army. In 1867, Las Vegas was detached from the Arizona territory and joined to Nevada. (from The New Columbia Encyclopedia )

Ⅱ.
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　1. He didn' t think his family was in any real danger, His former house had been demolished by Hurricane Betsy for it only stood a few feet above sea level. His present house was 23 feet above sea level and 250 yards away from the sea. He thought they would be safe here as in any place else. Besides, he had talked the matter over with his father and mother and consulted his longtime friend, Charles Hill, before making his decision to stay and face the hurricane.
2. Magna Products is the name of the firm owned by John Koshak. It designed and developed educational toys and supplies.
　　3. Charlie thought they were in real trouble because salty water was sea water. It showed the sea had reached the house and they were in real trouble for they might be washed into the sea by the tidal wave.
　　4. At this Critical moment when grandmother Koshak thought they might die at any moment, she told her husband the dearest and the most precious thing she could think of. This would help to encourage each other and enable them to face death with greater serenity.
　　5.John Koshak felt a crushing guilt because it was he who made the final decision to stay and face the hurricane. Now it seemed they might all die in the hurricane.
　　6.Grandmother Koshak asked the children to sing because she thought this would lessen tension and boost the morale of everyone.
　　7.Janis knew that John was trying his best to comfort and encourage her for he too felt there was a possibility of their dying in the storm.

Ⅲ.
　　1.This piece of narration is organized as follows. .introduction, development, climax, and conclusion. The first 6 paragraphs are introductory paragraphs, giving the time, place, and background of the conflict-man versus hurricanes. These paragraphs also introduce the characters in the story.
　　2. The writer focuses chiefly on action but he also clearly and sympathetically delineates the characters in the story.
　　3. John Koshak, Jr. , is the protagonist in the story.
　　4. Man and hurricanes make up the conflict.
　　5. The writer builds up and sustains the suspense in the story by describing in detail and vividly the incidents showing how the Koshaks and their friends struggled against each onslaught of the hurricane.
　　6. The writer gives order and logical movement to the sequence of happenings by describing a series of actions in the order of their occurrence.
　　7. The story reaches its climax in paragraph 27.
　　8. I would have ended the story at the end of Paragraph 27,because the hurricane passed, the main characters survived, and the story could come to a natural end.
　　9. Yes, it is. Because the writer states his theme or the purpose behind his story in the reflection of Grandmother Koshak: "We lost practically all our possessions, but the family came through it. When I think of that, I realize we lost nothing important.

Ⅳ.
　　1. We' re 23 feet above sea level.
　　2. The house has been here since 1915, and no hurricane has ever caused any damage to it.
　　3. We can make the necessary preparations and survive the hurricane without much damage.
　　4. Water got into the generator and put it out. It stopped producing electricity, so the lights also went out.
　　5. Everybody go out through the back door and run to the cars.
　　6. The electrical systems in the car had been put out by water.
　　7. As John watched the water inch its way up the steps, he felt a strong sense of guilt because he blamed himself for endangering the whole family by deciding not to flee inland.
　　8. ()h God, please help us to get through this storm safely.
　　9. Grandmother Koshak sang a few words alone and then her voice gradually grew dimmer and stopped.
　　10. Janis displayed rather late the exhaustion brought about by the nervous tension caused by the hurricane.

Ⅴ.
　　See the translation of the text.

Ⅵ.
　　1. main: a principal pipe or line in a distributing system for water, gas, electricity, etc.
　　2.sit out: stay until the end of
　　3.come by;(American English) pay a visit
　　4.blow in：burst open by the storm.
　　5.douse:put out(a light，fire，generator。etc。)quickly by pouring water over it
　　6.kill：(American English)to cause(an engine-etc．)to stop
　　7．swath：the space covered with one cut of a scythe;a long strip 0r track 0f any kind
　　8．bar：a measure in music；the notes between two vertical lines 0n a music sheet
　　9．1ean—to：a shed or other small outbuilding with a sloping roof．the upper end of which rests against the wall of another building
　　1 0．Seabee：a member of the construction battalions of the Civil Engineer Corps of the U．S．Navy，that build harbor facilities，airfields，etc．Seabee stands for CB, short for Construction Battalion．

Ⅶ．
　　1．destroy一词最为常见，主要强调破坏的力度之大和彻底，一般不带感情或修辞色彩。 demolish和raze通常用于巨大物体，如大型建筑物等。demolish常用引申义，指任何复合体的被毁，如demolish a theory with a few incisive comments。意即“用几句锋利的评语推翻某种理论”。而raze几乎无一例外地用于指建 筑物的被毁。annihilate在这些词中所表示的损坏程度最为强烈，字面 意思是“化为乌有”，但实际上往往用于指对人或物的严重 损伤。如说annihilate an enemy force，是指使敌军遭到重创，不仅没有还手之力。而且没有招架之功。如说annihilate one’s opponent in a debate，是指彻底驳倒对手。
　　2。decay常指某物自然而然地逐渐衰败腐化。如：His teeth have begun to decay．(他的牙齿开始老化变坏。) rot指有机物质，如蔬菜等因菌毒感染而腐败变质，如：rotting apples(烂了的苹果)。spoil用于非正式文体，常指食物变质。如：Fish spoils quickly in summer。(鱼在夏天极易变质。)molder用于指物体缓慢、逐步地腐朽。如：Old buildings molder away．(老房子渐渐腐烂了。)disintegrate意指把某物从整体变为碎片或一个个部分。如：rocks disintegrated by frost and rain(被霜和雨蚀裂成碎块的岩石)。decompose指将物质分解为其构成成分。如：Water call be decompose(be decomposed)into hydrogen and oxygen．(水可分解成氧和氧。)该词还可用来替代rot，使语气略显委婉。

Ⅷ.
　　1. television = tele + vision, a combining form "tele-" plus a noun "vision". Further examples, telegram, telephone, telescope, telegraph, telecommunication, telecast, etc.
　　2. northwestward = north + west + ward or northwest + ward. "-ward" is a suffix meaning “in a (specific) direction or course". Further examples :eastward. westward. backward, upward, inward, outward, seaward, home-ward. etc.
　　3. motel = motorist + hotel, a blend word formed by combining parts of other words. Further examples: smog = smoke + fog. smaze = smoke + haze, brunch = breakfast + lunch, moped = motor + pedal, galumph = gallop = triumph, etc.
　　4. bathtub=bath + tub, a compound word formed by combining two nouns. Further examples: bathrobe, bathroom. bedroom, roommate, butterfly, dragonfly, foot ball. housekeeper, etc.
　　5. returnees=return + ees, a verb plus a noun forming suffix "-ee" designating a person in specified condition. Further examples: employee, refugee, retiree, examinee, escapee, nominee, interviewee, divorcee.