英语四六级阅读真题及答案

四级

2002年12月

PassageOne

Questions11to15arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Likemanyofmygeneration,Ihaveaweaknessforheroworship.At

somepoint,however,weallbegintoquestionourheroesandourneedfor

them.Thisleadsustoask：Whatisahero?

Despiteimmensedifferencesincultures,heroesaroundtheworld

generallyshareanumberofcharactersticsthatinstructandinspire

people.

Aherodoessomethingworthtalkingaabout.Aherohasastoryof

adventuretotellandacommunitywhowilllisten.Butaherogoesbeyond

merefame.

Heroesservepowersorprincipleslargerthanthemselves.Like

highvoltagetransformers,heroestaketheenergyofhigherpowersand

stepitdownsothatitcanbeusedbyordinarypeople.

Theherolivesalifeworthyofimitation.Thosewhoimitateagenuine

heroexperiencelifewithnewdepth,enthusiasm,andmeaning.Asuretest

forwouldbeheroesiswhatorwhomdotheyserve?Whatarethey

willingtoliveanddiefor?Iftheanswerorevidencesuggeststheyserve

onlytheirownfame,theymaybefamouspersonsbutnotheroes.Madonna

andMichaelJacksonarefamous,butwhowouldclaimthattheirfansfind

lifemoreabundant?

Heroesarecantalysts(催化剂J)forchange,theyhaveavisionfromthe

mountaintop.Theyhavetheskillandthecharmtomovethemasses.They

createnewpossibilities.WithoutGandhi,Indiamightstillbepartofthe

BritishEmpire.WithoutRosaParksandMartinLutherKing,Jr.,wemight

stillhavesegregated(隔离的)buses,restaurants,andparks.Itmaybe

possibleforlargescalechangetooccurwithoutleaderswithmagnetic

personalities,butthepaceofchangewouldbeslow,thevisionuncertain,

andthecommitteemeetingsendless.

11.Althoughheroesmaycomefromdifferentcultures,they

A)generallyprocesscertaininspiringcharacteristicsB)probably

sharesomeweaknessesofordinarypeople

C)areofteninfluencedbypreviousgenerationsD)allunknowingly

attractalargenumberoffans

12.Accordingtothepassage,heroesarecomparedtohigh-voltage

transformersinthat.

A)theyhaveavisionfromthemountaintopB)theyhaveawarm

feelingsandemotions

C)theycanserveasconcreteexamplesofnobleprinciplesD)theycan

makepeoplefeelstrongerandmoreconfident

13.MadonnaandMichaelJacksonarenotconsideredheroesbecause

A)theyarepopularonlyamongcertaingroupsofpeopleB)their

performancesdonotimprovetheirfansmorally

C)theirprimaryconcernistheirownfinancialinterestsD)theyare

notclearabouttheprinciplestheyshouldfollow

14.&andhiandMartinLutherKingaretypicalexamplesofoutstanding

leaderswho.

A)aregoodatdemonstratingtheircharmingcharactersB)canmove

themasseswiththeirforcefulspeeches

C)arecapableofmeetingallchallengesandhardshipsD)canprovide

ananswertotheproblemsoftheirpeople

15.Theauthorconcludesthathistoricalchangeswould.

A)bedelayedwithoutleaderswithinspiringpersonalqualities

B)nothappenwithoutheroesmakingthenecessarysacrifices

C)takeplaceiftherewereheroestoleadthepeople

D)produceleaderswithattractivepersonalities

PassageTwo

Questions16to20arebasedonthefollowingpassage：

Accordingtoasurvey,whichwasbasedontheresponsesofover

188,000Students,today'straditionalagecollegefreshmenare"more

materialisticandlessaltruistic(利他主义的)“thanatanytimeinthe

17yearsofthepoll.

Notsurprisinginthesehardtimes,thestudent'smajorobjective"is

tobefinanciallywelloff.Lessimportantthaneverisdevelopinga

meaningfulphilosophyoflife."Itfollowsthenthattodaythemostpopular

courseisnotliteratureorhistorybutaccounting.

Interestinteaching,socialserviceandthe"altruistic"fieldsisata

low.Ontheotherhand,enrollmentinbusinessprograms,engineeringand

computerscienceiswayup.

That'snosurpriseeither.Afriendofmine(asalesrepresentative

forachemicalcompany)wasmakingtwicethesalaryofhercollege

instructorsherfirstyearonthejob-evenbeforeshecompletedher

twoyearassociatedegree.

Whileit'struethatweallneedacareer,itisequallytruethatour

civilizationhasaccumulatedanincredibleamountofknowledgeinfieldsfar

removedfromourownandthatwearebetterforourunderstandingof

theseothercontributions-betheyscien+ificorartistic.Itisequallytrue

that,instudyingthediversewisdomofothers,welearnhowtothink.More

important,perhaps,educationteachesustoseetheconnectionsbetween

things,aswellastoseebeyondourimmediateneeds.

Weeklywereadofunionswhowentonstrikeforhigherwages,only

todrivetheiremployeroutofbusiness.Nocompany：nojob.How

shortsightedinthelongrun!

Butthemostimportantargumentforabroadeducationisthatin

studyingtheaccumulatedwisdomoftheages,weimproveourmoralsense.

Isawacartoonrecentlywhichshowsagroupofbusinessmenlooking

puzzledastheysitaroundaconferencetable;oneofthemistalkingonthe

intercom(对讲机)："MissBaxterhesays,"couldyoupleasesendin

someonewhocandistinguishrightfromwrong?"

Fromthelongtermpointofview,that'swhateducationreally

oughttobeabout.

16.Accordingtotheauthor'sobservation,collegestudents

A)haveneverbeensomaterialisticastodayB)haveneverbeenso

interestedinthearts

C)haveneverbeensofinanciallywelloffastodayD)havenever

attachedsomuchimportancetomoralsense

17.Thestudents'criteriaforelectingmajorstodayhavemuchtodo

with.

A)theinfluencesoftheirinstructorsB)thefinancialgoalstheyseek

inlife

C)theirowninterpretationsofthecoursesD)theirunderstandingof

thecontributionsofothers

18.Bysaying"Whileit'struethat...betheyscientificorartistic"

(Lines1-3,Para.5),theauthormeansthat.

A)businessmanagementshouldbeincludedineducationalprograms

B)humanwisdomhasaccumulatedatanextraordinarilyhighspeed

C)humanintellectualdevelopmenthasreachednewheights

D)theimportanceofabroadeducationshouldnotbeoverlooked

19.Studyingthediversewisdomofotherscan.

A)createvaryingartisticinterestsB)helppeopleveethingsintheir

rightperspective

C)helpimproveconnectionsamongpeopleD)regulatethebehaviorof

modernpeople

2O.Whichofthefollowingstatementsistrueaccordingtothe

passage?

A)Businessmenabsorbedintheircareerarenarrowminded.

B)Managersoftenfindithardtotellrightfromwrong.

C)Peopleengagedintechnicaljobsleadamorerewardinglife.

D)Careerseekersshouldnotfocusonimmediateinterestsonly.

PassageThree

Questions21to25arebasedonthefollowingpassage：

Newtechnologylinkstheworldasneverbefore.Ourplanethas

shrunk.It'snowa"globalvillage"wherecountriesareonlysecondsawayby

faxorphonesatellitelink.And,ofcourse,ourabilitytobenefitfromthis

high-techcommunicationsequipmentisgreatlyenhancedbyforeign

languageskills.

Deeplyinvolvedwiththisnewtechnologyisabreedofmodern

businesspeoplewhohaveagrowingrespectfortheeconomicvalueofdoing

businessabroad.Inmodernmarkets,successoverseasoftenhelpsupport

domesticbusinessefforts.

Overseasassignmentsarebecomingincreasinglyimportantto

advancementwithinexecutiveranks.Theexecutivestationedinanother

countrynolongerneedfearbeing"outofsightandoutofmind."Heorshe

canbesurethattheoverseaseffortiscentraltothecompany'splanfor

success,andthatpromotionsoftenfolloworaccompanyanassignment

abroad.Ifanemployeecansucceedinadifficultassignmentoverseas,

superiorswillhavegreaterconfidenceinhisorherabilitytocopebackin

theUnitedSateswherecrcfitturalconsiderationsandforeign

languageissuesarebecomingmoreandmoreprevalent（普遍的）.

Thankstoavarietyofrelativelyinexpensivecommunicationsdevices

withbusinessapplications,evensmallbusinessesintheUnitedStatesare

abletogetintointernationalmarkets.

Englishisstilltheinternationallanguageofbusiness.Butthereisan

evergrowingneedforpeoplewhocanspeakanotherlanguage.Asecond

languageisn'tgenerallyrequiredtogetajobinbusiness,buthaving

languageskillsgivesacandidatetheedgewhenotherqualificationsappear

tobeequal.

Theemployeepostedabroadwhospeaksthecountry'sprincipal

languagehasanOpportunitytofastforwardcertainnegotiations,andcan

havetheculturalinsighttoknowwhenitisbettertomovemoreslowly.

Theemployeeatthehomeofficewhocancommunicatewellwithforeign

clientsoverthetelephoneorbyfaxmachineisanobviousassettothe

firm.

21.Whatistheauthor'sattitudetowardhigh-techcommunications

equipment?

A)Critical.B)Indifferent.C)Prejudiced.D)Positive.

22.Withtheincreaseduseofhigh-techcommunicationsequipment,

businesspeople.

A)havetogetfamiliarwithmoderntechnologyB)aregainingmore

economicbenefitsfromdomesticoperations

C)areattachingmoreimportancetotheiroverseasbusinessD)are

eagertoworkoverseas

23.1nthispassage,"outofsightandoutofmind"(Lines23,Para.3)

probablymeans.

A)beingunabletothinkproperlyforlackofinsightB)beingtotally

outoftouchwithbusinessathome

C)missingopportunitiesforpromotionwhenabroadD)leavingallcare

andworthybehind

24.Accordingtothepassage,whatisanimportantconsiderationof

internationalcorporationsinemployingpeopletoday?

A)Connectionswithbusinessoverseas.B)Abilitytospeaktheclient's

language.

C)Technicalknowhow.D)Businessexperience.

25.Theadvantageofemployeeshavingforeignlanguageskillsisthat

theycan.

A)betterconirolthewholenegotiationprocessB)easilyfindnew

approachestomeetmarketneeds

C)fastforwardtheirproposalstoheadquartersD)easilymake

friendswithbusinesspeopleabroad

PassageFour

Questions26to30arebasedonthefollowingpassage：

Inrecentyears,Israeliconsumershavegrownmoredemandingas

they'vebecomewealthierandmorewordly-wise.Foreigntravelisa

nationalpassion;thissummeralone,onein10citizenswillgoabroad.

Exposedtohigherstandardsofserviceelsewhere,Israelisarereturning

homeexpectingthesame.Americanfirmshavealsobegunarrivinginlarge

numbers.ChainssuchasKFC,McDonald'sandPizzaHutaresettinganew

standardofcustomerservice,usingstrictemployeetrainingandconstant

monitoringtoensurethefriendlinessoffrontlinestaff.Eventhe

Americanhabitoftellingdepartingcustomersto"Haveaniceday"has

caughtonalloverisrael."Nobodywakesupinthemorningandsay,'Let's

benicer,'"saysI+sikCohen,directorofaconsultingfirm."Nothing

happenswithoutcompetition."

Privatization,orthethreatofit,isamotivationaswell.

Monopolies(垄断者)thatuntilrecentlyhavebeenfreetotaketheir

customersforgrantednowfearwhatMichaelPerry,amarketing

professor,calls"therevengeful(报复的)consumer."Whenghegovernment

openedupcompetitionwithBezaq,thephonecompany,itsinternational

branchlost40%ofitsmarketshare,evenwhileofferingcompetitiverates.

SaysPerry,"Peoplewantedrevengeforalltheyearsofbadservice."The

electriccompany,whosemonopolymaybesHbntd,hassuddenly

stoppedrequiringuserstowaithalfadayforarepairman.Now,

appointmentsarescheduledtothehbbfur.ThegracelessEIAl

Airlines,whichisalreadyatauction(拍卖)，hasretraineditsemployeesto

emphasizeserviceandisboastingabouttheresultsinanadcampaignwith

theslogan,"Youcanfeelthechangeintheair."Forthefirsttime,praise

outnumberscomplaintsoncustomersurveysheets.

26.ltmaybeinferredfromthepassagethat.

A)customerserviceinIsraelisnowimproving

B)wealthyIsraelicustomersarehardtoplease

C)thetouristindustryhasbroughtchainstorestoIsrael

D)Israelcustomerspreferforeignproductstodomesticones

27.1ntheauthor'sview,higherservicestandardsareimpossiblein

Israel.

A)ifcustomercomplaintsgounnoticedbythemanagementB)unless

foreigncompaniesareintroducedingreaternumbers

C)ifthere'snocompetitionamongcompaniesD)withoutstrictroutine

trainingofemployees

28.1fsomeoneinIsraeltodayneedsarepairmanincaseofapower

failure_

A)theycanhaveitfixedinnotimeB)it'snolongernecessarytomake

anappointment

C)theappointmenttakesonlyhalfadaytomakeD)theyonlyhaveto

waithalfanhouratmost

29.TheexampleofElAlAirlinesshowsthat.

A)revengefulcustomersareathreattothemonopolyofenterprises

B)anadcampaignisawayoutforenterprisesinfinancialdifficulty

C)agoodsloganhasgreatpotentialforimprovingservice

D)staffretraininqisessentialforbetterservice

3O.WhydidBezaq'sinternationalbrancelose40%ofitsmarket

share?

A)Becausetheratesitofferedwerenotcompetitiveenough.

B)Becausecustomersweredissatisfiedwith汁spastservice.

C)Becausetheserviceofferedbyitscompetitorswasfarbetter.

D)Becauseitnolongerreceivedanysupportfromthegovernment.

2003年12月

PassageOneQuestions21to25arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

I'musuallyfairlyskepticalaboutanyresearchthatconcludesthat

peopleareeitherhappierorunhappierormoreorlesscertainof

themselvesthantheywere50yearsago.Whileanyofthesestatements

mightbetrue,theyarepracticallyimpossibletoprovescientifically.Still,

Iwasstruckbyareportwhichconcludedthattoday'schildrenare

significantlymoreanxiousthanchildreninthe1950s.Infact,theanalysis

showed,normalchildrenages9to17exhibitahigherlevelofanxiety

todaythanchildrenwhoweretreatedformentalillness50yearsago.

WhyareAmerica'skidssostressed?Thereportcitestwomaincauses：

increasingphysicalisolation—broughtonbyhighdivorceratesandless

involvementincommunity,amongotherthings—andagrowingperception

thattheworldisamoredangerousplace.

Giventhatwecan'tturntheclockback,adultscanstilldoplentyto

helpthenextgenerationcope.

Atthetopofthelistisnurturing（培育）abetterappreciationofthe

limitsofindividualism.Nochildisanisland.Strengtheningsocialtieshelps

buildcommunitiesandprotectindividualsagainststress.

Tohelpkidsbuildstrongerconnectionswithothers,youcanpullthe

plugonTVsandcomputers.Yourfamilywillthankyoulater.Theywillhave

moretimeforface-to-facerelationships,andtheywillgetmoresleep.

Limittheamountofvirtual（虚拟的）violenceyourchildrenareexposed

to.It'snotjustvideogamesandmovies;childrenseealotofmurderand

crimeonthelocalnews.

Keepyourexpectationsforyourchildrenreasonable.Manyhighly

successfulpeopleneverattendedHarvardorYale.

Makeexercisepartofyourdailyroutine.Itwillhelpyoucopewith

yourownanxietiesandprovideagoodmodelforyourkids.Sometimes

anxietyisunavoidable.Butitdoesn'thavetoruinyourlife.

21.Theauthorthinksthattheconclusionsofanyresearchabout

people'sstateofmindare.

A)surprising

B)confusing

C)illogical

D)questionable

22.Whatdoestheauthormeanwhenhesays,“wecan'tturntheclock

back',(Line1,Para.3)?

A)It'simpossibletoslowdownthepaceofchange.

B)Thesocialrealitychildrenarefacingcannotbechanged.

C)Lessonslearnedfromthepastshouldnotbeforgotten.

D)It'simpossibletoforgetthepast.

23.Accordingtoananalysis,comparedwithnormalchildrentoday,

childrentreatedasmentallyill50yearsago.

A)werelessisolatedphysically

B)wereprobablylessself-centered

C)probablysufferedlessfromanxiety

D)wereconsideredlessindividualistic

24.Thefirstandmostimportantthingparentsshoulddotohelptheir

childrenis.

A)toprovidethemwithasaferenvironment

B)tolowertheirexpectationsforthem

C)togetthemmoreinvolvedsocially

D)tosetagoodmodelforthemtofollow

25.Whatconclusioncanbedrawnfromthepassage?

A)Anxiety,thoughunavoidable,canbecopedwith.

B)Children'sanxietyhasbeenenormouslyexaggerated.

C)Children'sanxietycanbeeliminatedwithmoreparentalcare.

D)Anxiety,ifproperlycontrolled,mayhelpchildrenbecomemature.

PassageTwo

Questions26to30arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Itiseasiertonegotiateinitialsalaryrequirementbecauseonceyou

areinside,theorganizationalconstraints(约束)influencewageincreases.

Onething,however,iscertain：yourchancesofgettingtheraiseyoufeel

youdeservearelessifyoudon'tatleastaskforit.Mentendtoaskfor

more,andtheygetmore,andthisholdstruewithotherresources,notjust

payincreases.ConsiderBeth'sstory：

IdidnotgetwhatIwantedwhenIdidnotaskforit.Wehadcubicle

（小隔间）officesandwindowoffices.Isatinthecubicleswithseveralmale

colleagues.Onebyonetheyweremovedintowindowoffices,whileI

remainedinthecubicles,severalmaleswhowerehiredaftermealsowent

tooffices.Oneinparticulartoldmehewasnextinlineforanofficeand

thatithadbeenpartofhisnegotiationsforthejob.Iguesstheythought

mecontenttostayinthecubiclessinceIdidnotvoicemyopinioneither

way.

Itwouldbeniceifweallreceivedautomaticpayincreasesequaltoour

merit,but"nice"isn'taqualityattributedtomostorganizations.Ifyou

feelyoudeserveasignificantraiseinpay,you'llprobablyhavetoaskforit.

Performanceisyourbestbargainingchip（筹码）whenyouareseekinga

raise.Youmustbeabletodemonstratethatyoudeservearaise.Timingis

alsoagoodbargainingchip.Ifyoucangiveyourbosssomethingheorshe

needs（anewclientorasizablecontract,forexample）justbeforemerit

paydecisionsarebeingmade,youaremorelikelytogettheraiseyouwant.

Useinformationasabargainingchiptoo.Findoutwhatyouareworth

ontheopenmarket.

Whatwillsomeoneelsepayforyourservices?

Gointothenegotiationspreparedtoplaceyourchipsonthetableat

theappropriatetimeandpreparedtousecommunicationstyletoguidethe

directionoftheinteraction.

26.Accordingtothepassage,beforetakingajob,apersonshould

A)demonstratehiscapability

B)givehisbossagoodimpression

C)askforasmuchmoneyashecan

D)askforthesalaryhehopest。get

27.WhatcanbeinferredfromBeth'sstory?

A)Prejudiceagainstwomenstillexistsinsomeorganizations.

B)工fpeoplewantwhattheydeserve,theyhavetoaskfor计.

C)Peopleshouldnotbecontentwithwhattheyhavegot.

D)Peopleshouldbecarefulwhennegotiatingforajob.

28.Wecanlearnfromthepassagethat.

A)unfairnessexistsinsalaryincreases

B)mostpeopleareoverworkedandunderpaid

C)oneshouldavoidoverstatingone'sperformance

D)mostorganizationsgivetheirstaffautomaticpayraises

29.Togetapayraise,apersonshould.

A)advertisehimselfonthejobmarket

B)persuadehisbosstosignalong-termcontract

C)trytogetinsideinformationabouttheorganization

D)dosomethingtoimpresshisbossjustbeforemeritpaydecisions

30.Tobesuccessfulinnegotiations,onemust.

A)meethisbossattheappropriatetime

B）arriveatthenegotiationtablepunctually

C）begoodatinfluencingtheoutcomeoftheinteraction

D）befamiliarwithwhatthebosslikesanddislikes

PassageThree

Questions31to35arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

WhenfamiliesgatherforChristmasdinner,somewillsticktoformal

traditionsdatingbacktoGrandma'sgeneration.Theirtableswillbeset

withthegooddishesandsilver,andthedresscodewillbeSunday-best.

Butinmanyotherhomes,thischina-and-silverelegancehasgivenway

toastoneware（粗陶）-and-stainlessinformality,withdressesassumingan

equallycasual-Fridaylook.Forhostsandguests,thechangemeansgreater

simplicityandcomfort.FormakersoffinechinainBritain,itspells

economichardtimes.

LastweekRoyalDoulton,thelargestemployerinStoke-on-Trent,

announcedthatitiseliminating1,000jobs—one-fifthofitstotal

workforce.Thatbringstomorethan4,000thenumberofpositionslostin

18monthsinthepottery（陶瓷）region.Wedgwoodandotherpottery

factoriesmadecutsearlier.

AlthoughastrongpoundandweakmarketsinAsiaplayaroleinthe

downsizing,thelayoffsinStokehavetheirrootsinearthshakingsocial

shifts.AspokesmanforRoyalDoul+onadmittedthatthecompanyuhas

beensomewhatslowincatchingupwiththetrend"towardcasualdining.

Familieseattogetherlessoften,heexplained,andmorepeopleeatalone,

eitherbecausetheyaresingleortheyeatinfrontoftelevision;

Evendinnerparties,iftheyhappenatall,havegonecasual.Inatime

oflongworkhoursanddemandingfamilyschedules,busyhostsinsist,

rightly,thatit'sbettertoshareatakeoutpizzaonpaperplatesinthe

familyroomthantowaitfortheperfectmomentora"real"dinnerparty.

Toooften,theperfectmomentnevercomes.Ironafine-patterned

tablecloth?Forgetit.Polishthesilver?Whohastime?

Yetthelossofformalityhasitsdownside.Thefinepointsof

etiquette(礼节)thatchildrenmightoncehavelearnedatthetableby

observationorinstructionfromparentsandgrandparents("Chewwith

yourmouthclosed.""Keepyourelbowsoffthetable.'*)mustbepickedup

elsewhere.Somecompaniesnowofferetiquetteseminarsforemployees

whomaybecompetentprofessionallybutcluelesssocially.

31.Thetrendtowardcasualdininghasresultedin.

A)bankruptcyoffinechinamanufacturers

B)shrinkingofthepotteryindustry

C)restructuringoflargeenterprises

D)economicrecessioninGreatBritain

32.Whichofthefollowingmaybethebestreasonforcasualdining?

A)Familymembersneedmoretimetorelax.

B)Busyschedulesleavepeoplenotimeforformality.

C)Peoplewanttopracticeeconomyintimesofscarcity.

D)Youngpeoplewon'tfollowtheetiquetteoftheoldergeneration.

33.ItcanbelearnedfromthepassagethatRoyalDoultonis

A)aretailerofstainlesssteeltableware

B)adealerinstoneware

C)apotterychainstore

D)aproduceroffinechina

34.Themaincauseofthelayoffsinthepotteryindustryis

A)theincreasedvalueofthepound

B)theeconomicrecessioninAsia

C)thechangeinpeople'。wayoflife

D)thefiercecompetitionathomeandabroad

35.Refinedtablemanners,thoughlesspopularthanbeforeincurrent

sociallife.

A)arestillamustoncertainoccasions

B)axeboundtoreturnsoonerorlater

C)arestillbeingtaughtbyparentsathomewww.

D)canhelpimprovepersonalrelationships

PassageFour

Questions36to40arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Somehousesaredesignedtobesmart.Othershavesmartdesigns.An

exampleofthesecondtypeofhousewonanAwardofExcellencefromthe

AmericanInstituteofArchitects.

LocatedontheshoreofSullivan'sIslandoffthecoastofSouth

Carolina,theaward-winningcube-shapedbeachhousewasbuilttoreplace

onesmashedtopiecesbyHurricane（飓风）Hugo10yearsago.In

September1989,HugostruckSouthCarolina,killing18peopleand

damagingordestroying36,000homesinthestate.

BeforeHugo,manynewhousesbuiltalongSouthCarolina'sshoreline

werepoorlyconstructed,andenforcementofbuildingcodeswasn'tstrict,

accordingtoarchitectRayHuff,whocreatedthecleverly-designedbeach

house.InHugo'swake,allnewshorelinehousesarerequiredtomeet

stricter,better-enforcedcodes.ThenewbeachhouseonSullivan'sIsland

shouldbeabletowithstandaCategory3hurricanewithpeakwindsof179

to209kilometersperhour.

Atfirstsight,thehouseonSullivan'sIslandlooksanythingbut

hurricane-proof.ItsredwoodshellmakesitresembleHalargeparty

lantern（灯笼）“atnight,accordingtooneobserver.Butlookscanbe

deceiving.Thehouse'swoodenframeisreinforcedwithlongsteelrodsto

giveitextrastrength.

Tofurtherprotectthehousefromhurricanedamage,Huffraisedit

2.7metersoffthegroundontimberpilings-long,slendercolumnsofwood

anchoreddeepinthesand.Pilingsmightappearinsecure,buttheyare

strongenoughtosupporttheweightofthehouse.Theyalsoelevatethe

houseabovestormsurges.Thepilingsallowthesurgestorununderthe

houseinsteadofrunningintoit.''Theseswellsofwatercomeashoreat

tremendousspeedsandcausemostofthedamagedonetobeach-front

buildings/(saidHuff.

Huffdesignedthetimberpilingstobepartiallyconcealedbythe

house'sground-to-roofshell.''Theshellmasksthepilingssothatthehouse

doesn'tlooklikeit'sstandingwithitspantlegspulledup/'saidHuff.Inthe

eventofastormsurge,theshellshouldbreakapartandletthewavesrush

underthehouse,thearchitectexplained.

36.Afterthetragedycaused