It is 2024 now. Five years ago, the Notre-Dame Cathedral (巴黎圣母院) was on fire and was closed to the public. France and many people around the world were very sad about that. After more than 2,000 days of reconstruction (修复) work, the Notre Dame Cathedral reopens its doors to the world. The reopening ceremonies will begin on December 7 and 8, 2024.

The Cathedral is open to the public from 3:30 pm to 10 pm in the first week. Starting Monday, December 16, the cathedral will open from 7:45 am to 7:00 pm. For the first six months, only individuals can visit the cathedral. Also, the cathedral launches a mobile app with educational information in three languages (planning to add three more languages in the future).

The expected number of visitors is very large. Before the fire, the building welcomed about 12 million people each year. After it reopens, the number of visitors is expected to soar to 15 million. Entering the Notre-Dame Cathedral has always been free. Now, you can book online for a specific time a few days before your visit through the cathedral’s official website. Of course, you can still enter without booking, but you might have to wait in line for about two to three hours.

“This is a very important moment that the whole world has been waiting for,” said Olivier Josse, secretary general for the cathedral.

1.1. When did the Notre-Dame Cathedral catch fire?

A In 2005.

B In 2014.

C In 2019.

D In 2024.

解析：选C。C数字计算题。根据文章第一段中的“Five years ago, the Notre-Dame Cathedral was on fire and was closed to the public.”可知，五年前巴黎圣母院发生火灾，并对公众关闭，即2019年巴黎圣母院发生了火灾。故选C。

2.2. A person can visit The Cathedral at ________ on December 15.

A 7:45 am

B 8:30 am

C 10:00 am

D 7:00 pm

解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据第二段中的“The Cathedral is open to the public from 3:30 pm to 10 pm in the first week. Starting Monday, December 16, the cathedral will open from 7:45 am to 7:00 pm.”可知，巴黎圣母院在第一周的下午3:30至晚上10点向公众开放，从12月16日星期一开始，开放时间为早上7:45至晚上7:00。由此可知12月15日开放时间是从15时30分至22时，因此晚上七点仍然可以参观。故选D。

3.3. What does the underlined word “soar” mean?

A Drop.

B Rise.

C Roll.

D Plan.

解析：选B。B词义猜测题。根据划线单词前面的“Before the fire, the building welcomed about 12 million people each year.”和后面的“15 million”可知，在火灾前,每年约有1200万人参观巴黎圣母院，在重新开放后，巴黎圣母院的年接待游客量预计将达1500万人次，由此可推测，现在较发生火灾前的人次，有大幅增长。故选B。

4.4. Visitors can book their visit to the Notre-Dame Cathedral ________.

A by calling the cathedral

B on its official website

C only on the spot

D by sending an Email

解析：选B。B细节理解题。根据文章第三段中的“Now, you can book online for a specific time a few days before your visit through the cathedral’s official website.”可知，虽然巴黎圣母院仍将免费开放，但游客需要通过巴黎圣母院的官方网站在线售票系统提前预订参观的时段。故选B。

5.5. Where can we probably read the passage?

A In a newspaper.

B In a guidebook.

C In a textbook.

D In a notice.

解析：选A。A推理判断题。本文主要讲了时隔五年，巴黎圣母院重新开放，是一则新闻报道，我们可以在新闻报纸上读到本文。故选A。