Firefighters are working hard to stop a series of big fires in Los Angeles. These fires have killed seven people, destroyed communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena, and made over 180,000 people flee their homes to safer places.

It is estimated that losses from the fires could top $10 billion. Thousands of homes, businesses and other structures have burned. Several landmarks have also been destroyed while others, including the Capitol Records building, the TCL Chinese Theatre, the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Hollywood Bowl, fall under evacuation (疏散) orders. The Hollywood sign is also near the evacuation area, as is the Griffith Observatory-made famous in the 1955 film Rebel Without A Cause.

Wildfire season in the US usually starts around May. But why is this happening in January? The big fires in LA now are mainly because of Santa Ana winds. These are very dry and strong winds that often happen in colder winter months. The winds can go up to 100mph, spreading the fire fast. With little moisture in the air and dry vegetation (植被), the ground is much more flammable. Climate scientist Daniel Swain from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) says that these winds will “dry things out even further”. The longer these extreme winds last, the drier the vegetation will become, he said.

1.1. What does the underlined word “flee” mean?

A Stay.

B Burn.

C Sell.

D Leave.

解析：选D。D词义猜测题。根据划线单词后面的“to safer places”以及前面描述的洛杉矶山火造成严重影响可知，超18万人离开家并且疏散到了更安全的地方。故选D。

2.2. What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?

A When the windy weather will end.

B When the wildfire season is.

C How bad the impact of the fires was.

D Why the fires are happening in January.

解析：选C。C细节理解题。根据第二段内容可知，火灾造成的损失可能超过100亿美元，很多建筑和地标被摧毁，即该段主要讲了火灾造成的影响。故选C。

3.3. What can we know about Santa Ana winds?

A They usually happen in summer.

B They are very dry and strong.

C They help to put out the fires.

D They bring a lot of moisture to the air.

解析：选B。B细节理解题。根据第三段中的“These are very dry and strong winds that often happen in colder winter months.”可知，圣塔安娜风是非常强烈且干燥的风，通常发生在较冷的冬季月份。故选B。

4.4. What can be inferred from what Daniel Swain said?

A The extreme winds make the vegetation drier.

B The extreme winds will stop soon.

C The vegetation will be less flammable.

D The climate will become better.

解析：选A。A推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“dry things out even further”和“The longer these extreme winds last, the drier the vegetation will become”可知，强风持续的时间越长，植被就会变得越干燥。故选A。

5.5. Where can we most probably read the passage?

A In a science magazine.

B On a news website.

C In a geography book.

D In a movie review.

解析：选B。B 推理判断题。本文主要讲了美国洛杉矶突发山火造成严重损失，属于新闻，因此我们最有可能在一个新闻网站上读到本文。故选B。