Question

The fire at Notre Dame Cathedral(巴黎圣母院) in Paris has raised questions about the condition of thousands of other historic buildings across Europe. It also raises questions about whether European governments are doing enough to keep up and care for such buildings.

Some people say the fire last month was a wake-up call, not just for Europe, but the whole world. Large fires have long robbed humanity of knowledge, art and treasures. One example is the fire at the famous library of Alexandria in northern Egypt about 1700 years ago.

In 2015, the German engineering company Siemens found that Scotland had about 10 serious fires a year, while England lost at least twelve listed buildings a year. In Germany, 70 historic buildings have been destroyed since 2000.

And all too often, fires happen while old buildings are being repaired. Experts say that what is needed is continuous attention and maintenance(維護). These steps, if taken, could help avoid the need for major repairing work.

But regular attention and maintenance costs money.

Part of the problem comes from the shortage of money provided by governments after the 2008 financial crisis (金融危機). As a result, governments are increasingly looking for rich companies to keep up these historic buildings.

“We do need more money, but this is a shared duty for governments, businesses and citizens across Europe,” said an officer from the European Union.

Some say world-famous monuments like Notre Dame are the driving force behind tourism and should get more respect. People have noticed the importance of such respect.

“Historic buildings are a gold mine(礦). You cannot explore it and then just leave the mine and go to another one. It is something you really have to value,” the officer said.

1.After the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral, more attention is paid to_________ .

A.European governments B.famous libraries

C.engineering companies D.the old buildings

2.According to the passage, one of the biggest enemies of cultural treasures is________.

A.robbers B.fires C.money D.tourists

3.“These steps” in Paragraph 4 refer to (指代)___________.

A.attention and maintenance B.careful repairing work

C.enough respect from people D.serious financial crisis

4.The officer thinks _______should accept the duty of caring for these famous monuments.

A.citizens around the world B.the European governments

C.rich European businesses D.the whole European society

5.The purpose of writing this article is to ask everyone to____________.

A.value historic buildings B.donate plenty of money

C.pay attention to big fires D.avoid exploring mines

Answer 1