Hurricanes are large storms that produce winds of 119 kilometers per hour or higher. That’s faster than a cheetah, the fastest animal on land. Hurricanes are not only some of the planet’s most violent storms, but also the costliest natural disasters in the United States, researchers reported in 2019 in the journal PNAS. Ranking (排名) the most damaging hurricanes, however, depends on the measures used: usually, economic cost or lives lost.

Katrina was the most expensive hurricane of all time, causing a huge economic loss when it sabotaged New Orleans and other Gulf Coast areas. The cost was over $186 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Katrina’s losses swallowed 1% of the US GDP, or the total value of goods produced and services provided by a country in one year, according to the PNAS study.

John Nielsen-Gammon, a professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A & M University, told Live Science that the next costliest hurricane was 2017’s hurricane Harvey, which caused $149 billion of damage, mostly due to rainfall that produced widespread flooding across southeast Texas, including Houston.

“Those two storms top the list for economic damage both worldwide and in the US, which is no accidence,” Nielsen-Gammon added. “The most damaging hurricanes are most likely to occur where you have lots of expensive buildings,” he said. “That’s why two United States hurricanes top the list.”

In 2017, Hurricane Maria caused $107 billion in damage in Puerto Rico, placing it third on NOAA’s list of the costliest US storms. Hurricane Sandy, which flooded New York City’s subway tunnels and other areas in 2012, came next on the list ($82 billion), followed by 2021’s Hurricane Ida, which flooded Louisiana. Developing countries also suffered a lot from hurricanes.

【小题1】Why is a cheetah mentioned in paragraph 1?

A．To show the fast speed of hurricanes.

B．To compare the speed between hurricanes and a cheetah.

C．To state the bad effect on wild animals from hurricanes.

D．To explain how the fastest animal survives the hurricanes.

【小题2】What does the underlined word “sabotaged” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Followed.

B．Ignored.

C．Destroyed.

D．Defended.

【小题3】What does the second paragraph intend to tell us?

A．The reason why Katrina in the US topped the list.

B．The reason why hurricanes took place in the US.

C．The effect of two hurricanes on American economy.

D．The damage to buildings caused by hurricanes in the US.

【小题4】What will most probably be introduced in the following text?

A．Types of different hurricanes in Britain.

B．Countries suffering from hurricanes in 2022.

C．Ways to prevent hurricanes in developing countries.

D．The loss hurricanes brought to developing countries.