Flags are flying at half-mast today across Russia as the nation struggles to come to terms with the large loss of life, which investigators say could have been avoided if proper safety regulations had been addressed. In Kemerova in central Siberia, the search is still on for three coalminers missing following Monday's methane gas explosion that killed more than 100 people. It is Russia's worst mining disaster since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
All of the following disasters happened in Russia recently EXCEPT ______.
A. a plane crash
B. a mine explosion
C. a terrorist attack
D. a nursing home fire
SECTION A CONVERSATIONS
Directions: In this section you will hear several conversations. Listen to the conversations carefully and then answer the questions that follow.
听力原文:M: Don, are you eating my tulips?
W: Just having myself a little snack.
M: Of my tulips? I brought those in here to brighten the place up, not for you to cat! And who eats flowers anyway?
W: Have you seen that movie, Monsoon Wedding? There's a character who eats marigolds. And the other night at dinner I saw a guy with an orchid on the rim of his drink. The bartender said it was edible. And so I've done some investigating, and it turns out that many flowers are edible.
M: Like what?
W: Tulips, for instance. And lilacs and pansies and roses. Oh, plenty of flowers are edible.
M: But why should anyone eat flowers? Do they have any nutritional value or are they delicious?
W: Most people don't eat flowers in large enough quantifies to get too much from them nutritionally, but yes, flowers do contain nutrients — some more than others. Rosehips, for instance, are loaded with Vitamin C. In general, pollen is full of protein and tastes bland. Nectar is composed of sugars and some trace minerals, so it's usually sweet.
M: And the petals?
W: Petals can be bitter, sweet, savory, hot, or bland, you name it. The taste varies from flower to flower. And some petals are good sources of nutrients. Yellow flowers, for example, contain a lot of Vitamin A.
M: You said some flowers are edible. What about the ones that aren't?
W: Other flowers are poisonous. Also, if you show signs of an allergic reaction when you touch a particular flower — say, you develop a rash, then keep that kind of flower away from your plate! Use caution before you start serving up your flower garden for dinner.
What is the woman doing?
A. She is eating the man's snack.
B. She is eating the man's flower.
C. She is appreciating the tulips.
D. She is seeing the movie.