In a natural disaster—a hurricane, flood, volcanic eruption, or other catastrophes—minutes and even seconds of warning can make the difference between life and death．Because of this, scientists are working to use the latest technological advances to predict when and where disasters will happen．They are also studying how best to analyze and communicate this information once it is obtained．
On September 29, 1998, Hurricane Georges made landfall in Biloxi, Mississippi, after damaging Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and several islands of the Caribbean badly with torrential rains and winds up to 160 km per hour．Few people lost their lives along the Gulf Coast of the United States, although hundreds died in the Caribbean．
This was a very different outcome from 1900, when a powerful Gulf Coast hurricane made an unexpected direct hit on Galveston, Texas, killing at least 6,000 people．
Vastly improved hurricane warnings explain the different circumstances at either end of the 20th century——residents of Galveston had no advance warning that a storm was approaching, while residents of Biloxi had been warned days in advance, allowing for extensive safety precautions（预防）．
At the same time that people in Biloxi were thankful for the advance warning, some residents of New Orleans, Louisiana were less satisfied．A day before Georges made landfall, forecasters were predicting that the hurricane had a good chance of striking New Orleans．Because much of New Orleans lies below sea level, the city is at risk for flooding．Emergency management officials must begin evacuations（疏散）well before a storm strikes．But evacuation costs money: businesses close, tourists leave, and citizens take precautionary measures．The mayor of New Orleans estimated that his city' s preparations for Georges cost more than 50 million．After Georges missed New Orleans, some residents questioned the value of the hurricane forecasts in the face of such high costs．
The different views on the early warnings for Hurricane Georges show some of the complexities related to predicting disasters．Disaster prediction is a process of providing scientific information to the government officials and other decision makers who must respond to those predictions．
小题1:What is the purpose of disaster prediction according to the passage?
A．To identify the cause of disasters．
B．To save people' s lives and property．
C．To prevent natural disasters from happening,
D．To apply advanced technology to disaster prediction．小题2:Which of the following areas suffered the most severe damage?
A．Puerto Rico．
B．New Orleans．
C．Biloxi, Mississippi．
D．Galveston, Texas．小题3:The city residents of New Orleans were unsatisfied because __ _ .
A．the forecast hurricane did not hit the city
B．the hurricane warning arrived rather late
C．their preparations were made in vain
D．they suffered from a heavy hurricane attack小题4:What does the passage mainly talk about?
A．The different ways of disaster prediction．
B．Technological advances in disaster prediction．
C．The importance and uncertainty of disaster prediction．
D．The benefits and preparations of disaster prediction．
