The opinion of many engineers is that the architects that designed the New York World Trade Center Twin Towers did a good job in

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问题     The opinion of many engineers is that the architects that designed the New York World Trade Center Twin Towers did a good job in designing the buildings. The buildings were safe from the hazards envisioned at the time. Indeed, they were designed to withstand the force of aircraft that might crash into them. They were not, however, designed to withstand the effects of the very high temperatures generated by the ignition of tons of aviation fuel carried by the aircraft.
    Steel lightly covered with concrete is the main structural component of the towers and steel loses a lot of structural strength when heated to 1,100 degrees Centigrade and beyond, as it was. To shield the steel the towers beams were coated with a few centimeters of concrete. That insulation was to provide structural integrity for at least 1 hour of fire. The towers met that test. The south tower lasted 62 minutes. The north, 103 minutes. Tragedy followed when not all could escape prior to the collapse.
    Most experts agree that the Twin Towers were very well-designed. Many also agree that the people planning the attacks were very knowledgeable and aimed the aircraft at a height that would effect the most damage. The aircraft crash and the resulting fuel fed fires were aimed at about the 90th floor. That was just high enough to insure that the upper floors would weaken with the heat and crack down, dropping into the remaining part of the building.
    The mass of the falling top floors created such a falling load that some experts estimate it exceeded by 5 to 10 times normal bearing loads. The effect was like a giant hammer, each floor contributing more weight to be born by the next floor down.
    Were the Trade Towers well designed? Engineers say yes. But the public believes that architects will never again design a tall building without considering the effects of terrorist attacks of all potential kinds. That not only includes the ability of the structure to withstand attack but the means to allow the buildings occupants to escape in time to survive.
The word "withstand" in the first paragraph means ______.

选项 A、resist
B、enlarge
C、lessen
D、regain

答案A

解析 本题是词汇题。本题考查对“withstand”的理解。“withstand the force”意思为“to be successful in resisting”(顶住,成功地抵制住)。
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