单项选择题
As a firefighter, I have seen many people die in hotel fires. Most could have saved themselves if they had been prepared. Contrary to what you have seen in the movies, fire is not likely to chase you down and burn you to death. It’s the by-products of fire-smoke and panic-that are almost always the causes of death.
For example, a man wakes up at 2:30 am due to the smell of smoke. He pulls on his pants and runs into the hallway-to be greeted by heavy smoke. He has no idea where the exit is, so he runs first to the right. No exit. Where is it Panic sets in. He’s coughing and gagging now; his eyes hurt. He can’t see his way back to his room. His chest hurt; he needs oxygen desperately. He rims in the other direction, completely disoriented. At 2:50 am we find him dead of smoke inhalation.
Smoke, because it is warmer than air, will start accumulating at the ceiling and works its way down. The fresh air you should breathe is near the floor. What’s more, smoke is extremely irritating to the eyes. Your eyes will take only so much irritation, then they will close and you won’t be able to open them.
Your other enemy, panic, can make you do things that could kill you. The man in the foregoing example would not have died if he had known what to do. Had he found out beforehand where the exit was-four doors down on the left-he could have gotten down on his hands and knees close to the floor, where the air is fresher. Then, even if he couldn’t keep his eyes open, he could have felt the wall as he crawled, counting doors.
A. Fire is unlikely to turn you to death directly.
B. Smoke and panic are almost always the causes of death.
C. You should keep calm in the hotel fire.
D. Movies show the right rules for surviving hotel fires.