Read the text and do the tasks as follow.

OUT OF THE ASHES

Paragraph A

On theafternoonof 30^th August1989, fire brokeoutatUppark,a largeeighteenth century housein Sussex. For a yearbuildershadbeen replacingthe leadon theroof, and by a stroke of irony,were dueto finish thenextday,on August31^st. Withinfifteenminutesof the alarm being sounded, thefire brigadehadarrived on the scene, thoughnothing wasto surviveof the pricelesscollectionon the firstfloor apartfroman oilpaintingof a dog whichthe firemen sweptup asthey finally retreatedfrom theblaze.Butdueto thecourage andswiftactionof the previousowners, the Meade-Featherstonhaughfamily,and the staff,stewardsandvisitors to thehouse,who formedhumanchainsto passthe preciouspiecesof porcelain,furnitureand paintingsouton to thelawn, 95 percentof thecontentsfrom theground floor and the basementwere saved. Asthe firecontinuedto rage,the NationalTrust’sconservatorswere being mobilised,and thateveninglocal stationerswere especially openedto providethe bulk suppliesof blottingpaperso desperatelyneededin thesalvageoperation.

Paragraph B

The followingmorning,Upparkstood open to thesky.A sludge of wetcharcoalcoveredthe ground floor and basement,andin every roomcharredand fallentimberslay amongstthe smoke.Itwasa sceneof utterdevastation.

Paragraph C

Aftertheinitialsense of shock, thedayswhichfollowedthe fire were filledwithdiscoveries. Helped byvolunteers,the NationalTrust’sarchaeologistsand conservatorsswung intoaction, firstof allmarkingthe site out intoa gridand thensalvagingeverythingdown tothe lastdoor handle.The positionof eachfragmentwasrecorded,and allthedebris was stored in countless dustbinsbefore beingsifted andcategorised.

Paragraph D

Therewasgreatexcitementasremnantsof thelanternfrom theStaircase Hallwerepulled out from thedebrisof two fallenfloors, and alsothree weekslaterwhen theRed Roomcarpet, thought tohave beentotally lost,wasfound wrapped aroundthe remainsof a piano.There wasalucky reprievefor theStateBed too. Staffwho hadleftthe sceneat3 a.mon the nightof the firehad thoughtitsloss wasinevitable,butwhen they returnedthenextmorningithad escaped largelyundamaged.Firemen,directed bythe NationalTrust’sconservatorsfrom outside theTapestry Roomwindow, dismantledthe silk-hung bed andpassed itoutpieceby piece.Twenty minuteslatertheceilingfell in.

Paragraph E

The scaleof thetask to repairUppark wasunprecedentedin the NationalTrust. The immediatequestionwas whetheritshouldbe done atall.Adecisionhad tobe takenquickly, asthe buildingwasunsound and whateverhad notbeendamagedby the fire wasexposedto the elements.Withina month,afterconsultingmany expertsand with theagreementof the NationalTrust’sExecutiveCommittee,the restorationprogrammebegan. Itwasundertaken for threemainreasons. Afterthe fireithadbecomeapparentjusthowmuchremainedof the structure with its splendidly decoratedinteriors;to havepulledthe house down, asone commentatorsuggested,would havebeen vandalism.Also the property wascovered by insurance,so therepairs would notcallupon the NationalTrust’sown funds. Lastly,much had beensavedof the finecollectionacquiredespeciallyfor Upparkfrom1747 by Sir MatthewFeatherstonhaughandhisson Harry.Theseobjectsbelonged nowhereelse, and completerestorationof the house would allowthemto be seen andenjoyedagain intheir original setting.

Paragraph F

The searchfor craftsmenand womencapableof doing theintricaterestorationwork was nation-wide. Once thequality and skillof the individualor companyhad beenascertained, they hadto passan economictest,asevery job wascompetitivelytendered.Thishashad enormousbenefitsbecausenotonly havea numberof highly skilledpeoplecometo thefore - woodcarversfor example,followingin thefootstepsof GrinlingGibbons- butmany of them, for exampleplasterers,have relearntthe skillsof the seventeenthand eighteenthcenturies whichcannowbe of use toother country house owners when theneed arises.

Paragraph G

In June1994 the buildingprogrammewascompleted,on timeand on budget.The totalcostof the work to repairthehouseand itscontentscametobe nearly £20 million,largely metfrom insurance.In addition,it madeeconomicsensefor the NationalTrustto invest timeand money inupgrading waterand heatingsystems,installingmodernenvironmentalcontrols,and updatingfire andsecurity equipment.

Paragraph H

The final stagesof restorationand the massiveprogrammeof reinstallationtookeightmonths. The familyand the room stewardswerevisibly movedwhen returningto theirold haunts, perhapsthebesttestamentthat the spiritof Upparkhad notdied.But thedebate willno doubt continueasto whetheror not it wasrightto repairthehouseafter thefire.The NationalTrust hasdone itsbestto remaintrueto Uppark; itisfor othersto judge thesuccessof theproject. Note:The NationalTrust isacharitableorganisationin Britainsetup over a hundred years ago to preservethe nationalheritage.

The texthaseightparagraphs,A–H. Whichparagraphscontainthefollowing information? Writethe appropriateletters,A–H, in the boxes.

The procedurefor sorting throughthe remainsof thefire.

What word best replaces “desolate” in paragraph 4? A. isolated B. populous C. dissatisfying D. depressing