共用题干 A Great Quake Coming?Everyone who lives in San Francisco knows that earthquakes are common in the Bay Area一and they can be devastating. In 1906,for example,a major quake destroyed about 28,000 buildings and killed hundreds,perhaps thousands of people

共用题干
Eastern Quakes can Trigger Big Shakes

In the first week of November 2011,people in central Oklahoma experienced more than two dozen earth-
quakes.The largest,a magnitude（量）5.6 quake,shook thousands of fans in a college football stadium,
caused cracks in a few buildings and scared many people who had never felt a quake before.Oklahoma is not
an area of the country famous for its quakes.If you watch the news on TV,you will see reports about all sorts
of natural disasters.But the most dangerous type of natural disaster,and also the most unpredictable,is the
earthquake.
Researchers at the US Geological Survey(USGS)estimate that several million earthquakes occur globally
each year. That may sound scary,but people don't feel many of them because they happen in remote and
unpopulated regions.Many quakes happen under the ocean,and others have a very small magnitude.
Scientists know about small,remote quakes only because of very sensitive electronic devices called seis-
mometers（地震仪）.These devices detect and measure the size of ground vibrations（震颤）produced by
earthquakes.Altogether,USGS researchers use seismometers to identify and locate about 20,000 earthquakes
each year.
Although earthquakes can happen anywhere in the world,really big quakes occur only in certain areas.
The largest ones register a magnitude 8 or higher and happen,on average,only once each year. Such big
ones typically occur along the edges of Earth ' s tectonic plates（构造板块）.
Tectonic plates are huge pieces of Earth ' s crust（外壳）,sometimes many kilometers thick. Often,
edges of these plates temporarily lock together. When plates push and scrape（擦）past each other earthquakes
occur. On average,tectonic plates move very slowly一about the same speed as your fingernails grow.
But sometimes earthquakes rumble（轰轰作响）through portions of the landscape far from a plate ' s
edges.Although less expected,these"mid-plate"small earthquakes can do substantial damage.Some of the
biggest known examples hit the eastern half of the United States two centuries ago.Today,scientists are still
puzzling over why the quakes occurred and when similar ones might occur.

Seismometers can identify and locate most of the earthquakes in China.
A:Right
B:Wrong
C:Not mentioned

共用题干
第一篇

How to Do with Earthquake?

Ideally,people would like to know when an earthquake is going to happen and how bad it will
be.In both Japan and China,people have long believed that earthquakes can be forecast. In Japan, scientists have wired the Earth and sea to detect movements.The Chinese have traditionally watched animals and plants for warning signs of earthquakes.For example,the Chinese have noted that before an earthquake,hens' behavior changes一they refuse to enter their cages at night. They have also noticed that snakes come out of the ground to freeze to death and that dogs bark a lot,even normally quiet dogs.Before the Hanshin earthquake in Japan,there were reports of large schools of fish swimming near the surface of the water. Certain birds,like pigeons,also seemed to be especially noisy and were reported to be flying in unusual patterns before the earthquake.
Perhaps most interesting,and most easily measured,is a chemical change in ground water before a quake.Experimental data seem to indicate that the amount of radon(Rn)in the water under the surface of the Earth waxes before an earthquake.
People would also like to be able to prevent the great destruction of property caused by earthquakes.After all,most of the people who die in earthquakes are killed by falling buildings.Therefore,building structures that can withstand the power of earthquakes is a major concern.Steel seems to be the best material,but not if it is welded to form a rigid structure.
Many new structures are built with a new type of steel joint,an I-joint,which appears to be the most durable type of joint. These joints of steel can move without breaking. Also,to prevent property damage,architects now design buildings so that the building's columns and horizontal beams are of equal strength,and vertical support columns are inserted deep into solid soil.In addition,many new houses have relatively light roofs and strong walls.Concrete pillars for highway bridges that previously only had steel rods inside are now enclosed in steel.
Besides working to improve building structures,people in areas where earthquakes are common need to prepare for the possibility of a great earthquake.They should regularly check and reinforce their homes,place heavy objects in low positions,attach cupboards and cabinets to walls,and fasten doors so that they will not open accidentally during an earthquake.

Why are building structures a major concern for people?
A:Because they can make buildings pleasing to people's eyes.
B:Because people are often killed by falling buildings in earthquakes.
C:Because sometimes they are costly.
D:Because people want to cut budget by designing new types of buildings.

共用题干
第一篇

How to Do with Earthquake?

Ideally,people would like to know when an earthquake is going to happen and how bad it will
be.In both Japan and China,people have long believed that earthquakes can be forecast. In Japan, scientists have wired the Earth and sea to detect movements.The Chinese have traditionally watched animals and plants for warning signs of earthquakes.For example,the Chinese have noted that before an earthquake,hens' behavior changes一they refuse to enter their cages at night. They have also noticed that snakes come out of the ground to freeze to death and that dogs bark a lot,even normally quiet dogs.Before the Hanshin earthquake in Japan,there were reports of large schools of fish swimming near the surface of the water. Certain birds,like pigeons,also seemed to be especially noisy and were reported to be flying in unusual patterns before the earthquake.
Perhaps most interesting,and most easily measured,is a chemical change in ground water before a quake.Experimental data seem to indicate that the amount of radon(Rn)in the water under the surface of the Earth waxes before an earthquake.
People would also like to be able to prevent the great destruction of property caused by earthquakes.After all,most of the people who die in earthquakes are killed by falling buildings.Therefore,building structures that can withstand the power of earthquakes is a major concern.Steel seems to be the best material,but not if it is welded to form a rigid structure.
Many new structures are built with a new type of steel joint,an I-joint,which appears to be the most durable type of joint. These joints of steel can move without breaking. Also,to prevent property damage,architects now design buildings so that the building's columns and horizontal beams are of equal strength,and vertical support columns are inserted deep into solid soil.In addition,many new houses have relatively light roofs and strong walls.Concrete pillars for highway bridges that previously only had steel rods inside are now enclosed in steel.
Besides working to improve building structures,people in areas where earthquakes are common need to prepare for the possibility of a great earthquake.They should regularly check and reinforce their homes,place heavy objects in low positions,attach cupboards and cabinets to walls,and fasten doors so that they will not open accidentally during an earthquake.

What should people do to prepare for earthquakes?
A:Check and reinforce their homes.
B:Place light objects in low positions.
C:Build strong roofs and light walls.
D:Attach doors to walls.

共用题干
Eastern Quakes Can Trigger Big Shakes
In the first week of November 2011,people in central Oklahoma experienced more than two dozen earthquakes. The largest,a magnitude 5 .6 quake,shook thousands of fans in a college football stadium,caused cracks in a few buildings and rattled the nerves of many people who had never felt a quake before. Oklahoma is not an area of the country famous for its quakes. If you watch the news on TV,you see reports about all sorts of natural disasters一 hurricanes,tornadoes,flooding and wildfires,to name a few. But the most dangerous type of natural disaster,and also the most unpredictable,is the earthquake.
Researchers at the U. S. Geological Survey estimate that several million earthquakes rattie the globe each year. That may sound scary,but people don't feel many of the tremors because they happen in remote and unpopulated regions.Many quakes happen under the ocean, and others have a very small magnitude,or shaking intensity.
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake that struck central Virginia the afternoon of August 23, 2011,was felt from central Georgia to southeastern Canada. In many urban areas,including Washington,D.C.,and New York City(Wall Street shown),people crowded the streets while engineers inspected buildings.
Scientists know about small,remote quakes only because of very sensitive electronic devices called seismometers.These devices detect and measure the size of ground vibrations
produced by earthquakes.Altogether,USGS researchers use seismometers to identify and locate about 20,000 earthquakes each year.
Although earthquakes can happen anywhere in the world,really big quakes occur only in certain areas. The largest ones register a magnitude 8 or higher and happen,on average,only once each year. Such big ones typically occur along the edges of Earth's tectonic plates.
Tectonic plates are huge pieces of Earth's crust,sometimes many kilometers thick. These plates cover our planet's surface like a jigsaw puzzle. Often,jagged edges of these plates temporarily lock together. When plates jostle and scrape past each other,earthquakes occur. On average,tectonic plates move very slowly一about the same speed as your fingernails grow.
But sometimes earthquakes rumble through portions of the landscape far from a plate's edges. Although less expected,these”mid-plate” tremors can do substantial damage. Some of the biggest known examples rattled the eastern half of the United States two centuries ago. Today,scientists are still puzzling over why the quakes occurred and when similar ones might occur.

Seismometers can identify and locate most of the earthquakes in China.
A: Right
B: Wrong
C: Not mentioned

共用题干
Eastern Quakes Can Trigger Big Shakes
In the first week of November 2011,people in central Oklahoma experienced more than two dozen earthquakes. The largest,a magnitude 5 .6 quake,shook thousands of fans in a college football stadium,caused cracks in a few buildings and rattled the nerves of many people who had never felt a quake before. Oklahoma is not an area of the country famous for its quakes. If you watch the news on TV,you see reports about all sorts of natural disasters一 hurricanes,tornadoes,flooding and wildfires,to name a few. But the most dangerous type of natural disaster,and also the most unpredictable,is the earthquake.
Researchers at the U. S. Geological Survey estimate that several million earthquakes rattie the globe each year. That may sound scary,but people don't feel many of the tremors because they happen in remote and unpopulated regions.Many quakes happen under the ocean, and others have a very small magnitude,or shaking intensity.
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake that struck central Virginia the afternoon of August 23, 2011,was felt from central Georgia to southeastern Canada. In many urban areas,including Washington,D.C.,and New York City(Wall Street shown),people crowded the streets while engineers inspected buildings.
Scientists know about small,remote quakes only because of very sensitive electronic devices called seismometers.These devices detect and measure the size of ground vibrations
produced by earthquakes.Altogether,USGS researchers use seismometers to identify and locate about 20,000 earthquakes each year.
Although earthquakes can happen anywhere in the world,really big quakes occur only in certain areas. The largest ones register a magnitude 8 or higher and happen,on average,only once each year. Such big ones typically occur along the edges of Earth's tectonic plates.
Tectonic plates are huge pieces of Earth's crust,sometimes many kilometers thick. These plates cover our planet's surface like a jigsaw puzzle. Often,jagged edges of these plates temporarily lock together. When plates jostle and scrape past each other,earthquakes occur. On average,tectonic plates move very slowly一about the same speed as your fingernails grow.
But sometimes earthquakes rumble through portions of the landscape far from a plate's edges. Although less expected,these”mid-plate” tremors can do substantial damage. Some of the biggest known examples rattled the eastern half of the United States two centuries ago. Today,scientists are still puzzling over why the quakes occurred and when similar ones might occur.

Few earthquakes happen without people's awareness.
A: Right
B: Wrong
C: Not mentioned

共用题干
Earthquake

1.Every year earthquakes are responsible for a large number of deaths and a vast amount of destruction in various parts of the world.Most of these damaging earthquakes occur either in a narrow belt which surrounds the Pacific Ocean or in a line which extends from Burma to the Alps in Europe. Some of the destruction is directly caused by the quake itself. An example of this is the collapse of buildings as a result of the quake itself. Other damage results from landslides or major fires which are initiated by the quake.
2.There are about a million quakes a year. Fortunately,however,not all of them are destructive.The intensity of an earthquake is measured on the Richter Scale,which goes from 0 upward. The highest scale recorded to date is 8.9.Major damage generally occurs from quakes ranging upwards from 6.0.
3.The actual cause of the quake itself is the breaking of rocks at or below the earth's surface. This is produced by pressure which scientists believe may be due to a number of reasons, two of which are the expansion and contraction of the earth's crust and continental drift.
4.In order to limit the damage and to prevent some of the suffering resulting from earthquakes, scientists are working on ways to enable accurate prediction.Special instruments are used to help people record,for example,shaking of the earth.Scientists are trying to find methods that will enable them to indicate the exact time,location and size of an earthquake.
5.Certain phenomena have been observed which are believed to be signs of imminent earth-quakes.These include strange behaviors of some animals,the changes in the content of mineral water,etc.The magnetic properties of rocks may also display special pattern before major earthquakes happen.

Earthquakes can be predicted by observing__________.
A:by the quake itself
B:not be prevented
C:to cause damage of property and loss of lives
D:of a possible earthquake
E:the unusual behaviors of some animals
F: the strange behaviors of human beings

共用题干
Earthquake

1.Every year earthquakes are responsible for a large number of deaths and a vast amount of destruction in various parts of the world.Most of these damaging earthquakes occur either in a narrow belt which surrounds the Pacific Ocean or in a line which extends from Burma to the Alps in Europe. Some of the destruction is directly caused by the quake itself. An example of this is the collapse of buildings as a result of the quake itself. Other damage results from landslides or major fires which are initiated by the quake.
2.There are about a million quakes a year. Fortunately,however,not all of them are destructive.The intensity of an earthquake is measured on the Richter Scale,which goes from 0 upward. The highest scale recorded to date is 8.9.Major damage generally occurs from quakes ranging upwards from 6.0.
3.The actual cause of the quake itself is the breaking of rocks at or below the earth's surface. This is produced by pressure which scientists believe may be due to a number of reasons, two of which are the expansion and contraction of the earth's crust and continental drift.
4.In order to limit the damage and to prevent some of the suffering resulting from earthquakes, scientists are working on ways to enable accurate prediction.Special instruments are used to help people record,for example,shaking of the earth.Scientists are trying to find methods that will enable them to indicate the exact time,location and size of an earthquake.
5.Certain phenomena have been observed which are believed to be signs of imminent earth-quakes.These include strange behaviors of some animals,the changes in the content of mineral water,etc.The magnetic properties of rocks may also display special pattern before major earthquakes happen.

Not all earthquakes are strong enough___________.
A:by the quake itself
B:not be prevented
C:to cause damage of property and loss of lives
D:of a possible earthquake
E:the unusual behaviors of some animals
F: the strange behaviors of human beings

共用题干
A Great Quake Coming?

Everyone who lives in San Francisco knows that earthquakes are common in the Bay Area一and they
can be devastating. In 1906,for example,a major quake destroyed about 28,000 buildings and killed
hundreds,perhaps thousands of people.Residents now wonder when the next"Big One"will strike.It's
bound to happen someday. At least seven active fault（断层）lines run through the San Francisco area. Faults
are places where pieces of Earth'S crust（地壳）slide past each other.When these pieces slip,the ground
shakes.
To prepare for that day,scientists are using new techniques to reanalyze the 1906 earthquake and pre-
diet how bad the damage might be when the next one happens.
One new finding about the 1906 earthquake is that the San Andreas fault split apart faster than scientists
had assumed at the time. During small earthquakes,faults rupture（断裂）at about 2.7 kilometers per second.
During bigger quakes,however.ruptures can happen at rates faster than 3.5 kilometers per second.
At such high speeds,massive amounts of pressure build up,generating underground waves that can
cause more damage than the quake itself. Lucky for San Francisco , these pressure pulses（脉冲）traveled
away from the city during the 1906 event.As bad as the damage was,it could have been far worse.
Looking ahead,scientists are trying to predict when the next major quake will occur. Records show that
earthquakes were common before 1906.Since then,the area has been relatively quiet.Patterns in the data,
however,suggest that the probability of a major earthquake striking the Bay Area before 2032 is at least 62
percent.
New buildings in San Francisco are quite safe in case of future quakes.Still,more than S4 percent of the
city’s buildings are old and weak.Analyses suggest that another massive earthquake would cause extensive
damage.
People who live there today tend to feel safe because San Francisco has remained pretty quiet for a
while.According to the new research,however,it's not a matter of"if" the Rig One will hit.It',just a mat-
ter of when.

A major earthquake striking San Francisco someday is inevitable.
A:Right
B:Wrong
C:Not mentioned

共用题干
A Great Quake Coming?

Everyone who lives in San Francisco knows that earthquakes are common in the Bay Area一and they
can be devastating. In 1906,for example,a major quake destroyed about 28,000 buildings and killed
hundreds,perhaps thousands of people.Residents now wonder when the next"Big One"will strike.It's
bound to happen someday. At least seven active fault（断层）lines run through the San Francisco area. Faults
are places where pieces of Earth'S crust（地壳）slide past each other.When these pieces slip,the ground
shakes.
To prepare for that day,scientists are using new techniques to reanalyze the 1906 earthquake and pre-
diet how bad the damage might be when the next one happens.
One new finding about the 1906 earthquake is that the San Andreas fault split apart faster than scientists
had assumed at the time. During small earthquakes,faults rupture（断裂）at about 2.7 kilometers per second.
During bigger quakes,however.ruptures can happen at rates faster than 3.5 kilometers per second.
At such high speeds,massive amounts of pressure build up,generating underground waves that can
cause more damage than the quake itself. Lucky for San Francisco , these pressure pulses（脉冲）traveled
away from the city during the 1906 event.As bad as the damage was,it could have been far worse.
Looking ahead,scientists are trying to predict when the next major quake will occur. Records show that
earthquakes were common before 1906.Since then,the area has been relatively quiet.Patterns in the data,
however,suggest that the probability of a major earthquake striking the Bay Area before 2032 is at least 62
percent.
New buildings in San Francisco are quite safe in case of future quakes.Still,more than S4 percent of the
city’s buildings are old and weak.Analyses suggest that another massive earthquake would cause extensive
damage.
People who live there today tend to feel safe because San Francisco has remained pretty quiet for a
while.According to the new research,however,it's not a matter of"if" the Rig One will hit.It',just a mat-
ter of when.

San Francisco is fully prepared br another big earthquake.
A:Right
B:Wrong
C:Not mentioned

共用题干
Eastern Quakes can Trigger Big Shakes

In the first week of November 2011,people in central Oklahoma experienced more than two dozen
earthquakes.The largest,a magnitude 5.6 quake,shook thousands of fans in a college football itadium,
caused cracks in a few buildings and rattled the nerves of many people who had never felt a quake before.
Oklahoma is not an area of the country famous for its quakes.If you watch the news on TV,you will see
reports about all sorts of natural disasters一hurricanes,tornadoes,flooding and wildfires,to name a few.But
the most dangerous type of natural disaster,and also the most unpredictable,is the earthquake.
Researchers at the U.S.Geological Survey estimate that several million earthquakes rattle the globe each
year. That mnay sound scary,but people don'I feel many of the tremors because they happen in remote and
unpopulated regions.Many quakes happen under the ocean,and othlers have a very small magnitude,or
shaking intensity..
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake that struck central Virginia the afternoon of August 23,2011,was felt
from central Georgia to southeastern Canada.In iilany urbanl areas,including Washington,D.C.,dnd New
York City(Wall Street shown),people crowded the streets while engineer inspected buildings.Credit:
Wikimnedia/Alex Tahak.
Scientists know about small,remote quakes only because of very sensitive electronic devices called seis-
mometers.These devices detect and measure the size of ground vibrations produced by earthquakes.
Altogether,USGS researchers use seismornetero to identify and locate about 20,000 earthquaks
each year.
Although earthquakes can happen anywhere in the world,really big quakeg occur only in。erttiin areas.
The largest ones register a magnitude S or higher and happen, on average,only once each year. Such big
ones typically occur along the edges of Earth’s tectonic plates.
Tectonic plates are huge pieces of Earth’s crust,sornetinies many kilometers thick.These plates cover
our planet's
surface ike a jigsaw puzzle.Often,jagged edges of these plates temporarily lock together. When
riates jostle and serape past each other earthquakes occur. On。、crage,tectonic plates move very slowly一
about the same speed as sour fingernails grow.
But sometimes earthquakes rumble through portions of the landscape far from a plate'S edges.Although
less cxpcctcd,these"mid-plate"tremors can do substontaI damage,Some of the biggest known examples
rattled the eastern haif of the United States two centuries ago.Today,scientists are still puzzling over why the
quakes occurred and when similar ones nught occur.

Seismorneters can identify and locate most of the earthquakes in China.
A:Right
B:Wrong
C:Not mentioned

共用题干
A Great Quake Coming?

Everyone who lives in San Francisco knows that earthquakes are common in the Bay Area一and they
can be devastating. In 1906,for example,a major quake destroyed about 28,000 buildings and killed
hundreds,perhaps thousands of people.Residents now wonder when the next"Big One"will strike.It's
bound to happen someday. At least seven active fault（断层）lines run through the San Francisco area. Faults
are places where pieces of Earth'S crust（地壳）slide past each other.When these pieces slip,the ground
shakes.
To prepare for that day,scientists are using new techniques to reanalyze the 1906 earthquake and pre-
diet how bad the damage might be when the next one happens.
One new finding about the 1906 earthquake is that the San Andreas fault split apart faster than scientists
had assumed at the time. During small earthquakes,faults rupture（断裂）at about 2.7 kilometers per second.
During bigger quakes,however.ruptures can happen at rates faster than 3.5 kilometers per second.
At such high speeds,massive amounts of pressure build up,generating underground waves that can
cause more damage than the quake itself. Lucky for San Francisco , these pressure pulses（脉冲）traveled
away from the city during the 1906 event.As bad as the damage was,it could have been far worse.
Looking ahead,scientists are trying to predict when the next major quake will occur. Records show that
earthquakes were common before 1906.Since then,the area has been relatively quiet.Patterns in the data,
however,suggest that the probability of a major earthquake striking the Bay Area before 2032 is at least 62
percent.
New buildings in San Francisco are quite safe in case of future quakes.Still,more than S4 percent of the
city’s buildings are old and weak.Analyses suggest that another massive earthquake would cause extensive
damage.
People who live there today tend to feel safe because San Francisco has remained pretty quiet for a
while.According to the new research,however,it's not a matter of"if" the Rig One will hit.It',just a mat-
ter of when.

The 1906 earthquake in San Francisco is the most severe one in American history.
A:Right
B:Wrong
C:Not mentioned

共用题干
A Great Quake Coming?

Everyone who lives in San Francisco knows that earthquakes are common in the Bay Area一and they
can be devastating. In 1906,for example,a major quake destroyed about 28,000 buildings and killed
hundreds,perhaps thousands of people.Residents now wonder when the next"Big One"will strike.It's
bound to happen someday. At least seven active fault（断层）lines run through the San Francisco area. Faults
are places where pieces of Earth'S crust（地壳）slide past each other.When these pieces slip,the ground
shakes.
To prepare for that day,scientists are using new techniques to reanalyze the 1906 earthquake and pre-
diet how bad the damage might be when the next one happens.
One new finding about the 1906 earthquake is that the San Andreas fault split apart faster than scientists
had assumed at the time. During small earthquakes,faults rupture（断裂）at about 2.7 kilometers per second.
During bigger quakes,however.ruptures can happen at rates faster than 3.5 kilometers per second.
At such high speeds,massive amounts of pressure build up,generating underground waves that can
cause more damage than the quake itself. Lucky for San Francisco , these pressure pulses（脉冲）traveled
away from the city during the 1906 event.As bad as the damage was,it could have been far worse.
Looking ahead,scientists are trying to predict when the next major quake will occur. Records show that
earthquakes were common before 1906.Since then,the area has been relatively quiet.Patterns in the data,
however,suggest that the probability of a major earthquake striking the Bay Area before 2032 is at least 62
percent.
New buildings in San Francisco are quite safe in case of future quakes.Still,more than S4 percent of the
city’s buildings are old and weak.Analyses suggest that another massive earthquake would cause extensive
damage.
People who live there today tend to feel safe because San Francisco has remained pretty quiet for a
while.According to the new research,however,it's not a matter of"if" the Rig One will hit.It',just a mat-
ter of when.

The highest speed of fault ruptures in the 1906 quake was more than 3.5kiiometors per second.
A:Right
B:Wrong
C:Not mentioned

共用题干
第一篇

How to Do with Earthquake?

Ideally,people would like to know when an earthquake is going to happen and how bad it will
be.In both Japan and China,people have long believed that earthquakes can be forecast. In Japan, scientists have wired the Earth and sea to detect movements.The Chinese have traditionally watched animals and plants for warning signs of earthquakes.For example,the Chinese have noted that before an earthquake,hens' behavior changes一they refuse to enter their cages at night. They have also noticed that snakes come out of the ground to freeze to death and that dogs bark a lot,even normally quiet dogs.Before the Hanshin earthquake in Japan,there were reports of large schools of fish swimming near the surface of the water. Certain birds,like pigeons,also seemed to be especially noisy and were reported to be flying in unusual patterns before the earthquake.
Perhaps most interesting,and most easily measured,is a chemical change in ground water before a quake.Experimental data seem to indicate that the amount of radon(Rn)in the water under the surface of the Earth waxes before an earthquake.
People would also like to be able to prevent the great destruction of property caused by earthquakes.After all,most of the people who die in earthquakes are killed by falling buildings.Therefore,building structures that can withstand the power of earthquakes is a major concern.Steel seems to be the best material,but not if it is welded to form a rigid structure.
Many new structures are built with a new type of steel joint,an I-joint,which appears to be the most durable type of joint. These joints of steel can move without breaking. Also,to prevent property damage,architects now design buildings so that the building's columns and horizontal beams are of equal strength,and vertical support columns are inserted deep into solid soil.In addition,many new houses have relatively light roofs and strong walls.Concrete pillars for highway bridges that previously only had steel rods inside are now enclosed in steel.
Besides working to improve building structures,people in areas where earthquakes are common need to prepare for the possibility of a great earthquake.They should regularly check and reinforce their homes,place heavy objects in low positions,attach cupboards and cabinets to walls,and fasten doors so that they will not open accidentally during an earthquake.

According to the passage,the amount of radon(Rn)in the water may______before earthquake.
A:increase
B:reduce
C:not change
D:disappear

共用题干
第一篇

How to Do with Earthquake?

Ideally,people would like to know when an earthquake is going to happen and how bad it will
be.In both Japan and China,people have long believed that earthquakes can be forecast. In Japan, scientists have wired the Earth and sea to detect movements.The Chinese have traditionally watched animals and plants for warning signs of earthquakes.For example,the Chinese have noted that before an earthquake,hens' behavior changes一they refuse to enter their cages at night. They have also noticed that snakes come out of the ground to freeze to death and that dogs bark a lot,even normally quiet dogs.Before the Hanshin earthquake in Japan,there were reports of large schools of fish swimming near the surface of the water. Certain birds,like pigeons,also seemed to be especially noisy and were reported to be flying in unusual patterns before the earthquake.
Perhaps most interesting,and most easily measured,is a chemical change in ground water before a quake.Experimental data seem to indicate that the amount of radon(Rn)in the water under the surface of the Earth waxes before an earthquake.
People would also like to be able to prevent the great destruction of property caused by earthquakes.After all,most of the people who die in earthquakes are killed by falling buildings.Therefore,building structures that can withstand the power of earthquakes is a major concern.Steel seems to be the best material,but not if it is welded to form a rigid structure.
Many new structures are built with a new type of steel joint,an I-joint,which appears to be the most durable type of joint. These joints of steel can move without breaking. Also,to prevent property damage,architects now design buildings so that the building's columns and horizontal beams are of equal strength,and vertical support columns are inserted deep into solid soil.In addition,many new houses have relatively light roofs and strong walls.Concrete pillars for highway bridges that previously only had steel rods inside are now enclosed in steel.
Besides working to improve building structures,people in areas where earthquakes are common need to prepare for the possibility of a great earthquake.They should regularly check and reinforce their homes,place heavy objects in low positions,attach cupboards and cabinets to walls,and fasten doors so that they will not open accidentally during an earthquake.

Who watch animals and plants for warning signs of earthquakes?
A:People in most countries.
B:The Chinese.
C:The Japanese.
D:Both B and C.

共用题干
Study Helps Predict Big Mediterranean Quake

1.Scientists have found evidence that an overlooked fault in the eastern Mediterranean is likely to produce an earthquake and tsunami every 800 years as powerful as the one that destroyed Alexandria in AD 365.
2.Using radiocarbon dating techniques,simulations and computer models,the researchers recreated the ancient disaster in order to identify the responsible fault."We are saying there is probably a repeat time of 800 years for this kind of earthquake,"said Ms Beth Shaw,an earthquake scientist at the University of Cambridge,who led the study. Scientists study past earthquakes in order to deter-mine the future possibility of similar large shocks.
3.Identifying the fault for the AD 365 earthquake and tsunami is important for the tens of millions of people in the region,Ms.Shaw said.The fault close to the southwest coast of Crete last produced a big enough quake to generate a tsunami about 1300,which means the next powerful one could come in the next 100 years,she added in a telephone interview.
4.Ms.Shaw and her colleagues calculate the likely intervals by measuring the motion of either side of the fault to find how often such large earthquakes would have to occur to account for that level of motion,she said.Their computer model suggested an 8 magnitude quake on the fault would pro-duce a tsunami that floods the coastal regions of Alexandria and North Africa,the southern coast of Greece and Sicily all the way up the Adriati to Dubrovnik.This would be similar to the ancient quake in AD 365 that caused widespread destruction in much of Greece and unleashed a tsunami that flooded Alexandria and the Nile Delta likely killing tens of thousands of people,she said.

Radiocarbon dating techniques can be used to identify the age of the earth.
A:Right
B:Wrong
C:Not mentioned

共用题干
Eastern Quakes Can Trigger Big Shakes
In the first week of November 2011,people in central Oklahoma experienced more than two dozen earthquakes. The largest,a magnitude 5 .6 quake,shook thousands of fans in a college football stadium,caused cracks in a few buildings and rattled the nerves of many people who had never felt a quake before. Oklahoma is not an area of the country famous for its quakes. If you watch the news on TV,you see reports about all sorts of natural disasters一 hurricanes,tornadoes,flooding and wildfires,to name a few. But the most dangerous type of natural disaster,and also the most unpredictable,is the earthquake.
Researchers at the U. S. Geological Survey estimate that several million earthquakes rattie the globe each year. That may sound scary,but people don't feel many of the tremors because they happen in remote and unpopulated regions.Many quakes happen under the ocean, and others have a very small magnitude,or shaking intensity.
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake that struck central Virginia the afternoon of August 23, 2011,was felt from central Georgia to southeastern Canada. In many urban areas,including Washington,D.C.,and New York City(Wall Street shown),people crowded the streets while engineers inspected buildings.
Scientists know about small,remote quakes only because of very sensitive electronic devices called seismometers.These devices detect and measure the size of ground vibrations
produced by earthquakes.Altogether,USGS researchers use seismometers to identify and locate about 20,000 earthquakes each year.
Although earthquakes can happen anywhere in the world,really big quakes occur only in certain areas. The largest ones register a magnitude 8 or higher and happen,on average,only once each year. Such big ones typically occur along the edges of Earth's tectonic plates.
Tectonic plates are huge pieces of Earth's crust,sometimes many kilometers thick. These plates cover our planet's surface like a jigsaw puzzle. Often,jagged edges of these plates temporarily lock together. When plates jostle and scrape past each other,earthquakes occur. On average,tectonic plates move very slowly一about the same speed as your fingernails grow.
But sometimes earthquakes rumble through portions of the landscape far from a plate's edges. Although less expected,these”mid-plate” tremors can do substantial damage. Some of the biggest known examples rattled the eastern half of the United States two centuries ago. Today,scientists are still puzzling over why the quakes occurred and when similar ones might occur.

Oklahoma is an area often experiencing natural disasters.
A: Right
B: Wrong
C: Not mentioned

共用题干
Earthquake

1.Every year earthquakes are responsible for a large number of deaths and a vast amount of destruction in various parts of the world.Most of these damaging earthquakes occur either in a narrow belt which surrounds the Pacific Ocean or in a line which extends from Burma to the Alps in Europe. Some of the destruction is directly caused by the quake itself. An example of this is the collapse of buildings as a result of the quake itself. Other damage results from landslides or major fires which are initiated by the quake.
2.There are about a million quakes a year. Fortunately,however,not all of them are destructive.The intensity of an earthquake is measured on the Richter Scale,which goes from 0 upward. The highest scale recorded to date is 8.9.Major damage generally occurs from quakes ranging upwards from 6.0.
3.The actual cause of the quake itself is the breaking of rocks at or below the earth's surface. This is produced by pressure which scientists believe may be due to a number of reasons, two of which are the expansion and contraction of the earth's crust and continental drift.
4.In order to limit the damage and to prevent some of the suffering resulting from earthquakes, scientists are working on ways to enable accurate prediction.Special instruments are used to help people record,for example,shaking of the earth.Scientists are trying to find methods that will enable them to indicate the exact time,location and size of an earthquake.
5.Certain phenomena have been observed which are believed to be signs of imminent earth-quakes.These include strange behaviors of some animals,the changes in the content of mineral water,etc.The magnetic properties of rocks may also display special pattern before major earthquakes happen.

Paragraph 2_______.
A:Earthquakes forecast
B:Historical records of earthquakes
C:Intensities of earthquakes
D:Cause of earthquakes
E:Indications of earthquakes
F: Damaging earthquakes

共用题干
Earthquake

1.Every year earthquakes are responsible for a large number of deaths and a vast amount of destruction in various parts of the world.Most of these damaging earthquakes occur either in a narrow belt which surrounds the Pacific Ocean or in a line which extends from Burma to the Alps in Europe. Some of the destruction is directly caused by the quake itself. An example of this is the collapse of buildings as a result of the quake itself. Other damage results from landslides or major fires which are initiated by the quake.
2.There are about a million quakes a year. Fortunately,however,not all of them are destructive.The intensity of an earthquake is measured on the Richter Scale,which goes from 0 upward. The highest scale recorded to date is 8.9.Major damage generally occurs from quakes ranging upwards from 6.0.
3.The actual cause of the quake itself is the breaking of rocks at or below the earth's surface. This is produced by pressure which scientists believe may be due to a number of reasons, two of which are the expansion and contraction of the earth's crust and continental drift.
4.In order to limit the damage and to prevent some of the suffering resulting from earthquakes, scientists are working on ways to enable accurate prediction.Special instruments are used to help people record,for example,shaking of the earth.Scientists are trying to find methods that will enable them to indicate the exact time,location and size of an earthquake.
5.Certain phenomena have been observed which are believed to be signs of imminent earth-quakes.These include strange behaviors of some animals,the changes in the content of mineral water,etc.The magnetic properties of rocks may also display special pattern before major earthquakes happen.

Scientists have been working hard to warn people__________.
A:by the quake itself
B:not be prevented
C:to cause damage of property and loss of lives
D:of a possible earthquake
E:the unusual behaviors of some animals
F: the strange behaviors of human beings

共用题干
Earthquake

1.Every year earthquakes are responsible for a large number of deaths and a vast amount of destruction in various parts of the world.Most of these damaging earthquakes occur either in a narrow belt which surrounds the Pacific Ocean or in a line which extends from Burma to the Alps in Europe. Some of the destruction is directly caused by the quake itself. An example of this is the collapse of buildings as a result of the quake itself. Other damage results from landslides or major fires which are initiated by the quake.
2.There are about a million quakes a year. Fortunately,however,not all of them are destructive.The intensity of an earthquake is measured on the Richter Scale,which goes from 0 upward. The highest scale recorded to date is 8.9.Major damage generally occurs from quakes ranging upwards from 6.0.
3.The actual cause of the quake itself is the breaking of rocks at or below the earth's surface. This is produced by pressure which scientists believe may be due to a number of reasons, two of which are the expansion and contraction of the earth's crust and continental drift.
4.In order to limit the damage and to prevent some of the suffering resulting from earthquakes, scientists are working on ways to enable accurate prediction.Special instruments are used to help people record,for example,shaking of the earth.Scientists are trying to find methods that will enable them to indicate the exact time,location and size of an earthquake.
5.Certain phenomena have been observed which are believed to be signs of imminent earth-quakes.These include strange behaviors of some animals,the changes in the content of mineral water,etc.The magnetic properties of rocks may also display special pattern before major earthquakes happen.

Not all damage during an earthquake is caused___________.
A:by the quake itself
B:not be prevented
C:to cause damage of property and loss of lives
D:of a possible earthquake
E:the unusual behaviors of some animals
F: the strange behaviors of human beings

共用题干
A Great Quake Coming?

Everyone who lives in San Francisco knows that earthquakes are common in the Bay Area一and they
can be devastating. In 1906,for example,a major quake destroyed about 28,000 buildings and killed
hundreds,perhaps thousands of people.Residents now wonder when the next"Big One"will strike.It's
bound to happen someday. At least seven active fault（断层）lines run through the San Francisco area. Faults
are places where pieces of Earth'S crust（地壳）slide past each other.When these pieces slip,the ground
shakes.
To prepare for that day,scientists are using new techniques to reanalyze the 1906 earthquake and pre-
diet how bad the damage might be when the next one happens.
One new finding about the 1906 earthquake is that the San Andreas fault split apart faster than scientists
had assumed at the time. During small earthquakes,faults rupture（断裂）at about 2.7 kilometers per second.
During bigger quakes,however.ruptures can happen at rates faster than 3.5 kilometers per second.
At such high speeds,massive amounts of pressure build up,generating underground waves that can
cause more damage than the quake itself. Lucky for San Francisco , these pressure pulses（脉冲）traveled
away from the city during the 1906 event.As bad as the damage was,it could have been far worse.
Looking ahead,scientists are trying to predict when the next major quake will occur. Records show that
earthquakes were common before 1906.Since then,the area has been relatively quiet.Patterns in the data,
however,suggest that the probability of a major earthquake striking the Bay Area before 2032 is at least 62
percent.
New buildings in San Francisco are quite safe in case of future quakes.Still,more than S4 percent of the
city’s buildings are old and weak.Analyses suggest that another massive earthquake would cause extensive
damage.
People who live there today tend to feel safe because San Francisco has remained pretty quiet for a
while.According to the new research,however,it's not a matter of"if" the Rig One will hit.It',just a mat-
ter of when.

Earthquakes rarely happened in San Francisco before 1906.
A:Right
B:Wrong
C:Not mentioned

共用题干
Eastern Quakes can Trigger Big Shakes

In the first week of November 2011,people in central Oklahoma experienced more than two dozen
earthquakes.The largest,a magnitude 5.6 quake,shook thousands of fans in a college football itadium,
caused cracks in a few buildings and rattled the nerves of many people who had never felt a quake before.
Oklahoma is not an area of the country famous for its quakes.If you watch the news on TV,you will see
reports about all sorts of natural disasters一hurricanes,tornadoes,flooding and wildfires,to name a few.But
the most dangerous type of natural disaster,and also the most unpredictable,is the earthquake.
Researchers at the U.S.Geological Survey estimate that several million earthquakes rattle the globe each
year. That mnay sound scary,but people don'I feel many of the tremors because they happen in remote and
unpopulated regions.Many quakes happen under the ocean,and othlers have a very small magnitude,or
shaking intensity..
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake that struck central Virginia the afternoon of August 23,2011,was felt
from central Georgia to southeastern Canada.In iilany urbanl areas,including Washington,D.C.,dnd New
York City(Wall Street shown),people crowded the streets while engineer inspected buildings.Credit:
Wikimnedia/Alex Tahak.
Scientists know about small,remote quakes only because of very sensitive electronic devices called seis-
mometers.These devices detect and measure the size of ground vibrations produced by earthquakes.
Altogether,USGS researchers use seismornetero to identify and locate about 20,000 earthquaks
each year.
Although earthquakes can happen anywhere in the world,really big quakeg occur only in。erttiin areas.
The largest ones register a magnitude S or higher and happen, on average,only once each year. Such big
ones typically occur along the edges of Earth’s tectonic plates.
Tectonic plates are huge pieces of Earth’s crust,sornetinies many kilometers thick.These plates cover
our planet's
surface ike a jigsaw puzzle.Often,jagged edges of these plates temporarily lock together. When
riates jostle and serape past each other earthquakes occur. On。、crage,tectonic plates move very slowly一
about the same speed as sour fingernails grow.
But sometimes earthquakes rumble through portions of the landscape far from a plate'S edges.Although
less cxpcctcd,these"mid-plate"tremors can do substontaI damage,Some of the biggest known examples
rattled the eastern haif of the United States two centuries ago.Today,scientists are still puzzling over why the
quakes occurred and when similar ones nught occur.

Oklahoma is an area often experiencing natural disasters.
A:Right
B:Wrong
C:Not mentioned

共用题干
A Great Quake Coming?

Everyone who lives in San Francisco knows that earthquakes are common in the Bay Area一and they
can be devastating. In 1906,for example,a major quake destroyed about 28,000 buildings and killed
hundreds,perhaps thousands of people.Residents now wonder when the next"Big One"will strike.It's
bound to happen someday. At least seven active fault（断层）lines run through the San Francisco area. Faults
are places where pieces of Earth'S crust（地壳）slide past each other.When these pieces slip,the ground
shakes.
To prepare for that day,scientists are using new techniques to reanalyze the 1906 earthquake and pre-
diet how bad the damage might be when the next one happens.
One new finding about the 1906 earthquake is that the San Andreas fault split apart faster than scientists
had assumed at the time. During small earthquakes,faults rupture（断裂）at about 2.7 kilometers per second.
During bigger quakes,however.ruptures can happen at rates faster than 3.5 kilometers per second.
At such high speeds,massive amounts of pressure build up,generating underground waves that can
cause more damage than the quake itself. Lucky for San Francisco , these pressure pulses（脉冲）traveled
away from the city during the 1906 event.As bad as the damage was,it could have been far worse.
Looking ahead,scientists are trying to predict when the next major quake will occur. Records show that
earthquakes were common before 1906.Since then,the area has been relatively quiet.Patterns in the data,
however,suggest that the probability of a major earthquake striking the Bay Area before 2032 is at least 62
percent.
New buildings in San Francisco are quite safe in case of future quakes.Still,more than S4 percent of the
city’s buildings are old and weak.Analyses suggest that another massive earthquake would cause extensive
damage.
People who live there today tend to feel safe because San Francisco has remained pretty quiet for a
while.According to the new research,however,it's not a matter of"if" the Rig One will hit.It',just a mat-
ter of when.

Scientists will be able to predict the exact time of an earthquake soon.
A:Right
B:Wrong
C:Not mentioned

共用题干
A Great Quake Coming?

Everyone who lives in San Francisco knows that earthquakes are common in the Bay Area一and they
can be devastating. In 1906,for example,a major quake destroyed about 28,000 buildings and killed
hundreds,perhaps thousands of people.Residents now wonder when the next"Big One"will strike.It's
bound to happen someday. At least seven active fault（断层）lines run through the San Francisco area. Faults
are places where pieces of Earth'S crust（地壳）slide past each other.When these pieces slip,the ground
shakes.
To prepare for that day,scientists are using new techniques to reanalyze the 1906 earthquake and pre-
diet how bad the damage might be when the next one happens.
One new finding about the 1906 earthquake is that the San Andreas fault split apart faster than scientists
had assumed at the time. During small earthquakes,faults rupture（断裂）at about 2.7 kilometers per second.
During bigger quakes,however.ruptures can happen at rates faster than 3.5 kilometers per second.
At such high speeds,massive amounts of pressure build up,generating underground waves that can
cause more damage than the quake itself. Lucky for San Francisco , these pressure pulses（脉冲）traveled
away from the city during the 1906 event.As bad as the damage was,it could have been far worse.
Looking ahead,scientists are trying to predict when the next major quake will occur. Records show that
earthquakes were common before 1906.Since then,the area has been relatively quiet.Patterns in the data,
however,suggest that the probability of a major earthquake striking the Bay Area before 2032 is at least 62
percent.
New buildings in San Francisco are quite safe in case of future quakes.Still,more than S4 percent of the
city’s buildings are old and weak.Analyses suggest that another massive earthquake would cause extensive
damage.
People who live there today tend to feel safe because San Francisco has remained pretty quiet for a
while.According to the new research,however,it's not a matter of"if" the Rig One will hit.It',just a mat-
ter of when.

The San Francisco area is located above several active fault lines.
A:Right
B:Wrong
C:Not mentioned