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  3. After the violent earthquake that shook Los Angeles in 1994, earthquake scientists had good news to report: The damage and death

After the violent earthquake that shook Los Angeles in 1994, earthquake scientists had good news to report: The damage and death

admin2010-07-24  44
问题     After the violent earthquake that shook Los Angeles in 1994, earthquake scientists had good news to report: The damage and death toll (死亡人数) could have been much worse.
    More than 60 people died in this earthquake. By comparison, an earthquake of similar intensity that shook America in 1988 claimed 25,000 victims.
    Injuries and deaths were relatively less in Los Angeles because the quake occurred at 4:31 a.m. on a holiday, when traffic was light on the city’s highways. In addition, changes made to the construction codes in Los Angeles during the last 20 years have strengthened the city’s buildings and highways, making them more resistant to quakes.
    Despite the good news, civil engineers aren’t resting on their successes. Pinned to their drawing boards are blueprints (蓝图) for improved quake-resistant buildings. The new designs should offer even greater security to cities where earthquakes often take place.
    In the past, making structures quake-resistant meant firm yet flexible materials, such as steel and wood, that bend without breaking. Later, people tried to lift a building off its foundation, and insert rubber and steel between the building and its foundation to reduce the impact of ground vibrations. The most recent designs give buildings brains as well as concrete and steel supports. Called smart buildings, the structures respond like living organisms to an earthquake’s vibrations. When the ground shakes and the building tips forward, the computer would force the building to shift in the opposite direction.
    The new smart structures could be very expensive to build. However, they would save many lives and would be less likely to be damaged during earthquakes.
The function of the computer mentioned in the passage is to ______.
选项 A、counter-balance a earthquake’s action on the building
B、predict the coming of an earthquake with accuracy
C、help strengthen the foundation of the building
D、measure the impact of an earthquake’s vibrations
答案A
解析 关键的句子是第五段的最后一句：When the ground shakes and the building tips forward，the computer would force the building to shift in the opposite direction。根据短文，计算机在地震中可以迫使大楼改变倾斜方向，使之反弹而保持平衡。B项中说的是预测，C项是加固，而D项是测量，都不符合文章中的说明。故选A。
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