首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
What causes earthquakes? The earth is formed of layers. The surface of the earth, about 100 kilometers thick, is made of large p
What causes earthquakes? The earth is formed of layers. The surface of the earth, about 100 kilometers thick, is made of large p
admin
2010-09-10
46
问题
What causes earthquakes? The earth is formed of layers. The surface of the earth, about 100 kilometers thick, is made of large pieces. When they move against each other, an earthquake hap pens. A large movement causes a violent earthquake, but a small movement causes a mild one.
Earthquakes last only a few seconds. The rolling movements are called seismic waves. The seismic waves start in one place, called the epicenter, and roll outward. A seismic wave travels around the earth is a about twenty minutes. Usually, an. earthquake is strong enough to cause damage only near its epicenter.
However, epicenters at the bottom of the ocean create huge sea waves as tall as 15 meters. These waves cross the ocean in several hours. Rushing toward land, they destroy small islands and ships in their path. When they hit land, they flood coastal areas far from the epicenter of the earthquake. In 1868, a wave reached 4.5 kilometers inland in Peru. In 1896, a wave in Japan killed 27,000 people.
After an earthquake happens, people can die from lack of food, water, and medical supplies. The amount of destruction caused by an earthquake depends on where it happens, what time it happens, and how strong it is. It also depends on types of buildings, soil conditions, and population. Of the 6000 earthquakes in the world each year, only about fifteen cause great damage and many deaths.
In 1556, an earthquake in northern China killed 830,000 people--the most in history. There was no way to measure its strength. In 1935, scientists started using the Richter Scale to measure seismic waves. A seriously destructive earthquake measures 6.5or higher on the Richter Scale.
How can scientists predict earthquakes? Earthquakes are not just scattered anywhere but happen in certain areas, places where pieces of the earth’s surface meet. This pattern causes them to shake the same places many times. For example, earthquakes often occur on the west coasts of North and South America, around the Mediterranean Sea, and along the Pacific coast of Asia.
Another way to predict earthquakes is to look for changes in the earth’s surface, like a sudden drop of water level in the ground. Some people say animals can predict earthquakes. Before earthquakes, people have seen chickens sitting in trees, fish jumping out of the water, snakes leaving their holes, and other animals acting strangely.
On February 4, 1975, scientists predicted an earthquake in northeastern China and told people in the earthquake zone to leave the cities. More than a million people moved into the surrounding countryside, into safe, open fields away from buildings. That afternoon, the ground rolled and shook beneath the people’s feet, In seconds, 90 percent of the buildings in the city of Haicheng were destroyed. The decision to tel1 the people to leave the cities saved 10,000 lives.
However, more than a year later, on July 28, 1976, the scientists were not so lucky. East of Beijing, Chinese scientists were discussing a possible earthquake. During their meeting, the worst earthquake in modern times hit. Estimates of deaths ranged from 250,000 to 695,000. The earthquake measured 7.9 on the Richter Scale.
Earthquakes often come together with volcanic eruptions. In late 1984, strong earthquakes began shaking the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia every day. On November 14, 1985, it erupted. A nearby river became a sea of mud that buried four towns. This disaster killed more than 2100 people,
Mexico City has frequent earthquakes. An earthquake there on September 19, 1985, measured 8.1 on the Richter Scale and killed 7000 people. Most victims died when buildings fell on them.
San Francisco, California, also has frequent earthquakes. However, newer buildings there are built to be safe in earthquakes. Therefore, when all earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter Scale hit northern California on October 17, 1989, only 67 people were killed. The earthquake hit in the afternoon, when thousands of people were driving home from work. Freeways and bridges broke and fell. Buried under the layers of the Oakland Freeway, people were crushed in their flattened cars. Explosions sounded like thunder as older buildings seemed to burst apart along with the freeways. As the electric power lines broke from the falling bridges and buildings, the sky, covered with huge clouds of black dust, appeared to be filled with lightning. Water rushed into the streets from broken pipes and mixed with gas from broken gas lines, causing more explosions.
Emergency workers had to cope with medical problems. Everyone worked together to save survivors and comfort victims. The next day, the disaster sites looked terrible. Victims couldn’t find their houses, their cars, or even their streets. Boats were destroyed, and debris covered the surface of the sea. There was no water, no electricity, no telephone, only the smell of garbage floating in melted ice in refrigerators open to the sun, Losses and property. damage from the earthquake amounted to millions of dollars.
Seismology is the study of earthquakes, and a seismologist is a scientist who observes earthquakes. Seismologists have given us valuable knowledge about earthquakes. Their equipment measures the smallest vibration on the surface of the earth. They are trying to find ways to use knowledge about earthquakes to save lives and to help solve the world’s energy shortage. The earth’s natural activity underground creates energy in the form of heat. Geothermal means earth heat. This geothermal energy could be useful. However, if we take natural hot water out of the earth in earthquake zones, we might cause earthquakes.
People live in earthquake zones because of natural beauty, productive soil, and large existing centers of population. However, people who live there should expect earthquakes. They should be prepared to protect their lives and property. They must build safer buildings and roads. Hospitals and electric power stations must be built as far as possible from probable earthquake sites. When an earthquake starts, people must run to open ground or stay in protected areas like doorways or even bathtubs.
If seismologists could predict earthquakes, we could save about 20,000 human lives each year. Humans can control many things about nature, but we cannot control earthquakes.
Today scientists know something about the causes of earthquakes.
选项
A、Y
B、N
C、NG
答案
A
解析
本文围绕有关地震的知识展开,首句以设问开头(What causes earthquake?),接着说明了地震的原因,地表不同板块的运动引起地震,从中可以看出,科学家对地震的成因有所了解,即know something about the causes of earthquakes。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/R7A7777K
0
大学英语四级
相关试题推荐
A、Tolearntorecognizeplantsandanimals.B、Togettoknowmoreaboutyourselfandyourplaceinnature.C、Toleanhowtomake
TheriseofEnglishisaremarkablesuccessstory.WhenJuliusCaesarlandedinBritainnearlytwothousandyearsago,Englishd
Forthispart,youareallowedthirtyminutestowriteacompositiononthetopicChangingCriteriaforJudgingaGoodStudent.
WomenintheUnitedStatesandinmanyothercountries【B1】______inagrowingnumberofsportsandgames.Thishasnotalwaysbee
Itusedtobethecasethatifyouleftyourcarinthesunonahotsummer’sday,thengettingbackinagainafterwardswasago
Veryfewpeoplecangetcollegedegreebefore11,butMichaelwasanexception.Hestartedhighschoolwhenhewas5,finishing
TheGoldenGateBridgeisoneoftheworld’sgreatestsuspensionbridgesandacclaimedalsoastheworld’smostbeautifulbridge
FromBostontoLosAngeles,fromNewYorkCitytoChicagotoDallas,museumsareeitherplanning,building,orwrappingupwhole
E-mailImaginebeingabletosendalettertosomeone,anywhereintheworld,thatincludedpicturesandsoundsaswellasw
随机试题
患者,46岁。月经周期尚规律,但近期经量减少到原来的一半,并于半年前出现阵发性的面色潮红,出汗,血压波动在(130~140)/(85~95)mmHg之间,时常出现心烦,偶有心率加快,失眠,多梦。经医生检查未见明显器质性病变,给予对症治疗。首先考虑
下列属于政府定价、政府指导价定价范围的药品是
女,28岁。因停经52天,阴道出血1周,诊断先兆流产,入院安胎。次日腹痛伴阴道流血增多,蹲厕时见有组织物排出,阴道出血仍不止,腹痛减轻。最有助于诊断的检查是
内镜用2%戊二醛溶液浸泡消毒,下述哪项正确
商业银行的整体风险控制环境包括()。
学生的智力水平有高低差异,大部分人的智力属于()。
城市化是人类生产与生活方式由农村型向城市型转化的历史过程,表现为乡村人口向城市人口转化以及城市不断发展和完善的过程。党的十七届三中全会会议公报指出,到2020年,城乡经济社会发展一体化机制基本建立。根据上述定义,下列对城市化的理解正确的是(
“今日之责任,不在他人,而全在我少年。少年智则国智,少年富则国富;少年强则国强,少年独立则国独立;少年自由则国自由,少年进步则国进步;少年胜于欧洲则国胜于欧洲,少年雄于地球则国雄于地球。”梁启超在百多年前写下的话语依然_______,无论是城市抑或乡村,培
Onturningthecorner,wesawtheroad______steeply.
A、Herlandlordwillnotgivebackthebook.B、Herlandlorddidnotreturnthebook.C、Shehasabigfinefromtheschool.D、She
最新回复
(
0
)