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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

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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 am. 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) f°r 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 (振动,摆动). 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.
It can be inferred from the passage that in minimizing the damage caused by earthquakes attention should be focused on______.
选项 A、the increasing use of rubber and steel in capital construction
B、the development of flexible building materials
C、the reduction of the impact of ground vibrations
D、early forecasts of earthquakes
答案C
解析 本题是一个推理类问题。问从文章中我们可以推断出为了减少地震的破坏性，今后人们应该注意什么。在4个选项中，选项A和选项B只说到建筑材料的开发和使用，这是人们过去已经在做的。但由于选项A和选项B都是文章中提到的事实，因而无论是改善建筑材料的弹性和强度，还是安装电脑，概括起来都是为了减轻地震的冲击力。所以，本题的正确答案应是C“减少地震的冲击作用”。
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