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  3. Scientists have begun using satellite-based systems to predict volcanic eruptions. This allows blanket coverage of the entire wo

Scientists have begun using satellite-based systems to predict volcanic eruptions. This allows blanket coverage of the entire wo

admin2015-04-10  79
问题     Scientists have begun using satellite-based systems to predict volcanic eruptions. This allows blanket coverage of the entire world. Envisat is the most advanced craft of this type. It has sensors that, by recognizing the characteristic optical signature of various substances in the atmosphere, can detect the presence of specific gases, such as sulphur dioxide. These may indicate an imminent volcanic eruption.
    Mike Abrams, a scientist at America’s space agency, NASA, says that the limiting factor on all such satellites is, surprisingly, not technological, but temporal. The orbits in which they are placed allow them to observe the entire earth, but they cannot pass over a particular spot more frequently than once every 15 days or so. Dr. Abrams argues that more satellites are needed to gather sufficient data on the earth’s volcanoes. Existing satellites, though, do at least serve as an early warning system. If one of them detects something amiss, local volcanologists can then intensify their local monitoring efforts. If necessary, they can even initiate an evacuation.
    In addition, it is important to predict lahars, flowing mixtures of rock, debris, ash and water, which are often set off when hot lava meets cold snow. Lahars can travel down a mountain as fast as 60 kilometres per hour. In 1985 a lahar set off by the eruption of the Nevada del Ruiz volcano in Colombia killed 25,000 people. With acoustic flow monitors, such as those developed by the USGS in the last five years, such a tragic loss of life might have been averted. The flow monitors are seismometers, which measure vibration, and are sensitive to higher frequencies than those used to record earthquakes and volcanic activity. This lets them hear lahars from a long way off, creating a valuable extra hour of time that can be used to evacuate. Such systems are now in place all round the world.
    Volcanic eruptions are dangerous not only to people on the ground, but also to those in the air. According to the USGS, more than 80 commercial aircraft have run into unexpected volcanic ash in the past 15 years, with the resulting damage costing hundreds of millions of dollars. If the optimists are right, the threat from volcanoes could one day become a known one. There is a problem, though. The work that needs to be done relies on the continual use of satellites and ground monitoring. Volcanologists are now issuing a new warning: that it is particularly hard to get funding for this kind of work. This is something that everybody should be bothered about.
What is the writer’s attitude toward the prospect of volcanic eruption prediction?
选项 A、Pessimistic.
B、Skeptical.
C、Bothered.
D、Regretful.
答案C
解析 作者对火山爆发预测的前景持什么态度?[A]悲观。[B]怀疑。[C]担心。[D]遗憾。文章第四段指出，虽然火山爆发的危害性很大，但火山学家的警告——这项工作获得资助尤为困难——更令人担忧。这说明作者对火山爆发的预测前景颇为担忧，所以，正确答案是[C]。其他选项都不正确，因为从上下文中我们无法推断出作者的悲观、怀疑和遗憾。
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