考研英語閱讀習(xí)題及答案

考研英語閱讀習(xí)題及答案

Passage

EveryonehasheardoftheSanAndreasfault(斷層),whichconstantly

threatensCaliforniaandtheWestCoastwithearthquakes.Buthowmany

peopleknowabouttheequallyseriousNewMadridfaultinMissouri?

BetweenDecemberof1811andFebruaryof1812,threemajor

earthquakesoccurred,allcenteredaroundthetownofNewMadrid,

Missouri,ontheMississippiRiver.Propertydamagewassevere.

Buildingsintheareawerealmostdestroyed.Wholeforestsfellatonce,

andhugecracksopenedintheground,allowingsmellofsulfur(硫磺)to

filterupward.

TheMississippiRiveritselfcompletelychangedcharacter,

developingsuddenrapidsandwhirlpools.Severaltimesitchangedits

course,andonce,accordingtosomeobservers,itactuallyappearedtorun

backwards.FewpeoplewerekilledintheNewMaridearthquakes,

probablysimplybecausefewpeoplelivedintheareain1811;butthe

severityoftheearthquakesareshownbythefactthattheshockwaves

rangbellsinchurchtowersinCharleston,SouthCarolina,onthecoast.

BuildingsshookinNewYorkCity,andclockswerstoppedinWashington,

D.C.ScientistsnowknowthatAmerica’stwomajorfaultsareessentiall

different.TheSanAndreasisahorizontalboundarybetweentwomajor

landmassesthatareslowlymovinginoppositedirections.California

earthquakesresultwhenthemovementofthesetwomassessuddenly

lurches(傾斜)forward.

TheNewMadridfault,ontheotherhand,isaverticalfault;atsome

points,possiblyhundredsofmillionsofyearsago,rockwaspushedup

towardthesurface,probablybyvolcanoesunderthesurface.Suddenly,

thevolcanoescooledandtherockcollapsed,leavinghugecracks.Even

now,therockcontinuestosettledownwards,andsuddensinkingmotions

trigger(觸發(fā))earthquakesintheregion.Thefaultitself,alargecrackin

thislayerofrock,withdozensofothercracksthatsplitofffromit,

extendsfromnortheastArkansasthroughMissouriandintosouthern

lllinois.

ScientistswhohavestudiedtheNewMadridfaultsaytherehavebeen

numeroussmallerquakesintheareasince1811;thesesmallerquakes

indicatethatlargeronesareprobablycoming,butthescientistssayhave

nomethodofpredictingwhenalargeearthquakewilloccur.

1.Thispassageismainlyabout.

A)theNewMadridfaultinMissouri

B)theSanAndreasandtheNewMadridfaults

C)thecausesoffaults

D)currentscientificknowledgeaboutfaults

2.TheNewMadridfaultis.

A)ahorizontalfault

B)averticalfault

C)amoreseriousfaultthantheSanAndreasfault

D)responsibleforformingtheMississippiRiver

3.Wemayconcludefromthepassagethat.

A)itisprobablyasdangeroustoliveinMissouriasinCalifornia

B)theNewMadridfaultwilleventuallydevelopamountainrange

inMissouri

C)Californiawillbecomeanislandinfuture

D)AbigearthquakewilloccurtoCaliforniasoon

4.Thispassageimpliesthat.

A)horizontalfaultsaremoredangerousthanverticalfaults.

B)Verticalfaultsaremoredangerousthanhorizontalfaults

C)Earthquakesoccuronlyaroundfaultareas

D)Californiawillbreakintopiecesbyaneventualearthquake

5.