Question

Why do earthquakes happen？Scientists explain that the outside of the earth is made of a number of different plates(板块)．For example，at San Francisco the Pacific(太平洋的)Plate which is moving towards the northwest meets the North American Plate. The Pacific Plate is moving very slowly—at 5.3 centimeters a year. Sometimes these two plates stop and do not move for years. Then suddenly，they jump and an earthquake is felt. As a result of the movement of these plates，West America near the sea has always been a bad place for earthquakes. When the 1906 earthquake happened，the Pacific Plate jumped 5－6 meters to the north.

We cannot stop earthquakes，but we can do things to make sure they don't destroy(毁坏)the whole cities. First，it is not a good idea to build houses along the lines，where two of the earth's plates join together. Second，if you think there may be an earthquake，it is better to build houses on rock not on sand. Third，you must make the houses as strong as possible. Weak buildings will fall down in an earthquake，but strong ones may stay up.

1.An earthquake can be felt ______．

A. when two plates push each other    B. when one plate becomes a bad place

C. when one plate meets the sea    D. when two plates don't move for years

2.An earthquake shook San Francisco in the past because ________．

A. San Francisco stands along between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate

B. San Francisco stands near the Pacific

C. the plate of San Francisco always moves slowly

D. the city of San Francisco wasn't built very well

3.What can we do to make sure earthquakes don't destroy the whole cities?

①Build houses far from the earthquake lines.

②Build houses on rock not on sand.

③Make the houses as strong as possible.

④Stop weak earthquakes.

A. ①②③    B. ②③④    C. ①③④    D. ①②③④

4.Where can we find the passage?

A. In a history book.    B. In a science book.

C. In a tour guide for America.    D. In a safety guide for common people.

Answer

1.A

2.A

3.A

4.B

【解析】这篇短文中作者给我们讲述了地震是如何发生的，地球是由很多板块组成的，这些板块的移动就会导致地震的发生。我们阻止不了地震，但是我们可以做一些事情来降低地震带来的破坏，短文中作者给我们提出了一些建议。

1.A

推理判断题。根据短文的大意可知，地震的发生是因为地球板块的移动造成的，根据短文中For example, at San Francisco the Pacific（太平洋的） Plate which is moving towards the northwest meets the North American Plate可知，旧金山市位于太平洋板块和北美板块的交界，故选A。

2.A

推理判断题。根据短文的大意可知，地震的发生是因为地球板块的移动造成的，根据短文中For example, at San Francisco the Pacific（太平洋的） Plate which is moving towards the northwest meets the North American Plate可知，旧金山市位于太平洋板块和北美板块的交界，故选A。

3.A

细节理解题。根据短文最后一段的句子“First，it is not a good idea to build houses along the lines，where two of the earth's plates join together. Second，if you think there may be an earthquake，it is better to build houses on rock not on sand. Third，you must make the houses as strong as possible.”为了减少地震的危害，我们需要做到三点：远离地震线建房屋，在石头上建房子而不是在沙地上，使房屋尽可能的坚固。故答案为A。

4.B

推理判断题。通读短文可知，这是一篇有关地震方面的科普类说明文。A. In a history book. 在历史书中。B. In a science book. 在科普书中。 C. In a tour guide for America. 在美国旅游指南中。D. In a safety guide for common people. 在普通人的安全指南中。故答案为B。