Question

A 7.0-magnitude(震级)earthquake attacked Kumamoto, Japan on April 15th, 2016, less than two days after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake rocked the same area. The smaller 6.2-magnitude quake on April 14th killed nine people and injured hundreds more, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. With these two and the memories of the huge 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami(海啸)that destroyd northeast of Japan in 2011 not far from people’s minds, what is it about this part of the world that makes it so active in earthquakes?

First of all, Japan is along the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, which is the most active earthquake area in the world. This “ring” is actually an imaginary U-shaped zone that follows the edge(边缘)of the Pacific Ocean, where many of the world’s earthquakes occur.

“The earthquake in Kumamoto seems to have been caused by the collision(碰撞)between the Philippines Sea Plate(板块)and the Eurasia Plate,” said Paul Caruso, a geophysicist of the USGS. While Japan is no stranger to earthquakes, the 7.0-magnitude earthquake is one of the largest ever recorded in this part of southern Japan, Caruso told Live Science. “The second largest was probably on March 20, 1939 --- there was a magnitude of 6.7 in this area,” he said.

“Not all earthquakes cause tsunamis,” Caruso said. In general, there are three key elements that can produce a dangerous earthquake-tsunami combination, he added. First, the earthquake must be at least 7.0-magnitude. Second, the quake’s epicenter(震中)has to be under the ocean, Caruso said. And finally, the earthquake hasn’t to be too deep.

“We have quakes around Fiji all the time, but those are sometimes 640 kilometers underground, so they aren’t going to cause a tsunami,” he said. The one in Kumamoto was about 10 km underground but the epicenter was on land, Caruso said.

“There are lots of large aftershocks,” Caruso told Live Science. “And of course, after a large earthquake, buildings are often weakened as a result. Additional damage can be expected. ” People living in the area should expect more shaking in the coming days, according to Caruso. “We can say for certain that there are going to be more aftershocks in this area,” he said. “Exactly when and how big they’re going to be is difficult to say, though. No one can predict that.”

1.The earthquake happened on April 15th in Kumamoto ________.

A. was the largest one that ever happened there

B. caused the movement of the Philippines Sea Plate and the Eurasia Plate

C. was the first one that reached the magnitude of 7.0 in Japan

D. brought great destruction to the northeastern part of Japan

2.What does the underlined word “elements” in Para 4 mean?

A. Conclusions.    B. Influences.

C. Ingredients.    D. Intentions.

3.Which inference about the Kumamoto earthquake is the most probably correct?

A. It didn’t cause too much destruction to the buildings.

B. The epicenter was too deep to cause tsunami.

C. The aftershocks were well-controlled.

D. It didn’t bring about any powerful tsunamis.

4.Which of the following might be the title of the passage?

A. Why Are Earthquakes in Japan So Destructive?

B. Why Do So many Earthquakes Attack Japan?

C. Why Do Earthquakes Cause Tsunamis in Japan?

D. Why Do So Many Earthquakes Happen?

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.D

4.B

【解析】这是一篇说明文主要介绍了日本为什么会发生这么多地震，以及怎样程度的地震会导致海啸。

1.细节理解题。根据第三段“the 7.0-magnitude earthquake is one of the largest ever recovered in this part of southern Japan”可知，16年4月15日发生的7.0级地震是日本城市Kumamoto（熊本）有记载以来最大的地震。故A为正确选项。

2.推理判断题。根据上下文意可推断出，划线单词所在句是要介绍原因的，所以可猜测出element（原意为：原理；元素；成分）为原因的意思。Conclusion结论、influence影响、intention目的、ingredient原料；要素，此处只有ingredient可理解为原因。故C为正确选项。

3.细节理解题。根据倒数第二段“The one in Kumamoto was about 10 km underground but the epicenter was on land”可知，熊本市发生的地震震源太深，而海啸是由浅震源的地震产生的。故D为正确选项。

4.推理判断题。阅读全文可知本文讲述了为什么日本会发生这么多地震。A项：为什么日本发生的地震如此有破坏性？C项：为什么日本地震会产生海啸？D项：为什么会产生许多地震？故B为正确选项。