Question

    On February 3,1931 the peace of New Zealand's Hawkes Bay region was destroyed when the area was hit by the worst earthquake in New Zealand's history.At 10:46 am on that summer's day,the quake hit with a magnitude of 7.9 on the Richter scale（里氏震级）.The centre of the quake lied some 15 to 20 kilometers north of the two main centers,Napier and Hastings.The quake lasted for two and a half minutes.Many people died in the earthquake.

A fire broke out immediately after the quake.The fire started in a chemist's shop and spread quickly.Then the Fire Department in Napier came to help,but they were at a loss to control the fire as a result of losing their water supply.However,the water supply in Hastings,was still usable,allowing them to fight back against the fire.

The force of the earthquake destroyed many of the city's famous landmarks（地标）.Chunks of the coastline were thrown into the sea.Napier's Bluff Hill,a popular tourist spot,was completely destroyed and thrown into the waters below.

Most of the major buildings in the city were completely destroyed.Roads and communications across the whole area were cut.People were afraid to enter their homes for days and found shelters at the local Motor Camp or on the beach.There were about 150 aftershocks（余震）in the 24 hours after the main shock.Over the next 2 weeks,there would be 525 such aftershocks.

1.The worst earthquake took place in New Zealand_______.

A.at night B.in the morning

C.at noon D.in the afternoon

2.The firefighters in Napier failed to put out the fire probably because_______.

A.there was no usable water B.they couldn't get close to it

C.the flames spread too quickly D.The wind was very strong

3.The last two paragraphs mainly tell us that_______.

A.there were many places of interest in New Zealand

B.the earthquake damaged the city seriously

C.many famous landmarks were thrown into the sea

D.people were afraid to enter their homes for sleep

4.What's the best title for this passage?

A.The 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake

B.New Zealand's two cities

C.The great fire after the great earthquake

D.The city's famous landmarks

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.B

4.A

【解析】

本文是说明文。文章主要介绍的是新西兰的霍克斯湾在1931年所发生的一次严重的地震。这次地震造成了财产的大量的损失以及人员的伤亡，海岸线被破坏了，旅游景点也破坏了、城市以及道路都遭到严重损失，给人们生活带来极大不便。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段中的第二句At 10：46 am on that summer's day， the quake hit with a magnitude of 7.9 on the Richter scale（里氏震级）（夏季的一天上午10：46，发生了7.9级地震）可知，在新西兰那次最严重的地震是在上午发生的故选B。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段第三句中的but they were at a loss to control the fire as a result of losing their water supply（但是由于没有水供应，他们无法控制火势）可知，Napier的消防员们无法将火扑灭主要是因为他们没有水。故选A

3.主旨大意题。根据最后两段Chunks of the coastline were thrown into the sea. Napier's Bluff Hill, a popular tourist spot, was completely destroyed and thrown into the waters below…Most of the major buildings in the city were completely destroyed. Roads and communications across the whole area were cut. People were afraid to enter their homes for days and found shelters at the local Motor Camp or on the beach.（大块大块的海岸线被抛入大海。纳皮尔的断崖山，一个很受欢迎的旅游景点，被完全摧毁了，并被扔进了下面的水里……整个地区的道路和通讯都被切断。几天来，人们不敢进入自己的家，只能在当地的汽车营地或海滩上寻找避难所）可判断出，这两段主要介绍的是这次地震对这个城市所造成的严重破坏．海岸线被破坏了，旅游景点也破坏了、城市以及道路都遭到严重损失，给人们生活带来极大不便。由此可知，地震对城市破坏严重。故选B。

4.主旨大意题。根据文章内容可判断出，本文主要介绍的是新西兰的霍克斯湾在1931年所发生的一次严重的地震，以及给这座城市所带来的损害。A项能体现了本文的核心，适合用作本文的标题。故选A。