精英家教网 > 高中英语 > 题目详情

Everyone has heard of the San Andreas fault (断层), which constantly threatens California and the West Coast with earthquakes. But how many people know about the equally serious New Madrid fault in Missouri?

   Between December of 1811 and February of 1812, three major earthquakes occurred, all centered around the town of New Madrid, Missouri, on the Mississippi River. Property damage was severe. Buildings in the area were almost destroyed. Whole forests fell at once, and huge cracks opened in the ground,  releasing some strong smell chemicals.

   The Mississippi River itself completely changed character, developing sudden rapids and whirlpools (激流和漩涡). Several times it changed its course, and once, according to some observers, it actually appeared to run backwards. Few people were killed in the New Marid earthquakes, probably simply because few people lived in the area in 1811; but the severity of the earthquakes are shown by the fact that the shock waves rang bells in church towers in Charleston, South Carolina, on the coast. Buildings shook in New York City, and clocks were stopped in Washington, D.C.

Scientists now know that America's two major faults are essentially different. The San Andreas is a horizontal boundary between two major land masses that are slowly moving in opposite directions. California earthquakes result when the two masses make a sudden move.

     The New Madrid fault, on the other hand, is a vertical fault; at some points, possibly hundreds of millions of years ago, rock was pushed up toward the surface, probably by volcanoes under the surface. Suddenly, the volcanoes cooled and the rock collapsed, leaving huge cracks. Even now, the rock continues to settle downwards, and sudden sinking motions cause earthquakes in the region. The fault itself, a large crack in this layer of rock, with dozens of other cracks that split off from it, extends from northeast Arkansas through Missouri and into southern Illinois.

   Scientists who have studied the New Madrid fault say there have been numerous smaller quakes in the area since 1811; these smaller quakes indicate that larger ones are probably coming, but the scientists say they have no method of predicting when a large earthquake will occur.

1.This passage is mainly about ___________.

A. current scientific knowledge about faults

B. the San Andreas and the New Madrid faults

C. the causes of faults        

D. the New Madrid fault in Missouri

2.The New Madrid fault is __________.

A. a vertical fault

B. a horizontal fault

C. a more serious fault than the San Andreas fault

D. responsible for forming the Mississippi River

3.This passage implies that _________.      .

A. horizontal faults are more dangerous than vertical faults

B. Vertical faults are more dangerous than horizontal faults

C. The volcanoes that caused the New Madrid fault are still alive

D. A lot of people would die if the 1811 New Madrid earthquakes happened today

 

【答案】

 

1.D

2.A

3.D

【解析】

试题分析:本文通过历史回顾和科学分析,提醒人们多关注New Madrid地区频繁的地震。

1.主旨大意题。由本文第一段的最后一句话“But how many people know about the equally serious New Madrid fault in Missouri? ”可知这篇文章讲的是New Madrid地区的断层。选D

2.细节理解题。本文第四段和第五段内容可以判断The San Andreas fault是水平地震,而The New Madrid fault是垂直地震,所以A项正确。

3.推理判断题。根据第五段中第二句“Suddenly, the volcanoes cooled and the rock collapsed, leaving huge cracks. Even now, the rock continues to settle downwards”可以排除D项;根据第三段第三句“Few people were killed in the New Madrid earthquakes, probably simply because few people lived in the area in 1811”可以如果1811年的地震在今天发生很多人就会死了,推测答案为D

考点:考查科普类短文

 

练习册系列答案
相关习题

科目:高中英语 来源:2010~2011学年江苏省盐城中学高一上学期期末测试英语试题 题型:填空题

根据所给首字母和中文提示完成各句,使句意通顺。
【小题1】 The little boy held his mother’s hand ___________(牢牢地) when crossing the street.
【小题2】The people of that country are fighting for their__________ (独立 ).
【小题3】 We already know who’s got the job but we haven’t yet been informed _______(官方的).
【小题4】 The ancient buildings in this area are well _________(保护).
【小题5】These snowy mountain tops form a beautiful picture that will make any viewer_______(无法用言语表达的).
【小题6】If b________ in, these viruses can result in illness or even death.
【小题7】His d_________ to his work led to his success and was respected by everyone.
【小题8】Chris does not believe in the e_____________ of Father Christmas.
【小题9】We human beings should protect the environment and live in perfect h ________ with nature.
【小题10】 Don’t h_________ to tell me if you have any requests.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英语 来源:2011-2012学年福建省龙岩一中高一第四学段(期末)考试英语试卷(带解析) 题型:填空题

阅读下面短文,根据以下提示(1)括号内汉语提示;(2)该词首字母提示;(3)上下文语境提示,在每个空格内填入一个适当的英语单词,使短文通顺,所填单词要求拼写正确,形式符合英语表达习惯。(10分)
It is important for us to have a good mood in our daily life.
If you own a good mood, you will find everything around is ________(精彩) 76 ________in the world. M______ importantly, you will have an optimistic effect77 ______________ people about you. Certainly, we will live a harmonious and happy78 ________life. It is also good for your own h________. However, sometimes when you79 ________meet some ________(困难), when you quarrel with some others or when you80 ________________(失败) in doing something, you may have a terrible mood. If so, you81 ________should get _______of such a bad mood as soon as possible.82 ________ ______ is known to all, every coin has its two sides. So you should 83 ________think more about the b________ side. We are sure that everything will be all84 ________right with time p________ by. Remember—only you can make yourself feel85 ________happy.
I hope that everyone has an excellent mood every day!

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英语 来源:2011-2012学年江苏省涟水中学高一下学期期末考试英语试卷(带解析) 题型:填空题

单词拼写(满分5分)
【小题1】It is hard to p     him to stop smoking.
【小题2】Everyone who often exercises can b     from it.
【小题3】Do you feel h     when you’re often in difficulty.
【小题4】If you’re not satisfied with this book, I can r       you another one.
【小题5】I will never f     you for the rude words you said to me last night.
【小题6】He was a good worker who was       (尽心尽力) to his family as well as his work.
【小题7】What’s your       (态度) towards this practice.
【小题8】Do you feel       (内疚的) when you have done sth that you shouldn’t do.
【小题9】Mike realized his mistake, and       (道歉) at once.
【小题10】He would rather die than       (背叛) his country.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英语 来源:2012-2013学年上海市高三高考压轴英语卷(解析版) 题型:其他题

 

     A .drive      B. absolutely    C. construct    D. leadership     E. Policies

F.realization  G. Pressures     H.Definition    I.Challenging    J. particularly                                                               

 

Leadership is a difficult concept to explain because everyone defines it differently. From my personal experiences as a student leader, I can tell you that there is no single ___1.___of  leadership, ___2.___with students leaders. You are a leader, a student and a peer, so this role can be especially difficult to manage. As a student leader,you deal with academic__3.___,as well as added pressure of leading group of your peers. As, the president of  Fuse, the contemporary dance group  at Colgate University, I experienced  many ups-and-downs with___4.__. Thankfully, my passion for this dance club gave me the ____5.___to lead my fellow dancers.

Finding an activity that is both enjoyable and __6.___is the first step. In order to be a good leader, you must be personally interested in what you are leading, whether it's debating,cooking or robotics. In my case, dance has always been of interest to me, from my grandfather teaching me salsa to early childhood training with ballet, and so I always that dance would be part of my life. Once I arrive on my college campus, ready for my college adventure, I had a sudden ___7.___: wandering around the Student Activities Fair, I saw no contemporary or modern dance clubs I panicked.

After meeting a fellow dancer at Freshmen Orientation, we found that we shared the same passion and desire to start a club. We held auditions,created club____8.___and held practices. The process of creating the actual club was both fun and challenging because we had to figure out school club regulations, __9.__many club rules, obtain 60 signatures of supporters and overcome other obstacles. As it turns out, this process was not a walk in the park for us.

 

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英语 来源:2010年福建省八县高二下学期期末联考英语卷 题型:单词拼写

短文填词(共10小题;每小题1分,共10分)

阅读下面短文,根据以下提示:1)汉语提示,2)首字母提示3)语境提示,在每个空格内填入一个适当的英语单词,并将该词完整地写在右边相对应的横线上。所填单词要求意义准确,拼写正确。

It is vital for us to have a good mood in our daily life.

If you o   a good mood, you will find everything is wonderful  76.          

in the world. Most     (重要), you will have an optimistic effect   77.          

       the people around you. We all will live a harmonious and   78.          

happy life. It is also good for your h     . However,sometimes   79.             

when you meet some      (困难),when you quarrel with others   80.          

or when you         (无法)in doing something, you may  have   81.          

a bad mood. If so, you should get        of it as fast as possible.   82.          

As we all know, e          has its two sides. So you should think more   83.            

about         bright side. We are sure that everything will be all right with   84.            

time p      by. Remember: Only you can make yourself happy.  85.          

I hope that everyone has a good mood every day!

 

查看答案和解析>>

同步练习册答案