Scientists in the United States have developed a method that may help to predict earthquakes earlier. They say it could give people who live in deadly earthquake areas enough warning to leave before an earthquake occurs.
Currently, the most modern systems for predicting earthquakes find them only a short time before the event. Like most strong earthquakes, Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 and Haiti earthquake in 2010 were not identified early enough for people to flee the area, killing hundreds and thousands of people.
But scientists who study earthquakes are reporting that new technology could measure very small changes in the Earth’s surface.
Scientists performed experiments along California’s San Andreas Fault, an area famous for its earthquakes. Highly sensitive electrical devices are placed about one kilometer below ground in two different places. The devices were able to measure even small changes in air pressure on the Earth’s surface. The scientists say such changes are caused when rocks pushed together, forcing air out of small cracks in the rock.
Two earthquakes hit the area in late 2005. The first took place on Dec.25. A smaller earthquake struck five days later. The scientists noted changes in the earth’s surface about ten hours before the first quake struck. That quake measured three in intensity(強(qiáng)度). They then found similar changes taking place two hours before the other quake struck five days later.
If additional tests confirm the changes are linked to earthquakes, the scientists believe their equipment could be used for early warning systems. A system that provides a warning signal ten hours before a major earthquake could help move people from the area and save lives.
The scientists now hope they can find earthquakes with even greater intensity by placing their equipment deeper in the ground.
71. What’s the best title for the passage?
A.A new way to help predict earthquakes.
B.The earthquakes in the world
C.A better understanding of earthquake
D.Scientists and modern systems of earthquakes
72.If the new method does work, _______.
A.fewer earthquakes will break out
B.rescue workers can save more buried people in ruins
C.a warning can be given at least ten days before the major earthquake
D.fewer people will be killed in an earthquake
73.According to the passage, the devices can predict the earthquake by______
reaching the center of the earthquake
detecting the temperature changes in the earth’s crust
measuring changes in air pressure on the Earth’s surface
recording sound waves under the ground
74.We can infer from the passage that ______.
the equipment is perfect enough to be used in practice
it’s unknown if greater earthquake can be predicted by the equipment
the deeper the equipment is placed, the more accurate the measurement is
the equipment has helped save many lives in the earthquake in Haiti .
75.How many earthquakes are mentioned in the passage?
A. One           B. Two           C. Three         D. Four
練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:完形填空


閱讀下列短文,掌握其大意,然后從26—50各題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中,選出一個(gè)最佳答案。
The use of nuclear power has already spread all over the world, However, scientists still have
not 36 on what should be done with the large 37 of waste material that tend to increase everyyear .
Most waste materials are dealr38simply by placing them39.But nuclear waste40be dealt with very carefully. It gives41dangerous radiation and it will continue to be 42for hundreds, thousands, even mil-lions of years.
How should we get rid of such waste material in a43that it will not harm the environment? Where can we safely44it? One idea is to put this45waste inside a 46 container ,47is then dropped to the deep bottom of the ocean. But some scientists believe that this way of dealing with nuclear waste could kill fish and other living things in the oceans48interfere(干擾)with their growth.. Another way49nuclear waste is to send it into space, to the sun, 50 it would be burned. Some scientists suggests suggest that this polluting material51buried thousands of meters under the52surface. Such under-ground areas must be lree53possible earthquakes. Advance id being54,But it may still be many years55this problem could be finally settled.
小題1:
A.plannedB.a(chǎn)greedC.regardedD.known
小題2:
A.nunberB.a(chǎn)mountsC.lotD.mass
小題3:
A.ofB.withC.upD.to
小題4:
A.a(chǎn)nywhereB.nowhereC.elsewhereD.somewhere
小題5:
A.mayB.shouldC.mustD.can
小題6:
A.a(chǎn)wayB.offC.upD.down
小題7:
A.harmB.deathlyC.dyingD.deathly
小題8:
A.methodB.wayC.meansD.manner
小題9:
A.placeB.exportC.do withD.do
小題10:
A.radioactiveB.radiationC.a(chǎn)ctiveD.a(chǎn)ctivity
小題11:
A.largeB.stone C.thickD.nice
小題12:
A.thatB.suchC.a(chǎn)ndD.which
小題13:
A.orB.a(chǎn)nd C.soD.then
小題14:
A.to moveB.to transportC.to removeD.to carry
小題15:
A.soB.whenC.a(chǎn)sD.here
小題16:
A.can beB.beingC.beD.muse be
小題17:
A.earthB.beingC.oceanD.water
小題18:
A.ofB.with C.a(chǎn)tD.in
小題19:
A.causedB.madeC.takenD.done
小題20:
A.whenB.ifC.befireD.thus

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


The Peppered Moth, a kind of insect, is found in England. It is light brown in color and likes to settle on trees which are also light brown. This makes the moth difficult to be seen and birds are less likely to notice and eat it.
But with the development of industry, smoke from factories began to reach the trees where the moth settled. It made the trees blacker. Then something very strange took place: in industrial areas, the Peppered Moth began to change color. It became darker as well. Although the change took several years, some scientists soon noticed that newly-born moths were a little darker than usual.
A scientist called Kettle Well decided to make a careful study of this. He marked some of the light moths and some of the darker ones, and set them free in the woods near Birmingham, an industrial city. Later he retarget as many the marked moths as possible ( The result was given in the chart ).
Kettle Well’s research was done in the early 1950s. Soon afterwards Britain introduced new laws to reduce smoke and factory pollution.
Can you imagine what would happen to the Peppered Moth as the air became cleaner again? 
 
light moths
darker moths
Moths set free
201
601
Moths recaught
34 ( 16%)
206 ( 34%)
1. The trees where the Peppered Moth settled changed their color because _____________________________.
A. the Peppered Moth changed its color
B. the Peppered Moth couldn’t be easily found on them
C. industry in England developed quickly 
D. the smoke from factories polluted them
2. The Peppered Moth began to change its color in industrial areas because   _____________________________.
A. it changed its color all the time   
B. it was fond of the color of its living place
C. it had to protect itself by doing so 
D. it was a special sort of insect
3. From the results of Kettle Well’s research, we can see that _________________.
A. many more of the light moths were killed or eaten
B. more than one-fifth of the light moths escaped being killed
C. three times as many dark moths were kept safe as light ones
D. more dark moths were killed in industrial areas
4. Kettle Well’s work gives us a good example of _________________________.
A. Air Pollution  B. Choice of Color   C. Laws of Nature  D. Changing Insects
5. As the air became cleaner, _________________________.
A. the number of the light moths increased
B. the total number of the light moths remained unchanged
C. more of the darker moths would be recaught
D. the darker moths changed into the light ones before long

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


Organic foods are produced according to certain production standards, meaning they are grown without the use of conventional pesticides, or chemical fertilizers and that they were processed without food additives. Livestock are raised without the routine use of antibiotics(抗生素)or growth hormones. In most countries, organic produce must not be genetically modified. They may also be required to be produced using energy-saving technologies and packaged using recyclable materials when possible.
Early consumers interested in organic food would look for non-chemically treated, fresh or minimally processed food.
They mostly had to buy directly from growers: “Know your farmer, know your food” was the motto. Personal definitions of what constituted ( 組成)“organic” were developed through first-hand experience: by talking to farmers, seeing farm conditions, and farming activities. Historically, organic farms were relatively small family-run farms — which is why organic food was once only available in small stores or farmers’ markets.
However, since the early 1990s organic food has had growth rates of around 20% a year. As of April 2008, organic food accounts for 1 - 2% of food sales worldwide. Currently organic food production is legally regulated. Many countries require producers to obtain organic certification in order to market food as organic.
Several studies have attempted to examine and compare conventional and organic systems of farming. The general consensus(共同看法)is that, in the short term, organic farming is less damaging for the following reasons:
● Organic farms do not release synthetic pesticides (合成農(nóng)藥) into the environment — some of which have the potential to harm soil, water and local wildlife.
● Organic farms are better than conventional farms at keeping diverse ecosystems, i.e., populations of plants and insects, as well as animals.        
● Organic farms are more energy efficient and produce less waste.
Another report published in March 2008 by The Organic Center claims that organic food is on average 25% more nutritious than conventional food.     
However, many critics believe that the increased land needed to farm organic food could potentially destroy the rainforests and wipe out many ecosystems. And organic products cost 10 to 40% more than similar conventionally produced products. Processed organic foods in supermarkets are 65% more expensive.
1. Early consumers knew what food was “organic” by _______.
A. firsthand experience                                     B. the “certified organic” label tag
C. its packaging                                                      D. examining its organic certification
2. We can infer that _______.
A. in America, organic food can only be bought in small stores or farmers’ markets
B. organic food is also available in large supermarkets at present
C. organic food is produced by large-scale farms
D. organic food is often beautifully packaged
3. According to the passage, organic food is considered as _______.     
A. junk food              B. delicious snacks               C. green food      D. conventional food
4. What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A. The benefits of organic food.                               B. The cost of organic food.
C. The disadvantages of organic food.                   D. Organic food and conventional food.
5. Which of the following statements does NOT support the view that organic farming is more environment-friendly?
A. Organic food is generally thought to be more nutritious.
B. Organic farms are more energy efficient and produce less waste.
C. Organic farms are better than conventional farms at maintaining varieties of plants, insects and animals.
D. Organic farms do not release synthetic pesticides into the environment.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


How did a high school football coach build a championship dynasty by never playing to win? In Smith Center, Kansas, Roger Barta, 64, a longtime coach and former math teacher at Smith Center High School, wearing a red shirt, stood before his players.“…Guys.We don't talk about winning and losing.We talk about getting a little better every day, about being a team.” Over the next four months, his team went on to beat other teams, winning another perfect season.
Barta grew up in Plainville, and when a back injury ended Barta's playing career, he wasn't sure whether he wanted to be a college student.One summer, he took a job in the Kansas oil fields.It took him a single rainy day of working in the field to realize that university was for him.“I almost froze to death,” he says.He looked around at his co-workers, who were aged beyond their years."They were all missing fingers and teeth.I didn't want to do that for the rest of my life."
He returned to Fort Hays State to earn a mathematics degree and went on to get a master's in math education at the University of Georgia.Today, Barta spends as much time helping players figure out what they want to do with their lives as he does coaching.
To most kids here, Barta is not just a winning coach but also a mentor(導(dǎo)師,顧問(wèn)).Barta insists that the members of his team be well-rounded.During last year's playoffs(附加賽), for instance, Joe Osburn was struggling with Macbeth in English class.Barta told him that either he mastered Shakespeare or his season was finished.Barta got the captains involved, and they took turns quizzing Osburn on his lines of Shakespeare.He pulled his grades up and kept playing.
“Roger likes everything about football,” says Barta's wife, Pam.“But what he loves most is watching the boys learn a little more.”
1.What does the first paragraph mainly talk about?
A.How Barta built a championship dynasty?
B.Barta’s career as a coach.
C.How Barta taught his students football skills.
D.Barta’s attitude towards winning and losing.
2.From the the passage we know Barta       .
A.hurt his back in an oil field
B.didn’t want to be a college student
C.wasn’t satisfied with being an oil worker
D.began his playing career at high school
3.Which of the following statements about Barta is TRUE??
A.He earned his master’s degree from Fort Hays State.
B.He helps his players deal with life.
C.He likes Shakespeare very much.
D.He loves football more than anything else.
4.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A.How to Be a Good Football Coach
B.A Brief Introduction to Roger Barta
C.Coach and Math Teacher—Roger Barta
D.Life Coach—Roger Barta

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Research shows that humans switch from selfish to unselfish behaviour when they are watched. Do you?
A picture of a set of eyes on a computer screen can cause a change in the way people act. Even images of eyes on a charity donation, collection box encourage people to be unselfish, because people put more money in a collection box that has a picture of eyes on it than they do when a flower symbol is on the box.
Manfred Milinski from the Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Germany and Bettina Rockenbach of the University of Berlin, the authors of a new study, found that people act better when they are being watched because they feel they will be rewarded for good behaviour. Their report also referred to other research showing that this response of behaving well when watched is somehow coded into humans and people respond this way unconsciously, or without realizing it.
It is not just humans that act unselfishly when they are being watched. A fish called the grooming fish cleans other fish. When other fish are around, it is gentler. When no other fish are around, however, the grooming fish bites chunks from the fish it is supposed to be cleaning.
The researchers suggest that the best way to get people to behave in the correct way is to make them feel watched. This could be the reason for the success of a famous American army poster. On it was a picture of an elderly man staring fiercely and pointing, it appeared, to the person who was looking at the poster. Under the picture was the caption 'I Want You' It encouraged hundreds of thousands of young American men to join the army during the Second World War to fight the Germans and Japanese.
小題1:According to the report, why does a person behave better when he feels he is being watched?
A.He does not want to be shamed by others.
B.He needs to show he is a good person.
C.He desires others to like him more.
D.He feels he will receive some social reward.
小題2:What is the text mainly about?
A.It describes changed behaviour when observed.
B.It details ways to control people's behaviour.
C.It tells how to make people work harder.
D.It discusses different advertising methods.
小題3:Where would the study described in the text most likely be found?
A.In a newspaper.
B.In a scientific journal.
C.In an advertising magazine.
D.In a science textbook.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


  Even plant can run a fever, especially when they’re under attack by insects or disease. But unlike human, plants can have their temperature taken from 3, 000 feet away - straight up. A decade ago, adopting the infrared (紅外線)scanning technology developed for military purposes and other satellites, physicist Stephen Paley came up with a quick way to take the temperature of crops to determine which ones are under stress. The goal was to let farmers precisely target pesticide (殺蟲劑)spraying rather than rain poison on a whole field, which invariably includes plants that don’t have pest (害蟲)problems.
  Even better, Paley’s Remote Scanning Services Company could detect crop problems before they became visible to the eye. Mounted on a plane flown at 3, 000 feet at night, an infrared scanner measured the heat emitted by crops. The data were transformed into a color - coded map showing where plants were running“ fevers”. Farmers could then spot - spray, using 50 to 70 percent less pesticide than they otherwise would.
  The bad news is that Paley’s company closed down in 1984, after only three years. Farmers resisted the new technology and long - term backers were hard to find. But with the renewed concern about pesticides on produce, and refinements in infrared scanning, Paley hopes to get back into operation. Agriculture experts have no doubt the technology works. “This technique can be used on 75 percent of agricultural land in the United States, ” says George Oerther of Texas A & M. Ray Jackson , who recently retired from the Department of Agriculture, thinks remote infrared crop scanning could be adopted by the end of the decade. But only ff Paley finds the financial backing which he failed to obtain 10 years ago.
 56.Plants will emit an increased amount of heat when they are________.
  A. sprayed with pesticides     B. facing an infrared scanner
  C. in poor physical condition   D. exposed to excessive sun rays
 57.In order to apply pesticide spraying precisely, we can use infrared scanning to________.
  A. estimate the damage to the crops    B. measure the size of the affected area
  C. draw a color -coded map          D. locate the problem area
 58.Farmers can save a considerable amount of pesticide by________.
  A. resorting to spot – spraying   B. consulting infrared scanning experts
  C. transforming poisoned rain    D. detecting crop problems at an early stage
 59.The application of infrared scanning technology to agriculture met with some difficulties________.,
  A. the lack of official support        B. its high cost
  C. the lack of financial support      D. its failure to help increase production
 60.Infrared scanning technology may be brought back into operation because of________.
  A. the desire of farmers to improve the quality of their produce
  B. growing concern about the excessive use of pesticides on crops
  C. the forceful promotion by the Department of Agriculture
  D. full support from agricultural experts

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

The hole in the Earth's ozone layer (臭氧層) has until now protected Antarctica from the worst effects of global warming. But scientists have warned that as the hole closes up in the next few decades, temperatures on the continent could rise by around 3℃on average, with melting ice contributing to a global sea level increase of up to 1.4 metres.
In the past decades the western Antarctic has seen rapid ice loss as the world has warmed, but the other parts of the continent have, paradoxically, been cooling, resulting in a 10% increase in ice in the seas around the region. This is because the hole in the ozone layer has increased cold winds in Antarctica, making much of the continent surface colder than usual.
But now that the gasses that cause the ozone hole have been banned, scientists expect the hole to repair itself within the next 50 to 60 years. By then the cooling effect will have faded out and the Antarctic will face the full impact of global warming. This means an increase in average air temperatures of around 3℃ and a reduction in sea ice by around a third.
The biggest threat to the continent comes from warming seas. Robert Johnson, a scientist who monitors Antarctica ice sheets, said, "The ice sheets in Antarctica are hundreds of metres thick. But once warm ocean waters start flowing underneath, the ice will begin thinning and could break up very quickly. "Thinning ice sheets cause ice to break away from the continent and to melt even faster. Escaping ice from western Antarctica has already resulted in a 10% rise in global sea level in recent decades.
Johnson believes that international action to reduce global warming is required immediately or it may be too late. "Everything is connected - Antarctica may be a long way away but it is an important part of the Earth's system," said Johnson. "It contains 90% of the world's ice, 70% of the world's fresh water and that is enough, if it melts completely, to raise sea levels by 63 metres."
Even in a worse-case situation scientists don't expect the ice to entirely disappear, but predict that, because of the melting ice sheets, average sea level rise will be around 1.4 metres higher by the end of the century.
63. The underlined word "paradoxically" (in Paragraph 2) most probably means "__".
A. rapidly         B. approximately    C. contradictorily    D. apparently
64. What is the effect of the hole in the ozone layer on Antarctica?
A. It is causing the ice to melt faster.
B. It is making much of the continent colder.
C. It is making the effects of global warming in the region worse.
D. It is reducing the amount of water in Antarctica.
65. What do scientists think is the biggest danger facing Antarctica?
A. Rising sea levels.                  B. Warming sea water temperature.
C. Water pollution.                      D. Growing ice sheets.
66. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Antarctica is currently experiencing the full effects of global warming.
B. The average temperature has increased by 3℃ in recent decades.
C. Antarctica contains most of the world's fresh water.
D. Ten percent of Antarctica's ice has already been lost.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


B
We each have a memory. That’s why we can still remember things after a long time. Some people have very good memories and they can easily learn many things by heart, but some people can only remember things when they say or do them again and again. Many of the great men of the world have got surprising memories.
A good memory is a great help in learning a language. Everybody learns his mother language when he is a small child. He hears the sounds, remembers them and then he learns to speak. Some children are living with their parents in foreign countries. They can learn two languages as easily as one because they hear, remember and speak two languages every day. In school it is not so easy to learn a foreign language because the pupils have so little time for it, and they are busy with other subjects, too.
But your memory will become better and better when you do more and more exercises.
41.Some people can easily learn many things by heart because        
A.they always sleep very well           B.they often eat good food
C.they read a lot of books                 D.they have very good memories
42.Everybody learns his mother language                  .
A.a(chǎn)t the age of six                              B.when he is a small child
C.a(chǎn)fter he goes to school                   D.when he can read and write
43.Before a child can speak, he must                        .
A.read and write                              B.make sentences
C.hear and remember the sounds              D.think hard
44.In school the pupils can’t learn a foreign language well because
A.they have no good memories         B.they have no recorders
C.they have too much time for it              D.they are busy with other subjects
45.Your memory will become better and better                 .
A.if you have plenty of good food          B.if you do more and more exercises
C.if you do morning exercises every day    D.if you get up early

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案