Everyone has heard of the San Andreas fault (斷層), 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 (激流和漩渦). 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.
小題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
小題2:The New Madrid fault is __________.
A.a(chǎn) vertical fault
B.a(chǎn) horizontal fault
C.a(chǎn) more serious fault than the San Andreas fault
D.responsible for forming the Mississippi River
小題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

小題1:D
小題2:A
小題3:D

試題分析:本文通過歷史回顧和科學(xué)分析,提醒人們多關(guān)注New Madrid地區(qū)頻繁的地震。
小題1:主旨大意題。由本文第一段的最后一句話“But how many people know about the equally serious New Madrid fault in Missouri? ”可知這篇文章講的是New Madrid地區(qū)的斷層。選D
小題2:細(xì)節(jié)理解題。本文第四段和第五段內(nèi)容可以判斷The San Andreas fault是水平地震,而The New Madrid fault是垂直地震,所以A項(xiàng)正確。
小題3:推理判斷題。根據(jù)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項(xiàng);根據(jù)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年的地震在今天發(fā)生很多人就會死了,推測答案為D
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Back in old times, people had little knowledge about the universe and nature. Things we now consider to be common sense were mysteries to our ancestors.
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小題1:The main point of the passage is ______.
A.to inform people of the knowledge about the universe and nature
B.to introduce major breakthroughs that have been made in science
C.to present some questions we can't yet answer
D.to explain what were once mysteries to our ancestors
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A funny thing happened on the way to the communications revolution: we stopped talking to one another.
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Black Box
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A.Mice, crops, birds’ eggs.
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

This site , all-birds. com, is about bird watching. Enjoy your browsing. There is much to learn and see.
Bird Watching Equipment
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Clothes
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Choosing a Bird Field Guide
Take a good field guide to identify birds. Look for clear color pictures that make it easy to recognize one bird from another. Next to each picture should be detailed descriptions of each bird's anatomy, habits, and what it eats. The guide should have information about what habitat each species uses. Many guides have maps showing the range of different birds along with their migration patterns.
Where and When to see Birds
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Photographing Birds
Patience in Bird Photography
Most birds are afraid of people, and all species have their own comfort zone. With a little  time you can learn the comfort zone of the birds you are photographing. Once they know that you  are not a threat you may be able to get closer.
Type or Style
Your reason for photographing birds may determine your style and the kind of equipment you  use. If you are just recording the kinds of birds you see you don't need to get as close, and you  can use less expensive equipment, then you need for high quality prints.
Photographing Birds in Flight
Photographing birds in flight can be fun. Many digital cameras have a tracking function. With these you focus on the bird, and then as you track it the lens will keep focus.
Use Your Yard
Choose an open area where the birds will get direct sunlight, showing off their magnificent colors.
Try using props
Birds will often land on a stick or post near a seed feeder before going to the feeder. The background was just an out of focus fence but you can use anything you want for a background, and then wait for a bird to perch.
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A.A stick in the yard may scares birds off when you are photographing them.
B.It will be wise for birders to hire a guide for themselves.
C.Birders have to bring some notebooks to keep records of birds' habits.
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