An earthquake happens when two plates rub (碰撞) together. The earth plates travel in different directions and at different speeds. If one plate is slowly forced underneath the other, pressure builds up until the plates break apart. This process causes the ground to move. It is an earthquake. In other words, earth-quakes are the shaking of the earth’s surface caused by the earth’s rocky outer layer as a result of the energy stored within the earth. The strain within the rocks is suddenly released (释放).
The damage an earthquake causes depends on where it is and the time it is happening. If an unpopulated region is struck, there will be low loss of life or property. If it hits a large city, there may be many in-juries and much destruction. Many of the areas at risk are largely populated now. Major earthquakes hitting those areas today could produce terrible damage.
Actually, there are several million small earth-quakes every year. Large earthquakes such as the 1964 Alaskan quake that measured 9.2 on the Richter scale, cause millions of dollars in damage. In the last 500 years, millions of people have been killed by earth-quakes around the world — including 240,000 in the 1976 Tangshan earthquake in China.
A 60-second or less earthquake can cause devastation that continues for years after the first tremor (小震). In 1972, a series of severe earthquakes struck Managua, Nicaragua. Fifteen years later, the city still looked the way it had a week after the earthquake hit, because the country did not have the necessary money to rebuild it.
The shaking of the earth is sometimes not the greatest disaster. It is in the ensuing fires and floods that often the greatest damage occurs. In the 1906 earthquake, it was the fires caused after it that did the majority of the damage. An earthquake can also destroy dams high above a city or valleys, causing floods to sweep down and sweep away everything in their path.
【小题1】Which of the following is the main idea of the first paragraph?A．An earthquake es from inside the earth.B．The earth has great energy in storage.C．How the earth plates move.D．How an earthquake happens.【小题2】How many examples are used in the passage to show the damage and destruction earthquakes cause?A．Three. B．Four. C．Five.D．Six.【小题3】Which of the following is mentioned to show that an earthquake can kill too many people?A．The 1964 Alaskan quake.B．The 1976 Tangshan earthquake.C．The 1972 Managua earthquake.D．The 1906 earthquake.【小题4】The underlined word “ensuing” in the last paragraph probably means .A．causing too much heat and great damage B．causing many injuries and much destructionC．happening as a result of another event D．happening suddenly and unexpectedly【小题5】By giving the example in Paragraph 4, the author wants to show that .A．an earthquake doesn’t last long B．the damage can last longC．people in Managua suffered too much D．Nicaragua is still a poor countryD
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(答案→)D
解析：文章讲述了地震的起因，以及地震给人们带来的破坏。
【小题1】D 段落大意题。文章讲述的正是地震产生的原因，故D正确。
【小题2】A 细节题。根据文章第三段中提及的两个地震，第四段提及了另外一个地震这三个地震都是举例说明地震的危害的。
【小题3】C 细节题。根据n 1972, a series of severe earthquakes struck Managua, Nicaragua. Fifteen years later, the city still looked the way it had a week可知这次地震袭击的是一座城市，地震发生在城市里会造成比较大的破坏，故C正确。
【小题4】B 猜测词义题。根据上下文可知是指会带来很多破坏和伤亡，故B正确。
【小题5】C 段落大意题。本段文章主要就是为了说明Managua城市的人们遭受的地震带来的痛苦。