A7.0-magnitude(震级)earthquakeattackedKumamoto,JapanonApr...

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A 7.0-magnitude(震级)earthquake attacked Kumamoto, Japan on April 15th, 2016, less than two days after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake rocked the same area. The smaller 6.2-magnitude quake on April 14th killed nine people and injured hundreds more, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. With these two and the memories of the huge 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami(海啸)that destroyd northeast of Japan in 2011 not far from people’s minds, what is it about this part of the world that makes it so active in earthquakes?

First of all, Japan is along the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, which is the most active earthquake area in the world. This “ring” is actually an imaginary U-shaped zone that follows the edge(边缘)of the Pacific Ocean, where many of the world’s earthquakes occur.

“The earthquake in Kumamoto seems to have been caused by the collision(碰撞)between the Philippines Sea Plate(板块)and the Eurasia Plate,” said Paul Caruso, a geophysicist of the USGS. While Japan is no stranger to earthquakes, the 7.0-magnitude earthquake is one of the largest ever recorded in this part of southern Japan, Caruso told Live Science. “The second largest was probably on March 20, 1939 --- there was a magnitude of 6.7 in this area,” he said.

“Not all earthquakes cause tsunamis,” Caruso said. In general, there are three key elements that can produce a dangerous earthquake-tsunami combination, he added. First, the earthquake must be at least 7.0-magnitude. Second, the quake’s epicenter(震中)has to be under the ocean, Caruso said. And finally, the earthquake hasn’t to be too deep.

“We have quakes around Fiji all the time, but those are sometimes 640 kilometers underground, so they aren’t going to cause a tsunami,” he said. The one in Kumamoto was about 10 km underground but the epicenter was on land, Caruso said.

“There are lots of large aftershocks,” Caruso told Live Science. “And of course, after a large earthquake, buildings are often weakened as a result. Additional damage can be expected. ” People living in the area should expect more shaking in the coming days, according to Caruso. “We can say for certain that there are going to be more aftershocks in this area,” he said. “Exactly when and how big they’re going to be is difficult to say, though. No one can predict that.”

24. The earthquake happened on April 15th in Kumamoto ________.

A. was the largest one that ever happened there

B. caused the movement of the Philippines Sea Plate and the Eurasia Plate

C. was the first one that reached the magnitude of 7.0 in Japan

D. brought great destruction to the northeastern part of Japan

25. What does the underlined word “elements” in Para 4 mean?

A. Conclusions.                                B. Influences.

C. Ingredients.                                  D. Intentions.

26. Which inference about the Kumamoto earthquake is the most probably correct?

A. It didn’t cause too much destruction to the buildings.

B. The epicenter was too deep to cause tsunami.

C. The aftershocks were well-controlled.

D. It didn’t bring about any powerful tsunamis.

27. Which of the following might be the title of the passage?

A. Why Are Earthquakes in Japan So Destructive?

B. Why Do So many Earthquakes Attack Japan?

C. Why Do Earthquakes Cause Tsunamis in Japan?

D. Why Do So Many Earthquakes Happen?

【回答】

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知识点：科普环保类阅读

题型：阅读理解