2016年12月英语六级阅读段落匹配练习及答案(5)

　　K) We understand earthquakes a lot better than we did even 50 years ago, but we still can’t do much about them. They are caused by fundamental, powerful geological processes that are far beyond our control. These processes are also fairly unpredictable, so it’s not possible at this time to tell people exactly when an earthquake is going to occur. The first detected earthquake waves will tell us that more powerful vibrations are on their way, but this only gives us a few minutes’ warning, at most.

　　L) So what can we do about earthquakes? The major advances over the past 50 years have been in preparedness, particularly in the field of construction engineering. In 1973, the Uniform Building Code, an international set of standards for building construction,7 added7 specifications7 to7 strengthen7 buildings7 against7 the7 force7 of7 earthquake7 waves.7 This7 includes7 strengthening7 support7 material7 as7 well7 as7 designing buildings so they are flexible enough to absorb vibrations without falling or deteriorating. It’s very important to design structures that can undergo this sort of attack, particularly in earthquake -prone areas.

　　M) Another component of preparedness is educating the public. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) and other government agencies have produced several brochures explaining the processes involved in an earthquake and giving instructions on how to prepare your house for a possible earthquake, as well as what to do when a quake hits.

　　N) In the future, improvements in prediction and preparedness should further minimize the loss of life and property associated with earthquakes. But it will be a long time, if ever, before we’ll be ready for every substantial earthquake that might occur. Just like severe weather and disease, earthquakes are an unavoidable force generated by the powerful natural processes that shape our planet. All we can do is increase our understanding of the phenomenon and develop better ways to deal with it.

　　1. Earthquake-related fatalities are usually caused by buildings，collapse and other ensuing natural disasters, not by the shaking ground itself.

　　2. Besides movements of the earth’s plates, other forces such as volcanic eruptions, meteor impacts and so on, can also cause earthquakes.

　　3. Earthquakes actually occur every day; most of them are not big enough to get our attention.

　　4. People generally think the ground beneath their feet is completely stable, but earthquakes shatter that idea in no time.

　　5. We cannot prevent earthquakes but we can actively find better ways to face them.

　　6. Earthquakes are hardly predictable, and people cannot be told when an earthquake is going to occur.

　　7. Scientists have found out forces that cause earthquakes through years of efforts.

　　8. Architects now have designed flexible buildings to minimize the damages of earthquakes.

　　9. Scientists use the theory of plate tectonics to explain the apparent movement of continents over time.

　　10. The convergent plate boundaries refer to the lines where plates push toward each other.

　　文章精要

　　地震危害巨大，了解地震对减少其带来的损失有着重要意义。本文讲解了引 发地震的因素、与地震有关的地壳板块运动和地震的危害，并指出尽管人类还无 法准确预测地震，但一些必要的防御措施能够减少地震带来的损失。

　　答案解析

　　1. E 本题是对E段最后一句话的同义转述。定位关键词是Earthquake-related fatalities。原文用it’s not...that claims lives; it’s...结构指出“通常不是地壳晃 动引起的死亡，而是伴随而来的房屋倒塌或其他自然灾害导致的死亡”， 题目用...be caused by...not by...结构表达了同样的意思。

　　2. C 本题是对C段最后两句的归纳，题目将两句话的含义概括为一句话。定位关键词是 movements of the earth$s plates, volcanic eruptions, meteor impacts。

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