首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Earthquake Can Scientists Predict Killer Earthquakes? The date was November 23,1980.People near Naples,in Southern Italy
Earthquake Can Scientists Predict Killer Earthquakes? The date was November 23,1980.People near Naples,in Southern Italy
admin
2010-07-24
70
问题
Earthquake
Can Scientists Predict Killer Earthquakes?
The date was November 23,1980.People near Naples,in Southern Italy,felt the earth roll and shake. Earthquake! Suddenly buildings came tumbling down. Cracks appeared in the earth.Within minutes,entire towns were destroyed.Thousands of people were dead.Thousands more were injured.
As rescuers searched through the rubble,many people must have wondered,if only the victims had known ahead of time,many lives could have been saved.
Actually,an Italian scientist did predict that such a quake would happen.In 1977 Dr.M.Caputo of the Universite Degiles Studi in Rome warned that a large quake would soon strike the east of Naples.Unfortunately,he couldn’t predict the exact time and date of the quake.
Dr.Caputo made his general prediction after talking with scientists at 54 earthquake-monitoring stations throughout Italy.He learned that many earthquakes had recently rocked different areas around Naples.But none had occurred in one particular spot east of Naples for many years.Dr. Caputo felt that the area was long overdue for a large quake.And it was.
Earthquake Strikes in Gap
The quake occurred in a region that Dr.Caputo called a seismic gap.A seismic gap is an area in an active earthquake region where no earthquake or seismic activity has been recorded in a long time.Seismic gaps are located where two large plates in the earth have become stuck.
When the plates slide past each other,they sometimes became locked in place.A similar thing happens when you make a running leap on a sidewalk while wearing sneakers.When you 1and on both feet,the sneakers grab onto rough surface.Friction tends to hold your feet back while the rest of your body goes forward.You may end up falling flat on your face.
In the case of plates,however,the uneven surfaces between the plates cause the plates to remain locked in place for years.Huge pressure builds up behind each plate.Periodically,a shudder,or tremor,is recorded as some of this energy is released.
Finally,after about 50 years,rock in the seismic gap either suddenly breaks or moves under the great stress.This sudden release of energy sends shock waves through the rock layers above.The ground shakes,sidewalks crack,and buildings tumble.A mighty quake has struck.
Gaps Used to Predict Quakes
Many geologists have used what is called the seismic gap technique to accurately predict earthquakes.The technique was first developed by Soviet earthquake expert Dr.V.Fodotov during his studies of ancient and recent Japanese earthquakes.Dr.Fodotov was marking the location,size,and date of all known quakes in Japan when he noticed a striking pattern.
All major earthquakes were found to occur in only a few isolated spots in Japan.Each of these spots,he noted,experienced a major quake only once every 50 to 60 years.Dr.Fodotov concluded that spots that hadn’t had a quake in more than 50 years were “ripe” for a quake.The Russian scientist named these locations seismic gaps.
In the past several years,geologists from other countries have found seismic gaps in other parts of the world.After making detailed studies of past quakes in these regions,the geologists were able to make an accurate prediction of when a quake would occur.
How Do Animals Know When an Earthquake Is Coming?
Scientists who try to predict earthquakes have gotten some new helpers recently-animals.
That’s right,animals.Scientists have begun to catch on to what farmers have known for thousands of years.Animals often seem to know in advance that an earthquake is coming,and they show their fear by acting in strange ways.Before a Chinese quake in1975,snakes awoke from their winter sleep early only to freeze to death in the cold air.Cows broke their halters and tried to escape.Chickens refused to enter their coop.All of this unusual behavior,as well as physical changes in the earth,alerted Chinese scientists to the coming quake. They moved people away from the danger zone and saved thousands of lives.
One task for scientists today is to learn exactly which types of animal behavior predict quakes. It’s not an easy job.First of all not every animal reacts to the danger of an earthquake.Just before a California quake in 1977,for example,an Arabian stallion became very nervous and tried to break out of his stall.The horse next to him,however, remained perfectly calm.It’s also difficult at times to tell the difference between normal animal restlessness and “earthquake nerves”.A zookeeper once called earthquake researchers to say that his cougar had been acting strangely.It turned out that the cat had an upset stomach.
A second task for scientists is to find out exactly what kind of warnings the animals receive.They know that animals’sense far more of the world than humans do.Many animals can see,hear,and smell things that people do not even notice.Some can detect tiny changes in air pressure,gravity,or the magnetism of earth.This extra sense probably helps animals predict quakes.
A good example of this occurred with a group of dogs.They were penned up in an area that was being shaken by a series of tiny earthquakes.Several small quakes often come before or after a large one.Before each quake a low booming sound was heard.Each boom caused the dogs to bark wildly.Then the dogs began to bark during a silent period.A scientist who was recording tile quakes looked at his machine.It was acting as though there was a loud noise too.The scientist realized that the dogs had reacted to a booming noise.They also sensed the tiny quake that followed it.The machine recorded both,though humans felt and heard nothing.
In this case there was a machine to monitor what the dogs were sensing.Many times,however,our machines record nothing out of the ordinary,even though animals know a quake is coming.The animals might be sensing something we do measure but do not recognize as a warning.Discovering what animals sense,and learning how they know it is a danger signal,is a j ob for future scientists.
Since______of the earthquake striking east of Naples,people there suffered heavy loss in the destruction.
选项
A、no prediction had been made
B、no correct prediction had been made
C、no one had predicted the precise date
D、no one had cared about Dr.Caputo’s prediction
答案
C
解析
细节题。根据题目中的east of Naples找到小标题Can Scientists Predict Killer Earthquakes下第三段Actually,fin Italian scientist did predict that such a quake would happen. In 1977 Dr. M. Caputo of the Universite Degiles Studi in Rome warned that a large quake would soon strike the east of Naples. Unfortunately,he couldn’t predict the exact time and date of the quake. (事实上,一位意大利的科学家的确预测在那不勒斯会发生一场大地震。1977年Caputo博士预测在那不勒斯东面会有地震发生,但遗憾的是他无法预测具体的时间和日期)。这道题的答案是C。
转载请注明原文地址:https://www.kaotiyun.com/show/eqN7777K
0
大学英语四级
相关试题推荐
Althoughthepossibilityoflivingalongandhappylifenowadaysisgreaterthaneverbefore,everydaywewitnesstheincredib
Althoughthepossibilityoflivingalongandhappylifenowadaysisgreaterthaneverbefore,everydaywewitnesstheincredib
PreparingforTestsIdeallyitshouldbeloveoflearning,achievement,andself-improvementthatpromptsalllearning.But
OnegreaterbenefitoftheWebisthatitallowsustomoveinformationonlinethatnowresidesinpaperform.Electroniccommer
Wecanseehowtheproductlifecycleworksbylookingattheintroductionofinstantcoffee.Whenitwasintroduced,mostpeopl
Wecanseehowtheproductlifecycleworksbylookingattheintroductionofinstantcoffee.Whenitwasintroduced,mostpeopl
Oceanographyhasbeendefinedas"theapplicationofallsciencestothestudyofthesea".Beforethe19thcentury,scientists
Newtechnologylinkstheworldasneverbefore.Ourplanethasshrunk.It’snowa"globalvillage"wherecountriesareonlyseco
Today,mostcountriesintheworldhavecanals.Manycountrieshavebuiltcanalsnearthecoast,andparallel【C1】______thecoast
随机试题
下述记录有效积温的方式正确的是()
下列有关光化性唇炎与其他疾病的鉴别诊断,说法错误的是
头颅后前位摄影应与胶片垂直的体表定位线是
某超固结黏土层厚度为6.0m,前期固结压力pc=450kPa,压缩指数Cc=0.36,再压缩曲线上回弹指数Cs=0.16。该黏土层的天然孔隙比e0=0.74,其平均自重压力p1=240kPa,建筑物在该黏土层中产生的平均附加应力△p=300kPa。试问:该
某地下人防工程地下2层,地下二层的室内地面与室外出入口地坪之间高差为11m。地下一层为电影院、商场和餐厅,建筑面积均大于1000m2,地下二层整层为商店,建筑面积大于20000m2。电影院设有7部通至室外的封闭楼梯间,其中大厅所在防火分区2部,其余每个防火
甲公司因购货原因于2016年1月1日应付乙公司账款100万元,货款偿还期限为3个月。2016年4月1日,甲公司因发生财务困难,无法偿还到期债务,经与乙公司协商进行债务重组。双方同意:以甲公司一项专利权抵偿债务。该专利权原值为100万元,已累计摊销40万元,
心理过程的内在协调一致是区分()。
人们试图去预测世界发展线路或寻求过分简化及单向的解决办法,对此我们都应保持怀疑的态度,因为世界形势极其复杂。发展趋势分析则在我们展望未来时提供了一种更为错综复杂的观点,使我们集中关注所要面临的决策分析。对这段文字理解正确的是:
蔡某想做生意,无奈手中缺钱,某日趁自己做生意的朋友律某之子小东放学之机,骗其到自己事先租用的一所房子内,打电话要挟律某用20万元换孩子。律某报警,蔡某发现后将小东杀死。对蔡某的行为应当()。
Historianshaveonlyrecentlybeguntonotetheincreaseindemandforluxurygoodsandservicestookplaceineighteenth-centur
最新回复
(
0
)