GRE阅读题目解析:地震断层

2017-09-22 09:17

来源：新东方在线

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　　GRE阅读题目解析:地震断层

　　Most seismologists assume that following a major earthquake and its aftershocks, the fault (a break in Earth’s crust where pressure can trigger an earthquake) will remain quiet until stresses have time to rebuild, typically over hundreds or thousands of years. Recent evidence of subtle interactions between earthquakes may overturn this assumption, however. According to the stress triggering hypothesis, faults are unexpectedly responsive to subtle stresses they acquire as neighboring faults shift. Rather than simply dissipating, stress relieved during an earthquake travels along the fault, concentrating in sites nearby; even the smallest additional stresses may then trigger another quake along the fault or on a nearby fault. Although scientists have long viewed such subtle interactions as nonexistent, the hypothesis has explained the location and frequency of earthquakes following several destructive quakes in California, Japan, and Turkey.

　　1. According to the passage, which of the following is an assumption that may be invalidated by recent seismological evidence?

　　A. Earthquakes are caused by stresses building up in faults within Earth’s crust.

　　B. Most major earthquakes can be predicted with reasonable accuracy.

　　C. Faults are highly responsive to even minor stresses in neighboring faults.

　　D. Most major earthquakes are followed by predictable aftershocks.

　　E. A fault that has resulted in a major earthquake becomes quiet for a long period.

　　For the following question, consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.

　　2. The passage suggests that most seismologists believe which of the following about fault stresses?

　　A. They are dissipated when they result in an earthquake.

　　B. They are transferred between neighboring faults.

　　C. They will not cause a major earthquake along the same fault in the space of a few years.

　　1

　　Most seismologists【sīz-'mä-lə-jist, sīs】 assume that following a major earthquake and its aftershocks, the fault (a break in Earth’s crust where pressure can trigger an earthquake) will remain quiet until stresses have time to rebuild, typically over hundreds or thousands of years.

　　多数地震学家假设，一次大地震及其余震过后，断层(地壳的一处断裂，挤压可能引发地震)会沉寂一段时间，直到压力随时间重新积累，往往要经过成百上千年。

　　2

　　Recent evidence of subtle interactions between earthquakes may overturn this assumption, however.

　　然而最近发现的一些，地震之间存在细微互动的证据，可能推翻这种假设。

　　3

　　According to the stress triggering hypothesis, faults are unexpectedly responsive to subtle stresses they acquire as neighboring faults shift.

　　根据压力触发假设，断层不该对附近断层移动所产生的细微压力有反应。

　　4

　　Rather than simply dissipating, stress relieved during an earthquake travels along the fault, concentrating in sites nearby; even the smallest additional stresses may then trigger another quake along the fault or on a nearby fault.

　　一次地震释放出的压力并不简单地消散，而是沿断层传递，集聚在附近某处;即使是最小的外加压力，都可能触发断层沿线或附近其他断层的再次地震。

　　5

　　Although scientists have long viewed such subtle interactions as nonexistent, the hypothesis has explained the location and frequency of earthquakes following several destructive quakes in California, Japan, and Turkey.

　　尽管科学家们一直认为不存在这种小互动，但这种假设解释了发生在加州，日本和土耳其的，一系列紧跟着破坏性大地震的，地震的地点和频率。

　　1. According to the passage, which of the following is an assumption that may be invalidated by recent seismological evidence?

　　A. Earthquakes are caused by stresses building up in faults within Earth’s crust.

　　B. Most major earthquakes can be predicted with reasonable accuracy.

　　C. Faults are highly responsive to even minor stresses in neighboring faults.

　　D. Most major earthquakes are followed by predictable aftershocks.

　　E. A fault that has resulted in a major earthquakebecomes quiet for a long period.

　　选 E

　　细节题，根据在句 1：

　　Most seismologists assume that following a major earthquake and its aftershocks, the fault (a break in Earth’s crust where pressure can trigger an earthquake)will remain quiet until stresses have time to rebuild, typically over hundreds or thousands of years.

　　句 2 说这种假设被挑战了：

　　Recent evidence of subtle interactions between earthquakes may overturn this assumption, however.

　　For the following question, consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.

　　2. The passage suggests that most seismologists believe which of the following about fault stresses?

　　A. They are dissipated when they result in an earthquake.

　　B. They are transferred between neighboring faults.

　　C. They will not cause a major earthquake along the same fault in the space of a few years.

　　选 AC

　　另一道细节题。

　　most seismologists 持哪种观点?

　　根据第一句，他们同意作者攻击的那种观点，即认为断层经过一次地震后，要安静一段时间，等积蓄了足够力量才会再次爆发。

　　所以选 AC。