阅读理解。
People in Mutsuhito, Japan, lived through one hundreds, and sometimes thousands, a day. But they
couldn't get used to it.
What was it? It was a string of earthquakes that made the small town shake all the time.This went on
for more than a year. Sometimes the quakes were very small. Only certain instruments could pick them
up.At other times, the quakes damaged houses and land. The people were always afraid. They wished
they knew how to stop the ground from shaking.
People all over the world would like to know when an earthquake is coming. But an earthquake is
almost always a surprise. Under the surface of the Earth, huge blocks of rock drift apart or slide against
each other.The ground above splits apart or rumbles and shakes.
Some scientists hope to predict quakes by keeping a close watch on animals. It seems that some
animals can sense an earthquake coming. In 1969, animals in a Chinese zoo began to act funny one day.
Swans flew out of their pond. A panda sat down, covered its eyes with its paws, and groaned. The
animals seemed to know that something was about to happen. And it did. An earthquake struck. What
was it that the animals sensed? Scientists are trying to find out.
Keeping close track of the Earth's magnetic force in earthquake areas may also help. A few years ago,
in Hollister, CA, scientists kept a record of the area's magnetic pull. For one week, the force grew
stronger. Then it weakened suddenly. A day later, an earthquake struck.
It may become possible to know when and where an earthquake will happen. But it will be much
harder to stop one from happening.
Many scientists think that the Earth's covering is not smooth. They say the earth's "skin" is made up of
huge puzzle pieces called plates. Land and ocean floors make up these huge plates. Under the Earth's
crust (外壳), or plates, is hot rock. The plates float on top of this rock. Sometimes the rock forces its
way through the crust. What happens then? A volcano is born! More often, the rock moves and forces
the plates to pull away from each other, causing earthquakes to happen.(Volcanoes and earthquakes
often go together.)
Sometimes, the plates end up on top of each other. When this happens, the land above may look
strange. Seen from the air, there seems to be a long scar in the Earth. This is called a fault (断层).The
areas along faults have more earthquakes than other parts of the Earth.
For now, we'll just have to shake along with the Earth. It goes through millions of small earthquakes every year. With luck, you won't feel a thing!
1. In order to predict earthquakes, scientists can ______.Which is wrong according to this passage?
A. keep a close watch on animals
B. keep close track of the Earth's magnetic force in earthquake areas
C. keep inventing instruments to pick up every earthquake
D. keep a record of earthquake area's magnetic pull of force
2. When the rock forces its way through the Earth's crust, ______.
A. a volcano is born
B. an earthquake happens
C. a fault forms
D. the Earth's covering becomes smooth
3. How does a fault form?
A. When California rests on two separate plates.
B. When the plates end up on top of each other.
C. Before an earthquake happens.
D. After volcano comes.
