阅读理解

First the ground shook in Haiti， then Chile and Turkey. The earthquakes kept coming hard and fast last year， causing people to wonder if something bad was happening underfoot. Its not.

While it may seem as if there are more earthquakes occurring， there really arent. The problem is whats happening above ground， not underground， experts say.

More people are moving into big cities that happen to be built in quake zones， and theyre rapidly putting up buildings that cant withstand earthquakes， scientists believe.

And around-the-clock news report and better earthquake monitoring make it seem as if earthquakes are ever-present.

On average， there are 134 earthquakes a year that have a magnitude between 6.0 and 6.9， according to the US Geological Survey. Last year was off to a fast start with 40—more than in most years for that time period.

But thats because the 8.8 quake in Chile generated a large number of strong aftershocks， and so many quakes early this year skews （扭曲） the picture， said Paul Earle， a US seismologist （地震学家）.

Also， its not the number of quakes， but their devastating （破坏性的） effects that gain attention， with the death largely due to construction standards and crowding， Earle added. “Earthquakes dont kill people， buildings do，” he said.

There have been more deaths over the past years from earthquakes， said University of Colorado geologist Roger Bilham. Bilham called for better construction standards in the worlds big cities.

Developing nations， where populations are growing， dont pay attention to earthquake， Bilham said. “If you have a problem feeding yourself， youre not really going to worry about earthquakes.”

Another reason quakes seem worse is that were paying attention more. The Haiti earthquake quickly followed by the 8.8 in Chile made everyone start to think.

But it wont last， said US disaster researcher Deniis Mileti. “People are paying attention to the violent planet weve always lived on，” Mileti said. “Come back in another six months if there has been no earthquakes， most people will have forgotten it again.”

1. Which of the following is the reason for the seeming increase in earthquakes？

A. Greater underground activity.

B. Worse earthquake monitoring.

C. Around-the-clock news report.

D. A larger number of huge buildings.

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE？

A. Large cities are often built in quake zones.

B. There is an evil force below the worlds surface.

C. The earthquake in Chili caused many aftershocks.

D. More attention has been paid to the earthquakes in developing countries.

3. According to Paul Earle， great damage of earthquakes are mainly caused by ___ .

A. large cities

B. larger earthquakes

C. not enough warnings about earthquakes

D. poor construction standards and overcrowding

4. The text mainly tells us why ___ .

A. earthquakes are so devastating

B. earthquakes seem to be more serious

C. recent earthquakes struck large cities

D. the number of earthquakes is increasing

选词填空

用方框里单词的正确形式填空，使其句意完整。每空一词，有两个词是多余的。

affect worldwide position active damage

fortunately warn movement cause feature

1. The radio gave a ____ of bad weather.

2. The Internet is a（n） ____ computer network.

3. She is wonderfully ____ for her age.

4. Most of the ____ was caused by your sister， who was to blame.

5. ____ ， the fire was discovered soon after it had started.

6. Scientists study the earthquake because it ____ our lives in many ways.

7. She was the quick-footed and energetic in all her ____ .

8. A heavy lorry broke down on the motorway， ____ long delays.

句子翻译

1. 这一事故把汽车损坏得很厉害。

2. 地震是地球上最有威力的事件之一，其后果可能是令人恐怖的。

3. 树叶被风卷起，在空中飘着。

4. 老妇人说城里发生了大变化，还修建了许多新学校。

书面表达

假设你是中学生李华。你班来了一位美国交换生Johnson，他一时无法融入新的班集体中，感到很苦恼。请根据下列要点用英语给他写封信。

1. 帮他分析原因；

2. 给他提出建议；

3. 陈述你帮助他的具体打算。

注意：

1. 词数100左右，信的开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数；

2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Dear Johnson，

I know you are worried and upset that you dont know how to deal with the change of the environment.

Best regards，

Li Hua