Moderate Earthquake Strikes England

A moderate earthquake struck parts of southeast England on 28 April 2007，toppling chimneys from houses and rousing residents from their beds. Several thousand people were left without power1 in Kent County. One woman suffered minor head and neck injuries.

"lt felt as if the whole house was being slid across like a fun-fair ride,3" said the woman.The British Geological Survey said the 4.3-magnitude quake4 struck at 8:19 a.m. and was centered under the English Channel5，about 8.5 miles south of Dover6 and near the entrance to the Channel Tunnel7.

Witnesses said cracks appeared in walls and chimneys collapsed across the county. Residents said the tremor had lasted for about 10 to 15 seconds.

"I was lying in bed and it felt as if someone had just got up from bed next to me." said Hendrick van Eck，27，of Canterbury8 about 60 miles southeast of London."I then heard the sound of cracking，and it was getting heavier and heavier9.It felt as if someone was at the end of my bed hopping up and down."

There are thousands of moderate quakes on this scale around the world each year，but they are rare in Britain. The April 28 quake was the strongest in Britain since 2002 when a 4.8-magnitude quake struck the central England city of Birmingham10.

The country's strongest earthquake took place in the North Sea in 1931，measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale11. British Geological Survey scientist Roger Musson said the quake took place on 28 April in an area that had seen several of the biggest erthquakes ever to strike Britain，including one in 1580 that caused damage in London and was felt in France.12 Musson predicted that it was only a matter of time13 before another earthquake struck this part of England. However，people should not be scared too much by this prediction，Musson said，as the modern earthquake warning system of Britain should be able to detect a forthcoming quake and announce it several hours before it takes place. This would allow time for people to evacuate and reduce damage to the minimum.

練習:

1. During the April 28 earthquake，the whole England was left without power.

A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned

2. The Channel Tunnel was closed for 10 hours after the earthquake occurred.

A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned

3. It was reported that one lady had got her head and neck injured，but not seriously.

A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned

4. France and several other European countries sent their medical teams to work side by side with the British doctors.

A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned

5. The country's strongest earthquake took place in London in 1580.

A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned

6. Musson predicted that another earthquake would occur in southeast England sooner or later.

A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned

7. It can be inferred from the passage that England is rarely hit by high magnitude earthquakes.

A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned

參考答案與題解:

1. B 題句說2007年4月28日的地震致使全英格蘭都停電，與短文第一段第一句表達的內容不符。短文說地震殃及英格蘭東南部的肯特郡部分地區，電力中斷，幾千名居民無電可用。所以，題句是錯誤的，答案為B。

2. C 本題所說的意思是:地震發生后，海峽隧道關閉了10小時。題句表達的內容短文中找不到，故答案為C。

3. A 題句的意思是:地震中一個婦女的頭部和頸部受了點輕傷。題句表達的意思與第一段最后一句表達的內容相符。所以選項A是答案。

4. C 題句表達的意思是:法國和其他幾個歐洲國家派遣他們的醫療隊去英國與當地的醫生并肩工作。這一內容短文中找不到，故答案為C。

5. B 題句所說的英國最強烈的地震于1580年發生在倫敦，這與短文表述的事實不符。短文第七段第一句明白無誤地說，英國最強烈的地震于1931年發生在北海。題句表達的信息是錯誤的，故答案為B。

6. A 題句說Masson預言在英格蘭東南部遲早將發生另一次地震。這一說法與短文最后一段第三句所表達的意思相符。所以答案是A。

7. A 短文第六段第一句說，全球每年發生強度為里氏4級左右的地震有幾千次，但是這種中等強度的地震在英格蘭很少發生。據此，讀者可以容易地推斷出，高震級的地震在英格蘭就更少見了。

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