阅读理解
Aterrifyingexampleofthesea'spowersawabout200000peoplediein12differentcountrieslastweek.Thedevastation(毁坏)wascausedwhenamassiveearthquakesenttsunamis(海啸)smashingintoIndianOceancoastlines.
CommunitiesinSriLanka.IndonesiaThailandIndiaMalaysiaandEastAfricahavebeendestroyedbythemonsterwaves.Wholetownswereimplysweptasidebythepowerofthewater.Carstrainsandbuildingscouldnotsurvive(幸免)letalonethepeoplewhostoodintheway.
Theearthquakemeasured9.0ontheRichterscale(里氏震级)andoccurredoffthecoastofIndonesia.Itwasrecordedasthefifthstrongestsince1900.
ScientistssaidthequakewasaspowerfulasamillionoftheatomicbombsthatweredroppedonJapanduringWorldWarⅡ.“Thismaybetheworstnaturaldisasterinrecenthistorybecauseitisaffectingsomanyheavilypopulatedcoastalareas"saidJanEgelandaUNofficial.
BecausesuchwavesrarelyhappenintheIndianOceanthereisnosysteminplacetowarncoastalcommunitiestheyareabouttobehit.
TsunamiisJapanesefor“harbourwave.”TheyareusuallycausedbyasuddenriseorfallofpartoftheEarth'scrust(地壳)undertheocean.TsunamisoftenhappeninoceansandtheyaremostcommoninthePacific.Normallyatsunamisincludesaseriesofwaves.
Tsunamiscanbeverylong-asmucha100kilometres-andbeasfarasonehourapart.Theyareabletocrossentireoceanswithoutlosingmuchenergy.OneofthemoststrikingfactsabouttsunamisisthatanearthquakeononesideofthePacificOceancancausegiantwaveanddestructionontheotherside.
Whentheoceanisdeeptsunamiscantravelunnoticedatspeedsofupto800kilometresperhour.Theycancrosstheentireoceaninadayorless.
Thewavemayonlybeafewmetreshighintheoceanbutwhenitisneartheshoreandreachesshallow(浅)waterthewavebuildsupveryquicklyinheight.Witnesses(目击者)insomeareasofIndonesiareportedseeingupto10-metrehighwavescrashintotheshore.
1.WecaninferfromthepassagethatfewerpeoplewouldhavediedintheSouthAsiantsunami________.
[]
A.iftherehadbeenwarningsystemalongthecoast
B.iftheearthquakehadhappenedoffthecoastofThailand
邮箱: 联系方式: