發布時間:2016-09-18 共1頁
Sleeping Giant
Right now, an eruption is brewing in Yellowstone National Park. Sometime during the next two hours, the park’s most famous geyser, Old Faithful, will begin gurgling boiling water and steam. 1
Old Faithful is not only a spectacular sight; it’s also a constant reminder that Yellowstone sits on one of the largest volcanoes in the world. If you’ve never heard of Yellowstone’s volcano, you’re not alone. 2 Yet it has erupted three times during the last 2 million years. And one of those eruptions spewed enough volcanic ash and other debris to blanket half the United States.
Yellowstone’s volcano is sometimes called a “supervolcano,” or extremely large and explosive caldera volcano. 3 This supervolcano formed over a hot spot, an extremely hot area in Earth’s mantle. John Valley, a volcano professor, said that as the crust moves across a hot spot, the hot spot melts a section of the plate moving over it, forming “one volcano after another.”
The Yellowstone hot spot melts thick continental crust, which may cause catastrophic eruptions. According to experts the eruptions that created each of the three calderas in and around Yellowstone National Park were larger than any other volcanic eruption in recorded history. The most recent eruption, which happened 640,000 years ago, produced at least 1,000 cubic kilometers of ash and debris, which blanketed most of the western half of the United States. 4
Geological evidence shows Yellowstone has blown its stack every 700,000 years or so1. “If nature were truly that regular and reliable, we would be due for another eruption soon,2” said Valley. “However, these processes are subject to variability, so we don’t really know when the next eruption will happen.”
5 It is the volcanic energy that powers the geysers and hot springs, creates the mountains and canyons, and generates the unique ecosystems that support Yellow tone’s diverse wildlife3. 詞匯: brew /bru:/ n.醞釀 crust /krQst/ n.地殼 Yellowstone National Park黃石國家公園 mantle /5mAntl/ n.地幔 geyser /5^aizE/ n.間歇泉 continental / / adj.大陸的 gurgle /5^E:^l/ v.汩汩地流 catastrophic /9kAtE`strCfIk/ adj.災難的 spew /spju:/ v.噴涌 variability / / n.可變性 caldera /kAl5diErE/ n.火山口洼地 canyon /5kAnjEn/ n.峽谷注釋:
1. every 700,000 years or so:每 70萬年左右
2. If nature were truly that regular and reliable, we would be due for another eruption soon:如果自然界真的如此有規律,如此可靠,那么,我們將很快面臨另一次火山噴發。這是一個虛擬句。注意從句中的動詞用了 were,不是 is或 was,主句中用了 would be,不是 will be。
3. It is the volcanic energy that powers the geysers and hot springs, creates the mountains and canyons, and generates the unique ecosystems that support Yellowstone’s diverse wildlife:這是一句用了 it is … that結構的強調句。被
強調的內容放在 it is和 that之間。本句被強調的是 the volcanic energy。被強調前的句子是: The volcanic energy powers the geysers and hot springs, creates the mountains and canyons, and generates the unique ecosystems that support Yellowstone’s diverse wildlife.
練習:
A Three calderas make up more than a third of Yellowstone National Park. B The first Yellowstone eruption, 2 million years ago, released more than double that amount of ash and debris. C The volcano is so inconspicuous (不顯眼的 ) that few people know it exists. D Then, an enormous fountain will shoot high into the air. E While the active geological processes at Yellowstone do pose some risk to the public, they also make it a unique treasure. F Yellowstone National Park attracts the interest of geologists the world over.
答案與題解:
1. D 第一段第二句說,在隨后的兩個小時的某一時刻,間歇泉會涌出沸水和蒸汽。后續句應該是選項 D。boiling water變成 fountain, shoot high into the air。
2. C 第二段第二句說,如果你不知道黃石公園的下面是火山,沒有關系,很多人都不知道。為什么會如此呢? C道出了原因。所以, C是答案。
3. A 第三段第一句說黃石公園的火山 extremely large,所以有時候被稱為 supervolcano。選項 A的句子具體說明這個 supervolcano大到什么程度,所以是答案。
4. B 在選項 B的 more than double that amount of ash and debris這個短語中,有關鍵詞 double that amount,說明前面句子一定有一個數字。檢查后 .發現這個數字是“ 1,000 cubic kilometers of ash and debris”,可以斷定,選項 B的句子就是要放回原位的句子。
5. E “空 5”所在段的前面兩段介紹了黃石公園火山以前噴發時的可怕情景。“空 5”所在段敘述火山能量帶來的好處。這是兩種情景截然相反的描寫,中間很可能有一句過渡句,把它們連接起來。選項 E就是過渡句,應該是本題的答案。