A
On February 3, 1931 the peace of New Zealand’s Hawkes Bay region was destroyed when the area was hit by the worst earthquake in New Zealand’s history. At 10: 46 am on that summer’s day, the quake hit with a magnitude of 7. 9 on the Richter scale(里氏震级). The centre of the quake lied some 15 to 20 kilometers north of the two main centers, Napier and Hastings. The quake lasted for two and a half minutes. Many people died in the earthquake.
A fire broke out immediately after the quake. The fire started in a chemist’s shop and spread quickly. Then the Fire Department in Napier came to help, but they were at a loss to control the fire as a result of losing their water supply. However, the water supply in Hastings, was still usable, allowing them to fight back against the fire.
The force of the earthquake destroyed many of the city’s famous landmarks. Chunks of the coastline were thrown into the sea. Napier’s Bluff Hill, a popular tourist spot, was completely destroyed and thrown into the waters below.
Most of the major buildings in the city were completely destroyed. Roads and communications across the whole area were cut. People were afraid to enter their homes for days and found shelters at the local Motor Camp or on the beach. There were about 150 aftershocks(余震)in the 24 hours after the main shock. Over the next 2 weeks, there would be 525 such aftershocks.
【文章大意】文章介绍了1931年2月3日新西兰的霍克斯海湾地区被严重的地震摧毁, 由于缺少水供应, 造成了极大的损失。
21. The worst earthquake took place in New Zealand _____.
A. at night B. in the morning
C. at noon D. in the afternoon
【解析】选B。细节理解题。根据文章第一段At 10: 46 am on that summer’s day, the quake hit with a magnitude of 7. 9 on the Richter scale. 可知, 夏季的一天上午10: 46, 发生了7. 9级地震。
22. The firefighters in Napier failed to put out the fire probably because _____.
A. there was no usable water
B. they couldn’t get close to it
C. the flames spread too quickly
D. The wind was very strong
【解析】选A。细节理解题。根据文章第二段but they were at a loss to control the fire as a result of losing their water supply可知, 但是他们无法控制火势, 因为他们失去了水供应。
23. The last two paragraphs mainly tell us that _____.
A. there were many places of interest in New Zealand
B. the earthquake damaged the city seriously
C. many famous landmarks were thrown into the sea
D. people were afraid to enter their homes for sleep
【解析】选B。段落大意题。根据文章最后两段的内容可知地震摧毁了许多城市的著名地标, 这座城市的大部分主要建筑被完全摧毁了。可知地震对城市破坏严重。故选B。
