A
The US government has recently helped people learn more about the dangers of earthquakes by publishing a map.This map shows the chances of an earthquake in each part of the country.The areas of the map where earthquakes are most likely to occur are called earthquake belts.The government is spending a great deal of money and is working hard to help to discover the answers to these two questions：
Can we predict earthquakes?
Can we control earthquakes?
To answer the first question，scientists are looking very closely at the most active fault (断层) systems in the country，such as the San Andreas fault in California.A fault is a break between two sections of the earth's surface.These breaks between sections are the places where earthquakes occur.Scientists look at the faults for changes which might show that an earthquake was about to occur.But it will probably be many years before we can predict earthquakes correctly.And the control of earthquakes is even farther away.
However，there have been some interesting developments in the field of controlling earthquakes.The most interesting development concerns the Rocky Mountain Arsenal earthquakes.Here water was put into a layer of rocks 4，000 metres below the surface of the ground.Shortly after this injection (注射) of water，there was a small number of earthquakes.Scientists have decided that the water which was injected into the rocks worked like oil on each other.
When the water “oiled” the fault，the fault became slippery and the energy of an earthquake was given out.Scientists are still experimenting at the site of these earthquakes.They have realized that there is a connection between the injection of the water and the earthquake activity.They have suggested that it might be possible to use this knowledge to prevent very big，dangerous earthquakes，that is，scientists could inject some kind of fluid like water into faults and change one big earthquake into a number of small，harmless earthquakes.
【语篇解读】 本文是一篇说明文。为了提高人们对地震的防范意识，美国政府加大了在防震、预测方面的投入，他们甚至在努力采取措施控制地震的发生。
1．Earthquakes belts are________．
A．maps that show where earthquakes are likely to occur
B．zones with a high probability of earthquakes
C．breaks between two sections of the earth's surface
D．the two layers of earth along a fault
B [细节理解题。根据第一段的第三句可知，地震多发地带被称为earthquake belts。]
2．The San Andreas fault is________．
A．an active fault system
B．a place where earthquakes have been predicted correctly
C．a place where earthquakes have been controlled
D．at the foot of the Rocky Mountain
A [细节理解题。根据第二段可知，该地区为地震比较活跃的地区。]
3．What did scientists learn about earthquakes at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal?
A．They occur at about 4，000 metres below ground level.
B．The injection of water into earthquake faults prevents earthquakes from occurring.
C．They are usually caused by the oil in the faults.
D．Harmful earthquakes could be prevented by causing harmless earthquakes.
D [细节理解题。根据最后一段尾句可知选D。]
4．What can be said about the experiments at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal?
A．They have no practical value in earthquake prevention.
B．They may have practical value in earthquake prevention.
C．They are certain to have practical value in earthquake prevention.
D．Nothing is told about their practical value in earthquake prevention.
B [推理判断题。根据科学家的试验，通过向断裂带注水可以引发小地震，从而使地震的能量得到释放，因此也就降低了大地震爆发的可能。]
