单选题

Study Helps Predict Big Mediterranean Quake

Scientists have found evidence that an overlooked fault in the eastern Mediterranean is likely to produce an earthquake and tsunami every 800 years as powerful as the one that destroyed Alexandria in AD 365.
Using radiocarbon dating techniques, simulations and computer models, the researchers recreated the ancient disaster in order to identify the responsible fault. "We are saying there is probably a repeat time of 800 years for this kind of earthquake," said Ms. Beth Shaw, an earthquake scientist at the University of Cambridge, who led the study. Scientists study past earthquakes in order to determine the future possibility of similar large shocks.
Identifying the fault for the AD 365 earthquake and tsunami is important for the tens of millions of people in the region, Ms. Shaw said. The fault close to the southwest coast of Crete last produced a big enough quake to generate a tsunami about 1300, which means the next powerful one could come in the next 100 years, she added in a telephone interview.
Ms. Shaw and her colleagues calculate the likely intervals by measuring the motion of either side of the fault to find how often such large earthquakes would have to occur to account for that level of motion, she said. Their computer model suggested an 8 magnitude quake on the fault would produce a tsunami that floods the coastal regions of Alexandria and North Africa, the southern coast of Greece and Sicily all the way up the Adriati to Duhrovnik. This would be similar to the ancient quake in AD 365 that caused widespread destruction in much of Greece and unleashed a tsunami that flooded Alexandria and the Nile Delta, likely killing tens of thousands of people, she said.

单选题 The fault, which was overlooked before, has been closely studied by scientists.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[解析] 题意：以前曾被人忽视的地中海断层，已经被科学家们细致地研究过了。
文章围绕着地中海断层来展开，第一段总括了主题，第二段讲述了科学家借助各种手段发现了断层的存在，第三段和第四段科学家推算了地震和海啸的周期，以及认定公元365年的地震和海啸是由断层的运动所引起。所以，题干叙述正确。故本题选A。

单选题 It is fun to identify the fault for the AD 365 earthquake and tsunami.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] 题意：确定断层造成了公元365年的地震和海啸是很有趣的。
根据文章第三段第一句“identifying the fault for the AD 365 earthquake and tsunami is important for the tens of millions of people in the region”可知，确定断层造成了公元365年的地震和海啸对这个地区的人们是很重要的，题干将important换成了fun，所以叙述错误。故本题选B。

单选题 Radiocarbon dating techniques can be used to identify the age of the earth.

单选题 Scientists predict that the next powerful earthquake in the eastern Mediterranean may take place some time before 2100.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[解析] 题意：科学家们预测地中海东部地区下一次发生超强地震大约会在2100年前的某个时候。
根据文章第二段第二句“we are saying there is probably a repeat time of 800 years for this kind of earthquake”和第三段最后一句“the fault close to the southwest coast of Crete last produced a big enough quake to generate a tsunami about 1300, which means the next powerful one could come in the next 100 years”可知，地震的周期为800年，而上一次发生的时间约是1300年，所以下一次发生的时间大约在2100年，由in the next 100 years也可推测约在2100年的某个时候，所以题干叙述正确。故本题选A。

单选题 Ms. Shaw has her colleagues help her in the study of earthquake prediction.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[解析] 题意：Shaw女士让她的同事帮助她预测地震。
根据文章第四段第一句“Ms. Shaw and her colleagues calculate the likely intervals by measuring the motion of either side of the fault to find how often such large earthquakes would have to occur to account for that level of motion”可知，Shaw女士和同事计算了超强地震发生的间隔，所以题干叙述正确，故本题选A。

单选题 Ms. Shaw measured the movement of either side of the fault to identify the magnitude of the earthquake taking place in AD 365.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] 题意：Shaw女士测量了断层两侧的移动，以确定公元365年发生的地震的级数。
根据第四段第一句“Ms. Shaw and her colleagues calculate the likely intervals by measuring the motion of either side of the fault to find how often such large earthquakes would have to occur to account for that level of motion”可知，Shaw女士的目的是为了计算地震发生的间隔，而不是确定“the magnitude of the earthquake taking place in AD 365”，所以题干叙述错误，故本题选B。