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 1,300, 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 Dubrovnik. "This would he 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】文章的主要讲的是，以前科学家忽视了地中海断层的存在，现在地震学家对地中海断层进行研究，掌握了证据，证明地中海东部断层的移动可能每800年产生一次地震和海啸，并认定断层的运动造成公元365年的地震和海啸。所以，本句的表述“以前被忽略的断层已经被科学家仔细研究过了”是正确的，故选A。

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

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

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】文中第二段第一句讲到“应用放射性碳测定年代技术、仿真技术和计算机模型，研究人员再现了那次古代的灾难以确定可能引发灾难的断层”，但是全文没有提到放射性碳测定年代技术(radiocarbon dating techniques)可用来确定地球的年龄，所以本题的答案是C。

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】根据文中第一句可知，Shaw女士和她的研究组认定，地中海东部的断层的移动每800年左右会产生一次超强地震和海啸；另外根据第三段可知，断层的移动造成公元365年的地震和海啸，而且大约在1300年曾经产生了一次引发海啸的大地震，这意味着下一次强大的地震可能在100年后发生，由此可知地中海东部的断层的移动在2100年前也会引发一次强大的地震，所以题干的描述正确，故选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】第四段第一句提到“Ms. Shaw and her colleagues calculate the likely intervals by measuring the motion of either side of the fault to gauge how often such large earthquakes would have to occur to account for that level of motion.”，由此可见肖女士在同事的帮助下一起对地震预测进行研究，题干表达的意思与此一致，故选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】根据第四段第一句可知，Shaw女士和她的同事们通过测量断层两边的位移(by measuring the motion of either side of the fault)来计算可能的时间问隔，目的是为了寻找发生这么大的地震的频率的位移标准(find how often such large earthquakes would have to occur to account for that level of motion)，而不是确定公元365年地震的强度(identify the magnitude of the earthquake taking place in AD 365)，所以题干的描述是错误的，故选B。