2013年英语四级阅读试题及答案25

　　After the violent earthquake that shook Los Angeles in 1994, earthquake scientists had good news to report; The damage and death toll (死亡人数) could have been much worse.

　　More than 60 people died in this earthquake. By comparison, an earthquake of similar intensity that shook America in 1988 claimed 25, 000 victims:

　　Injuries and deaths were relatively less in Los Angeles because the quake occurred at 4:31 a.m.on a holiday, when traffic was light on the city's highways. In addition, changes made to the construction codes in Los Angeles during the last 20 years have strengthened the city's buildings and highways, making them more resistant to quakes.

　　Despite the good news, civil engineers aren't resting on their successes. Pinned to their drawing boards are blueprints (蓝图的) for improved quake-resistant buildings. The new designs should offer even greater security to cities where earthquakes often take place.

　　In the past, making structures quake-resistant meant firm yet flexible materials

　　, such as steel and wood, that bend without breaking. Later, people tried to lift a building off its foundation, and insert rubber and steel between the building and its foundation to reduce the impact of ground vibrations. The most recent designs give buildings brains as well as concrete and steel supports, called smart buildings, the structures respond like living organisms to an earthquake's vibrations. When the ground shakes and the building tips forward, the computer would force the building to shift in the opposite direction.

　　The new smart structures could be very expensive to build. However, they would save many lives and would be less likely to be damaged during earthquakes.

　　这是一篇说明文。主要介绍了建筑工程师设计出一种新型防震建筑。在第一、二段中作者介绍了1994年洛杉矶大地震中伤亡人数比较少，尤其与1988年的同级地震相比，伤亡人数比为60:25000，令人惊讶。那是为什么呢?在第三、四、五段中作者告诉我们是因为工程设计师们设计出了新型的建筑。在最后一段作者得出结论，新型建筑虽然造价很高，但它却可大大减少在地震发生时伤亡人数和财产损失。

　　21.One reason why the loss of lives in the Los Angeles earthquake was comparatively

　　low is that _______?

　　A) new computers had been installed in the buildings.

　　B) it occurred in the residential areas rather than on the highways.

　　C) large numbers of Los Angeles residents had gone for a holiday

　　D) improvements had been made in the construction of buildings and highways

　　[答案及分析]：[D]。辨认事实题。问洛杉矶地震人员伤亡数相对来说少的原因之一是下列陈述中的哪一项。在本文第五段中作者指出，防震建筑中除了继续沿用过去所采用的一些建筑材料之外，如今又引用计算机控制新型建筑，因而达到地震发生时用计算机抵消摇摆程度从而减少地震时的损失。由此可知，D为正确答案。

　　22. The function of the computer mentioned in the passage is to _______.

　　A) counterbalance an earthquake's action on the building

　　B) predict the coming of an earthquake with accuracy

　　C) help strengthen the foundation of the building

　　D) measure the impact of an earthquake's vibrations

　　[答案及分析]：[A]。判断题。问在本文中所提到的计算机的主要作用是什么。根据第五段中When the ground shakes...to shift in the opposite direction.由此可明显看出，A正确;C虽在本文中被提到，但信息与本题不符;B、D在本文中均未提及。

　　23. The smart buildings discussed in the passage _______.

　　A) would cause serious financial problems

　　B) would be worthwhile though costly

　　C) would increase the complexity of architectural design

　　D) can reduce the ground vibrations caused by earthquakes

　　[答案及分析]：[B]。辨认事实题。从第五段中可看出smart buildings指的就是将计算机用于建筑物中的最新的设计。那么在最后一段中，作者谈到这种新型建筑造价很高，但它可在大减少地震中的人员伤亡和其它损失，所以看来很值得。因此答案[B]是正确的;A、C、D与所问不符。

　　24. It can be inferred from the passage that in minimizing the damage caused by

　　earthquakes attention should be focused on _______.

　　A) the increasing use of rubber and steel in capital construction

　　B) the development of flexible building materials

　　C) the reduction of the impact of ground vibrations

　　D) early forecasts of earthquakes

　　[答案及分析]：[C]。推断题。问减少地震损失的主要注意力应放在哪儿。通读全文之后可知，在所有方法中最为先进的方法是将计算机用于新型建筑中去，而计算机主要是用于减少摇摆的程度，即减少地面震动的影响。由此可以推断出[C]为正确答案;而A、B、D与本文不符。

　　25. The author's main purpose in writing the passage is to _______.

　　A) compare the consequences of the earthquakes that occurred in the U. S.

　　B) encourage civil engineers to make more extensive use of computers.

　　C) outline the history of the development of quake-resistant building materials

　　D) report new developments in constructing quake-resistant building

　　[答案及分析]：[D]。推断题。问作者写本文的主要目的是什么。通过阅读全文可知，作者回顾历史，从过去地震伤亡人数较多和财产损失很大，到后来的新型建筑材料可以用于防震。一直到今天，工程设计进入最先进阶段，既将计算机用于建筑中去，来减少地震摇摆程度。由此看来，答案[D]是正确的。