(2)
TOKYO, Japan — An earthquake measuring 8.0 hit the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido early Friday. The quake was the strongest anywhere in the world this year. Several million people live on the island. Japan's national broadcasting agency, NHK, reported 236 people had been hurt, but no deaths had been reported. Tsunami waves measuring about 3 feet (1 meter) began hitting the eastern coast of Japan's northernmost island, and officials warned all residents in the region to seek higher ground. A fire broke out at oil refinery on the island after the earthquake, and television stations reported a train derailment and a landslide near a highway tunnel. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at 8.0 but authorities in Japan initially gave it a magnitude of 7.8. The USGS said the temblor was located 33 kilometers (20 miles) under the Earth's crust, about 796 miles north / northwest of Tokyo, and began at 4:50 a.m. local time (1950 GMT). The second quake occurred at 6:08 a.m. (2108 GMT).
On average, there is one magnitude-8, or greater, quake a year in the world. The amount of energy released in a magnitude-8 earthquake is equivalent to that contained in 1.01 billion tons of TNT, according to the USGS. A tsunami watch has been issued for the U.S. state of Hawaii. "Based on all available data, a tsunami may have been generated by this earthquake that could be destructive on coastal areas even far from the epicenter," said the announcement from the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program. Only six days ago a 5.5-magnitude quake shook Japan. The September 20 earthquake was centered nearly 870 kilometers (540 miles) south-southeast of Tokyo, near Japan's Bonin Islands, a remote volcanic island group in the Pacific Ocean. Earlier this month, Japan marked the 80th anniversary of a magnitude 8.3 quake that devastated Tokyo and neighboring Yokohama, killing at least 140,000 people. In January 1995, a magnitude 7.2 temblor in Kobe killed more than 6,000 people.
1. An 8.0-magnitude earthquake happened in Japan ____.
A. in January 1995 B. on September 20, 2003 C. on September 26, 2003 D. in September, 1923
2. What is NOT the result of this earthquake?
A. 236 people were hurt B. A fire broke out at oil refinery on the island
C. A train was out of track D. two people died
3. What does tsunami mean in Chinese?
A. 震中 B.海啸 C. 火山 D. 余震
4. We can infer that __________.
A. this might be the biggest earthquake in the world this year B. this earthquake has no effect on the USA
C. Japan is a country where earthquakes frequently happen D. the second quake occurred only half an hour after the first one
【答案解析】本文报道了2003年9月发生在日本北海道的大地震。
1. C。细节题。根据Only six days ago a 5.5-magnitude quake shook Japan. The September 20 earthquake was centered nearly 870 kilometers (540 miles) south-southeast of Tokyo, 我们可以推算，这次日本北海道大地震发生在2003年9月26日。
2. D。细节归纳题。这次地震造成的后果有：236 people had been hurt;A fire broke out at oil refinery;a train derailment and a landslide near a highway tunnel等，而D项则与事实不符。
3. B。词义猜测题。根据后面对这种现象的描写：hitting the eastern coast 可知 tsunami 是“海啸”的意思，因为只有地震引起的海啸才能冲击海岸。
4. C。推理题。短文最后一段最后一个部分描述了日本发生的几次大的地震，据此我们可以得出结论：日本是一个地震多发国家。
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