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 Dubrovnik. 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.
　　练习：
　　1．The fault, which was overlooked before, has been closely studied by scientists.
　　A　Right　B　Wrong　C　Not mentioned
　　2．It is fun to identify the fault for the AD 365 earthquake and tsunami.
　　A　Right　B　Wrong　C　Not mentioned
　　3．Radiocarbon dating techniques can be used to identify the age of the earth.
　　A　Right　B　Wrong　C　Not mentioned
　　4．Scientists predict that the next powerful earthquake in the eastern Mediterranean may take place sometime before 2100.
　　A　Right　B　Wrong　C　Not mentioned
　　5．Ms. Shaw has her colleagues help her in the study of earthquake prediction.
　　A　Right　B　Wrong　C　Not mentioned
　　6．Ms. Shaw measured the movement of either side of the fault to identify the magnitude of the earthquake taking place in AD 365.
　　A　Right　B　Wrong　C　Not mentioned
　　7．The earthquake prediction devices developed by Ms. Shaw are being widely used in the world.
　　A　Right　B　Wrong　C　Not mentioned
　　答案与题解：
　　1．A　文章主题是，以往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，并认定断层的运动造成公元365年的地震和海啸，以及推算出地震和海啸发生的周期。所以，本句表达的意思是对的。
　　2．B　文章第三段说到，“认定断层造成了公元365年的地震和海啸，这一认定对该地区的几千万人来说是重要的”。把这项研究说成是有趣的与原文“重要”的意思有很大的不同，所以是错误的。
　　3．C　全文没有一处提到radiocarbon dating techniques可用来确定地球的年龄。
　　4．A　Shaw女士和她的研究组认定，地中海东部的断层的移动每800年左右会引发一次超强地震和海啸。前两次发生的时间分别是公元365年和公元1300年左右。根据这一推断，在未来100年中，会发生一次超强地震和海啸。第三段对此有说明。
　　5．A　这句表达的意思与原文相符。原句见第四段第一句：“Ms. Shaw and her colleagues calculate the likely intervals by measuring the motion of either side of the fault to gauge how often such large earthquakes would have to occur to account for that level of motion”。
　　6．B　Shaw女士和她的研究组测量过the motion of either side of the fault，但目的不是为了identify the magnitude of the earthquake taking place in AD 365，而是为了find how often such large earthquakes would have to occur to account for that level of motion。
　　7．C　纵观全文，文章中没有一句提到Shaw女士发明过地震预测装置，更没有谈及这种装置在全世界得到广泛应用这一点。