Check out our tsunami facts and learn some interesting information related to these great walls of water that can cause so much destruction. Find out what causes tsunamis and read about some recent examples of tsunamis that have occurred around the globe.
The Japanese word for tsunami means harbor wave.
Tsunamis are sometimes referred to as tidal (受潮汐影响的) waves but this term has fallen out of favor because tsunamis are not related to tides.
Tsunamis are huge waves of water that are usually caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.
As a tsunami approaches the shore (海岸), water may move back from the coast. If it is shallow (浅的) enough the water may be pulled back hundreds of meters. If you are in the area, you can know that a tsunami is on the way when you see this phenomenon.
Regions in tsunami danger zones often have warning systems in place to give people as much time as possible to move to a safe place.
When tsunamis hit shallow water (often near the coast) they slow down but increase in height.
An earthquake in the Indian Ocean off Indonesia in December 2004 caused a tsunami that killed over 200,000 people in 14 countries.
In March 2011, the Tohoku earthquake off the eastern coast of Japan caused a tsunami that was a major factor in the death of over 15,000 people.
The tsunami waves created by the Tohoku earthquake reached heights of over 40 meters in some areas, wiping out coastal towns and causing a number of nuclear accidents.
1.How many causes of tsunamis are mentioned in the text?
A. One. B. Two. C. Three. D. Four.
2.In the Tohoku earthquake over 15,000 people died mainly because of ______.
A. the earthquake itself
B. the lack of warning systems
C. the tsunami caused by the earthquake
D. the nuclear accidents caused by the tsunami
3.What do we learn from the text?
A. The Japanese invented the term “tidal waves”.
B. The term “tidal waves” is used more often than tsunami.
C. When tsunamis slow down, their waves can reach 40 meters.
D. When hitting shallow water, tsunamis will rise higher.
4.The text is developed mainly by ______.
A. listing some facts B. giving some examples
C. providing some numbers D. making some comparisons
Years ago, I lived in a building in a large city. The next building was only a few feet away from mine. There was a woman living there, and I had never met her, yet I could see she sat by her window each afternoon, sewing or reading.
After several months had gone by, I began to notice that her window was dirty. Everything was unclear through the dirty window. I would say to myself. “I wonder why that woman doesn’t wash her window. It really looks terrible.”
One bright morning I decided to clean my flat, including washing the window on the inside.
Late in the afternoon when I finished the cleaning, I sat down by the window with a cup of coffee for a rest. What a surprise! Across the way, the woman sitting by her window was clearly visible (看见). Her window was clean!
Then it dawned on me. I had been criticizing (批评) her dirty window, but all the time I was watching hers through my own dirty window.
That was quite an important lesson for me. How often had I looked at and criticized others through the dirty window of my heart, through my own shortcomings?
Since then, whenever I wanted to judge (评判) someone, I asked myself first, “Am I looking at him through my own dirty window?” I try to clean the window of my own world so that I may see the world about me more clearly.
1.The writer couldn’t see everything clearly through the window because _______.
A. the woman’s window was dirty
B. the writer’s window was dirty
C. the woman lived nearby
D. the writer was near-sighted
2.“It dawned on me” probably means “_______”.
A. I began to understand it B. it cheered me up
C. I knew it grew light D. it began to get dark
3.It’s clear that ________.
A. the writer had never met the woman before
B. the writer often washed the window
C. they both worked as cleaners
D. they lived in a small town
4.From the passage, we can learn _______.
A. one shouldn’t criticize others very often
B. one should often make his windows clean
C. one must judge himself before he judges others
D. one must look at others through his dirty windows[
Most people know that awkward feeling when you step into an elevator（电梯） with other people and try not to make eye contact.
But new research suggests it may be down to a subconscious（潜意识的）power struggle being played out as you make your way up or down.
A study found that people decide where they stand based on a micro social grading, established within seconds of entering the lift.
Rebekah Rousi, a Ph.D. student in Cognitive Science, conducted a study of elevator behavior in two of the tallest office buildings in Adelaide, Australia.
As part of her research, she took a total of 30 lift rides in the two buildings, and discovered there was an established order to where people tended stand.
In a blog, she writes that more senior men seemed to direct themselves towards the back of the elevator cabins.
She said: 'In front of them were younger men, and in front of them were women of all ages.'
She also noticed there was a difference in where people directed their stare half way through the ride.
Men watched the monitors(监控器), looked in the side mirrors (in one building) to see themselves, and in the door mirrors (of the other building) to also watch others.
'Women would watch the monitors and avoid eye contact with other users (unless in conversation) and the mirrors,' she writes.
The student concluded it could be that people who are shyer stand toward the front, where they can't see other passengers, whereas brave people stand in the back, where they have a view of everyone else.
1.According to Rebekah Rousi, senior men intend to stand ______ of the elevator cabins.
A. in the front B. in the middle
C. near the side mirrors D. at the back
2.The underlined word “ them ” in paragraph 7 refers to ______.
A. senior men B. younger women
C. younger men D. Women
3.Why do women choose to stand in the front?
A. Because they are too shy to make eye contact with others.
B. Because they can have a view of everyone else.
C. Because they want to show their power.
D. Because they want to watch the monitors.
Carrot juice, because of its many healthy benefits, is commonly called the "magic juice". It has been found that adding carrot juice to people’s diets greatly improves their health. And its delicious taste makes it popular with all members of the family as a beverage(饮料).
Carrot juice is one of the richest sources of vitamin A that can be used in the daily diet. Lack of vitamin A can cause dryness and damage to the skin, nails and hair. Drinking carrot juice to increase the vitamin A in the diet is said to be good for many parts of the body, including the bones and teeth.
Drinking carrot juice is thought to be extremely helpful to the liver (肝脏), because vitamin A helps to clean the liver and reduce fat in it. And it is suggested that drinking carrot juice should be done regularly, rather than just from time to time.
Drinking carrot juice is also thought to improve the eyesight because of the vitamin A in the juice. Lack of vitamin A can lead to night blindness, which can be very dangerous, especially when the person is driving a car. An easy way to find out if you are lacking in vitamin A is to walk from a bright room into a dark room. Your eyes may have some trouble in getting used to the change of light if you are lacking in vitamin A.
How can you make carrot juice? Wash some carrots well in cold water. Scrape (刮) them lightly, but do not peel them, as this will take away valuable vitamins and minerals that lie close to the skin.
1.Lack of vitamin A can lead to _____.
A. broken bones B. complete blindness
C. skin dryness D. liver cancer
2.According to the passage, carrot juice ______.
A. does a lot of good to the teeth and other parts of the body
B. is popular because it is a magic cure for many diseases
C. can wash away the waste from the body
D. may be harmful to the body if it’s drunk too much
3.We can learn from the fourth paragraph that _____.
A. you will find it easy to get used to the change of light if you lack vitamin A
B. driving cars at night may lead to night blindness
C. walking from a bright room into a dark room may lead to night blindness
D. drinking carrot juice helps to protect your eyesight
4.Which would be the best title for this passage?
A. Tips on How to Make Carrot Juice
B. The Great Benefits of Carrot Juice
C. The Way to Keep Good Health
D. A Healthy Diet for Patients
Have you ever had a wonderful teacher who helped change your life? I was blessed with such a teacher．Here is my praise to a very teacher, Mr. O’Connor．
I was fortunate to have gone to one of the public high schools in our region．It won awards for its education．I had many good teachers，but one of them helped me realize the potential(潜力)that I had inside of myself．His is Mr. O’Connor．He taught English classes．Mr.．O’Connor was not a guy．I remember he had a very wide face with little hair and but bright eyes．However, he expected the best from his in their studies and morality(道德)．He me with his personality．His teaching style was attractive．He made me want to be ．As a result．I studied hard for better grades．I believe it was his that helped me succeed in being on the roll(名单)．I enjoyed my high school experience．It was because of Mr.．O’Connor that I that I had huge goals that I wanted to reach．I graduating from high school early and I wanted to be a high school English just like Mr. O’Connor．As you can see，I continued to study．I gave up on my love for reading and writing，the most amazing gift from Mr. O’Connor．
I would Mr.．O’Connor for being the teacher that he was．I would thank him for me as a student，and for giving me the confidence to realize my ．He helped a lot not only in my education ，but also in shaping the person that I was to become．A good teacher can make a ．Thank you, Mr. O’Connor．
1.A．funny B．special C．famous D．common
2.A．biggest B．newest C．best D．oldest
3.A．really B．finally C．generally D．mainly
4.A．career B．sign C．position D．name
5.A．handsome B．friendly C．social D．positive
6.A．dirty B．weak C．cold D．small
7.A．friends B．partners C．students D．family
8.A．impressed B．pushed C．pressed D．urged
9.A．harder B．better C．wiser D．prettier
10.A．influence B．information C．explanation D．emotion
11.A．class B．honor C．lesson D．project
12.A．reminded B．accepted C．realized D．held
13.A．set out B．dealt with C．got on D．ended up
14.A．assistant B．representative C．teacher D．master
15.A．always B．never C．sometimes D．often
16.A．remember B．understand C．agree D．thank
17.A．1ooking after B．finding out C．believing in D．depending on
18.A．plan B．future C．business D．dream
19.A．choice B．quality C．problem D．ability
20.A．change B．difference C．result D．passion
—The job interview will take place tomorrow and I’m really worried about it, Mum ?
— ________, dear! Just try your best.
A．With pleasure. B．Take it easy
C．Have a good time D．Good luck
