Japanese Drilling into Core of Earth

　　In what resembles a journey to the center of the Earth, Japanese scientists have launched the world’s first attempt to bore a hole into the red-hot core of a volcano and unlock the secrets of deadly eruption.
　　A 50-meter-high oil-rig-like derrick perched on the scrubby slopes of Japan’s Mount Unzen will begin drilling through the volcano’s crust next week in a bid¹ to sample the magma bubbling below².
　　The aim is to study how the liquefied rock causes menacing gas buildup, said team leader Setsuya Nakata, of the University of Tokyo’s Earthquake Research Institute.

　　“Gassing is important because it controls the explosivity of eruptions,” Nakata said. “The results can be expanded to anti-disaster research.”

　　Mount Unzen , a wind-swept 1.486-meter dome on the southern island of Kyushu, is a perfect model. It erupted in 1991, showering avalanches of hot rocks over a nearby town, killing 43 people and leaving nearly 2,300 homeless. Another 11.000 people were evacuated from the area until 1995, when the volcano had stabilized.

　　The results are particularly important to a nation like Japan, where the meteorological agency monitors 20 dangerous peaks. Perhaps Japan’s most famous volcano is snowcapped Mount Fuji, which last erupted in 1707 and sprinkled Tokyo with ash.
　　The drilling on Mount Unzen will begin very soon from an altitude of 850 meters on its northwest slope. Scientists hope to tap a magma vent around sea level by August and extract a 200-meter-long core sample by summer 2004.³
　　Boring into the glowing magma at that level would normally be impossible, because of its fiery 700 degree Celsius heat. Thus, a slurry of water will be pumped into the drill shaft to cool the magma and allow the drill head to cut through.
　　Nakata said there is no danger of triggering another eruption.⁴

 

词汇：

rig/ rɪɡ/n.钻探平台    

bubble / "bʌbl /v.冒气，沸腾

derrick / "derɪk /n.钻塔    

liquefy / ˈlɪkwɪfaɪ /v.（使）液化

perch / pɜ:tʃ /v.位于    

menace / ˈmɛnɪs /v.威胁

scrubby / ˈskrʌbi /adj.长满矮树丛的    

dome / dəum /n.圆顶

explosivity n.爆炸性    

meteorological / ˌmi:tɪərə"lɒdʒɪkl /adj.气象的

avalanche / "ævəlɑ:nʃ /n.雪崩    

vent /vent/n.出口

evacuate / ɪ"vækjʊeɪt /v.疏散    

sprinkle / "sprɪŋkl /v.撒

stabilize / "steɪbəlaɪz /v.稳定    

magma / "mæɡmə /n.岩浆

crust / krʌst /n.地壳    

slurry / "slʌrɪ /n.泥浆

unlock / ˌʌn"lɒk /v.解开    

shaft / ʃɑ:ft /n.井

 

注释:

1. in a bid: 企图，努力 a在 in a bid之后，可接动词不定式，如 : The two sides negotiated again and again in a bid to find a solution. 双方进行一次又一次的谈判，努力寻求一个解决方案。
2.below:在下面 below指的是 below the crust。
3.Scientists hope to tap a magma vent around sea level by August and extract a 200-mcterlong core sample by summer 2004:到 8月底，科学家希望在约为海平面高度的地方引出一个岩浆口，到 2004年夏末，提取长度为 200米的样本。
4. Nakata said there is 110 danger of triggering another eruption: Nakata说，不存在引发火山新一轮爆发的危险性。

According to the passage, the study of the Mount Unzen volcano may benefit Japan in all the following aspects EXCEPT

A:finding causes of volcano eruptions. B:helping to launch anti-disaster research. C:looking into the connection between liquified rocks and gas buildup. D:predicting volcano eruptions.

A volcanic eruption in Iceland has sent ash across northern Europe. Airlines have stopped or changed the flights across the Atlantic Ocean, leaving hundreds of passengers stuck in airports.
Grimsvotn is one of the largest active volcanoes in Europe. What makes Grimsvotn different is that it lies under a huge glacier(冰川) of ice up to 12 meters thick. The hot volcano heats up the ice above it, which then forms a layer(M) of water between the glacier and the volcano. This layer of water puts pressure on the volcano ,keeping it stable. As the water flows out from under the glacier, the pressure Rifts. The lava(岩浆) from the volcano then comes up to the surface. This is exactly what has happened today.
Now, airlines have to make changes to their flights so as not to fly through the clouds of volcanic ash. According to KLM, one of Europe’s biggest airlines, airplanes cannot go under the cloud or over it. Going through the cloud can result in ash getting stuck in the airplane’s engines, causing damage to the plane.
The eruption has also caused problems for animals in Iceland. The volcano left ash and sharp, glass-like rocks all over the countryside. Farmers are keeping their animals inside to stop them from eating ash-covered grass or the sharp objects.
What makes Grimsvotn different from other volcanoes

A:It is below ice. B:It lies under the sea. C:It is the largest volcano. D:Its lava affects the airlines.

A group of scientists rowing toward the center of a lake saw something shocking. They turned back as fast as they could. What had they seen The lake was boiling!
The group was investigating a crater lake in the mountains of St. Vincent. A crater lake is the mouth of a volcano that has been dormant for some time and has filled with water.
This particular crater was the tip of a volcano called Soufriere, which erupted last in 1902. Since that time, it had not shown any signs of action. But in the fall of 1971, mountain climbers who had hiked near the lake returned to the lowlands with strange stories. They said the water had turned yellow and was giving off a smell like burnt eggs. A seething fog was rising from the lake’s surface.
Local scientists rushed to Soufriere to see if this might be the beginning of a new volcanic explosion. They found a huge black mass in the middle of the water. It was a great blob 1,000 feet long and 300 feet wide. Lava had pushed up through the bottom of the lake and formed a new island.
The investigators wanted to make sure that the volcano was safe, and that the lava would not overflow into the surrounding countryside. But they could never reach the island to study it, because the lava was so hot that the water around it bubbled and boiled.

A crater lake is at the tip of a（　）

A:mountain B:ridge C:island D:volcano

A group of scientists rowing toward the center of a lake saw something shocking. They turned back as fast as they could. What had they seen. The lake was boiling!
The group was investigating a crater lake in the mountains of St. Vincent. A crater lake is the mouth of a volcano that has been dormant for some time and has filled with water.
This particular crater was the tip of a volcano called Soufriere, which erupted last in 1902. Since that time, it had not shown any signs of action. But in the fall of 1971, mountain climbers who had hiked near the lake returned to the lowlands with strange stories. They said the water had turned yellow and was giving off a smell like burnt eggs. A seething fog was rising from the lake’s surface.
Local scientists rushed to Soufriere to see if this might be the beginning of a new volcanic explosion. They found a huge black mass in the middle of the water. It was a great blob 1,000 feet long and 300 feet wide. Lava had pushed up through the bottom of the lake and formed a new island.
The investigators wanted to make sure that the volcano was safe, and that the lava would not over- flow into the surrounding countryside. But they could never reach the island to study it, because the lava was so hot that the water around it bubbled and boiled.
A crater lake is at the tip of a ______.

A:mountain B:ridge C:island D:volcano

下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道题，每题后面有4个选项。请仔细阅读短文并根据短文回答其后面的问题，从4个选项中选择1个最佳答案。
{{B}}第一篇{{/B}}

According to the passage, the study of the Mount Unzen volcano may benefit Japan in all the following aspects EXCEPT

A:finding causes of volcano eruptions. B:helping to launch anti-disaster research. C:looking into the connection between liquified rocks and gas buildup. D:predicting volcano eruptions.

下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道题，每题后面有4个选项。请仔细阅读短文并根据短文回答其后面的问题，从4个选项中选择1个最佳答案。
{{B}}第一篇{{/B}}

Why is this research project so important to Japan?

A:Because Japan has many living volcanos. B:Because Japan wants to turn Mount Fuji to a dead volcano. C:Because volcano gas could be a source of energy. D:Because Japan is testing a new way of drilling into the earth.

下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道题，每题后面有4个选项。请仔细阅读短文并根据短文回答其后面的问题，从4个选项中选择1个最佳答案。
{{B}}第一篇{{/B}}

The title of this passage Japanese Drilling into Core of Earth actually means that they

A:drill a hole into the core of a volcano. B:bore into the rocks near the volcanic vent. C:conduct an imagery journey to the core of a volcano. D:regard magma as the core of Earth.

A A volcanic eruption in Iceland has sent ash across northern Europe.Airlines have stopped or changed the flights across the Atlantic Ocean,leaving hundreds of passengers stuck in airports. Grimsvotn is one of the largest active volcanoes in Europe.What makes Grimsvotn different is that it lies under a huge glacier（冰川） of ice up to 12 meters thick.The hot volcano heats up the ice above it,which then forms a layer（层） of water between the glacier and the volcano.This layer of water puts pressure on the volcano,keeping it stable.As the water flows out from under the glacier,the pressure lifts.The lava（岩浆） from the volcano then comes up to the surface.This is exactly what has happened today. Now,airlines have to make changes to their flights so as not to fly through the clouds of volcanic ash.According to KLM,one of Europes biggest airlines,airplanes cannot go under the cloud or over it.Going through the cloud can result in ash getting stuck in the airplanes engines,causing damage to the plane. The eruption has also caused problems for animals in Iceland.The volcano left ash and sharp,glasslike rocks all over the countryside.Farmers are keeping their animals inside to stop them from eating ashcovered grass or the sharp objects. What makes Grimsvotn different from other volcanoes

A:It is below ice. B:It lies under the sea. C:It is the largest volcano. D:Its lava affects the airlines.