UNIT 4 NATURAL DISASTERS
Ⅰ.阅读理解(每小题2.5分)
A(2024河南开封三模)
Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are indicating that accurate quake forecasting may be attainable,thereby casting doubt on the conventional wisdom that such an accomplishment is beyond our capabilities.Researchers at the University of Texas,Austin,created an AI model that,during a test run in China,correctly forecasted approximately 70 percent of earthquakes with a one-week warning and offered reliable assessments of their potential intensity.
The researchers attribute their technique’s effectiveness to its reliance on a straightforward machine learning framework.The AI was provided with a set of statistical features based on the team’s knowledge of earthquake physics,and then instructed to train itself using a five-year database of earthquake recordings.Once trained,the AI offered predictions by detecting early indicators of quakes hidden within the planet’s low-frequency rumbles (隆隆声).
The project marks a substantial breakthrough in the exploration of AI for anticipating seismic (地震的) events.According to Alexandros Savvaidis,a senior researcher heading the Texas Seismological Network,“Seismic occurrences strike without warning,often in the blink of an eye.Your readiness is all you can influence.Achieving a 70% prediction rate is a considerable achievement that could significantly restrict the impact of earthquakes,reducing both the financial burden and loss of life,and the potential to remarkably improve earthquake preparation worldwide.”
Although the effectiveness of this method in different regions remains uncertain,the researchers believe that their AI model has the potential to enhance prediction accuracy when carried out in regions equipped with dependable seismic monitoring facilities.Their next step is to test artificial intelligence in Texas,where the University of Texas’s TexNet operates a network of 300 earthquake stations and over six years’ worth of continuous records,making it an ideal location for these purposes.
Ultimately,the authors aim to combine the system with physics-based models.This approach could be particularly valuable in areas characterized by limited or inadequate data.“That may be a long way off,but many advances such as this one,taken together,are what moves science forward,” concludes Scott Tinker,the bureau’s director.
1.How does the AI predict seismic events
A.It identifies data from the satellites.
B.It analyzes background sounds of the Earth.
C.It models data based on earthquake recordings.
D.It monitors changes in the Earth’s magnetic field.
2.What does Alexandros Savvaidis intend to show in paragraph 3
A.The ways to reduce losses in earthquakes.
B.The importance of preparing for earthquakes.
C.The significance of developing the AI prediction.
D.The restrictions of AI-based methods in earthquake prediction.
3.What does the subsequent research focus on
A.Conducting tests in different locations.
B.Applying the AI approach to other fields.
C.Building more earthquake stations in Texas.
D.Enlarging the database to train the calculation accuracy.
4.Which words can best describe the earthquake-predicting technology
A.Stable but outdated.
B.Effective but costly.
C.Potential and economical.
D.Pioneering and promising.
B(2024山东日照二模)
While it’s impossible to predict just where the next wildfire will start,new Department of Defense-sponsored research from Brigham Young University’s Fire Research Lab is getting into the microscopic details of how fires initiate to provide more insight into how wildfires burn through wildland fuels.
For their experiments,fire expert Thomas H.Fletcher and co-authors loaded leaves of 14 plant species into the crucible (坩埚) of a thermo gravimetric analyzer (热重分析仪) and slowly turned the heat up to 800 degrees Celsius.As they watched the leaves burn,they categorized the speed at which the plant broke down and the chemicals produced by the heat.They also compared the impact of two heat sources:convective (think of wind-driven fires) and radiative (from burning plant particles or flames).
The research found that the chemistry of plants makes a big difference in how fast they break down before they start to burn.That’s important to know because the type of plant found on a mountain hillside may help predict how a fire will burn and how quickly it might jump to another plant species.
“Very detailed models that already exist take up to two weeks to run on very big computers and by that time,the fire has moved and it’s not in the same place anymore,” Fletcher said.“We’re aiming at giving answers on how a fire might propagate in the next 20 minutes or half hour instead of the next two weeks.”
The studies are aimed at improving predictive models for both prescribed (有计划的) burns and for unplanned wildfires.With wildfires costing the Forest Service and state agencies billions of dollars to control annually,any research that can help make fire management more efficient is a high priority.
“With all we’ve done to research them,fires are still out of control,” Fletcher said.“Our model can’t prevent a fire,but it can help with decisions on how to manage fires so that when a fire starts,it doesn’t blow up into a huge,uncontrollable fire.”
5.What is paragraph 2 mainly about
A.The research subjects.
B.The research findings.
C.The research procedures.
D.The research objectives.
6.What does the research find about the chemistry of plants
A.It affects the speed of a fire.
B.It is one of the causes of a fire.
C.It breaks down quickly in a fire.
D.It helps plants survive in a fire.
7.What does the underlined word “propagate” in paragraph 4 mean
A.Explode.
B.Spread.
C.Die down.
D.Break out.
8.Why do the researchers develop the new model
A.To make the most out of wildfires.
B.To control wildfires more efficiently.
C.To predict the outbreak of wildfires.
D.To prevent wildfires from happening.
C(2025山东青岛二中模拟)
The streets,sidewalks and roofs of cities all absorb heat during the day,making some urban areas across the United States up to 6 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than rural ones during the day—and 22 degrees Fahrenheit hotter at night.These “urban heat islands” can also develop underground as the city heat spreads downward,beneath the surface.And basements,subway tunnels and other underground infrastructure also constantly bleed heat into the surrounding earth,creating hotspots.Now the underground heat is building up as the planet warms.
According to a new study of downtown Chicago,underground hotspots may threaten the very same structures that emit the heat in the first place.Such temperature changes make the ground around them expand and contract (收缩) enough to cause potential damage.“Without anyone realizing it,the city of Chicago’s downtown was deforming,” says the study’s author Alessandro F.Rotta Loria,a civil and environmental engineer at Northwestern University.
The findings,published in Communications Engineering,expose a “silent hazard (危险)” to civil infrastructure in cities with softer ground — especially those near water — Rotta Loria says.“There might have been structural issues caused by this underground climate change that happened,and we didn’t even realize,” he adds.While not an immediate or direct danger to human lives,this previously unknown effect highlights the impacts of a lesser-known component of climate change.
Similar to climate change above the surface,these underground changes occur over long periods of time.“These effects took decades,a century,to develop,” Rotta Loria says,adding that elevated underground temperatures would likewise take a long time to dissipate (逐渐消失) on their own.
But other researchers interviewed for this story all say this wasted energy could also be recycled,presenting an opportunity to both cool the subsurface and save on energy costs.Subway tunnels and basements could be updated with technologies to recapture the heat.For example,water pipes could be installed to run through underground hotspots and pick up some of the heat energy.
9.What can we learn about the “urban heat islands”
A.They can develop underground structures.
B.They are impacted by global warming.
C.They can destroy the ground around.
D.They only exist in the United States.
10.Why does Alessandro F.Rotta Loria mention “silent hazard” in paragraph 3
A.To discuss structural issues.
B.To categorize climate change.
C.To explain underground heat.
D.To emphasize the neglected reality.
11.What will the author probably write about in the paragraph that follows
A.The future of tunnels and basements.
B.The reusing approaches of heat energy.
C.The cost of maintaining structures.
D.The evolution of underground environment.
12.Which of the following can be the best title for the text
A.Warming Underground,Weakening Surface
B.A Silver Lining of Global Warming
C.Urban Silent Islands in the Making
D.A Silent Crisis in Downtown Chicago
Ⅱ.七选五(每小题2.5分)
(2024安徽合肥最后一模)
Panic attacks cause a sudden intense fear when no danger is present or there is no identifiable trigger (诱因).This fear activates the body’s emergency system,causing the physical fight or flight reactions. 13
Learn to be flexible.
If you are sitting on the couch watching TV and you start to feel a panic attack,don’t continue to sit there and think about it.Get up and do something else!Leave your desk and apply some cold water to your face.Call a friend.Or just leave the house to get some fresh air. 14
Work out.
When feeling panic,it can be effective to match the intensity of the anxiety with physical exercise.Just go outside,walk energetically around the block,or walk up and down the stairs until the feeling passes.Gentle exercise is less effective while intense exercise can make it difficult to think about anything else. 15 People tend to tense their muscles when having anxiety and panic.
Breathe properly.
16 Naturally,people may breathe deeper and then make the situation worse.So do it slowly through your nose by pushing your abdomen (腹部) out for 5-7 seconds.Hold your breath for a few seconds and then breathe it out through your mouth slowly.
17
Pick something objective and study it deeply.Then describe every detail of it.When you finish one item,move on to describe other items.For example,what is the leaf like Does it have smooth edges What is its color Are some new leaves coming out This exercise can help bring you back to the moment and away from focusing on physical sensations.
A.Shift your focus.
B.Enhance muscle building.
C.Incorrect breathing can lead to shortness of breath.
D.Physical exercise can also help your muscles relax.
E.If not controlled,they can be terrifying and life-changing.
F.So use these tools to measure it when a panic attack starts.
G.In a word,don’t remain in the same environment whenever possible.
答案：
Ⅰ.【语篇解读】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要说明了人工智能可以给出较准确的地震预测,并介绍了其工作原理以及意义。
1.B 细节理解题。根据第二段的“Once trained,the AI offered predictions by detecting early indicators of quakes hidden within the planet’s low-frequency rumbles.”可知,人工智能分析地球的背景声音预测地震事件。故选B项。
2.C 推理判断题。根据第三段可知,亚历山德罗斯·萨瓦伊迪斯想说明发展人工智能预测的意义。故选C项。
3.A 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段的“Their next step is...an ideal location for these purposes.”可知,接下来的研究重点是在不同地点进行测试。故选A项。
4.D 推理判断题。根据第一段的“Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are...beyond our capabilities.”以及最后一段的“‘That may be a long way off,but many advances such as this one,taken together,are what moves science forward,’concludes Scott Tinker,the bureau’s director.”可推知,地震预测技术具有开创性和前景。故选D项。
【语篇解读】本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了杨百翰大学火灾研究实验室的一项新研究,该研究正在深入研究火灾如何引发的微观细节,以提供更多关于野火如何通过荒地燃料燃烧的信息。
5.C 段落大意题。根据第二段内容可知,第二段主要介绍了Thomas H.Fletcher和合著者开展研究的具体步骤。
6.A 细节理解题。根据第三段可知,研究发现植物的化学成分影响其燃烧前的分解速度,进而影响火灾发生的速度。
7.B 词句猜测题。根据画线词所在句的上文“Very detailed models that already exist take up to two weeks to run on very big computers and by that time,the fire has moved and it’s not in the same place anymore”可知,已经存在的非常详细的模型的弊端在于其耗时过久,导致无法对已经转移的火灾进行管理,再结合画线词的上文“We’re aiming at giving answers”和下文“in the next 20 minutes or half hour instead of the next two weeks”可推知,Fletcher的研究目的是在很短的时间内给出火灾如何扩散、蔓延的答案,确保模型的时效性,画线词意思应该是“传播,扩散”,与spread意思相近。
8.B 细节理解题。根据最后一段中“Our model can’t prevent a fire,but it can help with decisions on how to manage fires so that when a fire starts,it doesn’t blow up into a huge,uncontrollable fire.”可知,研究者开发该新模型是为了更有效地控制野火。
【语篇解读】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了地下气候变暖对城市地面建筑的负面影响的隐蔽性与长期性,以及介绍潜在的解决方案。
9.B 细节理解题。根据第一段最后一句“Now the underground heat is building up as the planet warms.”可知,“城市热岛”是受到全球气候变暖的影响。
10.D 推理判断题。根据第三段中的“There might have been structural issues caused by this underground climate change that happened,and we didn’t even realize”以及最后一句“While not an immediate or direct danger to human lives,this previously unknown effect highlights the impacts of a lesser-known component of climate change.”可推知,提出“无声的危险”是想强调地下气候变暖这一被人忽略的事实。故选D项。
11.B 推理判断题。根据最后一段可知,该段是介绍针对地下气候变暖提出了潜在的解决方案,即可以通过更新地铁隧道和地下室的相关技术来回收利用热能,并列举了可通过安装水管这种方法来获取热能。由此推知,文章接下来应该是介绍对这种热能再使用的方法。
12.A 主旨大意题。通过归纳各段大意可知,本文是介绍地下气候变暖对城市地面建筑的负面影响的隐蔽性与长期性,以及介绍潜在的解决方案。由此可知,“地下变暖,地表变弱”适合作本文的标题。
Ⅱ.【语篇解读】本文是一篇说明文。本文主要介绍了应对恐慌发作的方法:保持灵活性以转移注意力、进行体力锻炼减轻焦虑、正确呼吸避免呼吸急促、转移注意力至外界事物以恢复当下的感知,帮助控制恐慌发作并缓解其影响。
13.E 上文“This fear activates the body’s emergency system,causing the physical fight or flight reactions.”说明恐惧会引发身体的应急系统,从而导致生理上的战斗或逃避性反应。空处总结上文,说明这样会产生的后果。E项承接上文,说明恐慌发作所造成的应激反应如果得不到控制可能会带来的危害;选项中的代词“they”指代前文中的“physical fight or flight reactions”,由此可知,E项符合语境。故选E项。
14.G 上文“If you are sitting...leave the house to get some fresh air.”说明在感到恐慌时要采取行动,比如离开沙发去做其他事情、洗脸、给朋友打电话或出门透气。空处总结前文,说明要灵活地面对各种带给我们恐惧的环境。G项符合语境。
15.D 上文“Just go outside...to think about anything else.”说明运动能够缓解恐慌。空处承上启下,D项中的“Physical exercise”和主题句“Work out”相呼应,“help your muscles relax”和下文中的“tend to tense their muscles”相呼应,说明体育锻炼也可以帮助你的肌肉放松,因为当人们感到焦虑和恐慌时,往往会肌肉紧张。所以D项符合语境。
16.C 下文“Naturally,people may breathe deeper and then make the situation worse.”说明人们可能出现不正确的呼吸方式。空处是对不正确呼吸后果的说明,与接下来的呼吸指导相契合。所以C项符合语境。故选C项。
17.A 根据下文“Pick something objective and study it deeply.Then describe every detail of it.When you finish one item,move on to describe other items.”以及“This exercise can help bring you back to the moment and away from focusing on physical sensations.”可知本段建议转移注意力,可以选择一个客观物体进行深入观察并描述细节,完成一个项目后,继续描述其他项目,以此来引导思维远离身体感受;所以A项能够概括本段主旨,适合作本段的小标题。
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