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F. Unfortunately, Tsunamis Cannot Be Stopped or Prevented. However, Effective Warning

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13 views

F. Unfortunately, Tsunamis Cannot Be Stopped or Prevented. However, Effective Warning

Uploaded by

baoquanbaoquan9088
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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scientists were somewhat surprised by the disastrous results.

One study of seismic data


indicated that the earthquake was centred offshore and produced a 2-meter vertical
displacement of the seafloor; the conclusion was that this abrupt motion triggered the
tsunami. Other evidence indicates that the tsunami was produced by a huge offshore
landslide, itself triggered by the earthquake. Eyewitness accounts indicate that the first
wave struck shore about 20 minutes after the mainshock of the earthquake, too long for
the tsunami to have originated from sub-sea faulting during the quake. A slump or
landslide typically lags several minutes behind an earthquake and could explain the
delay. Further support comes from a 70-seconds long rumble recorded in the middle of
the Pacific soon after the earthquake. This sound lasted too long to have come from a
small aftershock and may have represented a seafloor slide.

F. Unfortunately, tsunamis cannot be stopped or prevented. However, effective warning


systems might save hundreds of lives. In the United States, the National Tsunami Hazard
Mitigation Program has been developed to reduce the impacts of tsunamis along the U.S.
Pacific Coast. One goal of this program is to improve the tsunami warning systems.
Components of such systems include seismic sensors that warn of large earthquakes and
oceanic sensors that detect tsunamis crossing the ocean. Destructive tsunamis need to
be detected quickly so that warnings can be issued to allow the orderly evacuation of
coastal communities in the path of the waves. Of course, evacuation can only save lives
if the tsunami is triggered far enough away to give advanced warning.
Questions 1-4

Reading Passage 1 has six paragraphs, labelled A-F.

Instructions to follow

• Answer questions and write the appropriate letter; A-F, in boxes on your answer sheet.
• Write the name and the year in the box on your answer sheet.
• Using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS, write your answer in the box on your answer sheet.

1. Which paragraph explains the measures that have been taken to reduce the impact of
tsunamis along the U.S. Pacific coast?

2. Which paragraph discusses the probable cause of the Papua New Guinea tsunami?

3. On what island and in what year was a tsunami triggered by a volcanic eruption that killed
30,000 people?

4. Tsunamis are frequently caused by underwater earthquakes with a magnitude greater than
7, as indicated on what scale?

Questions 5-6

Instructions to follow

• Complete the summary below about the tsunami that hit Papua New Guinea.
• Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

On July 1, 1998, an unexpected tsunami ___________ the northern coast of Papua New Guinea.
In three massive waves, as high as 15 meters, it _______________ entire villages, drowned over
2500 and left thousands homeless. Survivors of the Papua New Guinea disaster described the

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