Scientists have found evidence that an overlooked fault in the eastern Mediterranean1 is likely to produce an earthquake and tsunami every 800 years as powerful as the one that destroyed Alexandria2 in AD3 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 Crete4 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 Greece5 and Sicily6 all the way up the Adriati7 to Dubrovnik8. 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 Delta9, likely killing tens of thousands of people, she said.
词汇：
fault n. 断层 interval n. 间隔
tsunami n. 海啸 magnitude n. 等级
radiocarbon n. 放射性碳 destruction n. 破坏，毁灭
simulation n. 模拟 unleash v. 放出，释放
注释:
1. the eastern Mediterranean: 地中海东部
2. Alexandria: 阿里山大[埃及北部港市]
3. AD: 公元后(AD是拉丁文Anno Domini首字母的所写)
4. Crete: [希腊]克里特岛
5. Greece: 希腊
6. Sicily: [意大利]西西里岛
7. Adriati: 亚得利亚海
8. Dubrovnik: 杜布罗夫尼克[克罗地亚港市]
9. Nile Delta: 尼鲁河三角洲[埃及]
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 some time 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文章的主题是，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365年和l300年左右。根据这一推断，在未来l00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。
Image Martian Dust Particles
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander1 has taken its first-ever picture of a single particle of rusty Martian dust with one of its microscopes. The dust particles of dust were shown at a higher magnification than anything outside of Earth that has been imaged before. The rounded particle measured only about one micrometer, or one millionth of a meter, across.
Taking this image required the highest resolution microscope operated off Earth2 and a specially designed device to hold the Martian dust," said Tom Pike, a Phoenix science team member from Imperial College London3. "We always knew it was going to be technically very challenging to image particles this small4.''
The device that imaged the dust speck is called an atomic force microscope, which maps the shape of particles in three dimensions by scanning them with a sharp tip at the end of a spring. The atomic force microscope can detail the shapes of particles as small as about 100 nanometers. And this won't be the last dust particle that Phoenix will image5. "After this first success, we're now working on building up a portrait gallery6 of the dust on Mars," Pike said.
Dust exists everywhere on Mars, coating the surface and giving it its rusty red color. Dust particles also color the Martian sky pink and feed storms that regularly envelope the planet. The ultra-fine7 dust is the medium that actively links gases in the Martian atmosphere to processes in Martian soil, so it is critically important to understanding Mars' environment8, the researchers said.
The $420-million Phoenix mission is analyzing the dust and subsurface ice layers of Mars' arctic regions to look for signs of potential past habitability. The particle seen in the atomic force microscope image was part of a sample scooped by the robotic arm from the "Snow White" trench and delivered to Phoenix's microscope station in early July.
词汇:
image v. 绘……的图像 scan v. 扫描
magnification n. 放大 subsurface adj. 地面下的
micrometer n. 微米 habitability n. 居住性
resolution n. 分辨率，清晰度 scoop v. 挖
map v. 绘制……的地图 trench n. 沟
注释:
1. NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander: 美国国家航空航天局的凤凰号火星登陆器
2. off earth : 地球之外
3. Imperial College London : 伦敦帝国学院
4. image particles this small: 描绘如此之小的微粒。image particles this small是口语的说法，其意思是image such small particles/image particles which are so small.
5. And this won't be the last dust particle that Phoenix will image: 这不会是凤凰号扫描图像的最后的尘粒。本句的言外之意是：科学家将会收集更多的火星微粒进行扫描。
6. portrait gallery: (火星尘粒)图像陈列馆
7. ultra-fine : 超小的
8. it is critically important to understanding Mars' environment: 火星尘粒对于了解火星环境是极端重要的。it指代上一句的dust，而to是介词，所以后接动名词 understanding.
练习:
1. The dust particle on Mars is the smallest particle that has been imaged outside of Earth.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
2. Using the same technology, we have also measured the size of particles on the moon and Jupiter.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
3. Scientists use the highest resolution microscope to watch and record the image of Martian particles on earth.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
4. Tom Pike said that they used to think it was no easy job to image such small particles.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
5. An electronic device has been developed to measure the weight of certain Martian rocks.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
6. After collecting the last Martian dust particle, the scientists have started to build up a portrait gallery of it.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
7. The Phoenix's robotic arm collected the Martian dust particles for analysis on Mars.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
答案与解析:
1.A 第一段说，NASA的凤凰号火星登陆器用它的显微镜观测地球外长度只有百万分之一米的微粒。本题的表述与第一段的意思吻合。
2.C 通篇文章都没有提到科学家用同样的技术测量月球和水星上的微粒。
3.B 第一段只是说，NASA的凤凰号火星登陆器用它的显微镜观察地球外，而不是地球上长度只有百万分之一的火星微粒，所以本题的表述是错的。
4. A Tom Pike说，“We always knew it was going to be technically very challenging to image particles this small.”(我们过去一直知道，观察体积如此小的微粒具有很高的挑战性。)(见第二段)这句话是选择A的依据。
5.C 通篇文章都没有提到有人发明了一种能测量火星上某些微粒的重量的电子装置。
6.B 第三段中提到，“...this won't be the last dust particle that Phoenix will image”.接着又说，“After this first success，we’re now working on building up a portrait gallery of the dust on Mars”.而本题却说：“After collecting the last Martian dust particle，we’re now working on building up…”，这与文章所表达内容明显不同，所以本题的答案是B .
7.A 选择A的依据是文章最后一句：“The particle seen in the atomic force microscope image was part of a sample scooped by the robotic arm…”.