历年雅思阅读真题6：On May 18, at 8.32 in the morning, Mount St. Helens blew its top. literally. Suddenly, it was

　　1300 feet shorter than it had been before its growth had begun. Over half a cubic mile of rock had

　　disintegrated . At the same moment, an earthquake with an intensity of 5 on the Richter scale was

　　recorded. It triggered an avalanche of snow and ice. mixed with hot rock-the entire north face of

　　the mountain had fallen away. A wave of scorching volcanic gas and rock fragments shot

　　horizontally from the volcano's riven flank, at an inescapable 200 miles per hour. As the sliding

　　ice and snow melted, it touched off devastating torrents of mud and debris, which destroyed all

　　life in their path. Pulverised, which destroyed all life in their path. Pulverised rock climbed as a

　　dust cloud into the atmosphere. Finally, viscous lava, accompanied by burning clouds of ash and

　　gas, welled out of volcano's new crater, and from lesser vents and cracks in its flanks.

　　历年雅思阅读真题7：Afterwards, scientists were able to analyse the sequence of events. First, magmamolten

　　rock-at temperatures above 2000oF. had surged into the volcano from the Earth's mantle. The

　　build-up was accompanied by an accumulation of gas, which increased as the mass of magma

　　grew. It was the pressure inside the mountain that made it swell. Next, the rise in gas pressure

　　caused a violent decompression. Which ejected the shattered summit like a cork from a shaken

　　soda bottle. With the summit gone, the molten rock within was released in a jet of gas and

　　fragmented magma, and lava welled from the crater.

　　历年雅思阅读真题8：The effects of the Mount St. Helens eruption were catastrophic. Almost all the trees of the

　　surrounding forest, mainly Douglas firs. were flattened. and their branches and bark ripped off by

　　the shock wave of the explosion. Ash and mud spread over nearly 200 square miles of country. All

　　the towns and settlements in the area were smothered in an even coating of ash. Volcanic ash silted

　　up the Columbia River 35 miles away, reducing the debris that accumulated at the foot of the

　　volcano reached a depth. in places, of 200 feet.

　　历年雅思阅读真题9：The eruption of Mount St. Helens was one of the most closely observed and analysed in

　　history. Because geologists had been expecting the event, they were able to amass vast amounts of

　　technical data when it happened. Study of atmospheric particles formed as a result of the

　　explosion showed that droplets of sulphuric acid, acting as a screen between the Sun and the

　　Earth's surface, caused a distinct drop in temperature. There is no doubt that the activity of Mount

　　St. Helens and other volcanoes since 1980 has influenced our climate . Even so, it has been

　　calculated that the quantity of dust ejected by Mount St. Helens - a quarter of a cubic mile- was

　　negligible in comparison with that thrown out by earlier eruptions, such as that of Mount Katmai

　　in Alaska in 1912 (three cubic miles). The volcano is still active. Lava domes have formed inside

　　the new crater, and have periodically burst. The threat of Mount St Helens lives on.

　　.Questions 1 and 2

　　Answer questions 1 and 2 by writing the appropriate letter A-I inboxes 1 and 2 on your answer

　　sheet.

　　Example Answer

　　Which paragraph compares the eruption to the energy A

　　released by nuclear bomb?

　　1. Which paragraph describes the evacuation of the mountain?

　　2. Which paragraph describes the moment of the explosion of Mount St. Helens?

　　Questions 3 and 4

　　3. What are the dates of the TWO major eruptions of Mount St. Helens before 1980?

　　Write TWO dates in box 3 on your answer sheet.

　　4 How do scientists know that the volcano exploded around the two dates above?

　　Using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS , write your answer in box 4 on your answer

　　sheet

　　Questions 5-8

　　Complete the summary of events below leading up to the eruption of Mount St. Helens. Choose

　　NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.

　　Write your answers in boxes 5-8 on your answer sheet.

　　In 1979 the Geological Survey warned ... (5) ... to expect a violent eruption before the end of the

　　century. The forecast was soon proved accurate. At the end of March there were tremors and

　　clouds formed above the mountain. This was followed by a lull, but in early May the top of the

　　mountain rose by ... (6)... . People were ...(7) ... from around the mountain. Finally, on May 18th

　　at ...(8) ..., Mount St. Helens exploded.

　　Question 9 and 10

　　Complete the table below giving evidence for the power of the Mount St. Helens eruption.

　　Write your answers in boxes 9 and 10 on your answer sheet.

　　Item Equivalent to

　　Example

　　The energy released by the explosion of

　　Mount St. Helens

　　Answer

　　500 nuclear bombs

　　The area of land covered in mud or ash ...(9)...

　　The quantity of dust ejected ...(10)...

　　Question 11

　　Choose the appropriate letter A-D and write it in box 11 one your answer sheet.

　　11. According to the text the eruption of Mount St. Helens and other volcanoes has influenced our

　　climate by ...

　　A increasing the amount of rainfall.

　　B heating the atmosphere.

　　C cooling the air temperature.

　　D causing atmospheric storms.

　　雅思阅读是雅思考试中一个显著的特点，就是题型比较多样化，所以掌握历年雅思阅读真题就很有必要，可以帮助大家了解出题规律掌握做题技巧。

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