ESL Reading Passage - 45

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What is an Earthquake

Earthquake is a sudden movement in Earth's crust which produces vibration. These vibrations may be detectable only by sensitive instruments called seismographs, or else they may kill thousands as they destroy cities. Many earthquakes are caused when rocks move along faults. Severe earthquakes are most common near the edges of the "plates" in the Earth's crust, such as around the Pacific Ocean, along the mid-Atlantic ridge and in the Mediterranean and South- West Asian regions. They occur when the plates move. So me earthquakes are caused by volcanic action, explosions and other factors, Earthquakes under the sea trigger off huge waves called tsunamis.

1. According to the passage, ----.

A) rocks move when the earthquakes occur
B) seismographs may devastate cities if not detected
C) earthquakes are caused by huge waves called tsunamis
D) earthquakes are more likely to happen where there are faults
E) sudden movements in the earth's crust are called volcanic eruptions

2. It's obvious in the passage that ----.

A) many big cities are founded upon the faults
B) big cities are more likely to confront earthquakes
C) the Pacific Ocean is the most likely place for the earthquakes
D) movement of rocks along the faults trigger tsunamis
E) Earth's most perilous places are the Pacific Ocean, the Mid-Atlantic,     South-West Asia and the Mediterranean

3. We can understand from the passage that ----.

A) some of the volcanic blasts are caused by earthquakes
B) tsunamis are more likely to exist in the Mediterranean and the Mid-Atlantic
C) severe earthquakes cannot be detected beforehand
D) movements of plates leads to big earthquakes
E) faults are created by the detectable vibrations

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