淘金高阶英语六级巅峰阅读 篇章阅读30：地理环境

　　篇章阅读30：地理环境

　　Scattered around the globe are more than 100 small regions of isolated volcanic activity known to geologists as hot spots. Unlike most of the worlds volcanoes. they are not always found at the boundaries of the great drifting plates that make up the earths surface; on the contrary, many of chem lie deep in the interior of a plate. Most of the hot spots move only slowly, and in some cases the movement of the plates past them has left trails of dead volcanoes. The bot spots and their volcanic trails are milestones that mark the passage of the plates.

　　That the plates are moving is now beyond dispute. Africa and South America. for example. are moving away from each other as new material is injected into the sea floor between them. The complementary coastlines and certain geological features that seem to span the ocean are reminders of where the two continents were once joined. The relative motion of the plates carrying these continents has been constructed in detail, but the motion of one plate with respect to another cannot readily be translated into motion with respect to the earth s interior. It is not possible to determine whether both continents are moving in opposite directions or whether one continent is stationary and the other is drifting away from it. Hot spots. anchored in the deeper layers of the earth, provide the measuring instruments needed to resolve the question. From an analysis of the hot-spot population it appears that the African plate is stationary and that it has not moved during the past 30 million years.

　　The significance of hot spots is not confined lo their role as a frame of reference. It now appears that they also have an important influence on the geophysical processes chat propel the plates across the globe. When a continental plate comes to rest over a hot spot. the material rising from deeper layer creates a broad dome. As the dome grows, it develops deep fissures ; in at least a few cases the continent may break entirely along some of these fissures, so that the hoc spot initiates the formation of a new ocean. Thus just as earlier theories have explained the mobility of the continents, so hot spots may explain their mutability .

　　参考译文

　　地球上散布着100多个互不相连的发生火山运动的小地区，地质学家称之为热点。同世界上绝大多数火山不同，它们通常并不位于构成地表的各个大漂移板块的交接地带。相反，其中很多位于板块内部的深处。大多数热点只能缓慢移动。在某些情形下，板块移动经过热点留下死必山的痕迹。这些热点及其火山痕迹是记录着板块移动的标志。

　　板块移动是不争的事实。比如非洲和南美，随着新的物质注入它们之间的大海海底，它们彼此向反方向移动。两大洲海岸线所具有的互补的特征以及某些似乎跨越大洋的地质特点使人想到两大洲曾经连接在一起。两大洲所在板块的相对移动已经被详细地构建出来。但是一个板块相对于另外一个板块的运动不能被顺理成章地解释成它相对于地球内部的运动。人们无法判断两个大洲是一起反方向移动，还是一个大洲不动，另一个大洲向相反方向移开。存在于地球更深层的热点提供了解决这个问题的测量工具。人们对热点总体的分析表明非洲板块是静止的，它在过去的3000万年里没有移动过。

　　热点 的意义不只局限于它们所起的参照作用，现在看来，它们好像还对推动板块在地球表面漂移这一地球物理过程产生重要影响。当大陆板块漂移到热点上方并停留时，从地层深处涌出的物质使板块凸出，形成一个大的圆丘。圆丘不断增大，并且出现许多裂纹，至少有若干次，大陆板块沿其中的一些裂纹完全断开，因此.热点引发了新海洋的形成。正如早期理论解释了大陆的移动性，热点理论可以解释它们的可变性(非稳定性)。

　　测试题

　　1.We can learn from che first paragraph that_____________.

　　A. there are no volcanic activities on hoc spots

　　B. most hoc spots are located in the inner part of a plate

　　C. hot spots usually lie. at che boundaries of drifting plates;

　　D. the passage of plates through hot spots will leave dead volcanoes

　　2.The author believes that_____________.

　　A) the motion of the plates corresponds to thar of the earths interior

　　B) the geological theory about drifting plates has been proved to be true

　　C) the hot spots and the plates move slowly in opposite directions

　　D) the movement of hot spots proves the continents are moving apart

　　3.That Africa and South America were once joined can be deduced from the fact that_________.

　　A) the two continents are still moving in opposite directions

　　B) they have been found to share certain geological features

　　C) the African plate has been stable for 30 million years

　　D) over 100 hot spots are scattered all around the globe

　　4.The hot spot theory may prove useful in explaining__________.

　　A) the structure of the African plates. B) the revival of dead volcanoes.

　　C) the mobility of the continents. D) the formation of new oceans.

　　5.The passage is mainly about______________.

　　A) the features of volcanic activities

　　B) the importance of the theory about drifting plates

　　C) the significance of hot spots in geophysical studies

　　D) the process of the formation of volcanoes

　　选项翻译与答案详解

　　1.从文章第一段我们可以知道，_____________。

　　A)在热点没有火山活动 B)大多数的热点位于板块内部

　　C)热点通常位于漂移板块的边界处 D)板块经过热点后会留下死火山

　　根据题干直接查找到第1段。第2句第2个分句提到 其中很多位于板块内部的深处 ，而表达同样含义的是B选项。该段第1句指出，这些互不相连、发生火山运动的小地区，地质学家称之为热点，可见A项错误。选项C与第2句第1个分句的内容相反。倒数第2句提到 在某些情形下，板块移动经过热点留下死火山的痕迹 ，即不是所有板块移动都会留下死火山的痕迹，故D错。

　　2.作者相信______________。

　　A)板块运动与地球内部是一致的

　　B)若干漂移板块的地质学理论被证明是正确的

　　C)热点与板块向相反方向缓慢移动

　　D)热点的移动证明了大陆在相互远离

　　文章第2段的开头指出That the plates are moving is now beyond dispute。beyond dispute意为 毋庸置疑 ，故答案选B项。从第2段第4句的 但是一个板块相对于另外一个板块的运动不能被顺理成章地解释成板块与它相对于地球内部的运动 ，可排除A项。

　　3.可以从_________________的事实，推断非洲和南美洲曾经是连接在一起的。

　　A)两个洲仍然向相反方向移动

　　B)人们发现两个洲拥有某些共同的地质特征

　　B)非洲板块3千万年来一直保持稳定

　　D)超过100个热点散步在全球

　　从第2段的第3句可知，非洲和南美洲曾经连接在一起的证据有两个 海岸线所具有的互补的特征及某些地质特点。B项符合后者，故为正确答案。

　　4.热点理论可能在解释___________时被证明是有用的。

　　A)非洲板块的结构 B)死火山的复活

　　C)大洲的可动性 D)新海洋的形戒

　　关于hot spot theory的作用，除了第2段提到的参照作用外，第3段论及的另一个重要作用在于它能够推动扳块在地球表面漂移，从而引发了新海洋的形成。故答案选D项。

　　5.文章主要是关于_______________。

　　A)火山活动的特征 B)漂移板块理论的重要性

　　C)热点在地理物理学研究中的意义 D)火山形成的过程

　　全文三个段落主要是围绕 热点对于地球物理学研究的意义 而展开的。故答案选C项。全篇共三段，第l段讲的是hot spots的定义与分布，第2段讲hot spots在大陆板块移动中的参照作用，第3段讲hot spots引起新海洋形成的地球物理意义。