为了提高广大学生的英语水平，提高英语专业学生的专四通过率，特提供以下英语阅读，供大家练习参考：
After the violent earthquake that shook Los Angeles in 1994, earthqua ke scientists had good news to report: the damage and death toll could have been much worse.?
More than 60 people died in this earthquake. By comparison, an earthquake of sim ilar intensity that shook America in 1988 claimed 25,000 victims.
Injuries and deaths were relatively less in Los Angeles because the quake occurred at 4:31 a.m. on a holiday, when traffic was light on the city’s highways. In addition, changes made to the constrction codes in Los Angeles during the last 2 0 years have strengthened the city’s buildings and highways, making them more re sistant to quakes. ?
Despite the good news, civil engineers aren’t resting on their successness. Pinned to their drawing boards are blueprints for improved quake?resistant building s . The new designs should offer even greater security to cities where earthquakes often take place.?
In the past, making structures quake?resistant meant firm yet flexible material s , such as steel and wood, that bend without breaking. Later, people tried to lif t a building off its foundation, and insert rubber and steel between the buildin g and its foundation to reduce the impact of ground vibrations. The most recent designs give buildings brains as well as concrete and steel supports. Called sma rt buildings, the structures respond like living organisms to an earthquake’s vib ration. When the ground shakes and the building tips forward, the computer would force the building to shift in the opposite direction.
The new smart structures could be very expensive to build. However, they would s ave many lives and would be less likely to be damaged during earthquakes.?
1. The function of the computer mentioned in the passage is to ?___ ___?.?
A. counterbalance an earthquake’s action on the building?
B. predict the coming of an earthquake with accuracy?
C. help strengthen the foundation of the building?
D. measure the impact of an earthquake’s vibrations ?
2. The smart buildings discussed in the passage ?______
A. would cause serious financial problems?
B. would be worthwhile though costly?
C. would increase the complexity of architectural design?
D. can reduce the ground vibrations caused by earthquakes ?
3. It can be inferred from the passage that in minimizing the damage cau sed by earthquakes attention should be focused on ?______?.?
A. the increasing use of rubber and steel in capital construction?
B. the development of flexible building materials?
C. the reduction of the impact of ground vibrations?
D. early forecasts of earthquakes ?
4. The author’s main purpose in writing the passage is to ?___ ___?.?
A. compare the consequences of the earthquakes that occurred in the U.S?
B. encourage civil engineers to make more extensive use of computers?
C. outline the history of the development of quake?resistant building materials?
D. report new developments in constructing quake?resistant buildings
1. A) 此题为细节题。根据第五段中 “When the ground shakes and th e building tips forward, the computer would force the building to shift in the o pposite direction.”可知计算机的作用，故A为正确答案。选项B与原文信息不符，C和D在 文中没有提到。?
2. B) 这也是一道细节题。根据文章最后一段可知选项B为正确答案。选项 A是错误陈述;选项C的内容在文中没有提及;选项D之所以错误是因为计算机只能减少地震 摆动对建筑的影响而不可能减轻大地的摆动。?
3. C) 此题为推断题。通过阅读文章我们可以得出这样的结论：要减少地 震所带来的危害，就应当把重点放在减少地震摇摆给建筑物造成的影响上。而选项A和B都只 是减少地震给建筑物造成破坏的方法之一，D在文中没有提及，故只有选项C为正确答案。?
4. D) 此题为推断题。通读全文可知，作者从历史、今天和未来的时间角 度介绍了防震建筑的发展历史，但是文章重点不是要介绍防震建筑材料的发展史，而是要介 绍、宣传现代防震建筑材料的现状与发展前景，由此可见D为正确答案。