解放军文职招聘考试Paracutin 火山喷发

What is Paracutin? It was the first volcano(火山) in the world which was seen from its birth right up to the present day. On February 20, 1943, a peasant and his wife set out to work in their corn fields from the Mexican village of Paracutin. They were surprised to find the earth warm under their feet. Suddenly they heard noises deep in the earth and a small hole appeared in their field. In the afternoon there was a sudden loud noise and stones were thrown high in the air. The peasants ran from the field and turned to watch. They saw the birth of a volcano. 

    Large quantities of stone and lava(岩浆) broke out and a little hill began to form. By evening this hill was 100 feet high and hot ashes(灰烬) were falling on the village. At night the strong light of the hot lava lit up the countryside. The trees near the village were killed and the villagers had to leave their houses. When the village was destroyed, its name was given to the volcano. The news quickly reached Mexico City, far to the east. Many people came to watch the scene. The volcano grew and grew for ten years and hundreds of square miles of forest were destroyed. Then Paracutin went to sleep. 

1. Paracutin was once the name of ________. 

A. a peasant B. a village

C. an old mountain D. a Mexican

2. What was destroyed in the growing up of the volcano?

A. The little hill of stone. 

B. The villagers living close by. 

C. The forests and fields round Paracutin. 

D. The Mexican peasant and his wife.

3. In this passage the writer is trying to ________. 

A. tell us an interesting happening    

B. explain a scientific theory

C. make us believe something           

D. make up an interesting story

4. What can we learn about volcanoes from this passage？

A. New volcanoes may appear in places where people do not expect them to be. 

B. Volcanoes are always growing. 

C. Volcanoes are active from time to time. 

D. New volcanoes are active for only ten years. 

【答案与解析】本文描述了1943年2月20 日墨西哥Paracutin 火山喷发的全过程。

1. B。细节题。从第2段第3句话中的 the Mexican village of Paracutin 以及第3段中的 When the village was destroyed, its name was given to the volcano 可知Paracutin 曾经是一个村子名。

2. C。细节题。根据第3段倒数第2句 The volcano grew and grew for ten years and hundreds of square miles of forest were destroyed 可得答案为C。

3. A。判断题。此题可用排除法做，选项B、C、D显然与原文不符，故选A。

4. A。判断题。根据文章内容和一般常识可以排除选项B、C和D，而且从文章中我们可以了解到那个村庄没有人知道会有火山爆发，所以答案应为A。