全國職稱英語等級考試全真模擬題理工類A級（一）

第一部分：詞匯選項(第1“5題，每題1分，共15分)

下面共有15個句子，每個句子中均有1個詞或短語劃有底橫線，請從每個句子后面所

給的4個選項中選擇1個與劃線部分意義最相近的詞或短語。答案一律涂在答題卡相應的位

置上。

1.Thatproblemissecondarytotheonenowfacingus.

A)lessimportantthan

B)laterthan

C)betterthan

D)moreexcitingthan

2.Itisdifficulttoassesstheimportanceofthedecision.

A)comment

B)report

C)discuss

D)evaluate

3.Youmusttrytowipeoutthememoryofthesehorribleevents.

A)unfair

B)strange

C)terrible

D)unusual

4.HespokeinsuchapleasantmannerthatIfeltateasewithhimatonce.

A)confident

B)relaxing

C)formal

D)comfortable

5.Heworkedsohardthateventuallyhefellill.

A)finally

B)recently

C)then

D)surely

6.Hethoughtitbettertobeginworkingimmediately.

A)recently

B)atonce

C)early

D)rapidly

7.Shealwaysfindsfaultwitheverything.

A)simplifies

B)examines

C)evaluates

D)criticizes

8.Shehasasteadyincome.

A)sharp

B)continuous

C)general

D)relative

9.,Sometimesitisadvisabletobookhotelsinadvance.

A)easy

B)profitable

C)wise

D)possible

10.Thereasonfortheirunusualbehaviorremainsapuzzle.

A)statement

B)game

C)mystery

D)fact

11.Theydepictedthethrillingsituationtousingreatdetail.

A)praises

B)writes

C)imitates

D)describes

12.WilliamFaulkner'sstoriesreflecthisMississippiupbringing.

A)show

B)cover

C)visit

D)appear

13.AccordingtotheAmericanRedCross,bloodandplasmadonorsareurgentlyneededafter

naturaldisastersorothercatastrophes.

A)typically

B)desperately

C)tentatively

D)conceivably

14.DumpedwastemightconlaminateWatersupplies.

A）delay

B）destroy

C）decrease

D）pollute

15.Afterlisteningtothetestimony,themembersofthejurydeliveredtheirverdict.

A）foreman

B）decision

C）crossexamination

D）sentence

第二部分：閱讀判斷（第16~22題，每題1分，共7分）

閱讀下面這篇短文，短文后列出7個句子，請根據短文的內容對每個句子做出判斷。如

果該句提供的是正確信息，請在答題卡上把A涂黑；如果該句提供的是錯誤信息，請在答

題卡上把B涂黑；如果該句的信息在文章中沒有提及，請在答題卡上把C涂黑。

GreenRoofResearch

Theconceptofgreenroofsisbasicallyaboutgrowingplantsonroofs,thushelpingtoreplace

thegreenfootprintthathadbeendestroyedduetotheconstructionofthebuilding.Greenroofsare

themostprevalent（流行）inGermany,whichiswidelyregardedastheleaderingreenroof

research.

Thegreenroofsthatareusedthesedayscanbeclassifiedas'extensive'and

intensive1systems.Extensivegreenroofsusemosses,grassesandherbs,whicharetolerant

todroughts.TheseplantsdonotReedmuchmaintenance,canbegrowninalayerofsubstrate（土

層）thatcanbeasshallowas1.5inches,andgenerallyareinaccessibletothepublic.Incontrast,a

widerangeofspeciesofplantsaregrownonintensivegreenroofs,suchasshrubs（灌木）andeven

trees,whichrequiredeepersubstratelayers,andareusuallygrownonflatroofs.Theyneed

intensivemaintenance,andareusuallyareasthatresembleparkswhichareaccessibletopeople.

Thereareseveralbenefitsofadoptinggreenrooftechnologies.Apartfromtheobvious

psychologicalandaesthetic（美學的）benefitsofgarden-likeenvironmentssurroundingyou,some

ofthecommoneconomicandecologicalbenefitsare：areductionintheconsumptionofenergy；

airandwaterpurification；recoveringgreenspaces；andthemitigation（緩解）ofthehealisland

effectinurbanareas.

Thegreenroofresearchthatiscurrentlyongoingisfocusedonevaluatingthespeciesof

plantsthataresuitabletobegrownonroofs,themethodsofpropagation（繁殖）aswellas

establishment,nutrient（養料）andwaterrequirement,substrates,andthequantityandquality

ofwaterrunoff.Theevaluationcriteriaofplantspeciesare：atwhatratetheycanbeestablished：

theircapacitytowithstandinvasiveweeds：toleranceofcoldandheat:toleranceofdrought

conditions:capacityofpersistenceandsurvival.

Anumberofexperimentsarebeingconductedonroofplatformsimulationsatvarious

researchcenters.Thesesitesaregenerallyoutfittedwithequipment,whichareusedtomeasure

temperaturesatdifferentdepthsofthegrowingsubstrates,andtherateandvolumeoftherunoffof

stormwatersfromeachoftheplatforms.

Greenrooftechnologyisrepresentativeofacompletelynewmarketforlandscapecontractors.

Andallroofsthatcurrentlyexistandthefutureonestobeconstructedarethepotentialmarket-a

marketthatistoohugetobeoverlooked.

16Itisestimatedthataround10percentoftheflatroofsinGermanyaregreen.

ARightBWrongCNotmentioned

17Germanpeoplepreferextensivegreenroofsystemstointensiveones.

ARightBWrongCNotmentioned

18Smallplantslikegrassesandherbsaregrownwidelyonintensivegreenroofs.

ARightBWrongCNotmentioned

19Greenroofisanecologicallysoundstrategyofspreadinggreeninurbanareas.

ARightBWrongCNotmentioned

20Oneofthebenefitsofgreenroofsisthereductionoftheheatislandeffectincities.

ARightBWrongCNotmentioned

21Onefocus；nthegreenroofresearchistheevaluationofsuitableplantspecies.

ARightBWrongCNotmentioned

22Althoughgreenrooftechnologycancreateagarden-likeenvironment,itspotentialmarket

israthersmall.

ARightBWrongCNotmentioned

第三部分：概括大意與完成句子（第23~30題，每題1分，共8分）

閱讀下面這篇短文，短文后有2項測試任務：（1）第23?26題要求從所給的6個選項中

為第2,3,5,6段每段選擇1個正確的小標題；（2）第27?30題要求從所給的6個選項中

選擇4個正確選項，分別完成每個句子。請將答案涂在答題卡相應的位置匕

MoreThan8HoursSleepTooMuchofaGoodThing

Althoughthedangersoftoolittlesleeparewidelyknown,newresearchsuggeststhatpeople

whosleeptoomuchmayalsosuffertheconsequences.

InvestigatorsattheUniversityofCaliforniainSanDiegofoundthatpeoplewhoclockup9

or10hourseachweeknightappeartohavemoretroublefallingandstayingasleep,aswellasa

numberofothersleepproblems,thanpeoplewhosleep8hoursanight.Peoplewhosleptonly7

hourseachnightalsosaidtheyhadmoretroublefallingasleepandfeelingrefreshedafteranight'

ssleepthan8-hoursleepers.

Thesefindings,whichDLDanielKripkereportedinthejournalPsychosomaticMedicine,

demonstratethatpeoplewhowanttogetagoodnight'srestmaynotneedtosetasideomorethan

8hoursanight.Headdedthat“itmightbeagoodidea"forpeoplewhosleepmorethan8hours

eachnighttoconsiderreducingtheamountoftimetheyspendinbed,butcautionedthatmore

researchisneededtoconfirmthis.

Previousstudieshaveshownthepotentialdangersofchronicshortagesofsleep一for

instance,onereportdemonstratedthatpeoplewhohabituallysleeplessthan7hourseachnight

haveahigherriskofdyingwithinafixedperiodthanpeoplewhosleepmore.

Forthecurrentreport,Kripkereviewedtheresponsesof1,004adultstosleep

questionnaires,inwhichparticipantsindicatedhowmuchtheysleptduringtheWeekandwhether

theyexperiencedanysleepproblems.Sleepproblemsincludedwakinginthemiddleofthenight,

arisingearlyinthemorningandbeingunabletofallbacktosleep,andhavingfatigueinterfere

withday-to-dayfunctioning.

KriDkefoundthatpeoplewhosleptbetween9and10hourseachnightweremorelikelyto

reportexperiencingeachsleepproblemthanpeoplewhoslept8hours.Inaninterview,Kripke

notedthatlongsleepersmaystruggletogetrestatnightsimplybecausetheyspendtoomuchtime

inbed.Asevidence,headdedthatonewaytohelpinsomniaistospendlesstimeinbed."It

standstoreasonthatifapersonspendstoolongatimeinbed,thenthey'11spendahigher

percentageoftimeawake."hesaid.

23.Paragraph2_.

24.Paragraph4_.

25.Paragraph5_.

26.Paragraph6_.

A.Keprike'sresearchtool

B.DangersofHabitualshortagesofsleep

C.CriticismonKripke'sreport

D.Awayofovercominginsomnia

E.Sleepproblemsoflongandshortsleepers

F.Classificationofsleepproblems

27.TogetagoodnightJsrest,peoplemaynotneedto_.

28.Longsleepersarereportedtobemorelikelyto_.

29.Oneofthesleepproblemsiswakinginthemiddleofthenight,unableto_.

30.Onesurveyshowedthatpeoplewhohabitually__eachnighthaveahigherriskof

dying.

Afallasleepagain.

Bbecomemoreenergeticthefollowingday

Csleeplessthan7hours

Dconfirmthoseseriousconsequences

Esuffersleepproblems

Fsleepmorethan8hours

第四部分：閱讀理解（第31~45題，每題3分，共45分）

下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道題，每題后面有4個選項。請仔細閱讀短文并根據

短文回答其后面的問題，從4個選項中選擇1個最佳答案涂在答題卡相應的位置上。

第一篇AntsHaveBigImpactonEnvironmentas“EcosystemEngineers”

ResearchbytheUniversityofExeter1hasrevealedthatantshaveabigimpactontheirlocal

environmentasaresultoftheiractivityas“ecosystemengineers”andpredators.Thestudy,

publishedintheJournalofAnimalEcology,foundthatantshavetwodistincteffectsontheirlocal

environment.

Firstly,throughmovingofsoilbynestbuilding2activityandbycollectingfoodtheyaffect

thelevelofnutrientsinthesoil.Thiscanindirectlyimpactthelocalpopulationsofmanyanimal

groups,fromdecomposerstospeciesmuchhigherupthefoodchain.

Secondly,theypreyonawiderangeofotheranimals,includinglargerpreywhichcanbe

attackedbyvastnumbersofantworkers.

DirkSanders,anauthorofthestudyfromtheuniversity'sCentreforEcologyand

Conservation,said:"Antsareveryeffectivepredatorswhichthriveinhugenumbers.They'realso

veryterritorialandveryaggressive,defendingtheirresourcesandterritoryagainstother

predators.Allofthismeanstheyhaveastronginfluenceontheirsurroundingarea.v

“Inthisresearch,westudiedforthefirsttimehowbigthisimpactisandthesubtletiesofit.

Whatwefoundisthatdespitebeingpredators,theirpresencecanalsoleadtoanincreasein

densityanddiversityofotheranimalgroups4.Theygenuinelyplayakeyroleinthelocal

environment,havingabiginfluenceonthegrasslandfoodweb,''Sanderssaid.

Thestudy,carriedoutinGermany,studiedtheimpactofthepresenceofdifferent

combinationsanddensitiesofblackgardenantsandcommonredants,bothspecieswhichcanbe

foundacrossEurope,includingintheUK.Itfoundthatalowdensityofantsinanareaincreased

thediversityanddensityofotheranimalsinthelocalarea,particularlythedensityofherbivores

anddecomposers.Athigherdensitiesantshadnoortheoppositeeffect,showingthatpredationis

counteractingthepositiveinfluence.

DrFrankvanVeen,anotherauthoronthestudy,said:"Whatwefindisthattheimpactofants

onsoilnutrientlevelshasapositiveeffectonanimalgroupsatlowlevels,butasthenumberof

antsincreases,theirpredatoryimpactshavethebiggereffect—therebycounteractingthepositive

influenceviaecosystemengineering.M

Antsareimportantcomponentsofecosystemsnotonlybecausetheyconstituteagreatpartof

theanimalbiomass5butalsobecausetheyactasecosystemengineers.Antbiodiversity6is

incrediblyhighandtheseorganismsarehighlyresponsivetohumanimpact,whichobviously

reducesitsrichness.However,itisnotclearhowsuchdisturbancedamagesthemaintenanceof

antservicestotheecosystem?.Antsareimportantinbelowgroundprocesses8throughthe

alterationofthephysicalandchemicalenvironmentandthroughtheireffectsonplants,

microorganisms,andothersoilorganisms.

31.Whyareantscomparedtoecosystemengineers?

ABecausetheybuildtheirownnests.

BBecausetheycollectfood.

CBecausetheiractivityaffectstheenvironment.

DBecausetheyarepredators.

32.Aspredators,ants

Apreyonsmallaswellaslargeanimals.

Bcollectnutritiousfoodfromthesoil

Ccollectfoodasdecomposers.

Dpreyonspeciesmuchhigherupthefoodchain.

33.DirSanders,studycenteredonhowants

Acanmanagetothriveinhugenumbers.

Bdefendtheirresourcesandterritoryagainstotherpredators.

Cattackthoseinvadinganimalsforsurvival.

Dproducesuchabigimpactontheenvironment.

34.Whatdoesparagraph6tellus?

AAntsbringaboutanegativeinfluencetoanareawhentheirpopulationissmall.

BAntsbringaboutapositiveinfluencetoanareawhentheirpopulationissmall.

CAnts'predationcounteractsthepositiveinfluencetheymayhaveonanarea.

DAthigherdensity,antsproduceapositiveinfluenceonanarea.

35.Whatstillremainsunclearaboutants,accordingtothelastparagraph?

AWhatrolesdoantsplayintheecosysteminwhichtheylive?

BHowdoantsaffecttheanimaldiversityinagivenecosystem?

CHowdohumanactivitiesaffectants1influenceonagivenecosystem?

DHowdoantsalterthephysicalandchemicalenvironment?

第二篇CellPhones:HangUporKeepTalking?

Millionsofpeopleareusingcellphonestoday.Inmanyplacesitisactuallyconsidered

unusualnottouseone.Inmanycountries,cellphonesareverypopularwithyoungpeople.They

findthatthephonesaremorethanameansofcommunication—havingamobilephoneshowsthat

theyarecoolandconnected.

Theexplosionsaroundtheworldinmobilephoneusemakesomehealthprofessionalworried.

Somedoctorsareconcernedthatinthefuturemanypeoplemaysufferhealthproblemsfromthe

useofmobilephones.InEngland,therehasbeenaserousdebateaboutthisissue.Mobilephone

companiesareworriedaboutthenegativepublicityofsuchideas.Theysaythatthereisnoproof

thatmobilephonesarebadforyourhealth.

Ontheotherhand,whydosomemedicalstudiesshowchangesinthebraincellsofsome

peoplewhousemobilephones?Signsofchangeintheissuesofthebrainandheadcanbe

detectedwithmodernscanning（掃描）equipment.Inonecase,atravelingsalesmanhadtoretire

atayoungagebecauseofseriousmemoryloss.Hecouldn'trememberevensimpletasks.He

wouldoftenforgetthenameofhisownson.Thismanusedtotalkonhismobilephoneforabout

sixhoursaday,everydayofhisworkingweek,foracoupleofyears.Hisfamilydoctorblamed

hismobilephoneuse,buthisemployer'sdoctordidn'tagree.

Whatisitthatmakesmobilephonespotentiallyharmful?Theanswerisradiation.High-tech

machinescandetectverysmallamountsofradiationfrommobilephones.Mobilephone

companiesagreethatthereissomeradiation,buttheysaytheamountistoosmalltoworryabout.

Asthediscussionabouttheirsafetycontinues,itappearsthatit'sbesttousemobilephones

lessoften.Useyourregularphoneifyouwanttotalkforalongtime.Useyourmobilephoneonly

whenyoureallyneedit.Mobilephonescanbeveryusefulandconvenient,especiallyin

emergencies.Inthefuture,mobilephonesmayhaveawarninglabelthatsaystheyarebadfor

yourhealth.Sofornow,ifswisenottouseyourmobilephonetoooften.

36.PeoplebuycellphonesforthefollowingreasonsEXCEPTthat

A.they'repopular.

B.they9recheap.

C.they're.useful

D.they'reconvenient.

37.Theword“detected”inparagraph3couldbebestreplacedby

A.cured.

B.removed.

C.discovered.

D.caused.

38.Thesalesmanretiredyoungbecause

A.hedislikedusingmobilephones.

B.hewastiredoftalkingonhismobilephone.

C.hecouldn'tremembersimpletasks.

D.hisemployer'sdoctorpersuadedhimto.

39.Onthesafetyissueofmobilephones,themanufacturingcompanies

A.denytheexistenceofmobilephoneradiation.

B.developnewtechnologytoreducemobilephoneradiation.

C.trytoprovethatmobilephonesarenotharmfultohealth.

D.holdthattheamountofradiationistoosmalltoworryabout.

40.Thewriter'spurposeofwritingthisarticleistoadvisepeople

A.tobuymobilephones.

B.toupdateregularphones.

C.tousemobilephoneslessoften.

D.tostopusingmobilephones.

第三篇TeachingMath,TeachingAnxiety

Inanewstudyaboutthewaykidslearnmathinelementaryschool,thepsychologistsatthe

UniversityofChicago1SianBeilockandSusanLevinefoundasurprisingrelationshipbetween

whatfemaleteachersthinkandwhatfemalestudentslearn:Ifafemaleteacherisuncomfortable

withherownmathskills,thenherfemalestudentsaremorelikelytobelievethatboysarebetter

thangirlsatmath.

"Ifthesegirlskeepgettingmath-anxiousfemaleteachers2inlatergrades,itmaycreatea

snowballeffectontheirmathachievement?,"saidLevine.Inotherwords,girlsmayendup

learningmathanxietyfromtheirteachers4.Thestudysuggeststhatifthesegirlsgrowup

believingthatboysarebetteratmaththangirlsare,thenthesegirlsmaynotdoaswellasthey

wouldhaveiftheyweremoreconfident.

Justasstudentsfindcertainsubjectstobedifficult,teacherscanfindcertainsubjectstobe

difficulttolearn-andteach.Thesubjectofmathcanbeparticularlydifficultforeveryone.

Researchersusetheword"anxiety"todescribesuchfeelings:anxietyisuneasinessorworry.

Thenewstudyfoundthatwhenateacherhasanxietyaboutmath,thatfeelingcaninlluence

howherfemalestudentsfeelaboutmath.Thestudyinvolved65girls,52boysand17first-and

second-gradeteachersinelementaryschoolsintheMidwest.Thestudentstookmathachievement

testsatthebeginningandendoftheschoolyear,andtheresearcherscomparedthescores.

Theresearchersalsogavethestudentsteststotellwhetherthestudentsbelievedthatamath

superstarhadtobeaboy.Thentheresearchersturnedtotheteachers:Tofindoutwhichteachers

wereanxiousaboutmath,theresearchersaskedtheteachershowtheyfeltattimeswhenthey

cameacrossmath,suchaswhenreadingasalesreceipts.Ateacherwhogotnervouslookingatthe

numbersonasalesreceipt,forexample,wasprobablyanxiousaboutmath.

Boys,onaverage,wereunaffectedbyateacher'sanxiety.Onaverage,girlswith

math-anxiousteachersscoredlowerontheend-of-the-yearmathteststhanothergirlsinthestudy

did.Plus,onthetestshowingwhethersomeonethoughtamathsuperstarhadtobeaboy,20girls

showedfeelingthatboyswouldbebetteratmath-andallofthesegirlshadbeentaughtbyfemale

teacherswhohadmathanxiety.

'Thisisaninterestingstudy,buttheresultsneedtobeinterpretedaspreliminaryandinneed

ofreplicationwithalargersample6,"saidDavidGeary,apsychologistattheUniversityof

Missouri7inColumbia.

41.WhatistheresultoftheresearchattheUniversityofChicago,accordingtothefirst

paragraph?

AGirlscomfortablewiththeirownmathskillsarebetterthanboysatmath.

BGirlsuncomfortablewiththeirownmathskillsarenotasgoodasboysatmath.

CFemaleBachers'mathskillshaveinfluenceovergirlstudents*mathskills.

DFemaleteachers*confidenceintheirmathskillsisrelatedtogirfsmathskills.

42.Whatisimpliedinthethirdparagraph?

AMathteachers,likemathlearners,donotlikethesubjectduetoitsdifficulty.

BAdifficultsubjectlikemathmayaffectteachers'confidenceinteachingthesubject.

CTeachersaremoreanxiousteachingmaththantheirstudentslearningmath.

DMathissodifficultthatnoteachersliketoteachit.

43.Accordingtotheexperiment,thoseteacherswereprobablyanxiousaboutmathwhenthey

felt

Anervousmemorizingthenumbersofasalesreceipt.

Bhelplesssavingthe,numbersofasalesreceipt.

Cuneasyreadingthenumbersofasalesreceipt.

Dhopelessfillinginthenumbersofasalesreport.

44.Thesixthparagraphtellsusthattheresearchfindings

Aproveastronglinkbetweenfemaleteachers'mathanxietyandtheirfemalestudents'

mathachievements.

Bshowthatmalestudentsarelesslikelytobeaffectedbytheirmathanxietythanfemale

students.

Cprovidestrongevidencethatmathsuperstarsaremorelikelytobemalesthanfemales.

Ddiscoverastronglinkbetweenteachers'mathanxietyandtheirstudents*math

achievements.

45.DavidGearythinksthat

Athestudyisinterestingbutitisbasedonunreliableresearchprocess.

Btheresearchresultsneedtoberetestedbasedonalargersample.

Ctheresearchresultsneedtobereinterpretedtobemeaningful.

Dthestudyiswellbasedandproducessignificantresults.

第五部分：補全短文（第46~50題，每題2分，共10分）

閱讀下面的短文，文章中有5處空白，文章后面有6組文字，請根據文章的內容選擇5

組文字，將其分別放回文章原有位置，以恢復文章原貌。請將答案涂在答題卡相應的位置上。

Garlic

Fromearlytimesmanhasusedgarlic（大蒜）.TheBiblespeaksofit.TheIsraelites（古以色

歹U人）wereoncefarfromhome.TheycriedouttoMoses,theirleader,forthefoodstheyloved:

leeks（韭菜），onions,andgarlic.TheRomans,liketheIsraelites,lovedtoeatgarlic.Andthey

hungbagsofgarlicaroundtheirnecks.（46）Theyalsothoughtitwouldkeepthemfrom

gettingsick.

Asimilarideaisstillheld.Manypeopletakegarlicthinkingitwillpreventorcuredisease.

Mostdoctorssayitdoesnosuchthing.（47）Itssmellmayforcepeopletostayfarapart.At

leastthentheycan'tpassgermsontoeachother.（48）Whatifyou'reinaplay,forinstance?

Actorshavebeenknowntoforgettheirlinesbecausetheycouldn'tstandthegarlicsmellona

fellowactor'sbreath.Somehaveevenmadeupnewlinesandactionsthatkeptthemfaraway

fromtheonewhohadeatengarlic.

Throughtheyearsmanhastriedtocopewiththesmellofgarlic.（49）Wenowknow

why.It'sbeenfoundthattheoilsofthegarlicdonotsticktotheteeth,Garlictongue,orgums（齒

齦）.Theygointothelungsinstead.Fromtheretheyarebreathedout.Theypassoutthroughthe

skintoo.

Strangeasitseems,foodmayhaveagreatdealofgarlicinitwithoutsmellingortasting

strong.Italldependsonhowitiscooked.Frenchcooksmakeagoodsoupwithwholecloves（瓣）

ofgarlic.Theyusemorethanthirtyclovesinonebowlofsoup.Buttheytakecarenottocrush

them.Andtheycookthemwhole.（50）Andastheclovescooktheychangeinsomestrange

way.Thesoupturnsouttobedelicious.It'snotstrongatall.

AButnomedicine,mouthwash,chewinggum,ortoothpasteseemstohelpmuch

BAsaresult,thestrongoilsstayinthecloves.

CTheysayitmayhelpinoneway,though.

DManypeopleeatgarlic.

EButkeepingyourdistancecanbehardattimes.

FTheyhopeditwouldkeepawaytheevileye.

第六部分：完形填空（第51~65題，每題1分，共15分）

閱讀下面的短文，文中有15處空白，每處空白給出了4個選項，請根據短文的內容從

4個選項中選擇1個最佳答案，涂在答題卡相應的位置上。

“Liquefaction”KeytoMuchofJapaneseEarthquakeDamage

ThemassivesubductionzoneearthquakeinJapancausedasignificantlevelofsoil

“liquefaction“thathassurprisedresearcherswithitswidespreadseverity,anewanalysis51.

“Weveseenlocalizedexamplesofsoilliquefactionasextremeasthisbefore,butthe

distanceand52ofdamageinJapanwere53severe,vsaidScottAshford,aprofessorof

geotechnicalengineeringatOregonStateUniversity.aEntirestructuresweretiltedandsinking

intothesediments,Ashfordsaid."Theshiftsinsoildestroyedwater,drainandgaspipelines,

cripplingtheutilitiesandinfrastructurethesecommunitiesneedtofunction.Wesawsomeplaces

thatsankas54asfourfeel.”

Somedegreeofsoilliquefactioniscommoninalmostanymajorearthquake.Itsa

phenomenoninwhichsoilssoakedwithwater,55recentsedimentsorsand,canlosemuchoftheir

56andflowduringanearthquake.Thiscanallowstructurestoshiftorsinkorcollapse.

ButmostearthquakesaremuchshorterthantherecenteventinJapan,Ashfordsaid.Thelength

oftheJapaneseearthquake,asmuchasfiveminutes,mayforceresearchersto57theextentof

liquefactiondamagepossiblyoccurringinsituationssuchasthis.

“Withsuchalonglastingearthquake,wesaw58structuresthatmighthavebeenokayafter

30secondsjustcontinuedtosinkandtiltastheshakingcontinuedforseveralmoreminutes,“he

said."Anditwasclearthatyoungersediments,andespeciallyareasbuiltonrecentlyfilled

ground,aremuchmore59.”

ThedataprovidedbyanalyzingtheJapaneseearthquake,researcherssaid,shouldmakeit

possibletoimprovetheunderstandingofthissoilphenomenonandbetterprepare60itinthe

future.Ashfordsaiditwascriticalfortheteamtocollecttheinformation61,beforedamagewas

removedintherecoveryefforts.

uTheresnodoubtthatwe11learnthingsfromwhathappenedinJapanthatwillhelpus

toreducerisksinothersimilar62,“Ash