The volcanic eruption is like a heavy snowfall

重庆 李 燕

主题语境：自然灾害 篇幅：329词 建议用时：7分钟

1One of Russia's most active volcanoes erupted,launching a massive gray cloud into the air and coating nearby villages in a thick layer of ash.

2The eruption of Shiveluch,a volcano on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula,was not immediately reported to cause any deaths.But scientists said the fallout covered 108,000 square kilometers and prompted a code red warning for flights.“The ash reached 20 kilometers high,” said Danila Chebrov,director of the Kamchatka branch of the Geophysical Service of Russian Academy of Sciences.“The ash cloud moved westwards,and there was a very strong fall of ash on nearby villages.”

3The Kamchatka Peninsula,a 270,000-square-kilometer area with a population of about 300,000 in Russia's far east,has more than 300 volcanoes—including 29 volcanoes that are active.The Volcanoes of Kamchatka are considered one of the most outstanding volcanic regions in the world and were listed as a World Heritage site,according to United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

4With at least 60 eruptions during the past 11,700 years,Shiveluch is one of Kamchatka's largest and most active volcanoes.Michigan Technological University's volcanologist Simon Carn said that the latest eruption was likely Shiveluch's largest since the dawn of satellites.

5Shiveluch began erupting just after midnight on April 11,2023,dumping about eight centimeters of ash on Klyuchi,the closest village,located about 50 kilometers away.“The roads are completely terrible,” said local resident Vera Mayorova.“It's very difficult to take the kids to the kindergarten.Pupils at schools are studying at home.It's impossible to walk outside because of the ash-fall (降灰).”

6Residents also reported their tap water had turned ash gray in color,prompting authorities to deliver bottled water.The eruption was likely powerful enough to shoot volcanic material into the stratosphere (平流层),which could have a temporary cooling effect.

7The governor of Kamchatka,Vladimir Solodov,said mass evacuation (疏散) was not necessary but explained that schools would switch to remote classes for the duration of the aftermath (后续影响) of the disaster.“As much as possible,stay at home,” he said.

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Detail 1.What can we know about Shiveluch from the text?

A.The eruption of it causes many deaths.

B.It is Kamchatka's largest active volcano.

C.It is one of Kamchatka's most active volcanoes.

D.The eruption of it prevents everyone going outside.

Detail 2.How high did the ash cloud from the eruption reach?

A.20 kilometers.

B.50 kilometers.

C.108,000 kilometers.

D.270,000 kilometers.

Gist 3.What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A.The explanation of an outstanding volcano.

B.The Kamchatka Peninsula's large populaion.

C.The Kamchatka Peninsula's many volcanoes.

D.The introduction to the Volcanoes of Kamchatka.

Detail 4.What is difficult for the residents of Klyuchi?

A.Going to school.

B.Always staying at home.

C.Mass evacuation.

D.Much high temperature.

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Difficult sentences in the text

1.Michigan Technological University's volcanologist Simon Carn said that the latest eruption was likely Shiveluch's largest since the dawn of satellites.密歇根理工大学的火山学家西蒙·卡恩说，最近的这次喷发可能是自卫星出现以来舍维留奇火山最大的一次喷发。

【点石成金】句中的that 引导的是宾语从句；since 在句中意为“自从”，since...satellites作状语。

2.The eruption was likely powerful enough to shoot volcanic material into the stratosphere,which could have a temporary cooling effect.这次喷发的威力可能足以将火山物质喷射到平流层，这可能会产生暂时的冷却效果。

【点石成金】句中的which引导的是定语从句，并在从句中作主语；be likely to意为“很有可能”。