Passage Three

On the morning of November 18,1755, an earthquake shook Boston, Massachusetts. John Winthrop, a professor at Harvard College, felt the quake and awoke. “I rose,” Winthrop wrote, “and lighting a candle, looked on my watch, and found it was 15 minutes after four.” John Winthrop went downstairs to the grandfather clock. It had stopped four minutes before, at 4:11. Except for stopping the clock, the quake had only thrown a key from the mantel (壁炉台) to the floor.

The clock had stopped because Winthrop had put some long glass tubes he was using for an experiment into the case for care. The quake had knocked the tubes over and blocked the pendulum (钟摆). Winthrop, therefore, had the exact time that the earthquake had hit Boston. He looked at the key on the floor. The quake had thrown it forward in the direction of the quake’s motion (运动) by a shock coming from the northwest, perhaps in Canada.

71. The text proves that _______.

the power of nature is terrible

earthquakes happen most often during nighttime hours

the direction of an earthquake can be discovered

universities study the cause of earthquakes

72. The text suggests that _________.

A. Boston was badly destroyed B. earthquakes are common in Boston

C. John Winthrop had difficulty sleeping D. John Winthrop was a scientist

73. Which of the following is true?________.

Some tubes were broken into pieces and stopped the old clock

The professor lit a candle because of power failure

Boston is in the southeast of Canada

The shocks were slight in one way

74. The earthquake happened ________.

A. several minutes before the professor awoke B. and the professor awoke at 4:15

C. in the centre of Boston D. when John Winthrop felt it

75. Choose the right order according to the text.

a. The bed was shaking and John Winthrop awoke.

b. John Winthrop looked attentively at this watch.

c. John Winthrop got up to light a candle.

d. The earthquake happened in Boston in 1755.

e. John Winthrop knew the quake’s direction.

f. John Winthrop knew the exact quake’s time.

g. John Winthrop looked at the key on the floor.

A. g, d, e, a, c, b, f B. d, a, c, b, f, g, e C. a, e, d, c, b, f, g D. e, d, g, b, c, a, f