Unit 4 Earthquakes grammar课时作业

　　Ⅰ.阅读理解

　　A

　　Within a few seconds，an avalanche (雪崩) can move at 80 miles an hour，so people hardly have time to jump or run out of harm's way.But these days，avalanches don't often hurt people because the ski patrol (滑雪救护队) makes sure the fields are safe.

　　Doug Driskell，Snow Safety Coordinator for Aspen Mountain Ski Patrol in Aspen，Colorado，says Colorado has the most avalanche accidents in the country，keeping him very busy.

　　Big storms and warming weather make the month of March especially dangerous.But if skiers stay in the suggested ski areas，they don't have to worry."We control the risks that may cause accidents，so it is unlikely you'll get caught，"Driskell explains."We push snow together closely so that it becomes strong enough，and we use explosives (炸药) to make an avalanche move or to test an area to see if it is safe." This work can be dangerous，so ski patrol members look out for each other and keep the public at a safe distance.

　　Driskell and other team members also dig holes in the snow to study the layers.Back in the lab，they enter measurements into a computer，and then a picture shows how the different layers are holding up.If an area looks dangerous，the ski patrol closes it.

　　People going out into the backcountry often wear a special instrument called an avalanche transceiver that sends out a radio signal.All members of the ski patrol wear one as well，in case they get caught in an avalanche while working.

　　The signal tells the patrol where to dig if someone ends up under the snow.Once the patrol knows the area where a person might be，they push a long piece of wood down into the snow.When it hits something，they start digging.

　　Everyone on the ski patrol has studied first aid，so they can deal with serious injuries right there on the mountain.

　　"You're working with a group of great people，trying to work out the snow pack each year is pretty interesting，and especially you are right out there in nature most of the time，" Driskell says.

语篇解读　本文是说明文。文章主要讲述了滑雪救护队为确保滑雪者的安全所做的一些工作。