TF阅读真题第976篇Hot Springs and Geysers

题目：

Hot Springs and Geysers

 

 

Water held in the cracks in rocks and spaces in soil is called groundwater. A hot spring forms when hot groundwater rises through a channel, or conduit, to Earth’s surface. Hot springs can be found in two geologic settings. First, hot springs occur in places where faults or joints provide a conduit for groundwater to rise from depths of at least a few kilometers within the crust (Earth’s top layer). Rocks deep underground are naturally hot because geothermal energy (heat from Earth) increases with depth, and these rocks will warm up any groundwater in contact with them. If this warmed water reaches the surface rapidly without being diluted, it will still be hot. Second, hot springs develop in geothermal regions-places that are currently volcanically active, or where volcanism happened relatively recently. In geothermal regions, magma (hot fluid or semifluid material within Earth’s crust) and/or very hot rock resides fairly close to Earth’s surface, so even shallow groundwater becomes hot.

Hot groundwater dissolves minerals from rock that it passes through. Water becomes a more effective solvent (substance able to dissolve other substances) when hot, so hot springs tend to emit mineralized water. Some people believe that immersion in the hot mineral water of hot springs can cure ailments, but although this claim carries no scientific proof, without doubt, hot springs can be relaxing. In nature, the mineral content and temperature of hot springs can incubate life, and as a result, natural pools of geothermal water may be brightly colored-the gaudy greens, blues, and oranges of these pools came from thermophilic (heat-loving) bacteria and other microorganisms that thrive in hot water and eat the sulfur-containing minerals dissolved in groundwater. Numerous distinctive geologic features form in geothermal regions as a result of the eruption of hot water. In places where the hot water rises into soils rich in volcanic ash and clay, a mixture of solids and liquid called slurry forms and fills bubbling mud pots. Bubbles of steam rising through the slurry cause it to splatter about in drops. Where geothermal waters spill out of natural springs and then cool, dissolved minerals in the water precipitate (become solid), forming colorful mounds or terraces of travertine (a type of limestone) and other chemical sedimentary rocks.

Under special circumstances, geothermal water emerges from the ground in a geyser, a fountain of steam and hot water that erupts episodically from a vent. The name comes from an Icelandic example, named Geysir, based on the Icelandic word geysa, meaning gush. To understand why a geyser erupts, we first need to picture its underground plumbing. Beneath a geyser, rock contains a network of irregular fractures-one of these serves as a conduit to the vent from which a geyser erupts. After a geyser eruption, the fractures are temporarily empty. They immediately begin to fill with groundwater, and soon, the geyser’s conduit contains water again. Water at the top of the conduit cools down, because it’s in contact with the air, while the water at depth remains superheated, meaning it remains liquid though its temperature exceeds 100°C, the boiling point of water at Earth’s surface. This deeper water can be superheated because the boiling point of water increases with increasing pressure. Cooler water near the top of the conduit cannot mix with the superheated groundwater below because the conduit is too narrow for convection (the transfer of heat by the movement of liquid) to take place the weight of the cooler water keeps the superheated water deeper down under pressure. Eventually, however, the top layer of superheated groundwater gets hot enough or shallow enough to start boiling. Expansion due to the formation of rising vapor bubbles pushes some of the cooler water at the top of the conduit out of the vent. This spillage suddenly decreases the weight of the water column above the superheated groundwater, and the sudden drop in pressure causes the superheated water to flash into vapor. This vapor quickly rises, forcefully ejecting all the water and steam above it out of the vent, as a geyser eruption. Once the conduit has emptied, the cycle starts again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Water held in the cracks in rocks and spaces in soil is called groundwater. A hot spring forms when hot groundwater rises through a channel, or conduit, to Earth’s surface. Hot springs can be found in two geologic settings. First, hot springs occur in places where faults or joints provide a conduit for groundwater to rise from depths of at least a few kilometers within the crust (Earth’s top layer). Rocks deep underground are naturally hot because geothermal energy (heat from Earth) increases with depth, and these rocks will warm up any groundwater in contact with them. If this warmed water reaches the surface rapidly without being diluted, it will still be hot. Second, hot springs develop in geothermal regions-places that are currently volcanically active, or where volcanism happened relatively recently. In geothermal regions, magma (hot fluid or semifluid material within Earth’s crust) and/or very hot rock resides fairly close to Earth’s surface, so even shallow groundwater becomes hot.

Paragraph 1 suggests that groundwater that starts out several kilometers underground will NOT form a hot spring if

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

Athe water rises to the surface slowly

Bthe water is shallow in a geothermal region

Cfaults or joints are numerous

Dvolcanism happened in the area but has stopped relatively recently

2

Hot groundwater dissolves minerals from rock that it passes through. Water becomes a more effective solvent (substance able to dissolve other substances) when hot, so hot springs tend to emit mineralized water. Some people believe that immersion in the hot mineral water of hot springs can cure ailments, but although this claim carries no scientific proof, without doubt, hot springs can be relaxing. In nature, the mineral content and temperature of hot springs can incubate life, and as a result, natural pools of geothermal water may be brightly colored-the gaudy greens, blues, and oranges of these pools came from thermophilic (heat-loving) bacteria and other microorganisms that thrive in hot water and eat the sulfur-containing minerals dissolved in groundwater. Numerous distinctive geologic features form in geothermal regions as a result of the eruption of hot water. In places where the hot water rises into soils rich in volcanic ash and clay, a mixture of solids and liquid called slurry forms and fills bubbling mud pots. Bubbles of steam rising through the slurry cause it to splatter about in drops. Where geothermal waters spill out of natural springs and then cool, dissolved minerals in the water precipitate (become solid), forming colorful mounds or terraces of travertine (a type of limestone) and other chemical sedimentary rocks.

The word “emit” in the passage is closest in meaning to

 

Vocabulary Questions词汇题

 

Acontain

Bconcentrate

Cbe characterized by

Dlet out

3

Hot groundwater dissolves minerals from rock that it passes through. Water becomes a more effective solvent (substance able to dissolve other substances) when hot, so hot springs tend to emit mineralized water. Some people believe that immersion in the hot mineral water of hot springs can cure ailments, but although this claim carries no scientific proof, without doubt, hot springs can be relaxing. In nature, the mineral content and temperature of hot springs can incubate life, and as a result, natural pools of geothermal water may be brightly colored-the gaudy greens, blues, and oranges of these pools came from thermophilic (heat-loving) bacteria and other microorganisms that thrive in hot water and eat the sulfur-containing minerals dissolved in groundwater. Numerous distinctive geologic features form in geothermal regions as a result of the eruption of hot water. In places where the hot water rises into soils rich in volcanic ash and clay, a mixture of solids and liquid called slurry forms and fills bubbling mud pots. Bubbles of steam rising through the slurry cause it to splatter about in drops. Where geothermal waters spill out of natural springs and then cool, dissolved minerals in the water precipitate (become solid), forming colorful mounds or terraces of travertine (a type of limestone) and other chemical sedimentary rocks.

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

 

Sentence Simplification Questions句子简化题

 

AThe bright colors of pools of geothermal water are an indication that the temperature and mineral content of the pool will allow thermophilic bacteria to thrive.

BIn nature, pools of geothermal water may be brightly colored with greens, blues, and oranges created by the minerals present in the water.

CThe heat and mineral content in pools formed by hot springs favor the growth of microorganisms that can lead to the water being brightly colored.

DNatural pools of geothermal water can incubate life that feeds on bacteria, microorganisms, and sulfur-containing minerals dissolved in the water.

4

Hot groundwater dissolves minerals from rock that it passes through. Water becomes a more effective solvent (substance able to dissolve other substances) when hot, so hot springs tend to emit mineralized water. Some people believe that immersion in the hot mineral water of hot springs can cure ailments, but although this claim carries no scientific proof, without doubt, hot springs can be relaxing. In nature, the mineral content and temperature of hot springs can incubate life, and as a result, natural pools of geothermal water may be brightly colored-the gaudy greens, blues, and oranges of these pools came from thermophilic (heat-loving) bacteria and other microorganisms that thrive in hot water and eat the sulfur-containing minerals dissolved in groundwater. Numerous distinctive geologic features form in geothermal regions as a result of the eruption of hot water. In places where the hot water rises into soils rich in volcanic ash and clay, a mixture of solids and liquid called slurry forms and fills bubbling mud pots. Bubbles of steam rising through the slurry cause it to splatter about in drops. Where geothermal waters spill out of natural springs and then cool, dissolved minerals in the water precipitate (become solid), forming colorful mounds or terraces of travertine (a type of limestone) and other chemical sedimentary rocks.

Why does the author describe the formation of “colorful mounds or terraces of travertine (a type of limestone) and other chemical sedimentary rocks”?

 

Rhetorical Purpose Questions修辞目的题

 

ATo identify some of the conditions that cause dissolved minerals to precipitate

BTo provide an example of a distinctive geologic feature formed in geothermal regions as a result of hot springs

CTo show what happens in areas where hot water rises into soils that are not rich in volcanic ash and clay

DTo explain one of the steps that leads to the formation of slurry

5

Under special circumstances, geothermal water emerges from the ground in a geyser, a fountain of steam and hot water that erupts episodically from a vent. The name comes from an Icelandic example, named Geysir, based on the Icelandic word geysa, meaning gush. To understand why a geyser erupts, we first need to picture its underground plumbing. Beneath a geyser, rock contains a network of irregular fractures-one of these serves as a conduit to the vent from which a geyser erupts. After a geyser eruption, the fractures are temporarily empty. They immediately begin to fill with groundwater, and soon, the geyser’s conduit contains water again. Water at the top of the conduit cools down, because it’s in contact with the air, while the water at depth remains superheated, meaning it remains liquid though its temperature exceeds 100°C, the boiling point of water at Earth’s surface. This deeper water can be superheated because the boiling point of water increases with increasing pressure. Cooler water near the top of the conduit cannot mix with the superheated groundwater below because the conduit is too narrow for convection (the transfer of heat by the movement of liquid) to take place the weight of the cooler water keeps the superheated water deeper down under pressure. Eventually, however, the top layer of superheated groundwater gets hot enough or shallow enough to start boiling. Expansion due to the formation of rising vapor bubbles pushes some of the cooler water at the top of the conduit out of the vent. This spillage suddenly decreases the weight of the water column above the superheated groundwater, and the sudden drop in pressure causes the superheated water to flash into vapor. This vapor quickly rises, forcefully ejecting all the water and steam above it out of the vent, as a geyser eruption. Once the conduit has emptied, the cycle starts again.

The word “episodically” in the passage is closest in meaning to

 

Vocabulary Questions词汇题

 

Apowerfully

Bfrom time to time

Csuddenly

Din an unusual way

6

Under special circumstances, geothermal water emerges from the ground in a geyser, a fountain of steam and hot water that erupts episodically from a vent. The name comes from an Icelandic example, named Geysir, based on the Icelandic word geysa, meaning gush. To understand why a geyser erupts, we first need to picture its underground plumbing. Beneath a geyser, rock contains a network of irregular fractures-one of these serves as a conduit to the vent from which a geyser erupts. After a geyser eruption, the fractures are temporarily empty. They immediately begin to fill with groundwater, and soon, the geyser’s conduit contains water again. Water at the top of the conduit cools down, because it’s in contact with the air, while the water at depth remains superheated, meaning it remains liquid though its temperature exceeds 100°C, the boiling point of water at Earth’s surface. This deeper water can be superheated because the boiling point of water increases with increasing pressure. Cooler water near the top of the conduit cannot mix with the superheated groundwater below because the conduit is too narrow for convection (the transfer of heat by the movement of liquid) to take place the weight of the cooler water keeps the superheated water deeper down under pressure. Eventually, however, the top layer of superheated groundwater gets hot enough or shallow enough to start boiling. Expansion due to the formation of rising vapor bubbles pushes some of the cooler water at the top of the conduit out of the vent. This spillage suddenly decreases the weight of the water column above the superheated groundwater, and the sudden drop in pressure causes the superheated water to flash into vapor. This vapor quickly rises, forcefully ejecting all the water and steam above it out of the vent, as a geyser eruption. Once the conduit has emptied, the cycle starts again.

According to paragraph 3, which TWO of the following contribute to the conditions that allow water in the conduit of a geyser to stay superheated?

 

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

 

Select 2 answers

AThe weight of cool water above the superheated water puts pressure on it.

BSuperheated water flows through rock that gets hotter and hotter as it approaches the vent.

CThe top layer of the superheated water starts boiling.

DThe conduit is too narrow to allow superheated water to mix with cooler water.

7

Under special circumstances, geothermal water emerges from the ground in a geyser, a fountain of steam and hot water that erupts episodically from a vent. The name comes from an Icelandic example, named Geysir, based on the Icelandic word geysa, meaning gush. To understand why a geyser erupts, we first need to picture its underground plumbing. Beneath a geyser, rock contains a network of irregular fractures-one of these serves as a conduit to the vent from which a geyser erupts. After a geyser eruption, the fractures are temporarily empty. They immediately begin to fill with groundwater, and soon, the geyser’s conduit contains water again. Water at the top of the conduit cools down, because it’s in contact with the air, while the water at depth remains superheated, meaning it remains liquid though its temperature exceeds 100°C, the boiling point of water at Earth’s surface. This deeper water can be superheated because the boiling point of water increases with increasing pressure. Cooler water near the top of the conduit cannot mix with the superheated groundwater below because the conduit is too narrow for convection (the transfer of heat by the movement of liquid) to take place the weight of the cooler water keeps the superheated water deeper down under pressure. Eventually, however, the top layer of superheated groundwater gets hot enough or shallow enough to start boiling. Expansion due to the formation of rising vapor bubbles pushes some of the cooler water at the top of the conduit out of the vent. This spillage suddenly decreases the weight of the water column above the superheated groundwater, and the sudden drop in pressure causes the superheated water to flash into vapor. This vapor quickly rises, forcefully ejecting all the water and steam above it out of the vent, as a geyser eruption. Once the conduit has emptied, the cycle starts again.

According to paragraph 3, what happens to water at the top of the conduit when the water lower down starts to boil?

 

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

 

AIt quickly heats up.

BIt spills out of the vent.

CIt sinks below the hot water in the conduit.

DIt forms small bubbles.

8

Under special circumstances, geothermal water emerges from the ground in a geyser, a fountain of steam and hot water that erupts episodically from a vent. The name comes from an Icelandic example, named Geysir, based on the Icelandic word geysa, meaning gush. To understand why a geyser erupts, we first need to picture its underground plumbing. Beneath a geyser, rock contains a network of irregular fractures-one of these serves as a conduit to the vent from which a geyser erupts. After a geyser eruption, the fractures are temporarily empty. They immediately begin to fill with groundwater, and soon, the geyser’s conduit contains water again. Water at the top of the conduit cools down, because it’s in contact with the air, while the water at depth remains superheated, meaning it remains liquid though its temperature exceeds 100°C, the boiling point of water at Earth’s surface. This deeper water can be superheated because the boiling point of water increases with increasing pressure. Cooler water near the top of the conduit cannot mix with the superheated groundwater below because the conduit is too narrow for convection (the transfer of heat by the movement of liquid) to take place the weight of the cooler water keeps the superheated water deeper down under pressure. Eventually, however, the top layer of superheated groundwater gets hot enough or shallow enough to start boiling. Expansion due to the formation of rising vapor bubbles pushes some of the cooler water at the top of the conduit out of the vent. This spillage suddenly decreases the weight of the water column above the superheated groundwater, and the sudden drop in pressure causes the superheated water to flash into vapor. This vapor quickly rises, forcefully ejecting all the water and steam above it out of the vent, as a geyser eruption. Once the conduit has emptied, the cycle starts again.

According to paragraph 3, which of the following occurs during the eruption of a geyser?

 

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

 

AThe water inside the conduit immediately reaches 100°C.

BThe rock that forms the conduit suddenly gets hot.

CThe geyser vent suddenly becomes wider.

DThe superheated water immediately becomes steam.

9

Water held in the cracks in rocks and spaces in soil is called groundwater. A hot spring forms when hot groundwater rises through a channel, or conduit, to Earth’s surface. Hot springs can be found in two geologic settings. First, hot springs occur in places where faults or joints provide a conduit for groundwater to rise from depths of at least a few kilometers within the crust (Earth’s top layer). ⬛Rocks deep underground are naturally hot because geothermal energy (heat from Earth) increases with depth, and these rocks will warm up any groundwater in contact with them. ⬛If this warmed water reaches the surface rapidly without being diluted, it will still be hot. ⬛Second, hot springs develop in geothermal regions-places that are currently volcanically active, or where volcanism happened relatively recently. ⬛In geothermal regions, magma (hot fluid or semifluid material within Earth’s crust) and/or very hot rock resides fairly close to Earth’s surface, so even shallow groundwater becomes hot.

Look at the four squares ⬛that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage

There they do not require conduits of great depths.

Insert Text Questions句子插入题

 

Where would the sentence best fit？Click on a square  sentence to the passage.

10

Hot springs and geysers occur in distinctive geological circumstances.

 

Prose Summary Questions概要小结题

 

Select 3 answers

ABecause hot water is a solvent, hot springs have a high mineral content that, depending on local conditions, can result in various interesting formations

BThe eruption of a geyser creates a network of irregular fractures, and these fractures serve as conduits to the surface, creating new geysers.

CGeothermal energy is produced kilometers deep within Earth, so except in volcanically active places, hot groundwater traveling to the surface cannot avoid being diluted by cold groundwater.

DFountains of steam and hot water called geysers occur in areas where conditions result in a layer of cool water on top of superheated water below.

EGeyser eruptions happen due to the transfer of heat resulting from convection, leading to a continuous cycle of water heating and cooling.

FHot rocks deep within Earth and near geothermal regions heat groundwater, and this groundwater can rise through conduits to the surface.