为了让大家在专业英语四级八级考试中取得理想的成绩，考8专业英语四级八级考试网为大家精选了大量的辅导资料，希望会对大家的考试有所帮助。以下是专业四级英语考试常见阅读短文的内容，希望大家认真识记

After the violent earthquake that shook Los Angeles in 1994, earthqua ke scientists had good news to report: the damage and death toll could have been much worse.

More than 60 people died in this earthquake. By comparison, an earthquake of sim ilar intensity that shook America in 1988 claimed 25,000 victims.

Injuries and deaths were relatively less in Los Angeles because the quake occurred at 4:31 a.m. on a holiday, when traffic was light on the city’s highways. In addition, changes made to the constrction codes in Los Angeles during the last 2 0 years have strengthened the city’s buildings and highways, making them more re sistant to quakes.

Despite the good news, civil engineers aren’t resting on their successness. Pinned to their drawing boards are blueprints for improved quake?resistant building s . The new designs should offer even greater security to cities where earthquakes often take place.

In the past, making structures quake?resistant meant firm yet flexible material s , such as steel and wood, that bend without breaking. Later, people tried to lif t a building off its foundation, and insert rubber and steel between the buildin g and its foundation to reduce the impact of ground vibrations. The most recent designs give buildings brains as well as concrete and steel supports. Called sma rt buildings, the structures respond like living organisms to an earthquake’s vib ration. When the ground shakes and the building tips forward, the computer would force the building to shift in the opposite direction.

The new smart structures could be very expensive to build. However, they would s ave many lives and would be less likely to be damaged during earthquakes.?

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