There is a saying that “earthquakes don’t kill people, buildings do.” It seems sadly true. Thousands of people died under bricks (砖块) of the damaged (毁坏的) buildings during the recent earthquakes. Is there a way to build earthquake-proof (抗震) buildings? Engineers have some life-saving ideas.

“Lift” the house up

To prevent earthquake waves from going through the building, one way is to “lift” the building’s foundation above the ground. The building can be built on top of pads (垫状物), which are usually made up of steel and rubber. During earthquakes, only the pads move and the building stays steady (平稳的). This can reduce the strength of earthquake waves by 13 to 15 percent, according to the website Bethinking the Future.

Right materials

Earthquake-proof materials must be easy to bend (弯曲) without breaking. Some of these materials include steel, wood and bamboo. In Japan, most traditional houses are built with wood. During earthquakes, wooden buildings bend to avoid building up stress. Steel is one of the main materials of modern tall buildings because it can increase their ductility (延展性).

Dome house

A Japanese company has made dome-shaped houses with styrofoam. Styrofoam is a very light material. The whole house weighs only 80 kilograms. So when earthquakes happen, the house will not hurt people.

Besides, there are many other good ideas on building earthquake-proof buildings. For example, a company in America is developing magnetic field (磁场) technology that can raise houses above ground when earthquakes happen. We hope these ideas can be put in action and more people’s lives can be saved.

【小题1】How does the writer lead into the passage in Paragraph 1?

A．By telling a joke.

B．By using a saying.

C．By asking a question.

【小题2】Why can the pads help buildings stay steady in an earthquake?

A．Because they can stop the ground movement.

B．Because they can lift up buildings far from the ground.

C．Because they can reduce the strength of earthquake waves.

【小题3】What do we know about Japan’s traditional houses?

A．Bamboo is the most common material used for the houses.

B．Most are hard to bend thanks to the use of steel.

C．Most are built with wood which is easy to bend without breaking.

【小题4】What is the advantage of using styrofoam in dome-shaped houses during earthquakes?

A．It reduces the weight of the houses.

B．It raises the houses above the ground.

C．It increases the strength of the houses.