A volcanic eruption (火山喷发) created a new but possibly changeable island in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean. An underwater volcano next to the Kingdom of Tonga erupted in early September, causing lava (岩浆) to rise to the surface. The steam (蒸汽) and water out of it then formed into a new land mass, measuring at over eight acres.
The Home Reef seamount is the place where the volcano erupted on September 10th, 2022. NASA’s Earth Observatory noted that it took about eleven hours for the land mass torise out of the water. The agency published an image that has spread on social media that shows the size of the new unnamed island.
Over the weekend, the Tonga Geological Services stated the island was about 8.6 acresand measured about 50 feet above sea level. While volcanic activities continued to plague the Home Reef, only a couple of neighboring the Tonga islands were at low risk. “All sailors are, however, advised to sail beyond 4 kilometers away from Home Reef until further notice,” officials with the Tonga Geological Services noted in a statement.
Underwater volcanic eruptions near Tonga that led to new islands,although uncommon, have happened a few times over the last two centuries, including in 1852, 1857, 1984 and 2006. However, NASA’s Earth Observatory showed that many of these volcanic islands existed only for a few months or years.
“Islands created by undersea volcanoes often last only for a short time, though very few sometimes last for years. Home Reef has had four recorded periods of eruptions, including events in 1852 and 1857,” the agency noted. “An island created by a 12-day eruption from nearby Late’iki volcano in 2020 was washed away after two months, while an earlier island created in 1995 by the same volcano remained for 25 years.”
12. What’s the main idea of paragraph 1?
A.How the lava rose to the surface. | B.How an unnamed island formed. |
C.Why an unnamed island disappeared. | D.Why an underwater volcano erupted. |
13. What does the underlined word “plague” mean in paragraph 3?
A.Change. | B.Trouble. | C.Control. | D.Measure. |
14. Which of the following best describes the islands created by undersea volcanoes?
A.Short-lived. | B.Common. | C.Fast-growing. | D.Huge. |
15. What is the best title for the text?
A.Tonga Islands Are At Risk |
B.Underwater Volcano Creates New Island In The Pacific |
C.NASA Made New Discoveries In The Pacific |
D.Volcanic Eruption Ruins Neighboring Tonga Islands |