(Reading)
The village of Vestmannaeyjar, in the far northern
country of Iceland, is as bright and clean and up-to-date as
any American or Canadian suburb. It is located on the island
of Heimaey, just off the mainland. One January night in 1973,
however, householders were shocked from their sleep. In
some backyards, red-hot liquid was spurting from the ground.
Flaming "skyrockets" shot up and over the houses. The
island's volcano, Helgafell, silent for 7,000 years, was
violently erupting!
Luckily, the island's fishing fleet was in port, and within 24 hours almost everyone was ferried to the mainland. But
then the agony of the island began in earnest. As in a
nightmare, fountains of burning lava spurted 300 feet high.
Black, baseball-size cinders rained down. An evil-smelling,
eye-burning, throat-searing cloud of smoke and gas erupted
into the air, and a river of lava flowed down the mountain.
The constant shriek of escaping steam was punctuated by
ear-splitting explosions.
As time went on, the once pleasant village of Vestmannaeyjar took on a weird aspect. Its street lamps still
burning against the long Arctic night, the town lay under a thick blanket of cinders. All that could be seen above the 10-foot black drifts were the tips of street signs. Some houses had collapsed under the weight of cinders, while others had burst into flames as the heat ignited their oil storage tanks. Lighting the whole lurid scene, fire continued to shoot from
the mouth of the looming volcano.
The eruption continued for six months. Scientists and reporters arrived from around the world to observe the
awesome natural event. But the town did not die that easily.
In July, when the eruption ceased, the people of Heimaey Island returned to assess the chances of rebuilding their
homes and lives. They found tons of ash covering the ground.
The Icelanders are a tough people, however, accustomed to
the strange and violent nature of their Arctic land. They dug
out their homes. They even used the cinders to build new
roads and airport runways. Now the new homes of Heimaey
are warmed from water pipes heated by molten lava.
【題組】49. How long did this volcanic eruption last?
(A) Six weeks. (B) Six months.
(C) Six hours. (D) Six days.
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