Although earthquakes can cause death and destruction through __37__ secondary effects as landslides, tsunamis, fires, and fault rupture, the greatest losses __38__ both lives and property resulted from the collapse of man-made surface and subsurface structures during the violent shaking of the ground. Seismologists routinely gather considerable quantities of data to explain the characteristics of the recorded ground motion that take place during earthquakes. Such knowledge is needed to predict ground motions in future earthquakes so that earthquake-resistant structures can be designed.
The most effective way to reduce the destructiveness of earthquakes is to design and construct buildings and other structures capable of withstanding strong shaking. When a site is proposed for the construction of an office building, for example, factors such as the geometry and frictional __39_ of a nearby fault line, the passage of seismic waves surrounding the building must be considered.
【題組】38.
(A)at the thought of
(B)in favor
(C)in terms of
(D)at the risk of