rock properties and underground water movement,” said Junqueira Saldanha,leader of theresearch team.“Such changes can make rocks tend to break apart.For example, the changesin rainfall and snowmelt can affect the pressure on tectonicplate boundaries.While thesefactorsmaynotbethemaindriversofearthquakes,theycouldstill beplayingarole thatcanhelp to predict earthquakes."Among other findings, the researchers used mathematical and computational methods toanalyze earthquakedata alongside solar activityrecords and surfacetemperaturesonEarth.Theyobserved thatwhen theyincludedEarth surface temperaturesintotheir model,theforecastingbecame more accurate,especially for shallow earthquakes.“Thatmakes sense, since heat andwatermostly affect the upper layers of theEarth's crust(地壳),” said Saldanha.The findings suggest the transfer of solar heat to the surface of theEarth does affectearthquakes,however minutely,and that incorporating solar activity predictions intodirection,and we hope our study can decipher the bigger picture of what causesearthquakes,” said Saldanha.28.Why did the author mention Tohoku earthquake in Paragraph 1?A.To demonstrate the movement of tectonic plates.B.To illustrate the difficulty in earthquake forecast.C.To reveal the heavy losses caused by earthquakes.D.To stress thenecessityofweakening strain energy29.What does the study by UT mainly focus on?A.The climate change caused by earthquakes.B.The impact of solar activity on atmosphere.C.The reasons for increased sunspot numbers.D.Thelinkbetween sunspots and earthquakes.30.Which of the followingwould Saldanha agree?A.Solar heat decides earthquake frequency.B.Tectonic plate pressure grows constantly.C.Earthquakes occurin the crust'supperlayer.D.Solar activity data helps predict earthquakes.31.What does the underlined word“decipher” in the last paragraph mean?A.Reveal,B.Distinguish.C.Expand.D.Assess.高三英语试题第7页(共12页)