RUICHANG, Jiangxi - A magnitude-4.6 earthquake briefly disrupted life in an eastern China region but no casualties or major destructions have been reported since the quake struck on late Saturday, local officials said Sunday.

Business and farming resumed in the town of Henglishan, Jiangxi Province, near the epicenter, by Sunday afternoon. Although cracks were found on the walls of several houses, no houses collapsed during the tremor that struck at 11:20 pm Saturday.

"We have checked and found little damage to the houses of the village's 487 households," said Nie Xunzhan, a top official of the village of Guanghui near Ruichang. "There are cracks on the walls but all houses remain safe to stay in."

According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the quake's epicenter was traced at a depth of 17 km. Twenty-three aftershocks, with the largest measuring 2.8 degrees, were recorded within two hours after the major tremor.

The quake was felt in the provincial capital of Nanchang, about 130 km southeast to the city of Ruichang.

56. What damage did the earthquake do to the area reported?

     A. several houses collapsed.     

B. some cracks were found on the wall of several houses.

   C. many people died.              

D. some houses were not safe to stay in.

57. What does the underlined word “tremor” in Para.2 mean?

   A. an involuntary vibration             B. shaking or trembling  

C. a small earthquake                        D. pain

58. According to the passage, which description is not true?

   A. Business and farming didn’t resume until Sunday evening.

B. Nanchang could feel the quake.

   C. all houses remain safe to stay in.

   D. The town of Henlishan is near the epicenter.

59. What does the report mainly tell us?

   A. An earthquake struck Ruichang on late Saturday

   B. No houses were damaged by the earthquake

   C. All was resumed after the earthquake.

D. An quake causes limited damage to East China town。

60. What can you infer from the passage?

   A. An earthquake struck Nanchang.

B. Ruichang is a city in the charge of Nanchang.

   C. The number of the aftershocks may be more than 23.

   D. There was little damage to the houses of the village of Guanghui.