6、Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions usually cause the largest, most disastrous debris ( 碎石) flows. A great many victims of the earthquake that struck Wenchuan of Sichuan province last May were killed not by the quake itself but by the sudden large amounts of debris that followed.

Most debris flows occur where the soil is composed mainly of sand or colluviums ( 崩積層) . Loose soils made up of bits of sand or colluviums fall apart easily and are main material for fast -moving debris flows.

Scientists have conducted endless experiments to find out how debris flows work. They have learned that the amount and the timing of water entering the soil are crucial ( 決定性的). Typically, that means debris flows often occur when a long rainy period of many weeks is followed by an intense, brief heavy rain.                              .

More often than not, however, debris flows are started by water, in the form of rain, snow, or river flow. In 1998, heavy rains from Hurricane Mitch unleashed about one million tons of mudslides, burying thousands of people, in Central America.

Water flows through the soil until it hits a hard layer of bedrock or clay. There the water builds up, filling the tiny spaces between the soil and rock. That buildup reduces the natural friction (摩擦力 ) that keeps the rock and soil debris lying on the slope. If conditions are approaching dangerous levels, the slope will then fall down.

Despite what scientist know about the fact, debris flows are still impossible to predict at present because there are many other uncertains affect the stability of each slope. However, one thing is known: On hillsides where one debris flow has occurred, another will eventually follow. The next debris flow could take days, weeks, or years to happen.

 

72. The passage is mainly about ____.

A. when and where debris flows occur    B. the experiments that scientists conduct

C. the causes of debris flows                  D. the possible ways to predict landslides

73. Debris flows usually take place ____.  

 A. during earthquakes and volcanic eruptions

B. after a heavy rain or an intense snowstorm

C. when there is a right amount of water entering the soil

D. when a long rainy period is followed by a heavy rain

74. The underlined word "unleashed" in the 4th paragraph most probably means ____.

A. released            B. organized        C. provided          D. invented

75. We can infer from the text that ____.

A. water can flow through a hard layer of bedrock or clay               

B; the friction can keep the rock and soil debris flowing

C. debris flows can never be predicted by scientists

D. debris flows tend to happen on the same hillsides