2026年中考英语【时文阅读训练】非洲大陆正在分裂成两部分-African continent splitting into two parts

African continent splitting into two parts (14th May 2026) There are signs that a huge part of East Africa is starting to break away from the African continent. Geologists (people who study the Earth and its land and rocks) studied a deep crack that runs along a large part of Zambia. The crack is called a rift. It is a major fault in the rock that covers Earth's surface. Geologist Mike Daly of the University of Oxford is studying Zambia's Kafue Rift. He believes there is activity in the rift that suggests a giant piece of land is breaking away. He wrote: "There is evidence that the fault boundary of the Kafue Rift is active and therefore the Southwest African Rift Zone is too." He warned that this "may be an early indication of the break-up of sub-Saharan Africa". The land on Earth is constantly moving. Three hundred million years ago, there was just one huge supercontinent. It was called Pangea. Over millions of years, Pangea broke up. Giant areas of land slowly moved across the oceans to form the continents we know today. This movement is called continental drift. Rifts are one reason why land masses split apart. The Kafue Rift in Zambia is part of a 2,500-kilometre-long rift zone stretching from Tanzania to Namibia. The rift is moving at a rate of about 4.7 mm per year. At this rate, it will take millions of years for Africa to split in two. Scientists believe that in 200 million years from now, there could be just one supercontinent again. 1.Vocabulary Matching Paragraph 1 1. huge a. A sign that something may happen or be true. 2. continent b. Very big. 3. crack c. The top or outside part of something. 4. fault d. One of the seven large areas of land on Earth. 5. surface e. A break in rock inside the Earth. 6. evidence f. A narrow space or line where something is broken. 7. indication g. Facts or signs that show something is true. Paragraph 2 8. constantly h. All the time. 9. broke up i. The speed of something over time. 10. form j. Separated into smaller parts. 11. drift k. To break into parts or move apart. 12. land mass l. To make or create something. 13. split m. Slow movement from one place to another. 14. rate n. A large area, like a big island, country or continent. 【答案】 1.b 2.d 3.f 4.e 5.c 6.g 7.a 8.h 9.j 10.l 11.m 12.n 13.k 14.i 2. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if “1-8” below are true (T) or false (F). 1. A large part of East Africa is starting to move away from Africa. T / F 2. Geologists studied a crack that runs through Kenya. T / F 3. The crack in Zambia is called a rift. T / F 4. A geologist from Oxford is studying Zambia's Kafue Rift. T / F 5. The article says the land on Earth never moves. T / F 6. Pangea was a huge supercontinent 300 million years ago. T / F 7. The Kafue Rift is moving at around 4.7 mm per year. T / F 8. Scientists believe Africa could split in two next year. T / F 【答案】 1.T 2.F 3.T 4.T 5.F 6.T 7.T 8.F 3. SYNONYM MATCH: (The words in bold are from the news article.) 1. huge a. defect 2. runs b. break 3. fault c. sign 4. boundary d. shift 5. indication e. think 6. constantly f. very big 7. movement g. border 8. rate h. goes 9. split i. always 10. believe j. speed 【答案】 1.f 2.h 3.a 4.g 5.c 6.i 7.d 8.j 9.b 10.e 4. READING COMPREHENSION: MULTIPLE CHOICE 1) What are geologists? a) people who write travel guides b) people who study Africa c) people who study the Earth d) people who make maps 2) Where does Mike Daly work? a) the University of Oxford b) Africa c) the World Geology Agency d) in a restaurant 3) What is a rift? a) a short tune on a guitar b) a crack in the Earth c) a new island d) an expensive present 4) What rift was mentioned besides the Kafue Rift? a) the Southeast African Rift b) the Kenyan Rift c) the Northwest African Rift d) the Southwest African Rift 5) What part of Africa might break up? a) South Africa b) Madagascar c) sub-Saharan Africa d) the west coast 6) What does the article say is constantly moving? a) the oceans b) the land on Earth c) rifts d) rocks 7) What was the supercontinent of 300 million years ago called? a) Jurassic b) Bob c) Earthiopia d) Pangea 8) What is the movement of land masses called? a) ocean drift b) continental drift c) country making d) nature 9) At what speed is a part of Africa breaking away? a) 4.7 mm per day b) 4.7 mm per year c) 4.7 mm per month d) 4.7 mm per week 10) What might there be in 200 million years from now? a) there could be one supercontinent b) dinosaurs c) no people d) nothing but fire 【答案】 1.c 2.a 3.b 4.d 5.c 6.b 7.d 8.b 9.b 10.a 5. Comprehension questions 1. What are geologists? 2. Where does Mike Daly work? 3. What is a rift? 4. What rift was mentioned besides the Kafue Rift? 5. What part of Africa might break up? 6. What does the article say is constantly moving? 7. What was the supercontinent of 300 million years ago called? 8. What is the movement of land masses called? 9. At what speed is a part of Africa breaking away? 10. What might there be in 200 million years from now? 【答案】 1. People who study the Earth and its land and rocks. 2. The University of Oxford. 3. A deep crack / a major fault in rock. 4. The Southwest African Rift Zone. 5. Sub-Saharan Africa. 6. The land on Earth. 7. Pangea. 8. Continental drift. 9. About 4.7 mm per year. 10. Just one supercontinent again. 6. Put the words in the right order 1. Africa East Part break is of starting to . 2. Earth Geologists are people study the who . 3. It a fault in is major rock the . 4. A away breaking giant is land of piece . 5. He an be early indication may said this . 6. Earth The constantly is land moving on . 7. Areas across land moved oceans of slowly the . 8. Rifts are land masses one reason split why . 9. 4.7 mm a at Moving of per rate year . 10. There again be could just one supercontinent . 【答案】 1. Part of East Africa is starting to break. 2. Geologists are people who study the Earth. 3. It is a major fault in the rock. 4. A giant piece of land is breaking away. 5. He said this may be an early indication. 6. The land on Earth is constantly moving. 7. Areas of land slowly moved across the oceans. 8. Rifts are one reason why land masses split. 9. Moving at a rate of 4.7 mm per year. 10. There could be just one supercontinent again. 7.【optional】Gap fill Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below. rift warned piece huge early studying rocks fault There are signs that a (1) _________________________________ part of East Africa is starting to break away from the African continent. Geologists (people who study the Earth and its land and (2) _________________________________) studied a deep crack that runs along a large part of Zambia. The crack is called a (3) _________________________________. It is a major fault in the rock that covers Earth's surface. Geologist Mike Daly of the University of Oxford is (4) _________________________________ Zambia's Kafue Rift. He believes there is activity in the rift that suggests a giant (5) _________________________________ of land is breaking away. He wrote: "There is evidence that the (6) _________________________________ boundary of the Kafue Rift is active and therefore the Southwest African Rift Zone is too." He (7) _________________________________ that this "may be an (8) _________________________________ indication of the break-up of sub-Saharan Africa". Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below. called huge this apart again constantly slowly stretching The land on Earth is (9) _________________________________ moving. Three hundred million years ago, there was just one (10) _________________________________ supercontinent. It was called Pangea. Over millions of years, Pangea broke up. Giant areas of land (11) _________________________________ moved across the oceans to form the continents we know today. This movement is (12) _________________________________ continental drift. Rifts are one reason why land masses split (13) _________________________________. The Kafue Rift in Zambia is part of a 2,500-kilometre-long rift zone (14) _________________________________ from Tanzania to Namibia. The rift is moving at a rate of about 4.7 mm per year. At (15) _________________________________ rate, it will take millions of years for Africa to split in two. Scientists believe that in 200 million years from now, there could be just one supercontinent (16) _________________________________. 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $