问答题

Mt. St. Helens Mt. St. Helens is a volcano in the state of Washington in the western United States. In May, 1980, it erupted with the force of a nuclear bomb. According to scientists, there had been no volcanic eruption to equal this one in the last 4,000 years. When Mt. St. Helens exploded, it released energy that was greater than the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima, Japan. The force was strong enough to send 100 million tons of dust into the atmosphere. A force that strong had tremendous effects on the area around the volcano. The visible effects were awesome. Once there had been green meadows and thick forests; after the eruption, there was black volcanic rock and ash. From the air, thousands of acres of trees looked like scattered matchsticks. Where there had once been clear streams and lakes, there were only bubbling pools of mud. Once the mountain had stood tall; afterwards, most of its top and all of its north side were missing. The force of the eruption reduced the mountain from the fifth tallest in the state to the thirtieth tallest. The economic effects on the area were staggering. The U. S. Forest Service estimated that $ 200 million worth of timber was destroyed. This was enough timber to build 200,000 homes. Businesses and homes simply disappeared under tons of rock, ash, and mud. The port of Portland, sixty miles to the south, was clogged with mud and ash. Cargo ships from all over the world suddenly sat helpless. Economists estimated the commercial and personal damages is the billions of dollars. Finally, the effects on human life were tragic. Thirty-four bodies were recovered in the weeks following the eruption; twenty-seven more people simply disappeared. Some of the sixty-one were photographers and scientists who were there to record the stirring of the mountain. They thought that there would be a warning before the final eruption; there was none. Other victims were campers and workers who were deceived by the apparent calm of the mountain that bright, sunny spring morning. One—a crusty, old man who owned a little resort five miles from the mountain—had refused to leave. He said that he was part of the mountain and the mountain was part of him. His words turned out to be true; his body was never found. _______________________________________________________________