When the molten rock of the earth's core forced its way to the surface to form the throat of a volcano, as the centuries passed, the rock cooled and hardened, shrinking and cracking into long columns.
2016年12月六级真题（第二套）听力 Section B
柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典释义
N-COUNT
柱;圆形石柱;纪念柱
A column is a tall, often decorated cylinder of stone which is built to honour someone or forms part of a building.
On a printed page such as a page of a dictionary, newspaper, or printed chart, a column is one of two or more vertical sections which are read downwards.