VOA慢速英语2021 研究人员寻找南大洋强震发生的原因

Some of the strongest earthquakes in the world come from the ocean floor south of Australia.

世界上一些最强烈的地震来自澳大利亚南部的海底。

The area is called the Southern Ocean.

这片海域被称为南大洋。

Researchers placed 27 instruments known as seismometers on the ocean floor to find out why.

研究人员在海底放置了27台被称为地震仪的仪器来找出原因。

Some of them were over 5 kilometers below the water surface.

其中一些地震仪被放在水面以下超过5公里处。

The instruments have been recording¹ earthquakes for the last year and are now being picked up.

这些仪器在过去的一年里一直在记录地震，现在正在被收集回来。

It will take three weeks to get them all.

把全部仪器收集回来需要花三周时间。

A professor from the Australian National University's School of Earth Sciences hopes the information will give more data on how and why earthquakes happen.

澳大利亚国立大学地球科学学院的一位教授希望这些信息能提供更多有关地震发生的方式及原因的数据。

Hrvoje Tkalcic said more information about how and when earthquakes happen might help scientists predict how far seismic² waves will travel afterward³.

Hrvoje Tkalcic说，更多关于地震发生方式和时间的信息可能有助于科学家预测地震波在震后传播的距离。

The information could be useful to warn about strong highwater events called tsunamis⁴.

这些信息可以用来警告人们强烈的高水位事件（即海啸）的发生。

He said scientists will not be able to predict earthquakes or how large they will be, but the project will help them understand the structure of the earth in the volatile⁵ area.

他说，科学家将无法预测地震发生和地震的规模，但该项目将帮助他们了解该动荡地区的地球结构。

The research tools spent the last year pointed⁶ toward the center of the Earth.

过去一年使用的研究工具都指向地心。

Scientists think the information they get will help people in Australia and New Zealand prepare for tsunamis.

科学家们认为，他们获得的信息将帮助澳大利亚和新西兰的人们做好应对海啸的准备。

That area of the world is known as the "Pacific Ring of Fire" because there is so much seismic activity.

因为该地区有如此多的地震活动，所以这里被称为“太平洋火环”。

California Institute of Technology, The University of Cambridge in England and other Australian universities worked on the project.

加州理工学院（California Institute Of Technology）、英国剑桥大学（University Of Cambridge）和其他澳大利亚大学参与了该项目。

They hope the information can be applied⁷ to other oceans.

他们希望这些信息可以应用于其他海洋。

1 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

2 seismic   

a.地震的，地震强度的

参考例句：

• Earthquakes produce two types of seismic waves.地震产生两种地震波。
• The latest seismic activity was also felt in northern Kenya.肯尼亚北部也感觉到了最近的地震活动。

3 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

4 tsunamis   

n.海啸( tsunami的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our oceans are alive with earthquakes, volcanoes, and more recently, tsunamis. 海中充满着地震、火山，包括最近发生的海啸。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年2月号
• Please tell me something more about tsunamis! 请您给我讲讲海啸吧！ 来自辞典例句

5 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

6 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

7 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。