VOA常速英语2019--美国地质局推出先进的地震预警系统（在线收听）

Californians participated in an annual drill, and helped prepare for what scientists say could strike at any moment, an earthquake. Scientists have also been busy preparing. The US Geological Survey recently unveiled its new earthquake alert system called Shake Alert. Seismologists are calling the new system the most sophisticated in the world. I think we can say that the Shake Alert system is the most advanced early warning system in the world in the sense that not only does it recognize when an earthquake starts.

加州民众参加了年度演习，并助力做了准备，以应对科学家口中可能随时发生的地震。科学家也在忙着做准备。美国地质调查局（USGS）近日公布了其新型地震警报系统，名为Shake Alert。很多地质学家都表示，该新型系统是世界上最为精密的系统。我觉得我们可以这样说，Shake Alert系统是世界上最先进的预警系统。这样说是因为该系统可以判断地震何时开始。

In the really big earthquakes, it starts to map out the finite extent of the fault. The Shake Alert 2.0 system was designed by the USGS and the UC Berkeley seismological laboratory to give early earthquake warnings to the millions of people who live in California, Washington and Oregon. Earthquake early warning is the effort to characterize an earthquake really really quickly after it starts. This earthquake started and it’s big, so drop cover and hold on. Shake Alert uses a network of sensors to tap into the seismic waves that course through the ground when an earthquake begins. So what you see over here on the side are the seismic equipment for the next seven earthquake early warning stations. A seismometer, this is the high-resolution, very sensitive instrument. This is an accelerometer. It can measure big earthquakes.

在大型地震中，该系统可以绘制出断层的程度。Shake Alert 2.0系统由USGS和加州大学伯克利分校的地质实验室联手设计，可以提供预警给加州、华盛顿州以及俄勒冈州的上百万民众。地震预警的目的是在地震发生后的短期内了解地震情况。地震开始了，震感很强，那么先停一会，耐心等待一下。该系统通过传感器组成的网络了解地震波情况。所谓地震波，就是在地震开始时穿梭地面的波。所以，我们在这边可以看到的是地震仪器，是为接下来的7个地震预警站准备的。这是地震器，它的分辨率很高，精密度也高。这是加速计，可以测量大型地震。

So we have sensors that are distributed across the surface, but then we have algorithms that recognize the shape of the fault disrupting, the actual area of rupture that’s slipping, and that’s what’s unique. None of the other systems have anything like that. Ideally, this new system will help people seek safety faster, vital and places where people live on earthquake faults.

所以，我们的传感器是分布在表面各处的，而且我们的算法可以判断断层破坏的形状、断裂的实际区域。这才是独特的地方。其他系统都不具备这样的特性。我们的理想状态是：该新型系统可以帮助民众以更快的速度找到安全地带，可以帮助到生活在断层上方的人们。