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94 地震威胁喜马拉雅山脉和青藏高原
SCIENCE REPORT- September 13, 2001: Earthquake Threat in the HimalayasBy Nancy Steinbach
（Start at 1'02"） This is Bill White with the VOA Special English Science Report.
American and Indian scientists say new (1)evidence shows that India and nearby countries are in danger of suffering a huge (2)earthquake in the future.
A recent study found (3)rock activity and pressure under the Himalayan Mountains and the (4)Tibetan (5)plateau. The researchers say there is evidence that such pressure has been eased in the past only through great earthquakes.
Researchers from the University of Colorado and the Indian Institute for (6)Astrophysics reported the study in the publication science. They say the pressures in the rock under the ground will continue to increase as the land pushes into Asia. Scientists say the land is moving about two meters every one-hundred years. This continued movement of rock against rock causes many small earthquakes.
One researcher says parts of the Himalayas have not had a major earthquake for at least five-hundred years. The last major Himalayan earthquake took place in the Indian state of Assam in Nineteen-Fifty. It measured eight point five on the Richter (7)Scale. It was one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded. The new study says another (8)similar earthquake in the area would threaten about fifty-million people. That is because the number of people in the Ganges (9)plain just south of the mountains has grown ten times in the past one-hundred years. Such an earthquake would (10)endanger major cities in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. Researchers say at least two-hundred-thousand people might die in such an earthquake.
The researchers say the governments in those countries need to strengthen buildings to prepare for the possibility of such an event. They say new earthquake- (11)resistant building designs should be taken very seriously.
They also say that it appears the changes meant to (12)strengthen buildings have not reduced the number of people killed in a major earthquake. For example, the earthquake in the western Indian city of Bhuj in January killed about twenty-thousand people. That earthquake also was caused by the earth's movement. But it did nothing to ease the pressure hundreds of kilometers to the north and east that could produce an even stronger earthquake.
This VOA Special English Science Report was written by Nancy Steinbach.
(1) evidence[ 5evidEns ]n.明显, 显著, 明白, 迹象, 根据, [物]证据, 证物
(2) earthquake[ 5E:Wkweik ]n.地震, [喻]在震荡, 在变动
(3) rock[ rCk ]n.岩石, 暗礁, 石头, 摇动vt.摇摆, 使动摇vi.摇, 摇动
(4) Tibetan[ ti5betEn ]adj.西藏的, 藏族的, 藏族人的n.西藏语, 西藏人, 藏族人
(5) plateau[ 5plAtEu, plA5tEu ]n.高地, 高原(上升后的)稳定水平(或时期、状态)
(6) astrophysics[AstrEJ5fIzIks]n.天体物理学
(7) scale[ skeil ]n.刻度,衡量,比例,数值范围,比例尺,天平,等级vt.依比例决定,攀登,测量vi.剥落,生水垢,重,攀登,衡量
(8) similar[ 5similE ]adj.相似的, 类似的
(9) plain[ plein ]n.平原, 草原adj.简单的, 明白的, 平常的, 清晰的, 普通的, 朴素的adv.清楚地
(10) endanger[ in5deindVE ]vt.危及
(11) resistant[ ri5zistEnt ]adj.抵抗的, 有抵抗力的
(12) strengthen[ 5streNWEn ]v.加强, 巩固
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