VOA慢速英语2014 没有办法可以预测地震

 

No Way to Know When Earthquake Will Hit 没有办法可以预测地震

Last Sunday, an earthquake struck the Napa Valley area of northern California. Some roads bent¹, while underground pipes burst. It was the strongest earthquake to strike the Napa Valley in 15 years. No one was killed, but many people were treated in hospitals.

Scientists say the earthquake last weekend was a magnitude 6 quake. 

“The magnitude of the earthquake reflects how much of the Earth’s crust ruptured². It’s really an expression of the total energy that’s released when a part of the Earth’s crust breaks apart.”

David Applegate works for the United States Geological Survey. He says Californians are lucky because the earthquake did not cause major damage to water mains – large pipelines³ that carry water. He notes that a lot of the losses in quakes are from fires because water mains have been broken, and there is no quick way to fix them.

Mr. Applegate says the timing⁴ of the quake in Napa may have saved a lot of lives.

“It happened in the middle of the night. We saw a lot of cases where old brick buildings collapsed⁵ onto sidewalks. Those sidewalks were empty.”

He describes that as a stroke of good luck because earthquakes usually come as a surprise.

“Short-term prediction is not feasible, but what we do know is where large earthquakes occur.”

This means that scientists can predict the likelihood that an earthquake will hit a given area over the next several years. When a quake begins, however, scientists can warn those in its path.

“Once an earthquake starts in one place, we can actually get the characteristics of the event and get an alert out ahead of the strong shaking.”

David Applegate says the warning may not come long before the quake strikes. But he adds that 10 or 20 seconds may be enough to save your life.

“Certainly you can get underneath⁶ a sturdy piece of furniture.  Drop, cover and hold on.”

Like anything, he says, it is wise to have a plan that includes fresh water and how to find loved ones after the disaster.

“Your quality of life after the event is really dependent on what you’ve done to plan before the event.”

The people of northern California were lucky in what could have been a far more damaging earthquake. But others have cause for celebration. It seems that Napa Valley will continue exporting wine as usual. That is also likely part of the survival plan. 

1 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

2 ruptured   

v.（使）破裂( rupture的过去式和过去分词 )；（使体内组织等）断裂；使（友好关系）破裂；使绝交

参考例句：

• They reported that the pipeline had ruptured. 他们报告说管道已经破裂了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The wall through Berlin was finally ruptured, prefiguring the reunification of Germany. 柏林墙终于倒塌了，预示着德国的重新统一。 来自辞典例句

3 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

4 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

5 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

6 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。