VOA慢速英语--强烈地震陆续袭击日本和厄瓜多尔

AS IT IS 2016-04-18 Strong Earthquakes Strike Ecuador, Japan 强烈地震陆续袭击日本和厄瓜多尔

A powerful earthquake struck Ecuador Saturday, killing¹ at least 235 people and injuring more than 1,500. The earthquake in the South American country happened after a series of earthquakes struck Japan -- on the other side of the world.

President Rafael Correa was in Rome, Italy when the quake struck. He quickly returned home. He said the city of Pedernales -- in Manabi Province -- is, in his words, destroyed. About 40,000 people live there.

Officials say they believe the number of dead will increase as aid workers reach isolated² areas.

The earthquake was felt 170 kilometers away in the capital Quito. People rushed into the streets.

Luis Alberto Otero is a journalist in Quito. He told VOA that “everything moved.” He said, “I had to hold up the TV so it wouldn’t fall."

Otero added that residents of the capital city are used to earthquakes, but he was scared because it lasted a long time.

Earthquakes and aftershocks in Japan

In Japan, a series of earthquakes and aftershocks caused the deaths of at least 41 people in the southern part of the country. Eleven people are missing.

More than 800 people have been hurt since the first earthquake struck on Thursday, causing buildings to collapse³. It also caused fires and landslides⁵.

Stronger earthquakes struck Friday and Saturday.

Officials believe people are trapped or buried under collapsed⁶ buildings or homes. Strong aftershocks continue to be felt in Kumamoto Prefecture. Rescuers must also deal with harsh⁷ weather conditions.

On Sunday, the Japanese government sent 25,000 Self Defense⁸ Force troops to help people on the main southern island of Kyushu. The U.S. also sent Marines and supplies to help.

Some small communities cannot be reached, so officials do not have complete damage reports.

About 200,000 people have fled their homes because of the damage. They also fear there will be more quakes or aftershocks. Earthquake experts believe there will be dangerous aftershocks in southern Japan for more than a week.

Car manufacturers Toyota and Nissan, and electronics⁹ manufacturer Sony, have closed factories in the area because of the damage. Many large companies had built factories in the area because experts believed it was less likely to have strong earthquakes than other parts of Japan.

Words in This Story

aftershock – n. a smaller earthquake that takes place after a larger one

landslide⁴ – n. a large mass of rocks and earth that suddenly and quickly moves down the side of a mountain or hill

isolated – adj. separate from others

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

3 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

4 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

5 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。

6 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。

7 harsh   

adj.严厉（酷）的，刺耳的，刺目的，毛糙的

参考例句：

• The sunlight is very harsh.太阳光很刺眼。
• Although his words are harsh,there is positiveness in them.虽然他的话很苛刻，但有建设性。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 electronics   

n.电子器件，电子学，电子技术

参考例句：

• About 45000 people worked in electronics in Scotland.苏格兰约有4.5万人在电子行业工作。
• He wants to brush up his knowledge of electronics.他想温习他的电子学知识。