VOA标准英语2010年-Indonesia's Mount Merapi Volcano Promp

Increased activity from Mount Merapi, one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, is stirring fears of an imminent¹ eruption².

Mount Merapi sits in a lush valley in Central Java. Last week, the volcano jumped to action. Since then the number of tremors³ have increased dramatically. So have streams of rock and hot gas known as pyroclastic flows.

The Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency on Monday put the area around the mountain on its highest alert status.

Surono, the head of the agency, says the activity is greater than was seen before the last eruption in 2006.

"This increase is very, very significant. And then I decided⁴ to upgrade the level of Merapi activity from the level three, to the level four," Surono said. "This is high alert."

Surono has asked the government to evacuate⁵ people living on the volcano. His agency is working with the local administration to prepare residents in the four districts most likely to be affected⁶ by an eruption.

After the 2006 blast, the geological agency began working with the government in the nearby city of Jogjakarta to educate people about Merapi's danger. The volcano is one of Indonesia's most active, and eruptions⁷ in 1994 killed more than 60 people.

Superheated gas was responsible for the two deaths caused in 2006. But this time the activity is different.

Scientists say the swelling⁸ of the mountain's slopes indicate the build up of high-pressure gas that could end in a major explosion. But it is the increase in seismic⁹ activity that worries Surono most.

"After the eruption in 2006 this is a period of eruption about every four years. So this is a normal activity in Merapi volcano," Surono said. "What's not normal is the number of earthquakes."

Heavy cloud cover has obscured the view of the volcano's summit, and Surono cannot predict when it will erupt or how violently.

Small eruptions occur on Mount Merapi every few years, and big ones come along once a decade. Because of the high frequency of activity, the government often waits to issue evacuation orders until it feels the threat is warranted. The regional disaster management board says more than 50,000 people live in the four districts surrounding the volcano.

In 2006 many people living on the volcano defied evacuation warnings, preferring to stay and protect their homes against theft.
 

1 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

2 eruption   

n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作

参考例句：

• The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。

3 tremors   

震颤( tremor的名词复数 )； 战栗； 震颤声； 大地的轻微震动

参考例句：

• The story was so terrible that It'sent tremors down my spine. 这故事太可怕，它使我不寒而栗。
• The story was so terrible that it sent tremors down my spine. 这故事太可怕，它使我不寒而栗。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 eruptions   

n.喷发，爆发( eruption的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year. 今年火山爆发了好几次。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Over 200 people have been killed by volcanic eruptions. 火山喷发已导致200多人丧生。 来自辞典例句

8 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。

9 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。